13

Retaliation

The shadows lengthened. She watched as madness spread in their wake, her people laughing. Her people killing. Her people dying. Even as death reigned there were still men who profited, these corpulent forms who took every gold coin that they could in the hopes that they could only get more.

She couldn't see them...her sight was grayed out, and in her impotent rage she could do nothing.

Celestine knew that was not all of it but she could not speak further. She looked at the council, those that were not indisposed or otherwise engaged, and swallowed the lump in her throat. "That...that wasn't all but I cannot seem to-to muster up what I have seen...It's like a fog in my mind." She said to the three figures sitting or standing in front of her. Prim, Kaguya, Claudia and most recently Luu-Luu who had finished visiting Maia.

"So the visions have gotten worse?" Kaguya asked patiently, "I see that this one does not involve our acquaintances who are getting ready to leave even now."

Celestine hesitated but she nodded. At her side, Claudia scowled as she remembered the results of the trial by combat. Prim seemed to shrink even further as the tension in the room increased palpably while Luu-Luu spat out a barely restrained curse at a certain gray clad stranger. A certain Hunter with a dread reputation for violence, a Hunter whose actions had proven the veracity of his words.

He was leaving now, with Olga Discordia and the former Black Dogs in tow. No one knew what he was doing, or what he intended to do but no one dared to pry. Already, some hot headed knights and other such errant warriors had challenged him, thinking that his skills were just a sham. Many died. Others were maimed and broken beyond repair, their minds unable to comprehend such insane strength and speed. Celestine sighed sadly.

She could say that Alicia and Maia got off lucky, but Prim had been extremely worried about her cousin who stayed in her quarters silently fuming about her defeat. Maia, after recovering from her broken ribs, had taken to raging at anyone who was within earshot. She cursed everything and everyone under the sun and it had only been the threat of censure from Celestine that kept her from taking up her blades and trying the Hunter again.

Celestine understood that she had been in love with Vault, the double blows of him being revealed as a vile traitor and being dead had done much to break her down. Sometimes, when Celestine passed her quarters the High Elf could hear her sobbing through the door.

In comparison Alicia was little better. While she was a lot more collected than the fiery Maia, the Hunter had utterly humiliated her. He had, in fact, left her untouched. That was what rankled her, Alicia was so beneath the Hunter's notice that she was just an afterthought in the battle. Celestine could only guess, but the Hunter had gone after Maia for a reason in the trial. He made Alicia watch as he defeated a very strong warrior, as if saying that Alicia's presence was utterly worthless in battle and after that he showed her just how easily he could have killed her. In a sick way, it made sense. Alicia was prideful about her skill with the sword and even Claudia praised her for this. It had even been rumored that, had Alicia not been the heir to Feoh's throne, she would have been groomed to take Claudia's place as Grand Master of the Dawn Templars.

Kyril Sutherland had changed that utterly. He broke her and that was the simplest way to explain it.

Weakling. How could a single word be so utterly filled with contempt?

The Hunter was not arrogant, he merely acted with no consideration of the consequences. The man was cruel, but sad. Celestine could see that. Others didn't but it was not her place to say anything. The Hunter was an unspoken threat after all, and despite everything that had happened these past few days he did win the war for them.

As he had promised to. His reward was suspicion and outright scorn, scorn that he returned tenfold. Every summons she sent was ignored, every invitation unanswered and as far as she knew Olga was no longer in her quarters behind lock and key. She stayed in the Hunter's own guest quarters instead and no one dared to try and act upon her presence if they wanted to keep their limbs…

But the man himself?

The guards often spoke about him, mostly ill rumors and hearsay about his origins. Some even whispered that he wasn't fully human at all, that he was a demon wearing a man's skin. There had been no guards inside the council chamber all those days ago but the garrison was surely spooked and the alert level was high. Celestine had wisely forbidden her Shields from speaking about what had transpired, at least not until she was ready to announce what happened when she returned to the capitol. Causing panic would only complicate matters.

Celestine sighed as she got ready to, yet again, attempt summon the Hunter. She could not ask him to work for her not after the debacle that was the trial by combat but she had to try. Her visions were getting worse and somehow she knew that she would soon need all the help that she could get.

