The medical ward of the Fortress of Iris had been designed following the ancient elven philosophy of 'a healthy soul in a healthy body'. The main rooms overlooked the western side of the royal gardens. The sight of the luscious vegetation, combined with the pleasant smell of flowers and freshly cut grass, had a calming effect on both the patients and the medical personnel. In case of emergency, such as sieges or natural disasters, it was also possible to open the door windows and erect tents outside, turning the meadow into an emergency field hospital, allowing to take care of up to six hundred wounded.
Clerics and healers were currently taking care of the wounded soldiers and knights from Geofu, changing bandages, cleaning wounds, and using their magic and potions to speed up the healing of flesh and bones.
The other knights and soldiers had been dismissed for the time being and were either resting in the barracks or exploring the city.
Meanwhile, Klaus, Claudia and her fellow Shields were waiting upstairs in a smaller room, comfortably sitting around a low table with glasses of lemon water while Celestine's personal physician examined the Sentinel inside an adjacent room. Their little group had been joined by Prim Fiorire, the Shield Princess of Ur and Alicia's younger cousin. In contrast with Alicia's preference for wearing uniforms and armor, the petite girl was dressed with a frilly white and pink dress that accentuated her beauty while hugging nicely her curvy body. She had long pink hair, soft fair skin, a cute little nose and gentle blue eyes that radiated innocence and kindness. Those very same eyes were now sparkling with wonder as she listened to Claudia and Klaus' tale of their adventure on the Dragon Spine. An ancient long forgotten city full of mysteries, an epic fight against the forces of evil, and even a great warrior emerging from his eternal slumber to help save the world. How exciting! It was like one of those epic stories her nanny read her back when she was a child!
Luu-Luu shared her enthusiasm, even clapping her hands when they finished their tale. "That was one hell of an adventure!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I only wish I was there," she added with clear disappointment.
"What does he look like?" the pink haired girl asked with genuine curiosity, having been unable to see the Sentinel in person.
Luu-Luu put on a serious face. "Well, he's very huge, like, bigger than Vult," she said, widening her arms as much as she could for emphasis, "and he wears this awesome armor that covers his entire body."
"Don't forget his weapons," Maia added.
"Oh, right! He also carries a big-ass sword and-"
"Luu-Luu. Language," Alicia interrupted her with a stern tone.
"Oh, shush, you. Prim's not a baby," the halfling said dismissively, much to Alicia's irritation.
Celestine smiled in slight amusement at the two bickering women. The only person missing was Shrine Maiden Kaguya, the Shield Princess of Thorn, due to her duties as high priestess of the Temple of Life and the great distance separating Feoh from her fortress city. The fair skinned woman would have likely observed the scene with her usual stoic composure, smiling politely when necessary while sharing her opinion when necessary. Even for Celestine, Kaguya was still a mystery under many aspects, however, there was no doubt that the effect the woman felt for her fellow Shields was genuine.
The door of the examination room opened and a male high elf wearing green pants with a matching waistcoat and a white shirt came out. He had deep green serious eyes surrounded by wrinkles and white hair kept in a neat short ponytail by a simple black ribbon.
"Your highness," he respectfully saluted the Goddess reborn with a little bow. "I've finished the tests on the Sentinel," he announced with a formal tone, removing his small round glasses from his pointy nose and carefully cleaning them using an immaculate handkerchief. Augustus Rosaspina was old, even by elf standards, but no one would ever dare to question his competence or ask him to step down from his role as Celestine's royal physician to be replaced by someone younger. He was considered a living legend in the field of medicine, having spent centuries studying the various sapient species that populated Serenus in order to unveil the secrets of their bodies and discover the cure to countless diseases. The countless medical manuals he had written and the technique he had invented were considered the foundation of modern medicine and still taught in every medical school of the continent.
Some called him a saint, others a heretic, however, he simply considered himself a man of science trying to understand the world.
"So? What is your verdict, Augustus?" Celestine asked eagerly.
"Aside wishing that all my patients were as collaborative as him?" he asked rhetorically, placing his glasses back in place on his pointy nose. "He's probably the healthiest human being I have ever examined in my entire career. Except, he's definitely not your average human."
"Gee, I wonder what gave it away?" Maia deadpanned.
Augustus threw her a quick annoyed glance before continuing. "It's not just his size to be unusual, lady Maia," he explained with a seemingly nonplussed tone, pulling out a small notebook full of notes. "I've found signs of extensive surgery performed all over his body, which clearly indicates that the process to create a Sentinel was long, complex, and highly invasive." The six Shields and Klaus grimaced, but the doctor ignored their reaction and continued his report. "His muscles are denser and stronger than those of a normal human, which gives him incredible strength and endurance, while his bones are ridiculously sturdy, to the point that they're virtually unbreakable. His senses are sharp, surpassing even those of an elf, and his reaction times are simply astounding. His body also heals faster than usual and should, in theory, be able to survive wounds that would usually kill a human being. Furthermore, his mana channels are surprisingly developed and his magic level is comparable to that of a tier five mage, despite not being able to cast spells."
Alicia frowned. "Is such magical affinity even possible for someone who is not a magic user?" she asked with evident skepticism.
Contrary to common belief, mages were not the only individuals able to use magic.
Every living being possessed mana inside their bodies and humans were no exception, but in most cases, the amount of mana is so low to be negligible, leading to underdeveloped mana channels.
Magicians possessed unusually high levels of mana stored inside a small special organ in their chest known as mana core, from which departed an intricate system of mana channels that spread all across their bodies. Through these channels they were able to control and manipulate their mana and use it to cast spells.
Although convenient, this ability had obviously some drawbacks.
Developing mana channels took a toll on a body and required constant training, resulting in most mages having a physical strength that was considered average at best. As the Grand Master of the Magical Order of Kimia had once said, 'you could either be a great warrior or a great wizard,' summarizing one of the basic principles of the arcane arts.
"It's difficult," Doctor Rosaspina admitted, "but not impossible, as lady Levantine shows."
