Reviews:
Pyromania101: If Umbridge continues her antagonistic behavior, she's fair game for anyone, really. I liked writing for the Malfoy's too and I wouldn't try to write Lucius as being a bad husband, he was really just annoyed at his house and money being used up. He and Narcissa do have a functioning marriage but he still tries to keep up appearances. There's more Casca/Guts this time around too.
Energy-the-hedgehog: There are certainly tough times ahead with the upcoming chapters and how Casca reacts to fully being back will be shown in this chapter.
MorphCross: The behelit does have to be dealt with at one point for sure and Skull Knight would sure have Void answer for a lot of things. I'm looking forward to writing that fight when the time comes.
greenwings33: I love so much enthusiasm! Glad to see you like it so much.
Greer123: Casca has some more bonding with the girls this time around and I'm very happy you enjoyed.
Tero7323: For power scale, Voldemort would be about a 6.8 since he is strictly magic based but can grant pseudo-apostlehood to his Death Eaters.
Guest: It hardly feels like 50 chapters and even I'm surprised at how much I was able to write. Casca is amazing for sure and I can't wait to see what Miura does with her in the manga.
Necrogod: Thanks! Enjoy this one too!
Darkscythe Drake: There will be more of Harry and Schierke.
Hairul The Nightrage Beast: Umbridge will be in for a very rude awakening. And yeah, Casca did have a right to get mad about the behelit considering all the trouble the last one caused. There is a very real possibility both will be featured later on without giving away spoilers.
Cormin 12: Yeah, I included that line for everyone who had to suffer through that hiatus. And something will be done about the behelit, Harry thinks about what to do with it here.
kaxipoptos: Some action does go down later this chapter and the tension is all building to a head. Lucius sure is stressed that his house is now basically a hotel. Roderick really is one of the nicest guys in the Berserk story and Farnese is lucky to be engaged to a guy like him. I have an idea of what will happen to the behelit, but nothing that will ever happen in canon.
erica phoenix 16: There are a lot of things that still need to get sorted out with Casca as this chapter will show. The Ministry will be way in over their head if they try something like that. As for your questions, Voldemort did know Harry was missing since he was possessing Quirrel back in first year, he just didn't know where Harry was, but he knew Femto was connected to him somehow when he accepted apostlehood. And while Snape did view the memories, the event of the Eclipse was taken out by Harry as he didn't want them seeing that so he knows something happened with Griffith, just not what specifically.
The main reason he kept up his behavior was that he is stubborn and didn't want to admit his perception of Harry could be wrong. I hope that helps and thank you for reading.
Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.
He had been watching them, watching them from the darkened shadows. Maybe that wasn't even the best way to properly describe it; more like he was a part of the shadows themselves. With his all black cloak that covered his entire body from head to foot, but still leaving room for him to move around like a serpent in the grass. The only thing that made him the least bit noticeable was his bone white mask with the design of a three-eyed beast with some small fangs poking out near the bottom.
He liked the mask, he really did. It was unique but replaceable. Fitting, but a reminder that he had limited visibility; a reminder of his past as one of the Bakiraka's best assassins, and a link to his present form as an apostle.
Such contradicting themes all linked to a single mask, but Rakshas only spared little thoughts to them on occasion, they gave him something to think about and his best source of company was himself. All of the other apostles sans perhaps Zodd, Irvine, and Rosine seemed to completely buy into everything the Hawk of Light spewed forth.
And so did he – to an extent.
It wasn't as if he personally had anything against the Hawk or what he was doing, he was a God Hand, after all, can't go and forget about that little minute detail, oh, no. This city, Falconia, it was a nicer place than any place the Bakiraka had camped out at as they looked to take jobs to further their infamy as the top assassins and one day regain the favor of the Emperor. But now Emperor Ganishka was dead, turned into a giant tree of all things.
Fitting, really. Rakshas always found him to be a bit wooden.
But really, Rakshas could not really think of anything negative about the Hawk's character. And that was why he would like to one day have his head.
A creature so pure in a world so shitty, it would perhaps be almost poetic, not that he cared about poetry either. It was just one of those things in life when you know exactly how something will feel even before you experience it. That was what he wanted in actuality; to have the head of the Hawk, if not by his own hand (although it was preferred) to see it happen in all its glory. He might even praise the name of the one to do it and sing their praises to the darkest corner of the abyss; he'd make it a tune to remember, and he hated songs in general on top of that.
It was a challenge to him, a being so divine that he could not possibly be killed by anything of this world or the next. What sane man wouldn't want to take up that challenge? Probably all, but that was beside the point. It was all about the thrill that went into it.
So when that bore named Locus came to him requesting him to fulfill an assassination, Rakshas was all for it. As delusional as he was believing that he was acting the part of a proper knight be defending the Hawk's image, Locus was providing the thrill he had been seeking. The boy who had slapped the Hawk of Light was nothing special at first glance, not to Rakshas anyways.
He had been following the boy since the day after the whole incident, getting a feel for how this boy moved, how he acted around others, his schedule, where he took up work, who he socialized with. The latter consisted of a now one-handed Daiba working at a stable, Serious Silat, his former clansman, a rather attractive lady who seemed to be an inn owner; and lastly, a young girl who called the boy "brother."
It was a bit sad that the girl was soon to become an orphan.
But hey, there were tons of orphans after the war; she was nothing special in that regard anyway. Maybe he could take her out too as an act of cruel mercy.
"Are you done spying on them yet?"
Rakshas' masked face seemed to propel from out of the shadows that filled the narrow, dark alley to give a warning glare of silence to his companion. "Don't talk so loud. Stealth is important, you should know that. Didn't you use to go around kidnapping children?"
"Who told you that?"
"You'd be surprised what one hears when in the shadows." Rakshas teased his tag-along companion by poking the ends of his cloak out of the darkness and wiggling them at the ends. "I know how close you are with Irvine, but he's always camped out in the woods, so don't go and get mad at him."
"I didn't say I would." She pouted just like a child, too. Why a lone predator like Irvine would take it upon himself to nourish this brat back to health, Rakshas would never know. And he would barely be able to understand Locus' reasoning for having this little girl apostle tag along beside him when he was perfectly capable of carrying this out himself.
The closest he could understand for Locus forcing this girl, Rosine, alone with him was to have herself prove that she was truly loyal to the Hawk of Light by carrying out this assassination. Zodd was top dog among apostles and no one told him what to do, save for the God Hand, and he would instantly deny Locus for having him carry out an unworthy death. Irvine was far too solitary to work with anyone especially since he was a long distance based fighter. That just left Rosine, the girl who had been humming to herself and acting like a child on a trip outside of her village.
Fitting since she was a child, but he would have thought her to be more… huh? What had he been expecting?
"Forget about all of that for now, just focus on our target. We'll strike tonight; he seems complacent enough to believe he just got away with striking the God Hand without consequence. Oh, he is in for such a rude awakening."
Rakshas had no idea if the Hawk knew Locus had orchestrated this, but once it was carried out, it wasn't like the Hawk would punish them. This boy was just a tie to his past life, and like the mask Rakshas wore, the boy was replaceable. Just a link to a past that was forgotten.