/

She was still alive.

Olga Discordia, former queen of Garan, was still alive. She was not grateful for the Hunter because he did not intervene on her behalf. She instead felt...empty. Tired. Numb. Sure there was some relief that she was alive but the situation had soured her mood immensely. When news reached her long ears that the man known as Kyril Sutherland had challenged the Goddess to a trial by combat she was wise enough to know it was not on her behalf that he fought. He had been accused of conspiring against the crown, as if an archfiend like him needed to skulk in the shadows to kill someone. Olga knew that if he could take her on in single combat, even Celestine would have been no match for him. Olga had seen a part of what the Hunter had in his repertoire.

Olga didn't want her friend dead. She just…

The ancient Dark Elf sighed and leaned back in her chair, feeling the weight of thousands of years on her shoulders for the first time in a long time. She honestly did not know anymore. Her life still belonged to another person, and it irked her to no end that this had happened.

The door opened. The room wasn't hers but after the trial, no one was willing to anger the Hunter any further. The man was surprisingly hard to find, but then again she expected that of him. His other compatriots were mostly left alone, although their association with the murderous Hunter was turning out to be negative as well. They were currently out and about, gathering supplies and gear for their departure to…

She leaned her head back. Kyril had wanted to speak with all of them, although no one was sure about Grace Campbell. The other Dark Elf was...distant, although Olga made a point of avoiding her if she could help it.

"Lady Olga?"

"Ah, Chloe…" Olga's eyes opened. "Finally, I was a bit parched."

Chloe nodded as she produced the basket of wine and good cheese she managed to procure, although not without some difficulty. Olga and her servant were well known to the people, and though there was no violence yet it was to be expected to come soon...At least, that was the first impression before the trial by combat and Kyril's subsequent take down of two Shields on his own. After that, the only ones who dared test the Hunter's patience were the very brave...and the very foolish.

Prim Fiorire was known for her graceful, demure nature but most of all she was known for her quiet smiles and gentle kindness. She was well loved not just by the people of Ur and Feoh but all around the kingdom, for she was always did much to help the poorer folk through her charities. The young pink haired princess was the very image of noblesse oblige, and even the most cynical person would not deny that.

Her quiet smile, however, was not here at the moment. Prim had spotted her dear cousin Alicia at the training yard, blade flashing in aggressive arcs. Prim knew that her cousin's loss to master Kyril stung her. She had not been there when the trial by combat was initiated but she heard that it wasn't just Alicia fighting but also Maia. Maia was injured severely but Alicia wasn't, and somehow that filled her with an all consuming rage that hurt her pride.

"BASTARD!"

Alicia's cursing caused Prim to flinch back at the sudden violent way Alicia threw her practice blade. Panting, the Princess Knight of Iris tried to steady her breathing. "I am not weak." She snarled under her breath. "I am not weak."

"C-Cousin?"

Prim's voice had snapped Alicia out of her rage, and now she looked dejected as she let out a steadying breath to try and regain some form of composure. Prim could see that it wasn't working too well.

"Hello, Prim." Alicia said a bit hoarse from her shouting. "I...see that I may have shown you something unseemly."

"What is wrong cousin?" Prim asked her. "What has made you so...angry? I know that you lost but…"

It was the wrong question to ask because Alicia's face twisted into a hate filled snarl. "That...fiend...He thinks me weak. I should stab my sword into his arrogant guts and see how he thinks of me then!"

"Alicia!" Prim gasped, bringing a white gloved hand to her mouth in horror at what she heard. She had never seen Alicia this enraged before, and it scared her so, so much as Alicia began to rage. When she realized that Prim was there, her bright blue eyes wide with shock and pity Alicia felt her fists clench.

"I must ask you, dear cousin, to stay away from that man." Alicia said her voice frosty. "I understand your...curiosity but what he did is unforgivable."

"W-What happened during the trial?" Prim asked hesitantly.

Alicia told her after a long period of hesitation.

Trial by Combat, Fortress City of Rad, Kingdom of Eostia, a few weeks before...