Whenever an individual possessed higher than usual levels of mana, but a rudimentary mana core, with proper training anyone could use this energy even without casting spells. Knights and warriors regularly used this ability to increase their speed and strength or to power magical artifacts like armors or weapons, however their magical potential was generally limited.
Most people could only dream to reach tier three. The fact that Claudia was a tier four was simply amazing, the result of years of intense training, combined with her bloodline and the blessing she received from Celestine when she became the leader of the Dawn Templars.
"However, in the case of the Sentinel, it's not a natural phenomenon, but the result of some medical procedure I can't even theorize."
Celestine blinked in surprise. "They artificially increased his mana affinity?"
Doctor Rosaspina nodded. "Indeed."
"Why would the Edenians do it?" she asked, honestly intrigued.
Augustus closed his notebook and lightly tapped it against his leg with a pensive look. "I'm not an expert of Edenian technology, but if I have to guess, it's because his body is designed to work in symbiosis with his armor."
Before he could furtherly elaborate, Luu-Luu let out a loud gasp as her eyes flashed in realization. "Wait. You're telling us that his body is basically part of the magic circuit that powers his armor? That's… genius!" she exclaimed, before frowning. "And freaky."
"Why?" Prim asked with curiosity. "Is it a dangerous process?"
"Are you kidding me? One mistake in the procedure and the resulting mana outburst would end up cooking the poor bastard from the inside the very moment he tries to wear his armor."
Celestine grimaced. Mana surges occurred when a mage tried to draw too much power at once from their magic core, with serious consequences ranging from intense pain to the death of a spellcaster. In some of the worst cases, mages had turned into raw magic energy before literally exploding, obliterating everything in their proximity.
'The mages of Kimia have been looking for centuries for ways to better control the flux of mana without causing a surge.' An idea was starting to form inside Celestine's mind, but she decided to put that thought aside for now.
"What about his memory? Have you found the reason why he doesn't seem to remember his past?" Claudia asked.
Augustus frowned. "Unfortunately, no. As I already said, physically speaking he's fine, which means that, whatever the problem is, it has to do with his psyche. Lord Klaus, you said that one of the crystal globes powering his eternity chamber was already broken when you found him, right?"
Klaus nodded. "Yes. Do you think that may have somehow affected his memory?"
Augustus hummed thoughtfully, considering his question. "It's hard to say without a proper understanding of how an eternity chamber works, but it's possible that, while the aging process of his body was halted, his mind remained somewhat active in a dormant, dream-like state. Overtime, that may have deteriorated portions of his memory, like the pages of a book that were read too many times."
"You don't seem particularly fond of this theory," Celestine noticed.
"No, I'm not," the doctor admitted. "For starters, if this is actually a case of amnesia, then it's ridiculously selective. Furthermore, as I'm sure Lady and Lord Levantine can attest, his mind seems to work without issues."
Claudia thought back to what she had seen during the battle in the ruins. "He shows creative thinking and remarkable adaptability. The way he eliminated those demons… it can't be summarized to simple instinct and muscle memory. He knew exactly where to strike and how to cause the largest amount of damage in the fastest and most effective way."
Klaus nodded slowly. "He's… intelligent. Really intelligent. He absorbs information like a sponge, learning at a faster rate than anyone I've ever met before. Good heavens, it's been a little more than a week since he woke up, and he's already able to understand our language. I bet that in a month he'll be able to speak it flawlessly." He frowned. "Although, he's not a very talkative individual."
"I don't think I've ever seen him start a casual conversation with any of the knights or soldiers," Claudia agreed. Even though he was using less and less the translation rune, the Sentinel still preferred to speak just when strictly necessary, and only using short and direct sentences.
"Yes, his personality is also something that must be considered. As I'm sure you've already noticed, he exhibits mildly sociopathic tendencies, combined with a constant state of alert and obvious socialization issues, all symptoms usually associated with victims of traumatic experiences."
"You mean that our new friend is basically a quiet silent guy that saw a lot of bad shit?" Luu-Luu summarized crudely.
The old physician shook his head. "I'm afraid it's more complex than that. This is just a theory, but considering what the Edenians have done to his body, it's safe to presume that they also did something similar to his mind."
"What do you mean, Augustus?" Celestine asked.
Augustus took a deep breath before continuing. "I think that Sentinels underwent a complex process of indoctrination and mental conditioning in order to make them immune to the horrors of a long, brutal war. They were shed of everything deemed unnecessary or a source of weakness, like their identity, turning them into soldiers who exist only to fight, ready to follow every order without hesitation or fear."
Claudia felt sick. 'You don't have to worry about returning to your home and family if you can't even remember them.' It was a cold, twisted logic and yet it also made perfectly sense, if you were willing to ignore the moral implications.
"Why would they do something so awful?" Prim asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
Augustus looked at the sad eyes of the young princess and his expression softened a bit. "Probably because any normal soldier would have eventually succumbed to mental fatigue and stress, princess. Assuming they survived long enough," he said soberly.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Shit," Maia swore quietly after a while. "What the hell were they fighting?"
"Pure evil, Maia," Celestine somberly said. "My memories… I mean, Laurentia's memories… from that time are few and fragmented, but I can assure you that our enemies are a minor nuisance in comparison to what the Primordial regularly unleashed against the Edenians."
"Is he dangerous?" Alicia asked suddenly after a while.
Doctor Rosaspina raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, princess."
"Is he dangerous… for us?"
"Alicia!" Prim exclaimed surprised.
"What the hell, Arcturus?!" Maia exclaimed indignantly. 'And she thinks I'm the one without tact?'
Alicia ignored Maia's outburst. "As tragic as his past may be, we've still brought an unknown individual able to single-handedly wipe out an entire warband of demons inside one of our fortress cities. MY city. The one I swore to protect to my father before he died. I need to know if that… man," she uttered the word as if she wasn't sure if it was the right one to describe the Sentinel, "is a treat to us."