The image of the setting sun cast over the nearly still water of the Black Lake made for a serene picture and helped serve as a peaceful way to ease the mind after having traveled through someone else's. Farnese could admire the soft, warm orange that was painted across the water, it almost looked like flames were coming to life on the lake's surface, an impossible situation but maybe not with where there were now, just outside a school for magic and everything.
Seeing as that the water was fresh and free of any garbage or waste that would be common for a port city like Vritannis, they had been able to gather enough fresh water to fill a wooden tub located near the port quarters, the ones that were set aside for the three ladies aboard. While the Sea Horse was primarily a warship, it was also built to satisfy and accommodate for luxury. The King of Lith would not let one of his sons sail on just any ordinary ship, it would make the captain and Lith as a whole look like they were in a time of crisis. Having come from a noble family, Farnese knew all about how that would come across.
This bathroom of sorts was typically set aside for the captain alone while the rest of the crew shared a collective bathhouse located on the further end of the ship, but only consisted of a tub that wasn't as large as the one here which could easily fit three people in its waters. Farnese had wondered why that was at first before remembering that this was Roderick's personal setting and with his former position as a bachelor, Farnese could only imagine how many other girls had gotten a chance to climb in this tub. She wasn't that naïve to believe Roderick had been saving himself for marriage, but it was an odd thing to come to mind considering the three girls that occupied it now.
"How does the water feel?" Schierke asked as she poked a finger in to test the water herself.
"Not as warm as any bathhouse in a town or city, but still very accommodating," Farnese replied having already submersed herself in the tub.
"Alright, I'm coming in then." Schierke set her towel aside as she quickly swung her legs in. The small feeling of chill was evident on her face as she paused before sinking down to sit on the bench that ran the circumference of the interior. The water came well past her shoulders and got the ends of her green hair wet as she folded her legs up to get used to the full effect.
"Spring is still in season here, the lake is not as warm as it would be in summer." It was a general observation, but it reminded Farnese a bit of home back in Vritannis. The seasons of this world seemed to be almost exactly on schedule with the seasons back home. It was a small connection to link the two worlds together, but one thing Farnese noticed was different was the moon cycle.
Here, the moon was only half full as opposed to whatever it would be like back in Midland. At least there was only one moon here; having entered a different astral layer, Farnese wouldn't be surprised if there were two, maybe even three moons, but maybe that was over exaggerating a bit.
"If you're cold, couldn't you use a spell to heat the water?" it was not Farnese who asked the question, but the third occupant, Casca.
She was resting a small ways away from the two mages, actually looking to be a bit shy at having to bathe with other ladies, but making no move to leave or dismiss them. In fact, she had climbed in with little problem.
"Oh, I mean, I could, but you seem content with the way the water is and I wouldn't want to be the one to disturb that."
"If you're too cold, go ahead. I don't want you freezing because I don't mind it."
"I see, alright then." Schierke reached over the side to grab her staff. Putting the end of it down to the bottom of the tub, Schierke began to mutter what Farnese now recognized as being a heating spell. Those were the spells Farnese had been the most anxious to learn about. Fire had always fascinated her, before when she was under the Holy See employ; she had used fire as a way of cleansing those who stood against God. Now, she was the one standing against God; one of the ones standing at least.
The change in temperature was almost instantaneous. A thin layer of steam began to rise from the water and Farnese felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as well. Schierke put her staff back outside of the tub. "That feels better."
"It does." Casca had scooped up some water in her hands and used it to wet her long, dark hair.
"Do you need me to help with that?" Farnese asked seeing the other girl try to do her hair. "Before I cut mine, I had long hair."
"You would help?" it almost pained Farnese to hear Casca even ask that.
"Of course. The two of us, I was always the one to help wash your hair – er, Elaine's hair."
Casca got a look of contemplation. "Yeah. I remember that."
Scooting over to where Casca was, Farnese ran her hand through the silky, black hair, wetting all her locks. "You really do have nice hair, Casca. I'm actually a bit jealous." While Farnese's own hair was soft, it didn't feel like soft silk.
"There isn't really anything to be jealous about; I should probably cut it soon." Casca looked at the ends of her dark hair and seemed to be judging how short she was going to go with it.
"If you want, I could help you with that," Farnese offered her. "I cut my own hair before joining the travel with Guts and Harry." Farnese felt at where her blonde hair fell to almost at chin-level. "Your hair is a bit straighter than mine, but I should still be able to do it."
"You would do that?" Casca asked, seemingly a bit confused. Farnese nodded to assure her she was serious. "I… always used to cut my own hair."
"Ah. I see." Farnese couldn't help but feel a little let down by Casca's response. Before, Farnese had been her primary caretaker; it had been her unofficial role within the group and one she had just sort of fallen in line with somewhere along their travels. Now that she was back to her old self, that position was no longer needed – which was a good thing in the scheme of things, but one that Farnese missed in some way. She was still studying magic, but caretaker had been so much more straightforward.
"Oh, no, that's not what I meant!" Casca said, gaining Farnese's attention. "I just meant that I was just used to doing things on my own before. Things, like cutting hair and even bathing, were all things I did by myself when I was a mercenary. Since I was the only woman, I always bathed and cleaned up separately. Hearing you offer to help out and even being here with two other girls is… it's different; but not in a bad way."
"I think we can both relate to that," Schierke softly smiled at the older girl. "Back at the spirit-tree, I never had to really worry about others but… things do change."
Farnese could only nod at her teacher's take on it. Farnese herself had even bathed and groomed separately when she was commander of the Holy Iron Chain Knights. She really had been a blind follower to the Holy See's teachings. Had she known the true origin of the organization as Harry and Guts had to explain it, she certainly would have been less willing to serve.
"So how short were you thinking?" Farnese asked as a way to stop herself from thinking of her previous involvement with the flawed religious order.
"Probably just to my chin," Casca near instantly replied. "That's what I'm used to. I don't really like the feeling of hair touching the back of my neck that far."
"What about your bangs in front?" Farnese asked. The hair that framed the sides of Casca's face fell a bit beyond her chin. "I've always liked them. I could make them shorter and cut most of the length from the back. I can do it as soon as we get back to our cabin. You'll still be sleeping there, won't you?"
Maybe Farnese shouldn't have added that last part, but she was compelled to ask based on that one memory she had seen; the one between Casca and Guts. He was clearly very special to her and considering all Guts went through to ensure her safety, the feeling was clearly mutual. Farnese knew that the two of them weren't married, but Guts was hardly the person to be openly romantic and she was only beginning to know the real Casca.
Speaking of which, the other girl was looking at her a strange way. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
"It's not too important, I guess," Farnese covered her previous question, but even Schierke was looking at her a bit funny. "We can go after we're done here."
"Sure," Casca agreed. "I trust you know what you're doing."
Trust?
A woman Farnese was just coming to know was already using the word trust. She knew it must have had to do with who she had been as Elaine, but to actually hear her say the word out loud was a bit surprising.
"Oh!" Schierke exclaimed. "I didn't want to forget, but…" Farnese and Casca watched as the shortest among them pulled a few strands of green hair from her head. "Here." She presented them to Casca.