Alicia looked over to her right, seeing Maia as she bounced on her feet. The red haired mercenary gave her a wink as she spun her two blades in her hands. Wearing light leather armor, Maia focused on speed and agility, darting in and out of reach to overwhelm her opponent. Alicia, in turn, relied on faith and the strength of her arms. The Knight of Iris wore light blue battle armor, which gave not just adequate protection but also did not hinder her agility. It was forged and painted by one of the master artificers in Feoh and personally gifted to her alongside her longsword the day she became a Knight of Iris.

Today would be the day to settle accounts, Alicia's honor as a knight had been insulted but worse still: it was her Goddess's own honor that had been called into question by an unworthy personage. That unworthy, heretical soul would be the one facing the two of them today.

The Hunter, Kyril Sutherland. Alicia knew he was strong but the fool had agreed to fighting the both of them at the same time. Alicia knew she was a powerful swordsman, and Maia was considered one of the strongest mercenaries in Eostia. What fool would willingly face them at the same time? Today it seemed they would find out.

Alicia turned her attention to their opponent. Grim and silent, the Hunter stood looking aimlessly around. She would have sneered...but she caught sight of the large weapon leaning against his shoulder, a brutal heavy cleaver like the one he used as his main weapon. His off hand had some kind of contraption strapped to it but Alicia dismissed it entirely.

Celestine's voice, magically augmented, echoed through the small training yard they used for the trial, a private affair that Celestine made clear to all through her decree.

"The accused has every right to defend himself, as I am the arbitrator of the law there will be no deaths within this trial. Victory proves the veracity of the winner's words. The trial may commence."

Alicia turned her attention to Maia now, and as she opened her mouth to crow or hurl an insult at their opponent she realized that that had been a mistake. Why? The answer to that question became clear in the next few seconds.

The Hunter was already moving, a dead run made in silence that impossibly covered the large distance between him and his opponents in a matter of moments. Alicia shouted to Maia who had frozen for just a moment. Just a moment. Maia went in close, her twin blades flashing, confident that she could take the charge head on. Alicia went in behind her, intending to support the red haired mercenary in the attempt to take back the initiative that was so suddenly taken away from them.

Their confidence, bolstered by the fact that they outnumbered the Hunter, was broken almost instantly. How easy was it for the tide of battle to turn against them…That belief was also mistaken. Because the moment they accepted the Hunter's challenge was when they were already outmatched.

The Hunter's massive, deranged weapon swung down in a brutal arc. Maia barely stepped back in time to avoid the howling, serrated blade. The weapon thudded against the ground. Maia darted in but was forced to respect how fast Kyril was, for he was swinging at her horizontally this time, a brutal arc that would have cut her in two if she was a few seconds slower. Maia was on the back foot now, and all Alicia could do was stand there and stare…

Maia was one of the strongest on the Seven Shields, simply by the dint of her combat experience and her agility. Alicia was considered a close second, a skilled swordsman and admirable for her boundless courage. But to a man like Kyril Sutherland? A Hunter, a veteran of his murderous craft who was adept and half-cut with blood? It would take more than that to stand toe to toe with such a murderous beast. Much, much more.

The two Shields were learning that now as they dodged the Hunter's mad aggression by the skin of their teeth. Every counter strike they tried was met with uncompromising aggression or a swiftness that would have made Maia cry foul had she not been Kyril's target. The Hunter aimed his attacks at the mercenary keeping her on the back foot, all the while looking for the right moment to put her down.

Gods...He was so fast.

Alicia stepped in and caught the heavy weapon with her sword, intending to provide an opening for Maia to take advantage of, but her eyes widened at the outright inhuman strength of the arms behind the deranged weapon; the Princess Knight felt the bones in her arms creaking as she made the futile attempt to move the weapon aside. The Hunter didn't even pay much attention as he shoved Alicia and her weapon away without effort, sending the celebrated Knight of Iris into an undignified heap on the battleground. His other hand, the one with the stake like contraption strapped to it, was thrust at Maia who made the very wise decision to back out of range. The short but thick stake like blade gleamed dully in the sunlight.

The three combatants faced each other briefly, two of them realizing that had the stake connected, Maia would have been mortally wounded...or dead outright.

"Should have run…" The Hunter spoke lowering his weapons slightly. "I would have."

