Unmei Force: Vengeance
Chapter 15: A Short Reunion, To Elfheim
A/N: Fairly graphic scene in this chapter. If you don't want to see, then skip the nightmare section indicated by 'After an hour or two...?'
At Godo's mountain...
The group exited through Richard's sukima one by one, as they found themselves back on the snowy grounds of the mountain, as they looked around.
"We're back here again..." Judeau stated.
"That's right. It's only right that we gather up here, because we got to tell Rickert about what happened with Griffith." Richard answered back. "I know that we cannot trust him yet, but he's still there."
"There..." Guts trailed off, as his mind was preoccupied with various thoughts regarding the deep hatred of Griffith in his head.
The group ascended the mountain, before they encountered Erica, standing over a newly-erected gravestone. Some of the group realised who the grave might have belonged to, but remaining in melancholic silence, and others who still tried to discern who the buried was.
"Erica!" Casca shouted, as she walked over with a joyous smile on her face. "I'm back...!"
Erica then turned around as he saw the group have returned, as Richard turned to Judeau with a prideful smirk.
"Remember what I told you, Judes?" Richard told him with a smug tone. "She's back here, safe and sound, without a single scratch on her, like I promised."
"Heh, didn't know you had it in you to ensure that." Judeau chuckled. "Alright, I accept defeat there."
"Hey. We're back." Guts answered back, before Erica rushed up to Casca, before she wept onto her chest.
Guts then turned to the grave, as did Link and Gunter, who approached it.
"I guess we took too long." Guts remarked with slight regret in his voice.
"Don't be like that, Guts. Death is a natural thing for all living things." Link assured Guts. "We all die eventually, it's just that Godo's time came at a bad time, before we were able to return and bring him the news that we've managed to make it back safe and sound."
"...I may not know this old blacksmith for long..." Gunter stated, before he then knelt before the grave. "But as a fellow man of profession, within our twilight years... I cannot say that I do not mourn for his unfortunate passing. From what I heard from young Rickert and young Erica, he was a famed blacksmith in the past. I have only respect for him."
The group then made their way back to the cottage, as Erica spoke with them on the way.
"It was soon after you and the others left, Guts." Erica stated. "Daddy said that he was lucky enough to meet you and Richard before he died. Besides, he didn't want either of you to see his face once he was gone."
Guts was silent, as Corrin spoke up.
"Erica... I think that we should not speak more about your father's death. Aren't you glad that Casca has returned?" Corrin asked the young girl.
"Of course! You found her yourselves, although it was partially my fault for losing her back then." Erica stated.
"No, I should take full responsibility for that. I let my own concerns and worries take priority over my own safety and well-being." Casca answered back. "Had it not be for you, Guts and Richard... I really don't know if I would have been able to make it out of that holy ground alive."
"So... What are you going to do now?" Erica asked Guts. "You won't leave her again, right? Let's all.. Let's all live together."
"Heh heh, you really are quite kind to let us reside with you, little Erica." Virion smiled back warmly.
"We can help to make the residence even better. Get some jobs, spend the money, refurbish the place." Reimu remarked, before she noticed that some of the group were giving her odd looks. "What!? I'm not THAT greedy. I have a heart, you know!"
"Well, it's already fairly greedy." Richard laughed. "Don't think that I didn't notice you stealthily looting some wealth for yourself."
"Richard... I swear..." Reimu pouted.
Within Elma's cloak, Puck peeked out, as he looked up to Elma.
"Hey, Elma... Do you think that we'll be able to live peacefully? I mean... Sure, we managed to get all of us back together, but I feel like that there's more to things than there is right now." Puck told her.
"I feel the same... But for now, all we can do is cherish these heart-warming moments." Elma stated. "When these are rare in this kind of terrible world... It's the best for people like Guts and Richard..."
They soon entered the cottage where the blacksmith formerly lived, as they sat around each other, crouching or sitting down.
"Alright... So... I guess that you're going to be out dealing with apostles again, right?" Richard asked Guts.
"Not now, with how Griffith returned, I will need time to process all of this." Guts denied.
"Griffith... Is that really him?" Judeau remarked. "He looked like as if time has been wound back, to the time that he was prestigious enough to become a knight commander back then, before the betrayal happened.
"Questionable." Richard responded back. "I can sense one's aura, and I can tell you that Griffith is not entirely the same as before. I'd say that he's a bit like the Griffith we knew and loved, as much as Guts would hate it, considering all he has been subject through, but I definitely know that his persona as Femto didn't suddenly up and vanish. I'd say it's a mix between the two personalities. Just the right balance to make him an ambitious conqueror, with an clear understand of the human psyche, both positive and negative."
"Then what now?" Casca asked. "What are we supposed to do? Go after him?"
"We'll leave that decision for later. I've got an idea in mind, although we should rest up a few days, to lick our wounds and revise the events in the past." Richard answered back, before he then stood up. "I'll be taking an walk. You guys continue talking if you like, but I've got nothing more to contribute to the group for now."
Richard then left the cottage, as he closed the door to stop the snow from flowing into the cottage. The group then resumed their discussion, as Gus started first.
"Right then... Casca, I just want to ask you one question. Did anything of significance happen before we managed to find you?" Gus asked.
"Anything before Albion is nothing interesting. Cutting down foolish bandits, steering clear of the spreading plague... But near Albion, that's when I met Luca and Yuna. They helped me survive in the harsh conditions, and kept me fed well with their own share of the food. I felt bad that I could do nothing to repay them, but I am satisfied that they've managed to escape all of the chaos at the tower, before it occurred."
"Hm, funny. You literally talked with the damn goddess of Chaos herself, and you're acting like she's some typical acquaintance..." Reimu answered back, before she then smirked. "Heh, now that's really interesting. If she actually helped you, then she wasted no time with her cryptic trolling bullshit, and went straight for the help. I guess that she knows that messing up is a stupid thing to do in this place."
"Wait, could you repeat that...!?" Judeau exclaimed. "Yuna... was a goddess?"
"Yep, not kidding." Reimu answered back. "I'm sure that Richard wouldn't be happy if I blabbed about it, but who cares now? It's not like knowing would harm you. In fact, it'll be helpful if you meet her again. She's likely watching over us like the creepy stalker like she is, and she's so subtle with it that you won't even be able to sense her peeking at you, let alone see and catch her. Yuna... I bet she made that name up from a part of her first name, Yukari."
"What is this Yukari, capable of?" Guts asked.
"Lots. And I mean a lot." Reimu responded back. "Typically, she just screws around using her own sukimas, the same ones that you have seen Richard use, although with considerably greater mastery compared to him, and uses simple magic to mess around with people. But that ain't what she's famous for. The reason she's a real chaotic goddess, is because of the fact that she is able to literally twist the meanings and values of concepts, through her signature border manipulation. Whatever you can think of, she is almost certainly able to achieve said thing with the use of a single border, several if its complicated enough. That includes swapping day and night with a single snap of her fingers, turning things into other things with no limitations, and literally neutering almost anyone of their abilities and powers, if they really warranted it from her, whether through irritation or acknowledgement, the latter regarding the threat said person holds against the current situation. All in all, she's a person that you should be glad is just doing things for the sake of it, and does not harbour a single malicious intention towards you or your world, because if she did, the world would have been screwed over quite hard, and there would be nothing that anyone could do, not even the God Hand, and not even whatever 'God' they serve. That's Yukari Yakumo, the most powerful being in Gensokyo, and possibly the entire multiverse, bar a few individuals that I might not know of, and wish that I keep it that way."
Guts, Casca and Judeau were stunned, as they were astonished by the description that Reimu gave them about 'Yuna', as Casca was left completely shell-shocked, as her jaw was slightly open.
