The War Within - 4
The lands beyond the northern borders of the Empire were a brutal, frozen, wasteland where only the strong or crafty would survive.
Fierce howling winds eternally danced accompanied by the endless snowfall.
Plantlife was scarce to an extreme, and the ones that existed had evolved to adapt to the frozen environment. Even then they were usually leafless and covered in thick slush. The only Danger Beasts that roamed the tundra landscape were covered in thick layers of fat and hair.
Snow-capped mountains were scattered all over the country and the sea of snow stretched far beyond the horizon.
In this plain of white, there was a dark speck leaving behind a trail of deep footprints.
A young man wearing a brown rustic cloak over a black martial artist outfit with a red belt tied at the waist. His spiky ash-brown hair that pointed forward at an angle fluttered with the turbulent winds.
In a few bounds, he ascended atop of a frost-covered plateau and his golden eyes surveyed the area.
A smirk crossed his lips as he spotted the barely noticeable outline in the distance of a fortress large enough to be counted as a town. He leaped off of the plateau and kicked up waves of snow as he dashed in its direction. The closer he got to the fortress he slowed down his steps and put on the cloak's hood to not draw the attention of the guards stationed at the tall watchtowers at every corner of the frost-clinging, black stone walls.
Few citizens inhabited the fortified town as most of them were either family of the Northern Army overseeing the fortress or former traveling merchants that decided to settle there to keep the place decently habitable. Which meant that even fewer people ventured in from the outside world.
As the young man walked through the towering iron gates with his cloak wavering behind him, all heads turned his way; men, women, children, both soldiers, and commoners. He slowly lifted a hand out from underneath the cloak and waved as he smiled at the townspeople.
"Good morning everyone," he said in a loud clear voice that rang through the quiet fortress before continuing on his way towards an inn.
The people eventually got over the fact that they finally received a visitor and resumed their daily routines.
The bell at the door jingled as the cloaked stranger made his way inside. Several soldiers who had been drinking at the tables turned their sights towards him, watching him stroll up to the counter before dismissing it as just another, albeit rare, traveler.
"Can I help you?" the innkeeper walked over to him, his hands busy cleaning a mug with a rag.
"I was wondering if you have anything salty?"
The innkeeper's raised eyebrow lowered as quickly as it went up before replying, "Unfortunately out here in the north, we don't get many shipments of salt. When we do the majority of it goes to the main fortress then rest, if there's any left, goes to the business people like us,"
"I see," the strange replied, rubbing his chin.
"We have ale, mead, and snowberry wine, those are in stock all year round,"
"Water then,"
"...Water?" the innkeeper echoed in slight shock.
"Please, if that's available, and put it in a metal cup if you can too, I don't mind rust," The brown-haired male said as he placed three solid gold coins on the counter.
The innkeeper didn't need a second glance at the coins as he scooped them up and slid them into his pockets, "As you wish,"
The stranger smiled his thanks before taking a look around. The inn was mostly quiet which was understandable at this time of the day. The sun was still close to the middle of the sky with several good hours left until it would slip under the horizon.
"Whatcha lookin' at?!" a soldier blurted as their eyes met for a brief second.
"Apologies," was the stranger's simple reply as he turned away.
"Fuckin' tourists, don't they know that this is a military base?" the soldier scowled before focusing back onto his ale.
The hooded male ignored the comment as a metal mug was placed in front of him.
"Ignore them, they're always like that," said the innkeeper, casting a glance at the table of soldiers, "At least they remember to pay,"
The stranger hummed before sipping the water slowly.
"So where are you from, traveler?" the innkeeper asked as he continued to clean his counter, causing the brown-haired male to flick his gaze towards him.
"Well," he put the mug down, "I don't really have a home nowadays, I just walk around the world finding my way in life,"
"Ah, I see. I was just wondering because you—,"
"Look like I'm from the North?" the young man finished.
"Yes,"
He chuckled, "That's because I am or I guess…used to,"
"Really? Where is your village? I might've traded with them in the past," the innkeeper said with intrigue in the gleam of his eyes.
"Vetrthorpe," the stranger replied, taking a swig of water.