"I'm no coward, you bastard." Maia said tersely as she brandished her blades.

"That's your problem," The Hunter spoke over her. He swung his weapon to the side, and the heavy serrated blade crunched as it lengthened slightly. Alicia's eyes widened as he swung it out to the side, the blade transforming into an extremely ponderous, and deadly, whip-like form with extreme reach. Maia gulped audibly, glancing to the side at the deep furrow where the whip hit the ground creating a large gash; it was a very conspicuous warning to what his weapon could do to a human body.

"Like I said," Kyril said coldly as he readied himself to end this farce.

"You should have run."

Prim swallowed the lump in her throat as Alicia finished her recounting of the battle.

"No one should be that fast or powerful." Alicia said. "That...'man' is a monster bigger than the orcs or the Dark Queen who he is in cahoots with. We should be killing him, and his cronies as well."

"Alicia...he could have slain you and Maia." Prim told her quietly. "You would gain nothing from such actions…provoking him to act is foolish."

"To hell with that!" Alicia snapped, causing Prim to flinch. The young princess and heir to Ur almost did not recognize her cousin as she was right now. Enraged, flailing about. Her pride was injured. Prim was saddened by how she was acting. It was often said between their parents, Prim's and Alicia's both, that Alicia was far too prideful for her own good. She had good intentions, but her striving to be the greatest and thinking that she was were two different things. Ever since their childhood, Prim knew that Alicia prided herself on maintaining her reputation and the approval of not just the people of Ur but also of Prim.

Prim just wanted her cousin safe and sound, a strange thing considering that Alicia strove to become a good and just, honorable knight. But these days...with the war going on, and their encounter with Master Kyril...She knew that there was so much pressure placed on Alicia's shoulders.

Prim was worried that the Knight of Iris was beginning to crack. And now she cursed herself for not saying anything at all.

"The Goddess should have just detained the Dark Queen and that...that fiend. The only thing he deserves is a sword through the heart. He is too dangerous to let live!"

Alicia's ranting snapped Prim put of her worried thoughts. She frowned. "Cousin!" She said, sounding disappointed. "You know this isn't the right way about things!"

"Right!?" Alicia answered back. "We have the Dark Queen! She should be-"

"Ugh! The Boss is a real slave driver!"

"Uh, Fredrick...we just got sponsored for new gear. How are you complaining?"

Prim saw two of Master Kyril's companions walk by, carrying bags of supplies which included rucksacks. Unfortunately, Alicia saw them too.

/

"Doesn't matter!" Fredrick groused to Soren, "He's got us hauling enough crap for a journey...where exactly? I mean, sure the Boss is determined to see right by us but we really need a direction if he's planning something…"

Soren held up a hand, his amber eyes widening slightly. Fredrick saw where he was looking and promptly shut up. He did so because they were in the presence of royalty. He had a bad feeling though, and he felt his hand instinctively reach to his back for the hilt of the knife behind his back.

Why? An easy question to answer.

Alicia Arcturus, Knight of Iris, Princess Knight of Feoh was glaring at them and she was starting to look very unhinged in his opinion.

Shit.

"Lady Alicia. Lady Prim." Soren spoke up bowing, prompting Fredrick to do the same. "It is an honor."

At Alicia's side, Prim blinked but she quickly took over as she stepped forward and curtsied.

"Greetings, am I speaking to two of Master Kyril's companions?" Prim asked.

At the mention of Kyril, Alicia's eyes narrowed and her gloved hands curled into fists.

"Yes, lady Prim." Soren said, "I'm Soren. The taller one is Fredrick." At his side Fredrick nodded his head, doing his best to avoid eye contact with Alicia who was glaring at the both of them.

"Lackey." Alicia snarled at Soren who was taken aback at the harsh tone directed at him. "What is your foul master planning!?"

"P-Planning?" Soren stammered out even as Fredrick stepped up.

"We're trying to figure that out ourselves." Fredrick said neutrally. He was a big man, he knew that, but stepping up against a noble like Alicia Arcturus made him hope that he sounded a lot more confident than he felt.