"Your hairs?" Casca looked at the short strand of green hairs.
"Tie them around your finger," Schierke clarified. "By doing so, you'd be able to use thought transference like the rest of us."
"Thought transference?" Casca just seemed more confused.
"It is a way of staying in contact with one another through thought. I gave some of my hairs to everyone in our group in case we ever got separated or when making plans when in a fight. But it'll only open if you choose so another person with the connection won't be able to read you if you don't want them to." That last bit seemed added on to Farnese. If she had to guess, it was probably because they had already entered Casca's mind once and did so without consent.
"You'd be able to hear what I was thinking?" Casca repeated more for herself than summarizing what had been explained.
"Only what you want us to hear," Schierke reassured her.
Casca tied the hairs around her pinky finger. "What now?"
'Can you hear me?' the mental voice of Schierke resonated with Farnese and Casca too as she looked to see that the green-haired girl's mouth was not moving in the slightest.
'You just… think what it is you want to say, it's that easy?' Casca's mental voice sounded as well.
'Not all magic is easy,' Schierke explained. 'For something like this, no. Magic, no matter what kind, is all based on understanding and intent. As long as you are willing to accept that there is a world larger than yourself, this connection is open to you.'
Farnese smiled at her teacher's explanation. She had said that to Farnese on occasion when they were studying some magic techniques and it was nice to know that it wasn't just directed at her this time for learning benefit. It showed that Casca was willing to trust them with this and not as caretakers, rather, as equals.
The Ideal World; that was what Flora had called it. He remembered every conversation he had with the witch, probably because she had done all she could to make sure every lesson had relevance. Her advice and wisdom had been of use since his previous existence as the Great Uniter of the continent and reign as Supreme Emperor. Those titles were always a bore; a king was just a king.
There had been an extent to what he understood then to what he knew for a fact now.
In terms of astral layers, there were three major ones. The first resided in the middle of sorts and was where the countries that emerged after the fall of his empire resided; countries like Chuder and Midland. Then there was the deeper layer, the Abyss. The dark and twisted realm of the God Hand, but even that was not without layers. Like an onion, the deeper one went the fouler it would become. The valley of faces where sacrifices were made was just the top layer of the Abyss. Flora had done her best to explain that with the use of an astral/luminous body, it was possible to indirectly traverse the layers, but the deeper one goes into the abyss, the harder it is to return. And no one who dared venture into the heart of the Abyss ever returned.
But then there was this layer; the layer he had been exploring since the great schism of energy that ended the Kushan War. This was the highest of the three major layers, and from what he had gathered by observing the people here, clearly the most advanced. But causality would do that; prevent the people of the middle from barely advancing since his once reign as king. There were many people here too, far that exceeded the number of humans that now survived in the middle. And that wasn't all, magic held more of a presence here than the middle even before the First Eclipse and the fallout that resulted from it.
It wasn't visible, but it was almost palpable in the air, he had even come across a few magical creatures in the woods of one of this worlds continents; creatures that had once resided in his own layer of origin. Indeed, this was the world the witch had once told him about, a layer that was a perfect mixture of mundane and magical. The Ideal World.
But having known about causality far as long as he did, it was inevitable any semblance of peace this world knew would not last. It was like a volcano, pressure starts from below and works its way to the top. The middle was already experiencing its share of change and it was only so long until this uppermost layer felt the effects of the fallout. Be it a year, ten years, twenty, but it would happen, time was of little concern to beings that are immortal.
But he wasn't the only one to be here, he felt them some ways off, the behelit the Struggler carried was easy to identify, the collection of trinkets that were forged in the depths of his armor could almost feel a kindred pull toward it. He had a feeling the only way he would be able to reach them there would be through his Sword of Actuation. He would have to inform them of the happenings of what was transpiring in the middle layer at some point. He hadn't yet returned to the middle since having that conversation with the "Immortal One."
He had tried to warn the human version of the Immortal One of the dangers of the behelit he found and how that if he truly sought the thrill of battle, he would only gain boredom as an apostle. His advice had clearly not worked. The Immortal One was keen on seeking out the strongest opponent, an obsession that had perhaps been born when he had easily bested him in their first initial fight. Hundreds of years of experience had easily led to his victory over the still human tribal chief. Even with the lingering animosity, he could rely on the Immortal One to stick to what they had discussed even if he would not betray the God Hand by doing so.
It all tied back to the flow of causality and the Divine Right of Kings; that much he had figured out without any assistance from the witch.
"The Divine Right of Kings." His mount neighed from under him. It had been tied to the past Gaiseric and Gunderic both and was now almost in the God Hand's clutch. But there could still be a way to ensure an alternative. "Those who struggle…"
With Flora gone, he and Void were all that remained of that past, one that was better left forgotten. But they would have to know at some point. The Struggler and his companions, they were proof that causality was not supreme. Through struggle and hardship, they had managed to break from their pre-planned course. Observing this world and the people from a distance, he was able to gain an understanding of what was yet to come. If they so chose it, they might be able to save the life of more than one innocent.
Sleep certainly felt different now. It had since Harry had drawn that rune over the Brand of Sacrifice, an action that effectively prevented any spirits of the damned from stalking him at night. That went a long way, but going to sleep without the Berserker Armor on, Guts experienced something yet again. There was a surprising lack of dreams.
Before he had been on high edge waiting for that next fight to pop up at a moment's notice, but upon Casca's wish, he had shed the armor for the time being. The feeling of the presence of the Beast of Darkness had faded for the moment and allowing him to actually feel a true feeling of rest that he had been lacking for so long now.
And it didn't last; not that he ever expected it to in the first place.
It was the sound of a rather quick-paced knocking on his cabin door that had Guts swinging his legs from the cot and over to the door. He was almost expecting it to be Casca, she had come to visit him earlier when she had discovered the behelit that he still kept. He hadn't seen her since she Farnese and Schierke had taken the time to groom themselves up. as he opened the door, he found not Casca, but rather one of the other female occupants on the ship.
"Farnese?" he asked seeing her looking a bit panicked but still fully clothed in her nightgown with no sign of a fight or anything written on her face. "What is it?"
"Guts! Good, could you… come with me a moment? Schierke said we might need you."
"Need me for what? What's going on?" maybe he picked a bad time to take off his armor.
"It's Casca, she… it's nothing too serious!" Farnese quickly added seeing the look on his face as soon as she mentioned Casca's name. "She just… woke up is all. We had all fallen asleep, but Casca seems to have woken up or maybe she never fell asleep but she seems to have been at it for some time."
"Been at what?" they were already heading out of his cabin and down the hall to where the three ladies were staying.
"Keeping herself awake," Farnese seemed to think that was the simplest answer as she opened the door to her own shared cabin.
All three beds were empty, Schierke was seated at a desk as she worked by candlelight to mix some herbs and other greens together in a bowl; Ivalera resting on top of her head, yawning at having her sleep interrupted. Casca was on the floor, but not curled up or asleep. Every second or two, she would rise, using her arms to push her body back up as she exercised.