"Yeah, hearing all that, that reaction was to be expected." Reimu scoffed. "I mean, if the God Hand can't descend down to fix the shit themselves... Then Yukari's leagues above them, and I say this through a lot of experience. So, I guess that you should feel lucky that she was interested in you, or is it unlucky, considering what she mostly does to people who pique her interests."
"Alright, I think that's enough about talking about some goddess who is powerful enough to turn this world inside out." Judeau quickly changed the topic. "Ah, wait... Where's Rickert?"
Almost on cue, Rickert came in, holding a large bundle of wood, followed by Richard, who was carrying a ton of wooden boards himself, looking not the slightest bit exhausted while doing so. When Rickert saw Casca and Judeau, he dropped the pile of wood in his arms in surprise, the wood clattering on the ground.
"Casca...? Judeau...? Guts...?" Rickert stated, before his expression turned into one of pure relief. "You're all back in one piece...!"
"Yeah, you think that I was going to be taken out that easily out there, Rickert?" Guts smirked back.
Richard then slowly organised the wood he was carrying into small piles, before he returned to the group.
"Alright... So, what did I miss?" Richard asked them.
"Reimu prattling on about Yukari being the blonde woman with the purple dress, that took care of Casca before." Meiling explained back.
"Oh. That explains those stunned faces I saw briefly when I came in." Richard nodded. "Well, I guess I'll put it out there, since the Skeletal Knight didn't mention it before. I'm sort of her disciple, not in the religious sense, but in the educational sense. Hell, that's why I can make those portals myself, and have magic this powerful to wreck almost anything that tried to pick a fight with me directly. In fact, anything short of a God Hand member is of any concern to me, because I have enough power and plans to deal with varying level of threats."
"I see..." Casca stated. "That would explain why you're this powerful, you inherited some of her power yourself through tutelage."
"Right on the money." Richard answered back. "By the way, it's getting dark quickly out there. If I may suggest, we should rest early. Who knows what might happen in the damn late night? We get ambushed by a new breed of monsters who are immune to the protections of these mountains?"
"That would be a reasonable source of concern." Judeau muttered.
"Alright then, I'll have Meiling keep watch for the night, just in case something happens." Richard answered back. "Now then, off into the realm of dreams we go!"
The group then got up, as they made their way to the cave, where most of their resting places were, while the others stayed within the cottage, having made their resting places there. The group all managed to get a good sleep, with Meiling standing guard. Although, instead of resting in the cave, Richard sneakily made his way to the cottage, while the others were asleep, and slept over there for the night.
The next morning...
Richard awoken quite early in the morning, as the rest of the group were asleep, consisting of Elma, who was holding a satisfied Puck under one of her arms, Meiling, who finally decided to rest, since her need to watch over the others was gone, with the rising of the early dawn, Gus, who was resting back-first on a hay-stack, and Corrin, who decided to rest upstairs.
Richard then heard the sound of someone knocking on the door, as he quickly equipped his blades, in case it was a threat, before he then made his way to the door, and opened it quickly, finding himself face to face with Griffith, who stared back at him in silence. Richard did the same for a few moments, before he then broke it with a few words.
"Well." Richard remarked back. "I see that you've decided to visit your old friends, right, Griffith?"
"...Yes." Griffith quietly responded back.
Richard then walked out of the door, slowly closing it behind him. "I'm surprised that you managed to get here quite quickly. Only a single night, and you made it from Albion to here." He told Griffith. "I assume that Zodd managed to practice his flying speed to be a proper mount for you?"
"He is my loyal subordinate now." Griffith answered back tersely.
"Right then, I suppose that you want to tell Guts about everything you wanted to tell him, Casca and Judeau." Richard said. "Note that I didn't say that you wanted me, or my group of 'outsiders'. But then again, I don't think that you would turn down a good chat with someone who spent just as long with you. Or do you still hold a grudge for me, after I literally steered you into doing all of this."
Griffith was silent, as he did not have any response to Richard's words. Richard then walked past him, before waving a hand for Griffth to follow.
"Come with me. I know a place where we can have a proper conversation at." Richard told him, as Griffith followed without any complaint.
At the graveyard of the Hawks...
Richard guided Griffith to the centre of the graveyard of swords, before he then turned around to face Griffith again. Griffith was intrigued by the scenery, as he looked around him.
"Like it? This was all Rickert's doings. He got the makings of a good blacksmith. Every single blade made here, they're his creations." Richard told Griffith. "Each one of them were a memorial to every single member of the former Band of the Hawks, who died along the way. "
"Is that so...?" Griffith asked, before he pulled out one of the blades, inspecting it closely, before inserting it back in. "I assume that you have words yourself to speak to me with?"
"Indeed." Richard nodded back, before he then walked closer to Griffith. "You know, I sort of expected that you'd return, but not like this. I guess that whatever happened in the tower, it has changed you once again. When I look you in the eyes, I don't see the malice and despair that your eyes radiated as Femto. I only see clear ambition in them now. Still, that's not much different from back then, although you're more focused on your ambition than ever. And that's both good and bad in my opinion."
"How so?" Griffith asked, curious about Richard's words.
"Well, on the good side, at least it proves that you actually returned to being actually able to feel like a human, although I doubt that you express much anymore, considering everything you have went through." Richard responded back. "And on the bad side... Well, I'll put it this way. You're going to be butting heads with me and Guts eventually, or least... your men and the two of us will. I definitely know that Zodd is not the only one you plan on recruiting for your cause. So how did you persuade him, a offer of giving him a endless supply of battles to satiate his battle-lust, and to give him opportunities to fight someone of the same calibre that we used to be?"
Griffith silently lowered his head, as Richard continued. "So then, what's your new band going to be called?" Richard asked.
"The Reformed Band of the Falcon." Griffith calmly responded back, much to Richard's disdain.
"Really? How original, Griffith." Richard clicked his tongue. "Ah well, I can't judge you for that alone. Although I have a better question for you now. All these swords... They are what else remained of your fellow men, save the memories that burned inside all of us. How do you feel, Griffith? Do you feel regret that you have laid these lives down to achieve your ambition, or a sense of solemn duty, that these serve as reminders that your only path from onward is to continue pursuing your dream, even if it may be a dream in the end?"
Griffith shook his head. "No, I feel nothing at all." Griffith answered back.
"A shame. If this was you before, you would have felt either of the two." Richard answered back. "Goes to show how people can change under certain influences. But then, another question, and one that I have been dying to know."
Richard then swiped one of the sharper blades out of the snow, raising its point right near Griffith's neck, as Richard's expression turned serious.
"Who do you believe this world needs more? Femto, the Hawk of Darkness, or Griffith, the Hawk of Light?" Richard asked back firmly.
"Why do you ask this?" Griffith questioned back.
"Because if I'm going to make my farewells with you, I'm going to do it properly. I'm not going to be acting all sappy with someone who still hasn't regained his human soul after everything it took to bring you back as a human, for your ambition." Richard explained back. "If you are Femto, then you're undeniably my enemy, since you are the one who took Griffith's place in the plane of existence, and so eradicating you is the only way I can atone for Griffith, if he is truly lost. But if you really are him, or if you maintained both, then I have no reason to slay you now, as long as your ambition doesn't ruin the world."
"...You know the answer to that." Griffith answered back, as he clasped the blade with a hand, holding it tightly. "You and Guts are the only people who made me forget about my own dream, my ambition for a moment. But it's because of that, that I can still understand what it takes to be able to achieve my wish: To obtain a kingdom of my own, one that I will maintain as long as I live. If the world around me must be crumbled to achieve that, so be it, although I prefer not to resort to such destructive methods to achieve that. I have manipulated, I have lied, I have betrayed, but I have no reason to ruin lives, when I am meant to save them."