Claudia frowned, understanding Alicia's worries. If the Sentinel suddenly turned hostile and killed six of the seven Shields, the Holy Shield Alliance would cease to exist and Eostia would fall into chaos. However, after traveling with him and seeing his genuine reaction when he first met Celestine, she doubted they had anything to fear from Clay.
Doctor Rosaspina met the steely gaze of the scion of the Arcturus family without wavering. 'They grow up so fast. She has the same eyes of her mother.'
"Everyone is capable of doing horrible things, princess. But to answer your question, no, I don't think we have to worry about him going rampant and start killing innocent people. While it's true that he's not exactly what I would consider a mentally healthy individual, he's not unstable or violent. The fact he came to the rescue of lady Levantine and offered his help against the armies of Garan shows that he's able to feel empathy, and knows the difference between right and wrong."
"Sentinels are protectors, Alicia," Celestine said, hoping to calm her fears. "They're not ruthless killers driven by bloodlust. Just because they were created for war, that doesn't mean that they actively seek conflict."
Still doubtful, Alicia looked at Claudia for guidance. The older woman returned the gaze of her former squire and student. "If he wanted to kill us, he would have done it already," Claudia said soberly, taking Alicia aback.
"Surely he can't be that powerful?"
"… be glad he's not our enemy."
Luu-Luu seemed positively intrigued by her declaration.
"Fine. But until we know for sure we can trust him, I will keep an eye on him," Alicia announced resolutely after a few tense moments.
"That is well within your rights," Celestine agreed, surprising her. "However, I hope you will keep an open mind and not let your prejudices cloud your opinion."
'Again,' she let out. It pained her that to this day, Alicia's was still wary of Maia, but as Celestine had learned centuries ago, prejudices were difficult to eradicate.
"Can we see him?" Prim asked timidly.
"Uh? Oh, of course, princess," Augustus said distractedly. "My assistants are gathering our tools."
Luu-Luu opened the door and rushed inside, followed at a far calmer pace by everyone else. The room was fairly large, with eight beds, although only one was currently in use. There were a pair of young high elves healers dressed with green robes putting away an assortment of potion vials, medical tools and magical artifacts that had been presumedly used during Clay's medical examination. Speaking of the Sentinel, he was quietly sitting on the edge of one of the beds while looking with what could only be defined a sense of longing at his armor. The various pieces lay in a neat pile on the floor near the bed, with the helmet on top of it, while the black undersuit he wore underneath had been neatly folded up and placed on the mattress.
"Oh, my," Prim exclaimed softly as her cheeks quickly turned to a lovely shade of pink. Except for a white towel wrapped around his waist to hide his private parts, Clay was completely naked.
"You told us he was dressed!" Alicia yelled indignantly at the doctor while using her hands to shield her cousin's eyes, much to Prim's annoyance.
"I never said such a thing," Augustus calmly pointed out, completely nonplussed by her outburst. "Besides, he's not naked. He's wearing a towel."
"That hardly counts as clothing," Maia argued as she tried not to stare at the Sentinel. 'Damn. Forget grating cheese, you can probably smash bricks against those abs.' His tall body was lean yet powerful, with each muscle perfectly developed and balanced, reaching a level of perfection she had only seen in statues of athletes. His pale skin was crossed by several long, thin scars that ran all over his torso and limbs following his bones. 'The doctor wasn't lying when he said that the procedure was invasive,' she thought with a mix of disgust and sympathy, wondering if the surgery had been painful.
Meanwhile, Claudia found more interesting the other scars adorning his body. They were more irregular, both in shape and disposition, and her expert eye easily identified them as signs left behind by claws, blades, and fire, testimonies of a lifetime spent fighting against a terrible enemy. The idea that such a powerful warrior could be wounded or even killed was scary, yet also comforting. After everything he went through, he was still human.
"It's the only thing we could find on such short notice," one of the healers said sheepishly. "His undersuit is made of an unknown material that makes it impossible to get a proper harmonic reading of his lifeforce."
"And his armor and weapons are his only personal effects," the other healer added.
Alicia rubbed her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "Urgh! Fine. I'll order the servants to bring here a tailor."
"Hmm-hmm, not bad," Luu-Luu hummed appreciatively as she openly stared at Clay's body. "Can we keep him shirtless?"
"Luu-Luu!" Prim exclaimed mortified.
"For science, of course," the halfling added quickly, only to receive a series of blank stares from pretty much everyone in the room. "What? He's a total beefcake! Don't tell me I'm the only one that wants to beat his pecs as if they were bongos!"
"…well…" Maia trailed off with a light lush.
"Honestly! You two should be ashamed! Such behavior is not just inappropriate for a lady," Alicia said with indignation, "But also incredibly disrespectful toward him," she added, momentarily forgetting about her hostility toward the Sentinel.
"… I think I'll have happy dreams tonight," the halfling whispered conspiratorially to Maia. The redhead covered her mouth and snorted loudly in amusement, only to look away innocently when Claudia and Celestine glared at them in disappointment.
'I hope he doesn't get a bad impression of us,' Prim thought, feeling a bit mortified by the weird conversation. She looked at the Sentinel, only to realize that had been quietly observing her. Being the daughter of the king and queen of Ur, Prim was used to receive a lot of stares. Most weren't bad, as she was loved by a lot of people. Others… not so much. There were those who looked at her with eyes full of envy, greed, or as Alicia tactfully put it, impure thoughts. However, the grey eyes of the Sentinel showed none of these emotions, only curiosity as he was probably wondering who she was.
Despite feeling a bit nervous, the young woman decided that it was only proper to introduce herself, so she took a few steps toward Clay.
"Uh, greetings," she saluted him shyly while performing an adorable curtsey. "I'm Prim Fiorire, Shield of Ur and Alicia's cousin," she introduced herself.
The Sentinel returned the greeting, bowing his head in respect and bringing his fist to his heart. "Greeting, princess. My name is Clay."
Prim smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you." Her smile wavered. "Does… does it hurt?" the pinkette asked softly, referring to the many scars covering his body.
Clay seemed surprised by the question, but shook his head. "No."