Guts could tell that she had been at this for some time now, her arms were shaking and straining looking like they were about to give out at any moment. He could vaguely hear her panted breaths escape from her over the sound of Schierke mixing the ingredients in her bowl. From the way her sleepwear was clinging to her body, she had clearly broken a sweat… or several. With her newest haircut, courtesy of Farnese, Guts could partly see her brow set in deep concentration, and her eyes were fixated on the wood floor, unblinking. Her hair was much shorter now, reaching just past her chin and much had been taken off from the back to the point where it just reached the nape of her neck. She seemed to have settled for a mix between her long hair and the one from before that Guts recognized. Maybe she was testing out how long hair felt, maybe it had grown on her from her time spent as Elaine.
"Casca?" he asked not sounding nervous, just more confused than anything.
She paused once her arms were bent at the elbow at a ninety-degree angle, turning her head to look up at him. A bead of sweat rolled from her forehead and down the side of her face. "What is it?" her voice sounded dry.
"What is this?" Guts asked, walking over and crouching down beside her. "What are you doing?"
"Just exercising," Casca informed, pushing herself back up again.
"I can see that. For how long?" she was clearly exhausting herself.
"I wasn't really keeping track," Casca admitted, bending her arms and pushing back up again.
"You couldn't save this 'til morning?" Guts inquired. "Isidro would have agreed to do this alongside you."
"And he still can. There'll be plenty of time after sunrise, I just didn't want to wait." Her arms were shaking heavily, ready to almost give out. "I noticed when the three of us took a bath, but I don't have the muscle I used to. My arms were so… ordinary. If I start working on that now-,"
"-You'll exhaust yourself," Guts finished for her despite knowing that was not what she was going to say next. "C'mon, you should get some sleep already."
"He's right," Schierke looked over from the desk. "From the look of it, you've been doing this since Farnese and I went to sleep. You're going to overwork yourself. Here-," Schierke presented the bowl of ground herbs and leaves to Casca. "This should help you go to sleep. Mistress Flora made it for me on occasion when I was younger and had nightmares. It's probably not as potent as it could be since I worked with limited resources, but it should work as well as anything Madam Pomfrey could give you."
"That's… kind of you, Schierke, but… I don't want to go asleep. I've been asleep long enough as it is. Everything Elaine saw… that was like a dream to me. If I go and close my eyes now… who would I wake up as?"
"You'd wake up as you," Guts responded. "And you'd be grumpy as hell you didn't get any sleep." He vaguely recalled the night Harry had wandered into their camp and Casca was stuck watching over him for the night. She hadn't been able to get much sleep that night either due to his raiders jesting and drinking all night long.
Maybe she was thinking of the same instance as well as she temporarily paused in her late-night exercise. Guts tried his hardest to try and figure out what exactly was going through her mind right now, a different approach than what had been required with Elaine who had rather simple desires.
"I never used to get any sleep after getting the brand. Puck can tell you just how on edge I was because of it." And it was true. He had always been on edge due to knowing the battlefield for all his life, but the brand had been different; every night was just a struggle to stay alive and if he encountered an apostle during the day that was just another bout of energy wasted. Going on only a few hours of sleep was hell and certainly not something he wanted Casca going through.
"I'd be prepared to stay awake as well," Farnese offered to Casca. "If sleep troubles you, I'll stay awake beside you."
"…You don't have to do that, Farnese," Casca had paused in her routine.
"Are you going to keep this up if she does?" Guts asked but he had a feeling of the answer she would give. As restless as Casca was now, she was never one to let other people suffer because of her shortcomings. She could change her clothes and her hair, but she wasn't going to change that part of herself.
"..." Casca was silent, pondering over what she was going to do. With what strength she had remaining in her arms, Casca pushed up one last time before settling to sit on the floor. "Schierke, I'll take what you have."
The young witch presented Casca with the bowl and the three of them watched as her eyelids began to grow heavy; her concentrated brow relaxed until she looked at peace. Guts caught her before her body could hit the floor. Carefully, he picked her up and placed her down on the cot that had been assigned to her.
"Hey, Schierke?" Guts looked down at the green-haired witch.
"Hm, yes, what is it?"
What you just brewed up, do you have more ingredients for it?" Guts simply asked.
"I have a short supply of them, yes. Why?"
"Just asking," Guts said as he pulled the sheet over the now sleeping Casca. "You'll probably need to make some more in the future."
When morning came, Harry noticed a very visible change about Casca – and it wasn't related to her hair at all. She looked exhausted; her eyelids were heavy and there were dark circles under her eyes as well. Schierke had told him that she had concocted a sleeping substitute for Casca whom they had discovered training her body back up.
He saw it in the way she was walking too, her legs were bent a bit at the knee and her overall movements were all sluggish and bogged down. Schierke hadn't said how long Casca had been at that, but from the look of it, she never went to sleep to begin with.
Casca, not wanting to be slowed down powered through her fatigue to come visit him at his cabin. "Do you have a minute?" Casca asked trying her best to smile, but her energy seemed only a fraction of what it should have been.
"I have a few. What is it?" Any time spent catching up with Casca was time well spent.
"I seem to remember you saying that you wanted to tell me everything from when I was gone. You wouldn't mind catching me all up to speed, would you?"
"Right now?" Harry asked, not sure if Casca meant everything at this exact moment given how tired she looked. "It's a long story, you know?"
"I can keep myself awake, don't worry."
That's not something to be proud since you like you're about to pass out. She seems to be rushing this. Harry idly thought to himself.
'I heard that you know.' The sound of Casca's voice in his head took him by complete surprise.
"You have the-,"
Casca held up her hand to show the few green strands of hair tied around her finger. "Yeah, Schierke gave them to me yesterday so don't try and think of any snarky remarks and expect to get away with it."
"Duly noted," Harry said, silently reminding himself to watch what he thinks. "So… you really want to know about everything right now?"
"Well… maybe not everything," Casca admitted. "How about everything that led to us being here at this castle."
Harry nodded at the shortened material he could cover with Casca to help fill her in. "There's still a lot we don't know ourselves about this place so we're all in the same boat when it comes to that."
"Were you trying to make a joke just now?" she referred to his word choice of being in the same boat.
"If I was, I would have tried harder than that, but really we got here after arriving in Vritannis."
"The port city and a stronghold of the Holy See," Casca recalled the information by herself.
"Yeah… the Holy See…" Harry recalled the truth they had discovered about that.
Casca picked up that there was more on that subject. "You seem to have something against the Holy See. Is it because of what they do to people suspected of being witches?"
"That's part of the reason," Harry admitted recalling the time Farnese had been in their employ and the lashes she had given him across his torso. "I don't know if she told you or not, but Farnese used to be part of the Holy Iron Chain Knights."
Casca was unblinking for a moment making Harry wonder if she had fallen asleep. She responded, "Elaine probably saw her in her armor very early on, but she hasn't mentioned that herself."
Harry nodded. Maybe it was best if he saved that bit of information about Void until he mentioned the Skull Knight, he didn't know what mentioning one of the God Hand would make Casca react. While Griffith was the one to forfeit their lives, it was Void who had administered the brand.