"So you wish to be a saviour then." Richard remarked back, before he then smirked, as he dropped the blade into the snow. "Well, good luck with that then. I'll tell you this in kindness, being a saviour is harder than it looks. There is no mindset that is truly optimal for the job, so you're going to be dealing with problems that someone like you will find difficult to resolve. The road to such greatness requires many sacrifices. Although I'm your enemy, I hope for the best with you, if you would accept them."
Griffith merely nodded back. "I'll keep that in mind." He answered back.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps through the snow, as Richard and Griffith turned around, seeing Guts rushing towards them, as the rest of the group were following after him. Beside him was Casca, Judeau and Rickert, who were surprised to see Griffith before them.
Richard silently side-stepped away from Griffith, for good reason, as Guts was about to rush Griffith with a murderous expression on his face, with his great-sword raised. However, he was immediately restrained by Judeau, Rickert and Casca.
"W... Wait a minute...!" Rickert exclaimed. "You can't just... That's Griffith! He's the one we recognise! So why... Why are you drawing your blade, Guts!?"
"Move, all of you!" Guts roared, as he struggled in the grip of his comrades. "That's... That's not the Griffith we know anymore...! He died back in the Eclipse, in order for their twisted lord Femto to be born!"
Judeau then saw that Guts's Brand was bleeding heavily, as he was surprised to see that Griffith was still a demon, despite how human he looked. He then turned to Richard, who was close to Griffith, also fairly distanced away from him.
"Richard... Is he...?" Judeau asked.
"I would like to give you hope by saying that Griffith is there, and yes, he is there, as himself." Richard answered back solemnly. "But then, I would crush them, in saying that this Griffith is still a demon, regardless of how he looked. All the while near him, my Brand ached the same way it did when we met Femto for the first and only time. And in his eyes, most of his emotion has been tapered off, although not all of it. Actually, I don't know how he's like this myself. But I know for sure, this Griffith isn't interested on going back to us at all."
"All the more reason to cut him down...!" Guts growled, as he continued to struggle. "I'm not going to let some sort of demon run around wearing his flesh like some sort of twisted costume!"
"Guts... It seems that all these years, you never changed." Griffith calmly responded back, before a faint smile appeared on his lips. "You always swung first, talked later. It's actually quite relieving for me, to know that some things don't change, despite everything. No, rather... You're the way you were when we first met."
Guts's expression scrunched up further, seeing the smile of Griffith's face, as his anger grew further.
'You bastard...! That face... That smile...! Don't talk to me in that same voice and face!' Guts furiously thought. "What the hell would you come here for!?"
"To see you all." Griffith simply answered, as Guts froze where he was. "It was far too turbulent at that tower, and you already left when the battle ended. So I searched for you all to here. When I look around, this place seems to be more fitting for our reunion, the Band of the Hawk... assembling once more."
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT NAME! YOU'RE NOT WORTHY OF IT, AFTER YOU THREW IT TO THE DEMONS!" Guts screamed with pure fury, as his struggles restarted, as Judeau and Casca were having problems trying to restrain their enraged comrade now.
"Griffith... What do you really want from now?" Judeau asked back.
"You already know my dream, Judeau. No... All of you do." Griffith answered back, before he placed a hand over his chest. "I came here to know for certain... whether anything will shake my heart, while I stand before you in this new body of flesh..."
He then looked over Casca, who looked at him with conflicted emotions, and Judeau who had a expression of curiosity on his face, and Guts, who directed his entire brunt of rage towards him, then at Richard, who had a expression of stoicness, then at the rest of the group, who were either confused or suspecting. When he looked at Casca, he felt a slight burst of emotion, one of relief.
"It seems that... Although I still feel... I am still... free from all of you." Griffith stated.
As if the words flipped a switch in Guts, he immediately stopped caring about the safety of his comrades, as he bodily shoved the three of them off him, as he ran into a sprint. "You mean... after what you did... after all those you betrayed... You don't... You don't feel anything at all!?"
"I'll not... betray my dream for mere sentiment, Guts." Griffith declared. "You of all people should know that."
Guts lets out a bestial roar in response, as he slams his blade down with full intent to kill, to cleave the white-haired warrior before him in twain. However, his attempt was blocked by another blade, as Zodd appeared before them, in the same attire that he was in years ago when they first met.
"Long time... no see, Black Swordsman and company...!" Zodd grinned wildly. "You did well to survive, despite my prediction! It pleases me, boy!"
"Z-Zodd...!? So he was here all along!?" Casca exclaimed with shock.
"This isn't good..." Judeau remarked, as he reached for his throwing knives. "Guts won't walk out of this fight uninjured, if he doesn't have aid-"
"Stop." Gus stated, as he placed a hand on Judeau's hand. "Guts is handling himself fine. I know that you're concerned that this is Zodd of all people. But remember that Guts have progressed quite well himself. He may not be strong enough to win, but he's definitely more of a match against Zodd than before."
Judeau watched the fight, as Guts and Zodd clashed blades multiple times, the sound of metal scraping ringing through the air again and again, as the weapon that Zodd had, a large saber with a bend on the end of the blade. Neither of them could land a blow against each other, as they either blocked or dodged their attacks against each other. Even when Zodd tried to stagger Guts with a elbow-smash to his blade, Guts recovered quickly enough to give Zodd a surprise attack, that the larger warrior dodged by jumping backwards.
"Magnificent! As a human, you've done well to attain such discipline and skill! I wanted to cross swords with you again this way, now that you have lived through such carnage! I am truly excited, after so long!"
"What is this...? Why're you with Griffith!?" Guts demanded. "Move aside! My business is with him!"
"Words lack elegance on the battlefield! If you desire him, then force your way past me!" Zodd roared back.
They then re-engaged each other, as the group were in awe, seeing that the fight between Zodd and Guts was almost fairly even.
"Woah... This doesn't compare to how he dealt with all those other monsters..." Isidro remarked with surprise. "This guy... He's literally batting Guts's sword away through pure strength, and he's not leaving any gap for Guts to cut into! This is a whole another level, compared to those dumb freaks he usually deals with!"
Guts and Zodd then entered into a rush of slashes, as their blades batted against each other over and over. However, Zodd noticed that his saber was beginning to crack against Guts's large blade. Almost immediately, he moved his other hand over to one of the swords in the snow, drawing it and using it to attack Guts from both sides, forcing himself to go onto the defensive, as Zodd mercilessly beat his swords down on Guts's blade.
"He... He actually used the field to his advantage...!?" Gunter remarked. "A truly clever and dangerous opponent indeed..."
However, Zodd was not the only one who used the environment to his advantage, as Guts lured Zodd back while guarding, before he found the opportune moment to drive one of the blades into Zodd's abdomen, by using his boot to uproot one of the blades, and kick it right into Zodd, causing him to grunt in pain and cease his assault, as the blade's point dripped blood through the other side of his body. Guts fell back, as he slowly got up, reforming his stance.
Griffith felt something, watching the battle between Zodd and Guts occur, as it was a emotion of longing, something that he didn't wish to feel. However, he did his best to hide it from everyone present, silently watching the battle continue to unfold.
"Splendid... Splendid! A human who survived the Eclipse... Your strength alone has gotten you through even battles with apostles. I like to amuse further with this sword dance of ours, but it seems this horse-slayer I stole from the Kushan doesn't quite match up to that demon-slayer of yours!" Zodd remarked, as he raised his blade horizontally, while using the other hand to pull the bloody blade out of his abdomen, all while the white fog of a transforming apostle began to enshroud him. "It is a splendid sword for a splendid warrior with technique to match! But... I've not yet tasted enough! I HAVE NOT HAD MY FILL YET, BOY!"
"He's transformed...!" Link exclaimed. "This is bad... We need to-"
Before anyone could react, a sukima swallowed Guts up from below him, before Richard popped out of it, as Guts was sent behind the group, as his legs were in sukimas, as if to prevent him from moving.