The innkeeper's eyes went wide, "What?"
"Vetrthorpe, north-east from here and north-west of the Seal Fjord,"
"I know where it is," the innkeepers snapped before realizing his outburst and leaned in closer to whisper, "Vetrthorpe was destroyed ten years ago,"
"I know," the stranger calmly stated, "I was there,"
"OI!" a sudden yell startled the innkeeper while gaining the attention of the hooded young man. It was the same soldier that made eye contact with him before. The flushed face of the soldier indicated that he was drunk…in the early afternoon.
"Ya know why Vetrthorpe was destroyed?"
"I've heard a couple of rumors," the stranger once again calmly responded gulping water.
"It's because you fuckers sided with the Empire, allied with them, and planned to take over the rest of the North with them," the soldier revealed, 'Fucking traitors that's what they are! Good thing we burnt all of you down so quickly when we did, Those fucking Imperials don't belong up here,"
"Hmm," the hooded stranger brushed off the soldier and continued to drink his water.
"Hey!" the soldier gripped tightly onto the young man's shoulder, his fingers digging into his flesh, "Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you, you fucking traitorous son of a bitch,"
The drunk soldier pulled a punch back, then flung it forward. The young man simply tilted his head to the side while countering with a backhand fist, smashing directly into the Northern soldier's face and sending him flying back into a table. The weight from his armor and body mixed with the force of the hit easily allowed him to crash through the wooden construct, and kept going until he slammed his head against the wall.
"Whoops, I was just stretching, didn't see him there, sorry," the young man shrugged as he finished his water.
"Hey, you! How dare you strike a soldier of the North," another armored man exclaimed as he and a whole group rose from the other tables.
"This proves it, the kid's a traitor to the North!"
"We'll send his head back to the Empire as a message!"
"Fucking Imperial loyalists!"
The hooded male rolled his eyes, and flicked another two gold coins to the innkeeper, "For the mess,"
"What are you going to do about it?" the young brown-haired man asked as he hopped onto his feet.
"Beat you into a pulp, then beat you into a pile of dog food for being a Vetrthorpe bastard,"
"Can't wait," the young man's static expression slowly changed. His lips curved up into a thin toothy smile, as his golden eyes gleamed.
The sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the fortress town. A soldier was thrown from the window and someone in a cloak was riding on his body with a hand gripped tightly on the head. With a sharp twist, the man on top diverted their direction to come plummeting down onto the ground. A wave of blood, shot up through every orifice of the soldier's head as he came crashing skull first onto the hard stone path.
The young man stood up, and behind him, through the inn's broken window, anyone could see the chaos that ensued inside. Multiple soldiers were lying on the ground in awkward positions, some were lying on top of the counter while a couple of others had bits of shattered tables and chairs lodged inside them.
The hooded male stood up and jumped off of the freshly dead body, dusting his hands.
"That was…troublesome," he murmured, flicking his blood-soaked hands dry, "Their blood doesn't even smell good,"
Before he knew it, a crowd had formed, being attracted by the noise created from the scuffle and murmurs instantly arose, rippling through the audience.
"Did you see that?"
"He killed a soldier!"
"That's treason! He must be executed!"
"How could he do this?!"
"Is he insane?"
The young man rolled his golden eyes. It was not the first time he had to put up with such whispers and accusations - albeit true -, and it would not be the last.
"Oh my bad, were they soldiers? Well with the way they acted, I thought that they were nothing but bandits passing by," he shrugged and said loudly for the whole crowd to hear, "They were weak like bandits too, they can't even take a punch, it's sad really,"
"How dare you speak of the North's Army like that!" roared a new voice.
From behind the sea of people, another young man looking to be in his early twenties with long black hair and wearing a set of gray armor with large shoulder pads, a metal headpiece along with a purple cape, pushed through the crowd to face the hooded stranger.
The crowd released a synchronized gasp.
"That's him!"
"The Prince!"
"The Hero of the North!"
The armored man stood face to face with the hooded male. A squadron of soldiers poured out from the different corners of the audience and stood behind him.
"...And you are?" the brown-haired stranger asked.