"Yeah, Farnese has left that part of her behind so she could become a witch. Schierke and I offered to teach her some of what we know. Anyway, while we were in Vritannis…" he spent the next half an hour filling her in on the events that had transpired. Casca seemed interested in Farnese's engagement and the fact that it was her brother who had set the whole thing up to begin with. Harry had to agree with what Guts had said previously about Roderick being an alright guy; really, he seemed more an adventurer than a noble.
"What about her brother, Magnifico?" Casca asked.
"I haven't really seen that much of him," Harry honestly said. "He's friends with Roderick, but he seems more concerned with his own status than anything. He usually keeps to his own cabin and only speaks to Farnese and Roderick."
"That doesn't surprise me too much, I guess," Casca said. "I only know a little about the Vandimion family, but I only thought Lord Vandimion had two sons. He seems politically driven like most nobles."
"Definitely, but, I did meet one noble at that banquet Farnese's father held. Do you remember Sir Owen?"
"The one Midland knight? Yeah… we saw him a few times with the war against Chuder. He was there?"
"Yeah, he actually recognized me, and you and Guts too."
"What did he want?" Casca asked.
"He was just hoping to talk to Guts after the banquet ended. It didn't exactly go that way though. He said that there were reports from all over the country of a Black Swordsman roaming and killing monsters and he seemed to recognize Guts as fitting that description. He probably wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on, maybe even get Guts to fight against the Kushan."
"That would make sense from what I know about him. He's probably one of the few nobles who actually does care about the people of the country." Harry thought he could see the gears in her head moving. "Then the Emperor showed up, didn't he. And…Guts rode on Zodd to take him down."
"It was the only way for him to reach the face," Harry recalled Dragonslayer cutting through the mist like it was butter.
Casca let out a small sigh making Harry wonder if she was disappointed or terribly concerned for Guts' actions. "He really is a damn fool." That could be taken either way.
"I'm sure he knows that," Harry partially agreed, not wanting to get Casca worked up. "But three days out to sea and we wound up here and… you know the rest."
"We're in a world where magic is normal for some people, you're apparently famous and there's a wizard out to get you."
"Just about," Harry confirmed. "But… I do have this." Harry presented her with the book Sirius had given to him for him to keep.
Casca flipped open the book and was a bit startled to see the moving picture that seemed to be on a loop. "Do they… also, talk?"
"No. But some paintings in the castle seemed to be able to talk."
"Right…" she skimmed a few more pages. "That Sirius guy gave this to you." She looked over one picture in particular. "Huh. You really do look like your parents. Your eyes are just like your mothers. It's nice." She flipped through a few more pages, stopping at one with his parents and an infant version of himself. In it, he seemed to ride a broom that hovered a foot off of the ground. From the look on his face back then, he seemed to really enjoy it.
"Oh, that must have been taken on my first birthday," Harry examined the picture from his spot, checking the date written below it. "July thirty-first, nineteen-eighty-one. Yeah, that's my birthday." He had never celebrated his birthday back in Midland since the months had different names, but the seasons were close enough there and in this world to line up so he just marked his age a month after summer had officially started in Midland. "I'll be turning fifteen this summer, too. It's a bit hard to believe I've been with you guys for close to five years then."
"Do you miss them?" Casca asked all of a sudden, still studying the picture.
"My parents? Well, yeah, of course, I miss them." He had never really talked about them much before because he had no clue whatsoever about what kind of people they had been. According to the Dursley's, they had been nothing but no good drunks who died in a car crash. But like most of what the Dursley's believed, that was a complete lie. After Schierke and Flora told him that his parents were most likely magical, it had opened up a new way for him to view them. And now, knowing the truth as he did, Harry could say he did wish that he could have met them now.
"And… if you could… you would want to see them again, right? Even if you don't remember them that well?"
Where was she going with this?
"Yeah, of course. Casca, are you-?" he saw that the ends of her fingers were close to her heart. The bottoms of her eyes looked wet. "Casca…?" Harry had been trying to watch what he said, careful to avoid something like this, but he was evidently unsuccessful.
"I'm sure they would like to see you, too," Casca blinked her eyes to stop any tears from escaping. "They should be proud. Your mom looks so happy here."
And then it hit Harry; she was thinking of the child she and Guts "had." Where Harry lacked his parents, Casca and Guts were left without their child.
"With parents who're as happy as that, what child wouldn't want to be with them?" Casca tried to force a smile, but it wasn't about to work. "They both look like they want you, too."
"I know what you're talking about, Casca," Harry said truthfully. "I'm not going to judge you for it."
She looked him in the eye. "I know you wouldn't."
"You can be upset about it. Any parent would be."
"He's out there," Casca suddenly said. "I know he is."
Harry recalled the fetus-like life form that she had birthed shortly after the Eclipse. "Casca, you know that-,"
"-You've met him," Casca cut him off. "Back at that seaside cabin, that was him. Out of everything that Elaine saw, he was the one to stand out the most."
She seemed entirely convinced of that and no amount of arguing was going to convince her otherwise. He tried to think of how that was possible. The fetus-like being was last seen at the Tower of Conviction shortly before Neo-Griffith appeared. Could he have something to do with it? He had to. Even with all Harry knew about magic, Neo-Griffith's presence seemed the only route that made sense.
"Do you think that if he came back, that if he found us again somehow, do you think Guts would want him-?"
"Yes," Harry told her. "Casca, he may not say everything he's thinking, he just does it. And anyone one of us will tell you that he'll do whatever to make you happy."
He was a bit happy to hear her give a slight chuckle. "He would be foolish enough to put himself in danger."
"But yeah, I think he really just wants what you want. If you want to figure a way back to Midland to go try and find Rickert and that boy, he'd get Sirius and Lupin to try and reverse what they did to get us here in the first place. That or try and contact Skull Knight."
The unfamiliar name proved a nice change of topic from the saddened state Casca had been in. "Skull Knight?" she repeated.
How to explain that to her now?
"He was the last user of the Berserker Armor," Harry began. "He's helped us out of a lot of tough spots." Maybe the next time they saw him, they could give him the behelit to deal with, have him add it to his sword. "He might have a way to get back."
"His name isn't actually Skull Knight, is it?" Casca asked.
"Well, it's what Guts calls him. That's really just because his helm is designed like a skull."
"You mean like King Gaiseric used to wear in battle?" Casca asked. To that, Harry fixed her with a look. "No."
"Flora basically said as much."
"You met King Gaiseric?"
"Well, more of his spirit or shadow," Harry tried to clarify. Whatever Skull Knight was, he wasn't human, not anymore. "When you get to meet him, you'll see for yourself." He was a bit glad that this topic had shifted Casca's mood, and she was probably glad for it as well, she wouldn't want anyone to see her distraught over her and Guts' child.
"And how would a king who's been dead for over a thousand years be able to get us back?"
"He's the whole reason I was able to be in Midland in the first place."
"You… you're being completely serious?"
"I am, yeah."
Casca just sort of sat there in a state of stunned silence. "…King Gaiseric…"
"And he's probably our best chance of getting back to Midland again, if he feels like getting us back, at least." It was always a bit hard to tell with Skull Knight. "But if he does help us out, Guts will be right there with you trying to find that boy. He wants what you want."