"Alright, that's enough out of you, Guts." Richard remarked, as he then drew his blades. "The rest... Let me handle this."
"Oi, the fuck are you doing!?" Guts exclaimed. "Let me go! I need to deal with Griffith now!"
"You're not going to get Griffith while Zodd is still here." Richard stated. "Save your strength when I've taken him down. If Griffith is still a demon, I doubt that you're going to get him easily. Remember that Griffith was a former God Hand member. His reincarnation did little to diminish his powers."
Guts growled silently, while Richard faced Zodd, who was intrigued by Richard taking to the battlefield.
"Oh? You would challenge me also...?" Zodd asked with a grin on his snout.
"You said that I wasn't using all of my power before, when we first fought. That was because I purposely restrained myself to maintain the facade as a human" Richard responded back, before raising both of his blades. "But now, the veils have been torn off. You will get the wish that you have wanted long ago: A serious fight with me. I assure you, I will kill you, if you won't take me seriously as well."
"Hah! Truly splendid! Now show me! Show me the power that has been displayed in the Eclipse!" Zodd roared, as he charged at Richard.
Richard charged at Zodd, as he threw earthen pillars up towards Zodd, who dashed back to avoid them, before Richard ran up them, and leaping towards Zodd with his blades drawn. Zodd threw a punch at Richard, who resisted against it with a cross-strike with both blades, as the attacks were evenly matched, sending monster and saviour away from each other slightly. Richard quickly twisted to land on the ground.
Richard then traced a magic circle in front of him, as it turned into a orange colour, before it then spewed a fountain of magma right at Zodd, who took the air to avoid the molten spray, which melted snow and metal alike. However, he didn't react in time to avoid several wind projectiles that Richard fired with each swing of his blades, as they cut into his flesh, through the dense and durable fur covering him. He then retaliated by diving at Richard with a claw-strike, sending Richard flying back a bit, but not before throwing a large shard of ice that Zodd broke with a swipe of his claws.
Richard then quickly took control of the shattered ice shard, as he directed them back at Zodd, with most of them hitting their mark, yet they did little to effect the apostle, who were durable enough to shrug the blows off. Richard then reversed his flight direction, directly charging at Zodd. At the precise moment, he threw a fireball right into the face of the furred apostle, causing him to grunt in pain, as he swept the flames away from his face, but not before crashing into the cave where Guts and most of the group rested in, as Rickert was devastated.
"That's... Master Godo's mine...!" Rickert exclaimed, as rocks from above buried Zodd, who didn't move at all.
"Damn... Sorry that happened." Antonio told Rickert with a sympathetic tone.
Richard didn't react at all, as he stared at the rock-pile Zodd was underneath, as he clicked his tongue. "Come now. Where the fight you promised, Zodd?" Richard asked back. "Just a few clashes, and you have been worn down like this...? Zodd... I am truly disappointed, if you really have thrown yourself in a self-destructive charge to knock yourself out of the right. So get up, and let us continue."
"He wants more...!?" Isidro exclaimed.
"Trust me, Richard is capable of more than you think, Isidro." Gus told him.
Zodd then erupted out of the rock pile, roaring, as it sent the entire pile flying into the air, scattering everywhere around the group. Some even were on their way on landing on the group. However, with Meiling's strength and Antonio's speed, all of the rock were destroyed, before anyone could be in any danger. The beastly apostle looked like that he didn't take as much damage as the other assumed, although crashing into the cave did harm him.
"That's enough Zodd." Griffith stated, as Zodd turned to him. "We will be going soon, but not before I speak with all of you."
Zodd looked at Griffith for a moment, before he complied, disengaging from the battle. Griffith walked forward, until he was in front of the group.
"Casca... I would like to ask if you would come closer to me." Griffith stated.
Casca didn't move, as she didn't know what to do, since she knew that Griffith wasn't the same, yet a part of her wanted to be close to him, the side that was devoted to him. After seeing that most of the group were happy to let her go, and seeing Richard nod his head gently to gesture for her to continue, she did so, although slowly and carefully.
When Casca was in front of Griffith, she stared deeply into his shining eyes, as she felt a sense of familiarity in them. "Griffith..." She muttered gently.
Much to everyone's surprise, Griffith then wrapped his cloak around Cacca in some sort of embrace, as Griffith leaned his head towards Casca's own, until their cheeks were barely apart from each other.
"Although I do not regret what I have done, I regret that I have harmed people as loyal as you, and people who are as close to me as you and Guts." Griffith stated.
"Griffith..." Casca repeated, before tears leaked from her eyes, as she placed a hand on Griffith's cheek, which felt slightly cold to touch. "Why did you have to do all of this...? I know that you were forced to do all of this... But you didn't have to do this to all of us... You didn't have to abandon and betray us."
"...It was all necessary for the pursuit of my dream." Griffith responded back, closing his eyes for a moment. "I can easily understand that none of you would find it within yourself to forgive me for what I have put you all through. And I don't expect you all to. All I did is to bid you all farewell, as I will create my own kingdom with a new band to lead its forces."
He then released Casca, who fell to her knees, trying to wipe the tears from her face, before turning away. "Let us go, Zodd." He stated, walking towards the apostle.
Zodd picked up Grififth in his hand, as he spread his wings out, preparing to fly, as Judeau quietly watched on, knowing that Griffith's words, although harsh, were mostly true. He felt a twinge of sadness, that the Band of the Hawk, the one who survived, would meet one last time here where the graves were erected. Richard decided to release Guts at this moment, as Guts collapsed on the floor, although with his legs free for him to use. He quickly stood up, watching Zodd flap up into the air.
"Wait...! Where are you-" Guts shouted.
"I told you all once... I will get my own kingdom." Griffith answered back. 'Nothing has changed."
"...Then hope that we do not cross blades again." Richard responded back. "I hope that the kingdom you will create, will not be a lair of despair and darkness... But a genuine beacon of light and hope for what remains of humanity. We will remain at opposite ends of the conflict... So enjoy our last civil chat for a long time, Hawk of Light. Next time we meet, it will not be as friendly."
"And the same will go to you all." Griffith stated. "All of you... Guts, Casca, Judeau and Rickert. Nothing has ended either. Your dreams still exist, if not reborn through this conflict. If you hate me, then I will bear that hate without any ill will. I have no reason to actively harm those who I have thrown into suffering already. But if you still pursue my dream... Know that I have no cause to refuse either of you. You deserve that much."
Judea, Casca and Rickert were silent, considering those words. However, for Guts, who didn't believe in those words, quickly loaded his rapid-firing crossbow, and aimed it at Zodd and Griffith. "You say nothing has changed..." Guts growled. "After everything you did, you dare say that!?"
The crossbow bolts flew harmlessly through the air, as if some force was directing them away from their intended targets.
"You should have known, Guts. This is the man I am." Griffith stated, not turning back. "You, of all people... Should know that."
Soon, the both of them flew over the horizon disappearing, leaving the group alone.
"...Guts, are you going to still pursue Griffith across the lands?" Richard asked Guts.
"Damn right I do. If you say that I'm still not strong enough to take him down... Then I'll just keep on tearing through apostles, until I'm at his level! Then I'll kill him and make him pay for what he did to all of us!" Guts roared.
"I see. Then we should decide where we'll live from now on. Without the cave..." Richard stated, glancing over at the cave, which was caved in by Zodd's impact. "...We don't have a proper home anymore to stay safe in."
"I'm going too! You all carried the heavy burden of the world by yourselves...!" Rickert exclaimed."And while I could only watch my friends fight in a world, while I remained comfortable by myself in a place like this! Take me with you, Guts! I was... I was a Hawk as well!"