"All his scars are from old wounds that have already healed, princess," Augustus reassured her. "However, we've given him a few potions in order to cure his severe headache and his muscle inflammation."
Claudia bristled at the last part.
"You were in pain all this time and never mentioned it?" Claudia exclaimed irritated, switching to her commanding voice.
Clay flinched imperceptibly and looked straight ahead as years of instinct and discipline kicked in. "It was… bearable."
"That's not how things work!" Claudia exclaimed vehemently. "You should have told us anyway! I don't know how things worked back in your days, but we take care of our people. Understood?"
Yes, he understood, but a part of him wanted to protest. He had survived worse and the wounded had needed their limited medical supplies more than him anyway. However, talking back to a superior officer was not part of the nature of a Sentinel. "Yes, ma'am," he answered mechanically.
Claudia narrowed her eyes and kept staring at him for a while, then she sighed softly, deciding to let it slide for now.
"Well, if you're alright, how about we have a spar, you and me?" Luu-Luu announced loudly, pointing at Clay.
The Sentinel tilted his head. "Spar?" he repeated.
"Yeah! You know? Mock battle? Fake fight? Swish-swish, stab-stab, no death?" the halfling explained, making a few noises with her mouth and even miming a few attacks with her arms in order to help explain the concept.
Alicia started to protest. "Hold up, Luu-Luu, that's-"
"Actually, I think it's a good idea," Claudia said, much to Alicia's surprise. "It would be a good opportunity to show all of you what Clay can do. Besides, knowing Luu-Luu, she would just keep pestering him until she gets what she wants."
Luu-Luu put her hands on her hips and nodded firmly. "Yup! I can be reeeeeeeeally annoying!" she said proudly.
'That wasn't exactly a compliment,' Claudia thought, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "So, what do you think?"
Clay thought about it for a few moments then nodded. After days spent doing nothing but walking and guarding the camp, a bit of training was welcomed.
"Alright, then you can put on your armor and-" Claudia started to say, only to widen her eyes in surprise and horror when Clay stood up and grabbed the towel around his waist with the clear intent of removing it. Claudia instantly sprang into action and hastily grabbed his wrists with all her might. Clay stopped and looked at the blushing woman in confusion. She wasn't strong enough to actually restrain him, but the gesture made clear that he had done something wrong. Just what exactly? Lady Levantine had given him an order and orders must be followed. "AFTER we ladies have left the room, if you don't mind," Claudia clarified, putting particular emphasis on the first word while looking him straight in the eyes.
Clay blinked in confusion and looked around the room. Doctor Rosaspina was taking a few notes on his notebook, while Klaus and the healers looked mildly embarrassed. The reactions of the other women were even more peculiar.
Celestine was smiling nervously, as her cheeks and ears turned to a soft shade of pink. Alicia was once again covering Prim's eyes while glaring daggers at him. And lastly, Luu-Luu and Maia were looking at him with amusement… and something else which he couldn't quite identify.
Once again since he had woken up from stasis, he felt like he was missing something, but he wasn't quite sure what.
'I'll ask Klaus later,' he decided.
'We really need to teach him some basic common sense,' Claudia thought as she finally let go of his wrists.
"Let's give him some privacy," Klaus said with a slightly embarrassed tone, gallantly opening the door for the women.
"Aww! But I wanna look!" Luu-Luu whined disappointed before Claudia grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room.
'Hmm. Subject unaware or uncaring of common nudity taboo in front of members of the opposite gender,' Augustus mentally observed as he took a few more notes. 'Possible suppression of sexual instincts?'
Located near the barracks, the training arena consisted of a wide circular flat surface roughly fifty meters of diameter covered with sand, surrounded by five rows of stadium-style wooden seats.
"Quite a crowd," Maia commented, looking at the four-dozen people sitting in the stands. News of the fight had somehow spread across the fortress and as result the six Shield Princesses and Klaus had been joined by a small crowd composed of knights of Iris, as well several knights and soldiers from Geofu, including Helen and Simon. The stoic vice-commander sat composedly in her seat, while the young blonde knight was shaking with visible excitement.
"If you keep shaking so much, people will think you need to use the latrine," the pink haired woman casually commented.
Simon blushed embarrassed and offered her a nervous smile. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he apologized.
Helen rolled her eyes and looked at lady Celestine as the Goddess Reborn stood up on her feet and spoke.
"The fight will end when one of the opponents ends up outside the sparring ring, yields, or is no longer able to fight. This is a friendly spar, so I don't want to see unnecessary violence or particularly dangerous moves," Celestine said as the Sentinel and the halfling took position in front of each other at the opposite sides of the sparring ring. "Have I been clear?"
"Fine." Luu-Luu rested the butt end of her battle axe on the ground and put a hand on her cocked hip. "I'll try to not be too rough with you, big guy," Luu-Luu said with a cocky smile, exposing her small pointy teeth.
Clay rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck, then he swiftly pulled out his sword and assumed a standard plow guarding stance.
"A man of few words, uh?" Luu-Luu chuckled as she gave her weapon a test swing, the huge battle axe looking no heavier than a broomstick in her hands.
"Are you ready?" Celestine asked a few moments later.
"You betcha!" Luu-Luu exclaimed eagerly.
"Clay?"
The Sentinel merely nodded, keeping his eyes on the halfling.
"Alright, then. On my mark," Celestine announced, raising her right arm up to the sky.
Luu-Luu narrowed her eyes and licked her lips in anticipation. Clay shifted imperceptibly his feet and adjusted his grip around the hilt of his sword.
"Begin!" Celestine shouted, quickly bringing down her arm.
Luu-Luu wasted no time and went instantly on the offensive, covering the distance between her and the Sentinel with frightening speed. The Sentinel remained as still as a statue, waiting until the last moment before intercepting Luu-Luu's devastating blow with lightning-fast reflexes. Their blades clashed loudly with an explosion of sparks as the mithril battle axe met the adamantine alloy of the Edenian sword. Luu-Luu grit her teeth as tried to use her momentum to throw the Sentinel off balance, but the titan barely budged. They stared at each other for a few seconds, silently evaluating each other's strength before they finally broke off, with Luu-Luu leaping several meters backward, landing gracefully on her tiny feet.