"…What I want." She was thinking of something, but Harry didn't know what and he wasn't about to use thought transference to find out. "I'll talk to him later tonight then."
Harry nodded. "If that's what you want. Just…" he paused.
"What is it?" Casca asked.
"Just… don't push yourself," Harry advised. She was trying to act like the old Casca and the cracks in her personality were clearly visible. She had been back for only two days now but that wasn't nearly enough time for her to sort through all the emotions she must be dealing with. It was evident when she had been on the subject of her child and filled with remorse only to then be filled with curiosity at Skull Knight. Even if Casca knew what she wanted, she was trying to rush it, not wanting to take into consideration that she should take time to rest.
And that worried Harry.
The rest of the day passed in relative peace. The sun was just beginning to set and Harry, Schierke, and Isidro were up on deck talking amongst themselves. Serpico had been assisting the crew of the Sea Horse with a few tasks and Farnese was reading over a text Schierke had lent her. Guts was back in his cabin already, wanting to turn in a bit early. The Berserker Armor was stacked neatly at the foot of his cot and his prosthetic arm was resting on the nightstand within his reach should he need to suddenly reattach it.
He hadn't spoken to Casca since last night when she had discovered the behelit he carried and he honestly couldn't blame her for that. If he had come across someone with a behelit he would have killed them on the spot. But this wasn't the first time Casca had ignored him because she was angry, it was actually classic Casca behavior. If he did something she didn't like back with the Hawks, she would bitch his ear off and then storm off in anger.
She had yelled less this time, but the temperament was still there. If she wanted to keep some space, for now, he would understand. Of course, he wanted to spend time with her, but if Casca needed to come to terms with everyone else first. So be it. But for now, all Guts could do was to give her the space she needed and let her come to her own conclusion.
He lay back on his cot and closed his eye, ready to fall asleep and call it a day.
…
…
…
Knock-knock.
Guts blinked his eye open at the sound of the noise. Just from looking out the porthole, he could tell a few hours had passed since he had closed his eyes. Strapping his prosthetic arm back in place and hearing the metal fingers creak and grind as he flexed them around. Opening the door, Guts was met with the one person he was sure wouldn't want to see him so soon.
"Casca?"
"Yeah. Can I come in?"
Guts stepped aside, letting her in. "Do Farnese and Schierke know you're here?"
"They're both asleep," Casca answered, closing the door behind her.
"And so should you. If you're up again-,"
"-I took a nap earlier today after I talked with Harry," Casca informed him by cutting him off as she usually did. "And I actually am tired tonight."
"All the more reason for you to get some sleep," Guts crossed his arms. "You're not going to make me drag you back to your cabin, are you?"
"I'll be able to go to sleep, don't worry." That was strange considering Casca often used to tell him he was too reckless. "I just wanted to talk to you is all, something Harry said today got me thinking."
"Yeah? About what?"
"You remember me saying that that boy we came across was actually ours?" Casca tentatively asked.
"…Yeah." How had that subject come up between the two of them?
"If we get the chance to get back to Midland, would you… would you want to try and find him?"
Of course, she would ask him that. "… If that's what you want to do," was all Guts could think of. "Rickert's probably out there too, maybe back at Godo's mine; we could pick him up along the way."
Casca was staring at him with a serious expression. "So, you would want to try and find him?"
"Isn't that what I just said?" Guts asked. "If you want to find him, so be it." He hadn't paid much thought to what he would actually do if ever encountered the boy again in the future. He had said some pretty nasty things whenever the fetus form of the child had shown up to him on his private journey. But if it had somehow evolved into an actual human…
"You want what I want…" she gained a contemplative expression that Guts was unfamiliar with. He had seen her pondering things before, but this time… she seemed to be having some sort of internal struggle with herself over something.
"Hey, Casca!" Guts snapped his fingers to get her attention. "Look, if there's something wrong-,"
"-Come here for a minute," Casca said to him.
"I'm right here."
"Lean down a little then," Casca specified. "I want to see something."
Not really knowing what to expect from Casca, Guts leaned down a little so they were almost at eye-level. Casca held his face with her hands, her thumbs running over some of the faded scars on his cheeks and jawline. She was studying his face too, almost to make sure that it was the same face as the one she was used to. He didn't mind her touch, but it seemed so… un-Casca like in a way.
"Casca, what are you-?" Guts was completely surprised when he felt Casca press her lips to the side of his mouth. He almost jerked his face free of her grasp, but he could tell Casca felt just as weird about it as he did. "What was-?"
"-You want what I want, right?" she was looking him in the eye now and he could see how embarrassed she looked at the moment. Out of all the things Guts could think of for why Casca would be here, this would be on the absolute bottom of his mental list. "You do want this… don't you?" she sounded so unsure of herself.
To be honest, Guts did want this. He had been longing for something like this for a long time now and Casca was the only woman he would ever want to do this with. But it was strange for it to actually be happening now of all times. She obviously still had feelings for him and he was grateful for that. But there was that part of him telling him that this was all wrong, telling him that it was much too soon and horribly rushed.
That side of him was probably right, too. But seeing the way Casca was looking at him, she wanted him to be there for her. If she was ready, he wouldn't deny her.
With his real hand, Guts brought it up to Casca's face, pulling her closer until their foreheads were touching. He felt how soft and silky her hair was between his fingers as Casca leaned closer to kiss his jaw. Moving some of her hair out of the way, Guts kissed her forehead. They both paused for a minute before Casca tilted her head up to bring her lips to his.
This feeling… it was one he had been missing for so long now; he had almost forgotten what it felt like. He, of course, thought back to that time they had shared by that waterfall. Guts just let his mind go blank, focusing on nothing but Casca for the time being.
He vaguely felt the back of his legs come into contact with the cot and Guts was forced to sit down on it. Casca following suit, straddling his lap as her hands ran through his black hair. He could feel her breath on his face as Casca slowly presented another series of kisses to his skin. Her hands pressed against his exposed torso, across the horizontal scar Slan had given him, but he wasn't about to acknowledge the female God Hand now.
Guts moved his hand from her face to her back, pulling her closer on his lap and closing the short distance that was between them. Casca put her forehead to his once more, her breathing seemed much heavier now than it did before.
"Casca, are you-,"
"-I'm fine," she seemed too quick to respond. "I'm fine." She craned her head down to kiss him again, her hands still feeling his torso. Guts could feel her lips move against his and the tips of her nails poked at his flesh.
He moved his hand from the small of her back up to her neck, feeling the shortened black hair. "Nnn." He heard Casca softly moan. Her body started to stiffen. "Nnnng." Her nails felt sharp. "Nnnnngghhh!"
"Gh!" Guts slightly winced as Casca's nails scratched across his chest as she suddenly flew herself off of him now standing at the opposite end of the room, her eyes were wide and filled with terror like a doe staring at a wolf. He could feel a thin trail of blood running down his chest from where she had scratched him. Evidently, she saw it too.
"Guts…" she said as she spotted the blood. "I… I…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as all the pent up emotions she had been doing her hardest to keep contained finally let loose from her eyes. "Damnit!" she yelled through the sobs.