"I'm afraid that we can't agree to that." Richard responded back, as he placed a hand on the young boy's head. "Where we are going, people like you wouldn't survive long. And you're the only Hawk that will remain, should we all perish. If you go, then the Hawks are truly gone forever. But if you live on... There will be a chance that you will be the new Hawk to lead the dawn. So please... stay with Erica and take care of her. You have been with her for almost 2 years, so she should make a proper spouse for you, when time passes."
"...Richard..." Rickert muttered, before Richard hugged Rickert, surprising.
"Now go... Alrhough you are a Hawk, you don't need to share the blood-stained fate that we are chained to." Richard whispered quietly. "Like Griffith told us... We are free to pursue our dreams. So don't throw your life away to help us with a vengeance that no-one should have to bear. Live on, and prove that there is still life and hope within this dark world."
Rickert looked up, before he nodded, as he then turned to head back to the cottage, where Erica was, as the group looked amongst each other.
"Casca... Judeau..." Guts muttered. "You guys... You shouldn't-"
"Don't bother. I'm not the kind of person to be sitting around, when the world is getting dire around us." Judeau interrupted. "If you're going to go on fighting, then I'm coming as well. Hawks should always stick together, with the exception of Rickert, thanks to Richard's reasoning. I've fared well against the deamons during our journey, and I don't plan on being a burden like I was back in the Eclipse"
"What about you, Casca?" Corrin asked the brown-haired and brown-skinned warrior.
"Judeau is right. It's because this world has gone to ruin, that there is more reason that we should stick together." Casca responded back. "I endangered myself by chasing after you, in the false pretence that you were all in danger somehow. But after seeing the fights you had, I believe that its the opposite. You were all more than capable to handle the danger. Although I am not much, I refuse to sit by, and let myself waste away watching you all fight for me. I was the one who took Doldrey for the Hawks, and I have been Griffith's right hand before. I am more than capable of handling a few demons on my own."
Guts then looked at Casca, before he then smiled, at the fact that Casca's spirit was still strong as ever. "But that doesn't answer the question of where we will go from then on." Guts stated. "Anywhere we go, with the Brands on me, Richard and Casca... We're literally a walking lantern in the deep darkness, completely exposed for all those demons and spirits to see and assault us." Guts stated.
"So we need to find another ground enchanted by elves..." Elma muttered, before she then recalled something. "Wait, PucK?"
"Yes, Elma...?" Puck asked, peeking out the demoness's cloak for a moment.
"Do you know any other elf dwellings in this land?" Elma asked.
Puck then pondered for a moment, as he was thinking hard, from the strained expression on his face, before he then thought about it. "Actually, there is a place. A bit far, but it's a beautiful paradise probably safer than anywhere in this world. I think that it would be a safe place to be around in, or to set our new home at. It would be my own home... Elfheim."
A few hours of preparation later...
The group were right in front of the cottage, as Rickert and Erica were both there to see their friends off.
"So, you can't even stay one more night?" Rickert asked.
"I doubt that the elves' protections would last long enough." Richard answered back. "When I sensed around, Zodd's clumsy work weakened the spell enough to make it dangerous to stay around, with three Brands present in the same area. I rather not risk your lives, when I was the one who stated that you should keep them safe."
Elma hugged Erica, who was terribly sad to see them leave again, as Puck tried to comfort her with some shoulder pats. After a while, the group started their journey, as they trudged through the snow, down the mountain, and into the vast land before them.
Several days later...
The group were surrounded by demonic snow-beasts, who were entirely made of snow, created by the vengeful spirits of the dead, all while within a fairly large blizzard, as the snow hit their exposed skin. While some of them had protection from the biting cold, others didn't, as they endured it, letting the adrenaline counter the sense of numbness brought by the cold weather.
"There's no end to them! Not like that's new at all!" Puck shouted.
"You don't say!?" Antonio shouted back, as he managed to defeat several of them with a string of strikes. "Man, this cold stinks hard! I'm feeling my own fingers grow numb swinging this blade around and around!"
"Shut up and keep fighting!" Reimu shouted, as he used ofuda to cleanse the snow monsters, causing them to crumple back into ordinary snow. "The more you waste your damn breath talking, the more heat you're leaking out of your body!"
"Snow beasts... Hoo boy, and here I thought, these were just fairy tales." Judeau remarked, cutting down the monsters. "Then again, with the world now, fairy tales come to life easily nowadays."
"Luckily that my own weapon can handle these damned spirits." Casca stated, as she gracefully weaved through the blows of the monsters, countered with strong strikes with her weapon.
"Yeah, these weapons I have... They're tailored to fight them. Not as powerful as our personal weapons, but reliable enough, that I can easily replace them, if they ever shatter in the midst of battle." Richard responded back.
The group slowly endured the blizzard, as the monster numbers slowly thinned out, before they managed to reach a small clearing, where they set up camp for a moment, as Gus created a bonfire, for the group to roast their meat, and cook their raw vegetables on. As the group rested and eaten their fill of nutrition and energy, Guts turned to Puck, who was nibbling gently on a corn cob.
"Puck." Guts asked, as Puck grunted, with several kernels shoved comedically into his mouth. "What kind of place is your homeland?"
Puck then swallowed the corn kernels slowly, before he then smiled and pridefully described it. "Well, you see, it's a great place! Elfheim.. A utopia gloating in the sea far to the west. Everywhere, flowers are blooming, birds are singing, elves like me dancing about, an elfin paradise of eternal spring, open year round. Oh! My beautiful homeland!"
"If it's so nice, why did you leave?" Guts retorted back.
"Me? I just got bored." Puck plainly answered back.
There was a awkward silence that followed, before Virion took part in the conversation. "You know... Although I could not understand how mere boredom would cause you to leave such a miraculous place, I think that you might have a good reason other than that, to leave. Perhaps a tragic event."
After a while, night fell onto the group, as they took the moment to take rest. Richard was the first to doze into sleep, as the others followed slowly.
After an hour or two...?
Richard slowly woke up to the sound of shuffling footsteps ahead of him, as his senses slowly came to him. He could hear the energetic crackling of the bonfire around him. He decided to open his eyes, although he was met with a grisly sight.
He looked around, and saw that his entire group was slaughter, as there was blood sprayed everywhere. Everyone was dead in one way or the other, although the intriguing thing was how they died. Link was beheaded, as his head was set neck-first onto the ground, as his Master Sword was impacted through his neck. Gus had a expression of terror on his face, as everything up to his torso was burnt to black ashes, and some of his face was burned off cleanly, showing the bleached skull underneath. Reimu's body was impaled by a multi-pronged golden blade, which seemed to make Richard twitch slightly, as he recognised the blade himself. Antonio's quills, who was in his hedgehog form instead of his human form that he was using now, were forcefully removed, as they were jabbed through the front of his body, with one between his eyes.
As for Meiling, her fate was much less pleasant, as there was a large hole in her chest, as her expression was completely soulless, and inside that hole was a void, right where her heart was supposed to be. As Richard wondered where her heart went, he saw that Corrin was in pieces, with her bloodied weapon laid by where those pieces were, and Gunter, who was pinned to a tree by a lance through his chest, as he looked completely shrivelled up, as if something sucked the moisture, or the life right out of his elderly body. For Velouria, being a wolf-kin herself, her body was riddled claw and bite marks, and most of her flesh was torn out, especially her torso, where her entrails were exposed for all to see, with bits and pieces missing. Virion's body was ridding with arrow, as arrows pierced every single part of his body, from his head to his feet, like a pincushion for arrows. As for Elma, Richard felt a twinge of rage, as the demoness was subjected to the same fate that killed her back in her home-world, as her head was torn off, except her body was nailed to a wooden cross, that was erected centre-front to Richard. He then found Meiling's heart, which was pinned to the bottom of the cross, ruptured and broken.