"Ah! You're strong!" she laughed. "I'm gonna have sooooo much fun with you!" she declared while casually twirling her battle-axe like a staff.
Clay remained silent and re-assumed a guarding stance, this time keeping his blade perpendicular to his body. Halflings were ridiculously strong in comparison to their size, but Luu-Luu was a monster even by her people's standards.
"Woah," Maia exclaimed as her eyes grew the size of saucers. All around her, people were having similar reactions.
"He blocked her attack," Alicia whispered in disbelief. Even a beast of a man like Vult would have been thrown back by such a powerful blow.
Claudia remained quiet. Now that she wasn't busy fighting for her life, she finally had a proper chance to observe the Sentinel in action. It was almost surreal to see someone so big and heavily armored move with such speed and fluidity.
The halfling attacked again, this time aiming at his legs, but Clay deflected once again her axe before trying to kick Luu-Luu aside. However, with speed and agility that matched his own, Luu-Luu had already retreated and was now running circles around the Sentinel, looking for an opening in his defense.
The Sentinel kept tracking his fast-moving target and promptly reacted when Luu-Luu darted toward him without warning, blocking a vicious slash aimed at his left shoulder. This time the halfling didn't retreat and unleashed a hurricane of quick attacks to keep the pressure on Clay. The super soldier didn't panic and what had started as a one-sided attack soon became an exchange of blows that grew faster and more powerful with each strike.
Luu-Luu grinned wildly as she blocked a blow powerful enough to shatter the bones of a regular human. 'This is fun!' Her reputation as the strongest halfling alive was widely spread all across Eostia and while she couldn't deny she enjoyed being famous, it also had its downsides. People were reluctant to train with her and the few that did were always extremely cautious. Even Vult, the leader of the Kuroinu, considered by many as one of the strongest human warriors alive along with Claudia and Grave Levantine, tended to be on the defensive the few rare times he had fought against her.
But the Sentinel was different. Where humans, elves, beastkin, or even other halflings would dodge, he stood his ground, blocking blows that could easily kill an ogre without fear or hesitation.
'He's not afraid of me,' she realized.
It was… refreshing.
"Lady Luu-Luu seems really excited," Klaus commented without looking away from the fight. Their weapons kept clashing loudly, often sending sparks in the air, and a small cloud of dust kept lingering near the ground as they kept moving back and forth across the small arena.
"Indeed," Claudia agreed. "After all, it's not every day she can go all out without fear of harming her opponent," she commented, remembering the last time she had a spar against the little berserker. 'I really liked that shield,' she mentally lamented.
As the fight continued, Luu-Luu's enthusiasm was slowly replaced by a growing sense of frustration as the Sentinel became more and more aggressive with his attacks, forcing her to go on the defensive. That's not how she was used to fight. Most of the time, if the initial attack failed, she just had to run around her opponent a few times to confuse them before closing the distance and finishing them with one well-placed blow.
She jumped high to avoid a low swiping swing, but realized too late it put her in the perfect spot to receive an open-palm strike aimed right at her chest. Thinking fast, the halfling brought up her battle axe, gritting her teeth when Clay's left hand hit the magically-reinforced wood of the shaft with the force of a battering ram. The impact sent her flying across the sparring ring, but before she could end up outside its perimeter, she managed to land on the ground and dug her axe and feet in the dirt, stopping right on the edge of the ring. 'That was close.' Luu-Luu panted softly and wiped a few drops of sweat from her face. "Eh," she chuckled. "Seems like I need some extra juice," she declared before narrowing her eyes in concentration.
Clay tilted his head, wondering what she was talking about, but the answer soon came when her body was enveloped by a faint aura as the halfling drew power from her reserves of mana. "Ooooooh, yeah!" she cackled enthusiastically, grinning predatorily at the Sentinel.
"Luu-Luu! What the hell are you doing?!" Maia yelled, jumping on her feet.
"Making things interesting!" she replied without missing a beat, channeling mana inside her weapon. The head of the battle axe soon started crackling menacingly with purple bolts of arcane energy.
"This is a friendly spar, not a fight to the death, you damn lunatic!"
Her protests fell on deaf ears as the now fully charged halfling darted at full speed toward Clay. "Here we go!"
"Aww, goddammit," Maia growled as she watched the Sentinel roll on the left to dodge the attack, deftly jumping back on his feet and assuming the ox guard.
"Should I stop the fight?" Celestine asked worried.
"Clay seems to have things under control," Claudia replied cautiously, although her posture was tense.
"If she messes up, we'll need a bucket to collect what's left of him," Alicia commented darkly, observing the fight with growing concern.
Meanwhile, Prim whimpered as she peeped through her fingers. Watching was scary, but not watching even more!
Ducking under a horizontal slash, Luu-Luu finally managed to score her first hit, slamming the butt of her battle axe against the faceplate of Clay's helmet with enough force to make him stagger. Luu-Luu quickly took advantage of his momentary distraction and she swung again her weapon, this time upward, hitting Clay's sword near the hilt. The sword flew out of his hand, embedding itself into the low protection wooden wall separating the stands from the sparring ground.
The halfling smiled, already anticipating the sweet taste of victory, but the Sentinel had other plans. Without losing a beat, Clay promptly assumed an unarmed combat stance that reminded everyone of the martial artists from Thorn, then made a 'bring it on' gesture with his left hand.
Luu-Luu stared at him in disbelief. "You serious?" she asked incredulously. This was usually the part when people surrender!
The Sentinel nodded and let out an audible grunt.
Luu-Luu kept staring at him for a while, then smiled and nodded in respect at the super soldier. "Alright, big boy. Let's finish this!"