Shit, Soren looked ready to bolt but the boy was holding on. Although the way Alicia was holding her sword made it clear that it would serve them both well if Soren managed to get word back to the Boss so he knew that shit was about to go down. He just hoped that things didn't escalate to the point that he was worried.

Either way, whatever Fredrick thought or said after this point was pointless. Because Alicia had just drawn her sword. "I'll find out." She said coldly. "Whether he wants me to or not."

"Fredrick, run!" Soren drew his own blade parrying Alicia's strike even as Prim turned to call for help, rather loudly. Fredrick heard Alicia's blade crash into Soren's and swore. He had to find the boss before Soren got cut down.

He ran as fast as he could, cursing himself. It should have been him back there...not Soren.

/

Soren was not a good fighter. Hell, he was a thief. He didn't do blade-work at the front he picked locks for a living! The young foot pad blocked Alicia's mad strike with his short blade, the worn weapon was simple but it did the job whenever he had to fend off a small orc or two. But fighting the celebrated Knight of Iris wasn't what it was made for.

Fredrick called it a 'Ninja Blade', named after the famous shadow warriors from Thorn who served the Priestess Kaguya. Soren had personally thought that Fredrick was an idiot. Soren blocked another attack from Alicia.

"Stop this!" He said backing up as Alicia swung madly, her longsword catching the light. Soren ducked another sword strike. "Why!? Why are you attacking me!?"

"Knave!" Alicia snarled. "Surrender, and maybe I will make it quick! I will find out what your despicable master hides even if I have to break every bone in your body!"

Well, shit. Soren thought to himself. "The Boss won't like it, but I'm getting out of this alive." He said, and tightened the grip on his sword.

"Back off, I don't want to fight you!" Soren tried, one more time. The way Alicia charged him told him that he was going to have to fight after all...

The Hunter found himself meeting Grace once again, the Dark Elf having decided to help an old woman by giving her directions. Kyril kept his distance, waiting patiently for her to finish her business. Grace exhaled when the old woman left before turning to Kyril, finally noticing that he was there. Kyril saw the hesitation in her eyes and the fear. He understood those emotions of course, and being looked at in such a way had long since ceased to sting.

Olga and her servant were ensconced in his own personal quarters that he hardly returned to. The Hunter had his own place of rest and often took to wandering the city streets in the dead hours of the night.

He realized that Grace was approaching. Kyril shook his head of his maudlin thoughts.

"D-Did you need something, milord?" Grace asked.

Kyril blinked in almost complete incomprehension. He then asked Grace after a long pause, "Where is this notion that I am a noble coming from?" He truly was perturbed that almost everyone in his small group thought that he was a runaway, disgraced noble. While much of his memory was a shattered undefinable mess, he remembered enough to know that his past life did not include being part of the high born and haughty bourgeois, it instead was a dirty existence eked out on a potato farm in some nameless country that was at war with itself for a completely stupid political reason.

At least, that was his understanding of it.

"Ah...w-well, that's what everyone says." Grace had the decency to look embarrassed. Kyril exhaled through his nose and decided to drop the subject.

"Are you ready to head home to Baskerville?" Kyril asked.

Grace sighed. "I...I wasn't expecting all of that happening. But I see that...that person is still alive." She said, giving Kyril a hard look which took a lot of courage but Kyril didn't let that bother him in the slightest. He did in fact admire that small courage, to look upon something monstrous and never back down.

"Why?"

Kyril just gestured for Grace to accompany him as he began walking. "The war is over, but there are certain problems that still need to be solved." He told Grace. "And what better punishment is there than to be forced to clean up a mess of your own making?"

Grace frowned. "That still doesn't account for all of the horrible things she has done." She told Kyril. "You could kill her easily."

"I could." Kyril answered nodding his head. "And it would take nothing more than a quick decapitation. But why be wasteful? She has a certain skill set that I can use, and if she dies in battle? She gets to atone, and the world is rid of one more monster in an endless parade."

He looked at Grace. "Have you ever killed someone?" His question was pointed.

"N-No…" Grace blinked first, her earlier bravado fading away. "I hope never to do so."

"Can you kill someone?" Kyril asked her again,

"I...I don't think I can…" Grace stammered, sounding ashamed and frustrated.