As for the others in the group? Judeau laid dead, with many holes through his torso, kneeling down, Guts's body, or what remained of it, the upper half, was pinned to the side of a tree by his own blade. Casca herself looked like she had been crushed to death by some sort of unknown force, as her entire naked body was riddled with blood-marks and all her orifices were dripping blood, even through her privates and bottom. Isidro looked like that he was stabbed many times over, through his entire young body. And Puck, despite being an elf, wasn't spared from the slaughter, as his limbs were torn off, and he had a dagger through his mouth.
Despite this horrible sight, Richard's expression did now show neither rage, nor sorrow, or fear. He didn't even feel any disgust at the horrid deaths of his friends.
In fact, Richard then looked silently at the scene for a moment, before he then let his lips rise up, as he began to chuckle, as it then erupted into utterly ravenous laughter, which stopped short after a while.
"Seriously... Seriously...?" Richard muttered with a utterly dry tone. "A 'All your friends are dead' nightmare. How very predictable and cliche. Whoever is making this nightmare, if you're going to throw me into one, at least make it more realistic, you fucking noob. There are so many things wrong with this, that you would have made a failing grade on 'creating false dream-scapes', in a class where everything passed it. This is the most pathetic effort to try and leech off my fear."
After a few moments, the footsteps came closer, as Richard saw a figure come out the dark shadows, and into the light of the bonfire. When he saw who it was, his lips raised to a smile, albeit a mocking one.
"Well, well." Richard stated, as he examined the person before him, as it was a woman dressed in a grey leather jacket with a large collar, as well as a crimson long skirt underneath it. and long leather boots. She also had several leather belts wrapped around her waist like a sash, and she had long pink hair, that has been tied into a loose ponytail. She also had a red eye, since her left one was covered by a black eye-patch. She also wielded a refined katana in her hands. "Look what Schrodinger's cat dragged in, someone that I'm both joyous and pissed to see here. Now then, aren't you going to go into that drivel about purification and despair? I wonder how you're going to play this."
"Even while your friends lay dead before you, you still act so defiant towards me." The lady spoke back with a sadistic tone, as a twisted smile crept on her face. "I wonder... Have I truly broken you, that you don't even know what you are right now?"
"Don't I...?" Richard asked back, tilting his head slightly. "Ha, that's a laugh. You, breaking me? Sure, that happened before. But now? You think that this fazes me the slightest? Please, I have seen the real you in action. This is a mercy compared to what you would actually done to them. Besides, I don't believe this dream crap. My friends, dead just like that? Please. Even if it's you of all people, they're strong enough to survive a fight with you. You may be powerful, but you aren't omnipotent, no matter how much of those gods and goddesses you try to pile up in that cache of divinity you always hold with you."
"So what...? You think that you can change anything?" The cruel lady answered back, before she let her head fall back, letting out a round of deranged laughter. "You couldn't save them before, and you still can't now! What makes you think a lowly wretch like you stands any chance against someone like me?"
"Oh, really, that's how you're going to play that?" Richard barked in laughter. "Please. You're the reason I'm like this, the reason why you played yourself, as the memers would put it. You created a self-destructive chain of events, and you reaped what you sow. Funny thing is, I have a hard time taking your measly taunts and empty threats seriously, because of the fact that... well, I don't know... that you don't even exist anymore? The fact that you don't even have a single shred of power to do a single thing to existence itself, even the most simplest action of being. Face it, the only way you exist now, is a repressed memory, powerless and without authority. I'm sure that your pride is so heavily wounded by that fact. And you know what? That pleases me, because watching you squirm is cathartic, no matter how many times I watch it."
The lady suddenly fell silent, as Richard then stood up. "But I actually have to thank you, however I despise it, having to say such words that you are absolutely unworthy of receiving at all." Richard stated. "I have to thank you, for actually allowing me to progress, by breaking my own limits. Through all those battles with you, every single loss I experienced, every single attempt of breaking your armies down, I grew stronger and stronger. Maybe not enough to take you down once and for all, but you were the catalyst for what I considered to be my most prodigious breakthrough... You forced me to not only embrace my own inner darkness... But you forced me to meld together with it, gaining power beyond mortal understanding, and earning that forbidden power that wiped your damned universe off the face of existence. Thanks to you, I'm no longer a naive fool, who thinks that friendship, kindness, and equality would fulfil my dreams, but instead someone who is capable of using both logic and emotion as effective tools to my own use. You left me with a heart torn apart into millions of pieces, allowing me to gain understanding and control over my psyche. I may be still young in terms of the lifespan of a immortal, but I matured more than what many beings of my calibre would have, living through the hell of your own making."
"So then... What are you going to do. Are you just going to stand there, spouting useless crap... Or are you going to try and teach me a lesson like you did many times before..." Richard remarked, as he pushed his face into the face of the woman, with a smirk on his lips. "...Lady Yorihime...?"
Yorihime's expression twisted in rage, as Richard's smirk only grew in response.
"And that's why I know that you're nothing but a fake, trying to pretend like you are her." Richard stated, before pressing a finger under her chin in a mocking gesture. "The real Yorihime would never lose her calm like that. It's nearly impossible for a narcissistic and psychotic bitch like her. The only emotions that people see from her is sadistic glee, that's all. So run along now, you can't do anything to me, even if you tried."
Yorihime snarled, before she snapped her fingers, as Richard found himself surrounded by a nearly-endless horde of futuristic soldiers, all who looked like Reisen, with their bunny ears, female appearances, and the red eyes they bore. Within the horde of soldiers were also various vehicles, from a simple recon van to a mobile fortress, as their weapons were aimed at Richard. And right above them all, titans of golden metal towered over him, all bearing resemblance to Buddhist figures. Richard gazed over the army surrounding him, as he scoffed.
"What did I say?" Richard remarked. "You really think that just because you're the intruder... You've got the advantage in my own dreamscape? Yes, your powers to twist reality within the dreams is commendable, if you managed to recreate the entire Lunarian army from scratch with a snap of your fingers. But... I know that they're merely paper tigers. You can't recreate them at full power. I could easily annihilate a considerable portion of them with a wave of my hand and a simple area-wide spell. But as for me...?"
Richard then flipped his hand over, as he flicked his fingers open, as a dark black flame appeared on it, before a pitch black darkness crawled up his arm, staining every single part of the skin, before it then ran up Richard's neck from the left side, before it then rooted into the left side of Richard's face, as the eye on that side of the face, turned a eerie purple.
"Here... You forget that this is my dreamscape. You might have been able to manipulate the dreamscape of simple ordinary humans, barring them any access to their dreams... But for me, you can only impose control, while mine remain as strong as ever, as my own soul is refined beyond your pathetic imagination." Richard responded back darkly. "You made a truly terrible mistake, trying to fight me here. Here... I am GOD, and you are nothing but a insolent intruder in my domain. I could annihilate you with a snap of a finger, like a certain titan, or I could use that dark power to no consequence, since this is merely fantasy, so I am in control of what I do and what I am fully here. In fact, why not do that? I'm sure that you would like to see the power that eradicated your diseased universe. The power that I tore you over and over with, as I relished every moment of karmic retribution I have unleashed onto you. I enjoy watching you hopelessly try to struggle, as I slain those gods you rely upon one by one, until you are rendered without a god or goddess to rely on. Not even you trump card, Amaterasu, stood a chance back then. What makes you think that I've weakened at all? No, in fact, I'm much stronger. Combine that with the forbidden power... You stand no chance of winning against me, not even if you pulled the most suicidal or well-conceited plan you have."
Suddenly, Richard's darkness began to retreat down his arm, before it was then reabsorbed back into the dark flame over his palm, before he quashed it with a quick closing of his hand.