Gathering all the mana she could, Luu-Luu channeled it inside her axe then, much to everyone's surprise, she hopped and violently brought down the weapon, hitting the ground in front of her with a thundering boom. The impact not only created a six feet-wide crater, but the resulting shockwave sent the laughing halfling flying a few dozen feet up in the air. "Weeeeeeeeeeeee!" Once her body had reached the peak of its trajectory and remembered about that pesky little thing commonly known as gravity, she looked down at the Sentinel with a predatory smile and raised her battle axe above her head.
"Oh, shit. DODGE!" a panicked Maia shouted with all her breath as she watched the axe-wielding halfling fall like a meteor right toward the Sentinel.
"Yeeeee-aaaaaaaaaaaah!" Luu-Luu shouted, bringing down her weapon.
Right before she hit his helmet, Clay stepped back at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the halfling's battle axe. The tip of her blade scratched his breastplate, leaving a shallow vertical cut in the armor before embedding itself in the ground between Clay's feet. Meanwhile, Clay's left hand darted toward Luu-Luu and before she could realize what was happening, he grabbed her by her short green cloak and pulled her up to eye level with his helmet.
'A ridiculously risky move, but he caught her off guard when she was most vulnerable,' Claudia thought, trying to replay the scene in her mind. It all happened so quickly that, if she had blinked, she would have probably missed a step.
Meanwhile, Luu-Luu kicked and thrashed furiously trying to get free, but her short limbs were unable to actually hit Clay, making all her efforts useless.
"HEY! LEMME GO! You… big… meanie…" The halfling trailed off and gulped loudly as she finally crossed her gaze with the Sentinel. "Uh… hi?" she nervously saluted him. 'Dang, up close his armor is really intimidating.'
Clay stared silently at her for a few moments, then he clenched his right hand into a fist and brought back his arm.
Luu-Luu widened her eyes. "Oh, fu-!"
"LUU-LUU!" Prim screamed out in fear as the Sentinel's fist darted toward Luu-Luu's face.
Instinctively, Luu-Luu closed her eyes and braced herself for the mother of all migraines, however, the pain never came. 'Uh. Weird.'
After a few moments, hearing what she assumed were sounds of relief coming from the people sitting in the stands, she cautiously opened her eyes and was welcomed by the sight of a big armored fist hovering just a few inches in front of her face. Luu-Luu blinked in surprise. Then the Sentinel extended his index finger and gently tapped her forehead.
"Owie!"
Well, maybe not too gently.
"Dead," Clay calmly announced before carefully putting down his opponent. Luu-Luu rubbed her forehead and looked up at him with an annoyed pout.
"The winner is Clay," Celestine announced loudly, prompting several people on the stands to start clapping and cheering.
Luu-Luu's shoulders sagged a bit. "Awwww, I lost," she said with an adorable tone of disappointment before quickly perking up. "Oh, well! That was fun! We should totally do it again!"
Clay stared at her for a moment, then gave her a tiny nod. The fight had been… enjoyable. "Halflings… all strong?" he asked curiously.
Luu-Luu stopped dusting off her clothes and pointed at her highly aerodynamic chest. "You mean like me?" Clay nodded. "Nah, I'm kind of an exception, even among my people. However, don't let our compact size deceive you. The average halfling is still stronger than the average human, so most people are usually smart enough to not mess with us."
"I see," he said after a moment. Some things had not changed in the last few millennia.
The sound of angry footsteps announced the arrival of Alicia Arcturus.
"What the hell were you thinking?" she princess of Feoh demanded furiously, storming the sparring ring. For a moment everyone thought she was talking to Luu-Luu, however, the real target of her anger became clear soon when she stopped in front of Clay. "That was reckless and dangerous! What if you had actually hit her? You could have killed her!"
The Sentinel looked at the scion of the Arcturus family in mild confusion, wondering why she was so angry, but before the blonde woman could continue berating him, Luu-Luu came promptly to his rescue.
"Hey! Stop being mean to Clay!" Luu-Luu shouted as she stepped protectively in front of Clay. Given the huge size difference between them, it was both comical and adorable. "I'm the one that almost squashed him with my axe," she said, dislodging her weapon from the ground with ease. "It may not seem so, but it's really heavy!" she said as if she was revealing some big secret.
"He's wearing more armor than all of my knights combined, while the only thing protecting your head is your hat! He almost crushed your face!"
"But he didn't!" Luu-Luu shot back, crossing her arms. "Nothing bad happened and I had a lot of fun!"
Alicia gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, feeling like she was going to explode. 'How can she be so smart yet so frustratingly childish?!'
Suddenly, Luu-Luu's stomach growled loudly. "Enough with these boring talks. My tummy is making the rumblies. How about we have lunch?" she asked no one in particular, having already lost interest in arguing with Alicia.
Before the princess of Feoh could protest, Celestine decided to intervene. "That sounds like a lovely idea," the high elf said with a conciliatory tone. "We still have much to discuss and I'm sure our friends will appreciate a good meal after traveling for days. Oh, Clay?" she called casually the Sentinel, who was in the process of retrieving his weapon. "You will obviously join us," she informed him with a warm friendly smile.
The super soldier froze. The Goddess Reborn wanted him to eat at her same table? He honestly didn't know how to react. Was he worthy of such honor? Of course not. Should he refuse out of respect? That sounded like the logical thing to do, but it would also mean disobey what he perceived as a direct order rather than a simple invitation.
Hesitantly, the Sentinel nodded, much to Celestine's delight.
"Hmm. I wonder how much he can eat," Prim commented softly with mild curiosity.
As the group made its way through one of the many corridors of the palace, Claudia and Maia lingered in the back with Clay. While the knight commander walked with her usual composure, the queen of mercenaries had troubles containing her enthusiasm.
"That was awesome! I've never seen anyone fight like that! I mean, the speed, the power! Oh, I wish Vult was here to see you!" The queen of mercenaries exclaimed excitedly.
"He was holding back," Claudia commented, almost making Maia stumble mid-step for the surprise.
Once she had regained her balance, the redhead looked at the paladin in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" she asked incredulously, shifting her gaze toward the Sentinel. "Right?" She repeated nervously, only to feel her jaw drop when Clay shrugged. "No fucking way."