Guts was over by her side in a second; grabbing his discarded black cloak, he draped it around her shoulders. Her fingers clung to the tattered fabric like a lifeline. "They're just a few cuts, don't worry about it." His voice sounded much too flat than he would have preferred. "They'll heal."
Casca shook her head, the tears still leaking out. "You didn't deserve that. I thought that… I know that I..."
"Don't worry about it," Guts tried to reassure her. "You're fine." But he knew that wasn't completely true. She was rushing this, rushing everything. After being Elaine for so long, she was trying to be Casca right away, desperate to prove to him and to herself that she was actually better. The staying awake to exercise, to talking to Harry about their child, to trying to rush intimacy with him; it all had to do with trying to reform her identity, to move away from Elaine to the person she remembered being. And above all else, she was afraid if she didn't try to act like her old self, Elaine would come back out again.
And the result of her hurried behavior was on full display, much to her embarrassment and his concern.
"I do want to be with you… I do." Casca clung tighter to the cloak. "I want you… and I want to see our child again, too. That's all… and I thought…" she paused to try and compose herself. Guts reached an arm out to wrap around her to see if she would retreat or not. She stiffened but kept firm. Guts would take her back to Farnese and Schierke's cabin soon enough but he knew she wouldn't want the other girls to see her like this.
"… I hate him," Casca finally said. "I hate him…"
"So, you're actually leaving?"
Luca watched as Rickert began packing up his belongings into his travel sack. He didn't exactly have much to begin with, most of his stuff was blueprints for future designs and already completed projects like that barrel and hose that sprayed out water when someone pumped it.
"It's probably for the best," Rickert answered as he packed away a few more things. "After my meeting with Griffith, it's best that I not stay for too much longer."
From outside the room in the hall, Luca heard Silat snicker. The Kushan seemed to be in full agreement with Rickert's decision, believing that the insult dealt to Griffith would come back to bite him sooner or later. The only reason Luca knew of that incident was because Silat had told her about it. She was skeptical of the man who seemed to run this city that rose from what used to be Windham, so she had Silat discreetly tail Rickert into Falconia's palace. He had almost been caught, as the local guards believed him to be a thief, but his skills working as an assassin had paid off.
"And is Erica all packed as well?" Luca asked.
"She… was a bit hesitant about leaving, but she came through. Erica actually seems to have taken a bit of a liking to you, Miss. Luca."
"Heh, I'm sure of it." Erica was a sweet girl to all, and a part of Luca would be sad to see the girl leave even if it was for her own safety. "When are you planning on leaving?"
"If you are wise, let it be during the night," Silat silently crept into the room. "It will make it harder to spot if we are being followed."
"'We?'" Rickert parroted.
"Something you want to share, Silat?" Luca already knew; he had told her about it yesterday.
"My two guards and I will accompany you and the girl, this city is rotten. We've consolidated with Daiba, the stable hand, he was once an advisor to Emperor Ganishka, he's promised a secure means of escape out of here."
"Daiba? That old man who Erica brings food to?" Rickert recalled the face of the man.
"Yes," Silat confirmed. "Once the sun sets, we make our move, just be ready by then." He tried to hide it, but Luca could hear the anxiety in his voice. He was convinced that an attack was likely.
"Oh! Before you leave, Rickert, could you show me that one contraption that you made?" Luca asked. "You know, the one with the hose that shoots out water?"
"Yeah, of course," Rickert agreed, digging through his belongings for the invention. "What do you need it for, Miss. Luca?"
"Just something that Silat though might come in handy if you find yourself in a pinch." She had to hand it to Silat for thinking of it. It seemed something the Black Swordsman would have thought of.
"Are you ready, Erica?" Rickert asked as he watched the sun make its last appearance for the day.
"Yeah, I guess." He could easily hear the disappointment in Erica's young voice. "Do you think we'll ever see Miss. Luca again?"
"If we ever come back to the city, of course." Rickert didn't want to tell her that they would probably never get to return to Falconia, but by doing so he would have to explain why, and he would rather not spend any time regarding Griffith.
Silat was waiting for the two of them outside, his cowl drawn to hide his face as he crept around from the side of the inn. His two escorts, however, were nowhere to be seen. Rickert suspected they might already be waiting with Daiba at the stables as Luca more than once confused the two Kushan men as being ogres.
"You are all set." Silat didn't say that as being a question. He was clearly eager to leave now even if they had forgotten something behind in their room.
"Yes, we're ready to go." Rickert felt Erica slide her tiny hand into his bigger one, smiling up at him.
"Then let us be off."
The walk wasn't a long one, Rickert had made it once when he had been asking around where Erica had gone to, but for some reason, it felt much longer. The darkness and shadows from the surrounding buildings and alleys all seemed to blend together, making one giant pool of darkness around them.
Rickert told himself that he was just imagining that. He hadn't really been out at night too much and things always looked different when in the light. But even so, he could make out the square shape of the stables ahead and the shack that was next to them. After this, they could leave Falconia behind them.
A chill ran down Rickert's spine. That feeling of someone walking on your grave… he felt it right now.
Turning his head, he saw a white orb part through the darkness. It was bone white with three eyes and some pointed teeth at the bottom. A mask; and a creepy one at that. Posed to the side of it were two, short pointed objects. He couldn't see behind the mask, but he could almost picture the being smiling in sadistic glee.
"Brother, what's… eek!"
"Za Kuump!" came the cry of Silat's two escorts as they cast aside their dark cloaks and leapt down from the rooftop they had been following from. One went to deliver a crushing dropkick with his heel and the other followed with a devastating downward punch.
But like a serpent made of shadow, the masked being slithered under their legs and around their arms, coming out the other side completely unscathed.
"My, you boys have gotten so big, but so sloppy. Have you even felt the cuts I just made to you?"
It was almost instantaneous. The two escorts muttered a cry of pain as blood leaked from their leg and arm.
"Oh, don't go crying; you'll live from that. But…" the being fixed Rickert in its sights. "But he won't."
Like an arrow, the masked fiend darted straight toward Rickert, his two knives that poked out of his black cloak were aimed directly at Rickert now. He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute trying desperately to figure a way out of this. He wasn't Guts, he couldn't fight this thing head on. He felt Erica tense up next to him. Rickert had to be out of his mind, but he pulled out his dagger, if not for himself than for Erica's sake.
And he never got to use it.
Silat had jumped in front of him, his whip-like blades seemed to shine like silver in the moonlight. With a sound like the crack of thunder, the bendable blades shot out, skimming the hem of the assassin's cloak.
Pulling back from the attack, the masked figure seemed to cling to the wall of a nearby building like a true shadow of the night. "My, Silat, you've really gotten better with those."
"And you're still a slippery snake, Rakshas," Silat glowered from behind his cowl. "I figured you would be the one to come."
"Drat! Have I become that predictable?" Rakshas cloak spread out to cover more space on the wall he was poised. "Thank you. I'll be sure to refine that."
Rakshas launched himself off the wall, his daggers aimed at Silat who stood in front of Rickert. With a swish of his arms, Silat moved his whip-like blades up and then brought them crashing down, the metal moving like a wave on the ocean.