"But I won't do that." Richard answered back. "Like I said, it's pointless trying to waste my own mind-power trying to deal with a mere phantom such as you. No, I'm just going to leave this place, and get onto my actual sleep. If you want to stop me, then I hope you're ready to die then."
"You cannot stop me! I will kill you over and over, no matter how long it takes with your accursed immortality!" Yorihime growled.
"Who said that I'm going to fight you?" Richard sneered back, before Yorihime's figure begin to flicker, as the army around them suddenly disappeared.
"What... What di... y... d...?" Yorihime demanded, as her voice was distorted and static-like.
"I'm evicting you." Richard responded back. "I know what you are, incubus. You tried to suction my life while you kept on with this charade. Unfortunately, you should be most aware that the life-force of a immortal is far too great for a demon like you to contain. Not only that, but my body is capable of acting on its own while my mind sleeps. A neat perk that I have learned in my many years training with Meiling, through meditation, although it isn't as good as her mastery of it, but enough so that I have literally driven a dagger right through your stupid eye. Now then, have a nice death."
Yorihime let out a glitched and anguished cry of rage, as she then popped out of existence with a flash of light, leaving Richard with the horrific scene around him.
"Alright, time to refurbish this place." Richard stated, before he then swiped his hand all over, as the corpses of his friends disappeared. "While I'm in my dream... How about..."
Suddenly, Velouria appeared next to him, as her head was laid on his lap, gently sleeping. Richard placed a hand over her head, before he then rubbed her head smoothly, ruffling the ears, and running his fingers through her slightly dirty, but still smooth hair, as Velouria smiled, as her head instinctively moved to feel the petting a bit more.
"Ah... Nothing better than petting a friend of mine to soothe my aching soul." Richard sighed with a blissful expression, as he continued his petting of Velouria's head, before he then realised something. "Ah, wait... I don't think that I'm the only one who is being affected by an incubus. I think I should wake up, and check on the others. After all, these guys could be tormented badly by the nightmares that ensue..."
He then dispelled the dream-construct of Velouria, before he himself popped out of existence.
Back in the real world...
Richard quickly woke up, as he found that the incubus, which was a short and small creature resembling a purple grotesque octopus, with a bulging head, had a dagger through its single eye, as blue blood stained the blade, and was dripping down onto the snow below.
"Hah." Richard chuckled shortly, before he then looked around, as Guts woke out of whatever nightmare he had, stabbing the incubus perched on his shoulder.
Richard then looked around, as the group were assaulted by incubi themselves, all giving them nightmares. Richard locked eyes with Guts, as they formed a silent conversation with each other, before they nodded, as Guts moved to take care of Casca, Judeau, Isidro, Gunter, Virion, and Link, while Richard dealt with the others.
As Richard moved over to where his friends were, he noticed that the incubi were already working their actions of them, as they had uneasy and tormented expressions, although Meiling's one was already destroyed, with pieces of it scattered through the snow, and Meiling sleeping soundly.
"No... stop... please... no... Richard..." Gus muttered, as he tried to hold back tears. "Wake up... It's us... Your friends... Stop this... please...!"
"Damnit... This can't be... Gensokyo... We failed...?" Reimu whispered, as she looked devastated. "No... This cannot happen. No... NO..."
"Father... I'm sorry... Uncle... I'm sorry... Mother... Please..." Antonio whimpered, as he looked like he was alone. "I didn't... I just wanted to... be a hero..."
"Forgive me... We couldn't do anything... Xander... Ryoma... Richard... We failed..." Corrin stated. "Everything... Everything will fall to ruin..."
"Father... No, this can't be... Why would... Why would you kill father...? No, stop... STOP...!" Velouria screamed, as she looked completely torn.
"Father... Father... Please...! Somebody help... Father is...!" Elma shouted with despair. "Stop...! I don't want to see this! I don't to see my father... die...!"
Richard gazed over his teammates, as they looked so helpless and pained in their own nightmares, as it made his heart sink, watching his friends struggle to break free of the hopeless scenes playing before them. With a snap of his fingers, he created several fire-balls, that latched onto the incubi, causing them to detach from their hosts, letting out shrill screams, before they stopping moving altogether.
The freed companions slowly woke up, since their nightmares were cut short, as they slowly opened their eyes, looking at Richard, who was standing over them.
"Richard... Was that..." Gus asked, before he then saw the dead incubi, as well as Guts using his dagger to cut down the rest of them down from the others.
"It seems that the incubus attacked us tonight. I do not know how Meiling didn't notice them, even in her sleep, and that caused all of us to be pinned with nightmares. I fared better than all of you, so it would seem." Richard answered back. "As much as that I'm a little disappointed that you guys couldn't tell what's real and what's not, I cannot truly do that, since it was not your fault that you were thrown in to relive the most horrifying moments of your life, which felt so real to you all. Especially you, Elma... I'm sorry that we didn't protect you properly."
"No... It's fine... I'm sorry for being so weak." Elma muttered back with a weak smile. "I can only do my best to get stronger, so that I won't have to only support you all. I have magic to fight with... but I'm too scared about doing the wrong thing..."
"Courage is something that grows over time." Richard answered back with a wise tone. "You'll learn to bear with your emotions eventually, Elma. We all have, one way or the other."
"Jeez... That's a low blow. Having me watch you all betray my father's tribe..." Velouria growled. "If I find any more of these midgets... I'm going to slice them into ribbons for what they have done to me!"
"I think that we're going to need to erect some barriers, if this is going to occur often." Reimu sighed, before she placed a hand on her forehead. "Good grief... I almost thought for a moment that we literally lost everything just then."
"Wait... where's Puck?" Elma asked, before she then noticed that Puck was being attacked by a immature incubus, which looked more cute than scary, with a eye that had a red iris, and short stubby legs, as well as a almost spherical shape, laying down on a tree branch, with the blue-haired elf panicking, swinging his stinging thistle around, as if trying to drive something away.
"Stay away...! Stay away...! I'm warning you...! I'm really strong!" Puck panicked, while wriggling around. "I won't let you hurt Elma... Even if you are big and bad!"
Richard sighed, before he floated up, before he then plucked the small incubi by the head with two fingers, as it struggled to wriggle out of Richard's grasp, all while letting out cute screeches. Almost suddenly, Puck woke up with a shout, as he looked around.
"What the... So it wasn't real...?" Puck remarked, before he then saw Richard holding the incubus between his fingers. "Oh... That explains it."
"Alright, then I'll just start with this little piece of shit-" Velouria growled, pulling her claws out to slice the incubus to pieces.
"Wait, stop!" Elma shouted, as Velouria turned to her with a furious expression. "A-Actually... I think that this little thing... is a bit cute. Are you sure that it's evil like we have been told?"
"No doubt." Reimu answered back. "Damn thing tried to suck the lifeforce out of me. If Richard didn't wake us up out of it quickly, we would have been quite drained by the time we broke free."
"Don't tell me... you intend to keep it?" Gus asked, as Elma nodded. "Well... I don't think that's a hot idea, Elma. That thing could grow up to ruin us."
"Well, this thing is only a few days old." Richard responded back. "Puck... What kind of nightmare did you find yourself in?"
"It was real bad! It was only Elma and I, and we were surrounded by so many apostles! I was frantic, trying to drive them away with my stinger thistle, as it did something to them, but they didn't stop coming! And I was getting tired, before you woke me up!" Puck explained it.
"Hm... That doesn't sound too bad." Richard responded back. "Well, I heard of demons being tamed. And if there's one who could do it, it's a fellow demon like you. Plus, it's too small to harm anyone but Puck. Why not let it come? I think that we could make things interesting, by giving it a more positive purpose through training, to actually give dreams. I don't think we can fix the life-draining part, but come on, who wouldn't like to die in heaven, rather than hell?"
"...A sound point." Reimu agreed. "Fine, but you're taking responsibility for this creature, got it, Elma?"