"He had to be careful in order to not hurt Luu-Luu. Trust me when I say that what we've just seen is not his full potential."
"…damn. Now I really want to see this big boy in an actual fight."
"I'm afraid you won't have to wait long for that," Claudia somberly said, making Maia flinch. They both knew all too well that when it came to the Dark Legion it was a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' the next attack will come.
"So, what do you think of that pipsqueak?" Maia asked the Sentinel, both out of curiosity and to change the topic.
Clay followed her gaze and saw Luu-Luu walking in front of the group next to Celestine and Prim, talking with her usual enthusiasm about one of her projects.
"Strong. Fast. Agile." He paused for a moment, considering his next words. "Predictable. Easy to read."
Claudia nodded in agreement. The halfling was ridiculously fast and strong, and her small size allowed her to easily outmaneuver most enemies, however, despite being one of the most brilliant minds in all of Serenus, she had the bad habit of relying too much on her strength alone.
"I've told her countless times to work on her combat techniques, but she gets bored easily and has the attention span of a child."
"Well, doesn't that describe most halflings?" Maia pointed out.
"Hmm, fair point."
Meanwhile, Clay kept observing Luu-Luu. Being predictable in battle is extremely dangerous and it could lead to your defeat, or worse. He felt the urge to correct what he saw as a serious flaw in his new ally. However, as he observed the halfling act so carefree, for some reason, he felt a sense of comfort.
'Yes. Some things have not changed.'
It was just the eight of them in a relatively small room, much to Celestine's relief. It was nice to have a nice, quiet meal between friends for once, without having to worry about all those stiff formalities and protocols that characterized court life.
Any lingering hesitation Clay had vanished at the sight of the food on the table. Given that none of the chairs was sturdy enough to hold the full weight of his armor, the Sentinel had been forced to remove most of its components, keeping on his body only his black undersuit and his boots before sitting next to Luu-Luu and starting serving himself.
The answer to Prim's question turned out to be: a lot.
Clay had already devoured a whole roasted mutton leg and was now in the process of quietly eating a second one, taking regular, methodical bites while still managing to look disciplined.
"Wow. He eats almost as much as Luu-Luu," Maia commented impressed, looking at the small pile of empty plates stacked in front of him.
"Hey!" Luu-Luu protested indignantly before taking a large bite from her roasted turkey leg. "I have a fast metabolism," she explained with her mouth full, much to Alicia's chagrin.
"That still doesn't explain where all your food goes," the redhead pointed out while stealing a look at the halfling's small body.
Luu-Luu took a long sip of beer and let out a loud burp. "In my stomach," she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Speaking of mysteries, I think it's time we address the topic of Silent Vigilance," Celestine said, instantly catching everyone's attention. "Now that we know the exact location of the ruins, we need to organize a larger and better equipped expedition in order to secure and study them."
"Uh! Uh! I volunteer to lead the mission!" Luu-Luu promptly exclaimed, waving a hand in the air. "If there's anyone that can uncover the secrets of that place, that's me," she added with confidence.
"What about the travel chambers? Shouldn't their construction be your priority?" Claudia asked with a note of concern.
Luu-Luu made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Pfft, relax! Our architects and mages are perfectly able to finish the job even without my supervision."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! Besides, it's not like people will reappear as bleeding horrors screaming in agony just because a brick is out of place," she casually said.
Alicia dropped her fork and stared at Luu-Luu speechlessly.
Klaus started coughing violently as the piece of bread he was eating went down the wrong way, forcing Claudia to slap his back repeatedly.
Prim slowly looked down at her red tomato soup with a horrified face and gently pushed it aside.
"Helloooo nightmares," Maia deadpanned as she poured herself a generous glass of wine. "Who needs to sleep tonight anyway?"
Clay looked at Luu-Luu with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" the halfling asked him, looking around with honest confusion.
"Anyway!" Celestine said louder than necessary, eager to bring back the conversation to its original topic. "How long will it take you to assemble an expedition?"
"Hmm, let's see… If I send a message to Ansur today, I can have two, maybe three hundred halflings here in a month," Luu-Luu replied after running a few quick calculations in her mind.
"That's not a lot considering the task that awaits you," Celestine noticed. Halflings were hard working people but, if Claudia and Klaus' tales were accurate, the ruins of Silent Vigilance were as big as one of the city fortresses, if not even bigger.
Luu-Luu sagged a bit in her chair. "Yeah, I know, but I can't divert too much manpower from our other projects. We've already promised Kaguya to help rebuild their irrigation system, and if the new canals are not ready before the autumn rains start, it will be a disaster for their rice fields."
Celestine nodded in understanding and looked hopefully at the other Shields.
"I can contribute with a platoon of knights of Iris to secure the area," Alicia said after a few moments of hesitation. "Forty knights in total."
"That's it?" Luu-Luu exclaimed surprised. After Geofu, Feoh had the largest standing army in all Eostia.
"I wish I could spare more troops, but between the raiding parties from Garan and the bandits plaguing the roads, my forces are already stretched too thin for my tastes," Alicia sighed frustrated.
"Ur can provide supplies and a hundred workers, but our army is small and dedicated to the defense of our territory," Prim said apologetically.
Celestine looked at Claudia, but the knight commander frowned and quietly shook her head. "According to the last reports I've received, General Grave took all the troops we could spare to assist the Kuroinu against a particularly large group of aberrants."
"Then it's up to me to save the day again," Maia said with a confident smile. "The Red Roses have just eliminated a bandit nest in the Elster Forest and they're currently camping in a village near Ur. They can be here in less than a week."
Celestine was relieved by the news. The all-female group of mercenaries founded by Maia shortly after she became the Shield of Rad was small when compared to other companies like the Kuroinu, but its members were all skilled and professional fighters. In the few years since their creation, they had quickly built a solid reputation and even Alicia, whose aversion for mercenaries was well known, had been forced to recognize their value, much to Maia's satisfaction.