"Good." Kyril said walking onward. "I am not one to give out advice, but causing death is addictive. It will turn anyone into a bloodthirsty beast. It is not something to be glorified, but only endured."

Grace looked at him then, realizing just how tired Kyril Sutherland looked. His grim and gaunt features hid the man beneath; a man who had seen and done far too much terrible things to ever fully be whole. He was so, so different from the man she once called husband. A man who eschewed the way of the sword and dedicated himself to peace.

Here was someone who hunted men and monsters, but unlike the so-called "warriors" who bragged of their exploits and counted their kills this Hunter was someone who did not relish it at all. To Kyril, the act of killing was a chore not a sacred calling or a way to prove one's manhood

Just a chore, and like any other burdensome chore it was meant to be endured.

"And besides...It is not my place to punish her," Kyril said which snapped Grace out of her thoughts.

"Ah...That's right." Grace whispered bitterly. Kyril did indeed did not have the right to punish Olga. Despite everything that happened, it was Celestine the Fair who held the rights to Olga's life. Although that was now muddied by Kyril winning his trial by combat, and...technically the right to Olga's life was now his. It was a muddied situation all around.

"Boss! Boss!"

Kyril heard Boris's distressed voice and both he and Grace turned to see Boris and Fredrick shoving their way towards him. Grace saw the look on the men's faces and put a hand to her mouth before asking the question Kyril had in mind.

"Where...What happened to Soren?"

Celestine Lucross was at a loss for words as she looked at the unconscious form on the cot.

"He is healing, your Holiness but it is best that we do not wake him too soon." One of her healers spoke to her in a hushed but hurried tone.

"And Alicia?" Celestine said before Claudia could start asking after her prodigy.

"Stable, but she denies any wrongdoing." The healer replied. "It is best we keep these two separated. I do not know what sparked...whatever that fight was but to keep young Soren safe I will do what I have to."

"Thank you for your candor, good sir. Please, continue with your work."

"As you wish, Your Holiness."

Celestine rubbed her forehead as she and Claudia left the healer's quarters. "Where is Prim?" Celestine asked Claudia firmly.

Claudia began to make excuses on Alicia's behalf but Celestine did not wish to hear any of it. "Claudia. I have a young man in my healer's quarters who was wounded by one of my Shields, a young man who defended himself. This young man is under the employ of the agent who brought Olga Discordia to me, ending our war." She said slowly. "This agent is both dangerous and has shown to be homicidal. Please, tell me where Prim is before things spiral out of control."

Claudia swallowed. "She is in her guest's room, your holiness." She said noting the frustration in the Goddess's eyes.

"Follow me," Celestine ordered.

Claudia and her two Templars followed then Goddess who walked swiftly. The commander of the Dawn Templars couldn't believe it, she wouldn't. Alicia Arcturus, attempting to cut down a young man for being associated with the Hunter? She taught Alicia better than that. It had to be a fluke, some kind of lie...It had to be. Claudia knew better than to deny such things but she had to hear the truth of the matter.

Prim Fiorire was the witness to the event, and had been the one to call the guards for a healer.

Celestine had to speak to her quickly.

She was hearing the roar of the ocean once more, the waves crashing against the shore and she knew that was a bad omen.

/

"It...It all happened so fast." Prim's voice was emotionless, she was still in shock it seemed. "Cousin...Alicia just started ranting and raving...I wanted to stop her but…"

"Why?" Claudia asked, despairing at the truth. "Why did Alicia do this, little prim?"

"I...I think it was my fault." Prim whispered looking down. "I didn't say anything to her, I just greeted Mister Soren and Mister Fredrick, just saying good day and all."

"You say that Alicia accused them of hiding something." Celestine said, blinking. She could hear the ocean louder now and it was getting harder to control herself from reacting.

"I...I don't know about that…" Prim said, looking at Celestine desperately. "B-But Master Kyril has not done anything bad, has he? I mean apart from…"

Celestine didn't hear Claudia's next question or Prim's answer.

Because the ocean's roar was deafening now, and with it came the sound of doom.

She heard rain, but the day outside was sunny and bright.

A storm was coming.