"I understand. I might be young, but I know how to take care of a pet." Elma responded back.
"Now then, just got to wake up someone..." Richard remarked, before he walked over to the sleeping Meiling, before he then smacked her with a karate-chop to the nose, which the dragon youkai responded to, by jumping into the air, landing down on her feet, looking frantic.
"I swear I wasn't sleeping on duty, Saku-" Meiling frantically apologised, before she then noticed that it was Richard before her, as her voice died down in her throat. "Oh... I guess that I still have that bad habit in me."
"Ah... Meiling... You seriously interest people in many different ways." Richard sighed back. "Alright, let's check up on the rest."
The others were awake, as they looked fairly healthy, although some of them were confused from what just happened.
"So... incubi?" Judeau asked.
"Incubi." Richard stated back. "Don't worry about another attack in the future, we'll erect a barrier for it."
Reimu did so, as she quickly erected a barrier around the area, using several of her spirit-infused ofuda.
"I'm sure that you had a interrupted rest, so go back to sleep, all of you. I'm sure that we'll be fine in the morning, as long as we go back to sleep immediately." Gus told everyone.
Everyone nodded in agreement, as they all drifted back into sleep in their respective spots, now assured that their sleep will be peaceful for sure this time.
The next morning...
The group were back on the travels, as they were proceeding through a small field, as their journey seemed to be quite uneventful, since no simple group of thieves or bandits would want to mess with the group, especially with both of the people who were famed for eradicating the Lord of Thieves mercilessly.
However, as they travelled on, they were met by a surprising encounter, as the people that they met on the road... were none other than Farnese and Serpico themselves, as they were no longer dressed in the bright armour of the Holy Iron Chain Knights, simply wearing worn green cloaks around their body, and simple clothing on their bodies. Farnese had a white scarf around her neck, while Serpico had leather belts around his waist.
The two groups stopped in their tracks, as Guts and Richard didn't expect to bump into the two of them. Yet, Farnese looked like that she was relieved that she found them, something that unnerved several members of the group, and Serpico was stoic as always."
"...That's interesting." Richard remarked. "I never thought that we would bump into you again, Farnese and Serpico of the Holy Iron Chain Knights."
"Formerly." Farnese responded back. "I resigned from my vocation, after the events at the Tower of Conviction."
"Oh...? Why?" Reimu asked, with a questioning look in her eyes.
"Because..." Farnese answered back, before she then knelt down on the ground quickly without hesitation. "I wish to accompany you all on your travels."
"You WHAT?" Velouria exclaimed, as she looked quite outraged. "You of all people, want to come with us?"
Serpico remained silent, before Farnese turned her head towards him.
"Come on, aren't you going to kneel as well?" Farnese hissed at Serpico, who did so immediately.
"I smell bullshit from them! It's like they're suddenly revealing their hands!" Isidro complained, pointing an accusing finger at Farnese and Serpico. "I bet that they'll wait for a chance to notify the others, for the rest of her cronies to nab us! They're from the Holy See, don't you all remember?"
"Yes... Indeed I do..." Corrin responded back with a bitter expression on her face, being subjected to the atrocities they committed to the commonfolk.
"I tell no lies. I swear under the Lord-" Farnese tried to convince them, before she found herself being held at blade-point by Casca, just under the chin, as the blonde ex-commander froze up.
"I don't want to hear about your thrice-damned lord." Casca snarled with venom. "You helped those bastards kill all those people, and you didn't even bat an eye. No, in fact, I watched you throw the fire into the stakes yourself, and you sure as hell enjoyed it. I'm not going to let someone like you have the chance to throw me onto a stake, as a offering to your accursed God!"
Serpico immediately moved, before he then saw that Velouria, Virion, Antonio, Gunter, Judeau and Guts drew their weapons, as he gave up trying to reach for his own, knowing that he'll only make matters worse by returning the animosity shown by Casca.
"...I... I understand your anger." Farnese responded back. "I have done horrible things, all in my own belief in the order of the world. But now... I no longer have any reason to blindly cling onto faith, after I have seen that I have been abiding those corrupted tenets that the Holy See have made... I truly want to atone for what I did, by seeking the truth, to understand what the true way is. Because only through that way... Will I have the power and will to fight against the swarming darkness around the world, and show the mercy and compassion that I have turned myself away from for so long. So please... forgive me... and show me the way... I no longer have any right to claim I'm a woman of faith, after everything I witnessed."
Everyone was silent, as Casca gritted her teeth, before she then reluctantly lowered her blade, freeing Farnese, before Richard walked up to her.
"...Is this really the only way you believe that you can atone for what you have done, the misery you have spread, the despair you have propagated?" Richard asked sternly. "You know that changing your way is something that mere words cannot trigger. Do you have any way to prove it?"
Farnese bowed her head down, with a solemn expression, before she then reached for her blade. The group were startled, as they were prepared if Farnese were to suddenly attack Richard. However, she only slowly raised her blade to where her pigtails were, and with two flicks of her blades, she severed them from her head, as the clumps of hair dropped to the ground.
"When I was the commander of the Holy Iron Chain Knights, I often ordered for my hair to be braided like this. Because I was told that this hairstyle proves my authority, and proves my faith in God." Farnese remarked. "I severed them, to make the first step to change, like you have said. Yes, words alone is not enough to pay for what I have done, but I am willing to do what it takes to repay all of you, repay those I have wrongfully accused and put to a meaningless death. Someday, I will make amends, and that is the day when I believe that God himself will be able to forgive me, and welcome me into his warm arms, which I have strayed away from for so long..."
Once again, there was silence, before Guts broke it, sheathing the blade. "Jeez, why do priests and nobles got to be so dramatic?" He sighed. "Do what you want. Even if you tried to trick us, we're far too strong to be dealt with. We survived too much to be taken down by your pretty boys. Still, I've killed your comrades, so I don't want to hear you try to keep apologising or pay me back. The others might not care, but for me, we're even. But don't expect me to guide you, leave that to Richard. He's the kind of person with a style fitting to guide and teach. Simply, don't bother me, and I won't bother you back."
"...I suppose that this was going to happen." Richard huffed, before he then walked over to where Farnese is, before putting a hand out. "Well, if you're that determined to change yourself, then I have no reason to deny you. The Lord does not condemn everyone, only those who are irredeemable. Although you have done all these atrocious acts, the fact that you're willing to atone, before it's too late, proves there is a spark of redemption in you, one that can be fostered into a flame reborn of genuine faith. I will take care of you, and show you what God truly wishes for you. I will show you that there is not as much evil in the people, as you believe. And much, much more. So take my hand, and start your journey, as a new woman."
"I... Thank you." Farnese responded, with a grateful smile, as she was pulled up by Richard.
"Tch. Well... Some of us aren't going to be happy." Reimu scoffed. "But still, we dealt with worse people in the past, so I guess we're willing to give her some time to change, before we start judging."
"Trust me, if she messes us up, I won't stop you from trying to chew her out, Reimu." Richard answered back. "But for now, just trust her."
"If she goes, I'm going too." Serpico added. "As her closest companion, it is my duty to do so."
"By all means." Richard smiled. "The more the merrier. Although you're going to need to get up to speed with what we're going to be dealing with."
"...The demons...?" Farnese asked.
"That's right, before he then gestured at Guts's brand. Thanks to the three of us Branded staying in the same place, we're going to be swarmed by spirits and demons day and night, more often in the latter case. You won't be getting a good rest from now on, but at least you're guaranteed to be safe, because we'll take care of them, and train you to fight them."
"Well, who am I to refuse some coaching from someone this experienced on the subject?" Serpico shrugged.
"Alright, let's get a move on. We need to get to a town, before we have to fight some more annoying demons." Guts growled.
The group then continued along the path, two more in number.