"That should cover the escort and workers. But what about the research team?" Luu-Luu asked. "I mean, there's a lot of stuff to study and only one Luu-Luu."
"I could send with you a few mages from the White Citadel," Celestine said thoughtfully, "however, they're all busy preparing for the imminent visit of Astrid Flamel from Kimia."
"If I may make a suggestion, your highness, I think I have an alternative," Klaus politely intervened. "There are several people at the Royal Academy who are renewed experts of Edenian artifacts. I'm a friend of a few of them and I'm sure they would be glad to help lady Luu-Luu if we asked them."
"Can we count on their discretion?" Celestine asked, worried about potential information leaks that may alert Olga Discordia about their plans.
"Yes, your highness," Klaus said with confidence. "I've known them for years; I can vouch for them," he guaranteed.
Celestine nodded satisfied. "Very well then. The members of the expedition will gather here in Feoh and once Luu-Luu's halflings arrive, they'll head for the Dragon Spine."
"What about Clay?" Prim asked. "Shouldn't he also take part in the mission? He knows Silent Vigilance better than anyone else and Edenian is his first language."
"Those are all good points, Prim, but I think the big guy has already spent enough time in that dusty cave," Luu-Luu said, taking another sip of beer. "And while I know he may help me, I'm sure there are better ways to use his talents."
Celestine nodded. "Which brings us to the next topic: where will he stay. From now on, Clay will need a place to-"
"Dibs!" Maia exclaimed loudly before Celestine could even finish the sentence. "I call dibs on the huge hunky badass!"
"What!?" Alicia exclaimed in disbelief. "You can't call dibs on a super soldier!"
Maia frowned and thought about it for a moment. "Oh, yeah? Well, I just did it," Maia said stubbornly, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, with the side effect of accentuating her already generous bust, much to Alicia's annoyance.
"Why would you even want to have him under your command?"
"Because all my friends will die of envy when they'll see him, duh," she said with disconcerting honesty.
Alicia facepalmed hard enough to make her face sting.
Luu-Luu smirked mischievously. "Are you sure that the leader of a certain group of mercenaries won't be jealous of seeing you with such a magnificent male specimen?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Maia exclaimed a bit too loudly in a lousy attempt to sound nonchalant. Prim and Luu-Luu giggle at her reaction and even Claudia couldn't help but smile a bit. Maia's feelings for Vult were a public secret, but the way she kept trying to hide them was rather adorable.
Celestine cleared her voice loudly. "Ladies? If we could please get back on topic, that would be greatly appreciated," the high elf said with the same patient tone of a mother used to deal with particularly lively children. "Thank you. As I was saying, Clay needs a place where he can not only live, but also learn everything he'll need to know in order to adjust to our society," she explained, earning a few nods and mutters of agreement from the other women and Klaus. "Which means he'll need someone to teach him our laws, culture, language, and many other things that we take for granted. I don't want to sound mean Maia, but I'm afraid you're exactly the most qualified person for this task."
The queen of mercenaries scratched her head. "Yeah… that sounds more like a job for a bookworm like Klaus," Maia admitted. "Uh, no offense," she hurriedly added while cowering a bit under Claudia's stern glare. The woman was always particularly protective when it came to her husband.
"Oh, don't worry, Maia. None taken," the scholar quickly reassured her, knowing there wasn't actual malice in her words.
"I'm glad you understand," Celestine said before continuing. "That's why I think that the best course of action is to send Clay to Geofu." Her gaze moved from Maia to Klaus. "Klaus." The scholar sat a bit straighter when the goddess called his name. "I want you to continue taking care of Clay's education, if that's alright."
Klaus widened his eyes and smiled gratefully. "It would be an honor and a pleasure, lady Celestine!"
Celestine chuckled softly at his enthusiasm before looking at his wife. "As for you, Claudia… I want you to take Clay under your wing and become his commanding officer."
Claudia blinked in surprise. "Me?"
"Yes, my dear friend. Who better than the knight commander of the Dawn Templar to lead into battle the last Sentinel of Serenus?" Celestine asked rhetorically with a confident smile. "That is, if Clay approves my choice, of course," Celestine added, looking at the super soldier. The Sentinel, who had hitherto followed the conversation in silence, was caught off guard as for the second time in a day the goddess reborn asked his opinion.
After a few moments of hesitation, he finally recovered enough confidence to speak. "Lady Levantine is… a worthy leader," he said after briefly looking for the right words. He stood up, looked Claudia in the eyes and bowed his head. "My blade… is your blade," he declared solemnly.
Lady Levantine widened her eyes. "Thank you, Clay," she said, honored by his words but also surprised by such a level of trust and respect after having known each other for barely a week. 'Is it because he has observed me in the past few days? Or is that just the result of the mental conditioning he received?'
"Are there any objections?" Celestine asked the other Shields.
Luu-Luu shook her head. "Nuh-uh."
Maia leaned back in her chair. "Nope." While a bit disappointed, she agreed with Celestine. Claudia was a firm but fair leader, a woman used to take difficult decisions but that still cared for her troops, and an excellent warrior and strategist. When Celestine decided to make Maia the Shield of Rad, she had been willing to give the former Kuroinu a chance to prove herself without judging her humble origins, like Alicia did.
"I have no objections," Alicia said neutrally, still studying Clay with an unreadable expression. She may still not fully trust the Sentinel, but by showing respect toward her former teacher he had just gained a few points in her book.
"I think this is the best choice," Prim voiced her opinion.
"Excellent. Then, I'd like to make a toast," Celestine announced as she lifted her glass of wine, soon mimicked by everyone else. "To the Alliance and a bright new future."
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It took me what I felt like an eternity to finish it. Anyway, an anime adaptation of Kuroinu 2 has been recently announced, which is, uh, 'good', I guess? I mean, I'm planning to add to this story characters and locations from the sequel and the only information I was able to gather so far come from Reddit and the manga (still in progress), because from what I know there's not a translation of the VN.
As always, if you like the story, please leave a comment.