Miraculously, Rakshas was able to dodge that incoming attack, his black cloak somehow managing to cover his body entirely as he had to jump to avoid being shredded to ribbons. But Silat had expected Rakshas to do just that. He let go of his one whip to instead pull out his three-pointed blade and stepped close to the incoming Rakshas.
Seeing an opening, Rakshas went to drive his dagger into Silat's side, but in a last-ditch move, Silat dove under the strike, rolling to safety. Rakshas turned around suddenly, realizing he had been played but before he could aim to strike again, Silat jumped to his feet, his own blade moving up stab right in the center of the third eye of the mask.
Cracks started spreading from where Silat had planted his blade and Rakshas' cloaked body seemed to fall into a fit of convulsions. Pulling his blade free, Silat hurried over to his two escorts, helping them to stand again.
"Thank you… Young Master," they muttered to Silat.
"You may thank me on working on your attacks," Silat chided them. "Now let us be off."
"Leaving so soon?"
Silat stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Rakshas pick up the two broken halves of his mask and try to put them back together again. Rickert couldn't believe it either, he had seen Silat stab him straight through the head. The only one who found the situation to be funny was Rakshas.
"What? You didn't think that just because my mask was there that was where my head is, did you?"
With that, Rakshas' cloaked body seemed to almost grow taller; the darkness seemed to feed him. The now identifiable head looked down at Silat, slithering over to him like a giant serpent. Rakshas drove his two daggers forward only being stopped by the prongs of Silat's blades.
"Your hands seem occupied, Silat."
Like a twisted, black tornado, Rakshas spun his body around like a cyclone, disarming Silat and knocking his two escorts to the side once again. He continued to spin, trying to catch Silat off guard. When Rakshas' daggers came spinning around with the rest of his body, Silat had to react fast to bring his arms up to cover his face and throat.
Blood splattered on the stone road and the daggers cut their length along Silat's arms. "Nngh!" Silat winced at the pain of being cut. He made a move to back away and pick up his fallen weapons, but Rakshas slid his cloak under his foot and yanked Silat to the ground.
"Now, be good and stay there, I have some matters to attend to with the boy over there."
"Brother!" Erica cried in fear as Rakshas closed the distance toward them.
Silat propped himself up on his elbow, shouting over to Rickert, "Douse him!"
With little options left, Rickert picked out the hose and barrel device he had crafted and started pumping. The liquid doused Rakshas, briefly slowing his advance as he chuckled at the feebleness of the action.
"You have some spirit left in you, that's good! But spraying me with water isn't going to…" Rakshas seemed to sense that something was very wrong with this picture. Lifting a fold of his cloak up to where his covered head was, Rakshas took a sniff. "This… this is liquor!"
"Heh!" Silat picked up his fallen urumi. "The woman has fine taste."
Rakshas saw the blades begin to cross. "Silat, don't you dare-!"
With a flick of his wrist, Silat had the whip-like blades move against one another, sparks flying from where they crossed.
"AAAAAAHAAAAAAA!" Rakshas screamed as he was lit ablaze, his black cloak began to wither away and his body thrashed like a wild, caged animal as he attempted to put himself out from the flames that were licking at him.
"Get the two of them!" Silat ordered his escorts as they scooped up Rickert and Erica, hurrying to get to Daiba's shed. Silat pounded his fist against the door of the shed, seeing the usual lock had been undone. "Daiba!"
"I'm here!" the old voice called from the other side. "Get in here, hurry!" Rakshas could still be heard thrashing around, trying desperately to put himself out. Opening the door, Silat ushered them inside.
No one needed to ask how they were getting out as they spotted what Daiba had been keeping tuckered away in the shed. To Rickert, it looked like a giant lizard with wings, but not a dragon, not even close. It looked more bird than lizard actually with the way its neck was shaped, but it was big enough for them to all pile on.
"Hold on tightly to the straps," Daiba instructed. "This is a beast from Kushan land, it is no stranger to an old sorcerer like me, but don't do anything to go and spook it." Once they had all settled on, Daiba began muttering some Kushan words to the creature and soon it was nudging open the door and taking off at a run to make for a proper flight.
"Nneaahh!" Rakshas cried as he rolled around, putting out the last spark of fire that had engulfed him. His eyes followed the shape of the creature that had left that shed. "Clever."
He began snaking his way to where Rosine was waiting for him. he may not be able to fly, but she certainly could. "Did you get them?" the child apostle sounded impatient.
"Slipped away," Rakshas was loathed to admit. "You're up." He pointed to the shape of the creature flying out of the city.
Rosine heaved a sigh as she took flight after. She had no idea what kind of creature they were riding on, but whatever it was, it was fast. She considered pushing herself to outpace it, but thought better of it. With that many people on its back, it wouldn't be able to keep that speed for long, probably just to get over the city walls.
And besides, her wing never really healed right after the Black Swordsman had cut her there. Heck, none of her wounds really healed as they should have after the Black Swordsman fought her. Something about that sword of his… it was unnatural. Irvine had done his best to help her back to health after finding her ready to die in the wilderness outside of the Misty Valley, but even he seemed to be confused at how to treat the wounds that cursed sword had dealt her.
Maybe that was another reason that wizard boy let her live; maybe he knew she would never be back to full strength. She couldn't even really fault the boy for his choice though. After that "paradise" she had created, she had done some truly horrible things. She was an apostle, free to do as she pleased as Angel Ubik had explained. But what had she done, kidnap children to force them to play pretend? She had power for the first time in her life and that was how she had used it.
She was a child. She would always be a child thanks to the longevity that came with being an apostle. They were all immortal from the effects of time, but not to a sword like the one the Black Swordsman carried. Jill and every other sweet child out there would grow and live their lives as they should and she would be stuck like this.
"Screeeee!" the creature let out a warning cry as Rosine approached. She had been right, now that they were past the city walls, the creature could not keep up its speed. They were high enough up that one pass and cut from her head stinger would send them all plummeting to their deaths.
Rosine felt the stinger straighten out as she flew up above them, ready to dive back down and cut the creature across its head. Once she did that, her venom would work within seconds.
As Rosine reached her zenith, she folded her wings close to her body as she swooped down to end the assassination once and for all. The wind blew across her face as she neared her target. She could see each of their horrified faces as they realized that they had not yet escaped death. There was an old man, two muscle-bound guards, a lithe man with a cowl, the blonde boy who had slapped the Hawk, and lastly… a girl of about eleven with fairer hair and bright eyes.
She looks… Rosine was so close now.
She looks how I used to look.
before her stinger could cut the flying beast, Rosine pulled up and away, ignoring the shocked faces fo those present on the mount. Her luminous eyes were only focused on that girl, that gilr who... really did look like how she once did. Rosine beat her wings and shot back toward the city, the creature continued its journey undisturbed.
Why did I do that? I don't know them, they'll die out there anyway; it would have been a cruel mercy… like the wizard showed to me… yeah, that's it. Let them die out there, it's the same either way.
Rosine landed back on the roof where Rakshas was waiting for her. "Well, is it done?"
"Yeah, it's done." Her voice gave nothing away about the lie she had just told.
A/N: I meant to have this out two days ago, but kept getting interrupted. Anyway, thank you for reading.