"Numa Seika,"
"...I have no idea what that is,"
"Does the Hero of the North ring any bells?" Numa snarled.
The hooded young man thought for a moment before replying, "No,"
"Prince of the Northern Nation,"
"Well, I haven't been keeping up with Northern politics ever since I was sold as a child," the stranger said matter-of-factly, "Not that I would've understood at that age, but…good to know,"
"What is your business here traveler? If you're here to put down our country then you better leave before we send your corpse over the border," the Prince threatened.
"I just needed a place to rest for a bit," the stranger admitted, "Before continuing on my way,"
"To where?" Numa demanded.
The brown-haired male waved his hand nonchalantly, "Oh you know, that little old capital city in that general direction…The Empire,"
Numa's eyes sharpened and one hand went straight to rest on the hilt of his sword. His soldiers mirrored his movements and the civilians all stepped back.
"A fucking Imperial has infiltrated the fortress-city," a heavily-armored soldier growled as he unsheathed his axe.
"Must be one of those Vetrthorpe stragglers," another commented, 'Damn, I thought we got all of them all those years ago,"
"Hey say all the shit you want about the men there, but the women were—," a third soldier wielding a pike licked his lips, "Delicious would be an understatement,"
A cold golden glare suddenly pierced through that soldier's heart as soon as he was finished speaking. The joking expression on the stranger's face was gone, replaced by a stone face.
"Enough!" the Hero of the North yelled and took a deep breath to calm himself, "We will not harm the traveler, nor cause him any more trouble. We will not fall to the level of the Empire,"
The young man tore his eyes off the soldier and redirect them to Numa, "Guess you're a Prince with sense then,"
"Go, but never return," said Numa, venom in his voice, "Imperials have caused us enough trouble,"
The hooded one, without another word, walked towards the gates, his steps were soundless as if he was gliding over the snowy path.
With his back turned, Numa nodded to several of his soldiers. The soldiers drew back their bows, aiming for the head, and released the arrows. The sharp projectiles sliced through the air and closed in on the stranger, reaching him in a single second.
Faster than the blink of an eye, the brown-haired male whipped around and snatched the arrows out of the air with a smirk on his face.
Numa and his men's eyes went wide as they were taken aback by the quickness of his reaction.
"I knew it," laughed the hooded stranger, "You Northerners would never miss an opportunity to strike at the Empire, even if it means killing someone just passing by,"
The Hero of the North grit his teeth, "Take him!"
In an instant his soldiers charged, weapons ready to tear the flesh off of the stranger's bone.
The hooded young man sighed and shook his head, "I didn't want to do this, if only you let me leave peacefully. But you know…this offer of bloodshed that you've shown me," his lips curved up into a sinister smirk and cracked his fingers as he reached under his cloak to pull out a black and white mask, "I won't reject it,"
Screams erupted from within the fortress-town. Isolated, their cries were unheard for miles with only the wind to witness the initiated horror.
An army marched through the snow. The clinking of metal against metal rang through their current path as the Imperial soldiers' steel-plated armor moved with every twitch of their wearer's muscles. Their arms were tiring from holding their polearm weapons for such a long trek, and the soldiers would often roll their necks and shoulders to stifle the uncomfortable stiffness brewing within them.
Admirals one their horses, wielding swords and shields, brought up the rear and flanks of the marching force.
But it was the four figures at the very front, leading the army who were the strongest and most feared.
There were three men dressed rather nobly. One blonde who still retained a child-like height and appearance, another blonde with a tall, hulking body with an axe strapped to his back, and finally an older, bearded man with long silver hair with a peculiar-looking ring on his finger.
They were the Three Beasts. Nyau, Daidara, and Liver.
These three sadistic and bloodthirsty men acted as the bodyguards, enforcers, and servants of the Empire's strongest warrior. They would follow their leader's orders to the very end, even if it meant resulting in their deaths.
And it was that very leader who was leading the army into the Northern Nation.
General Esdeath. A tall beautiful woman with porcelain white skin and a slender but curvaceous body. She had long light blue hair and eyes and donned a predominantly white military outfit with black details. Her outfit was also unbuttoned at the top, revealing her straight collarbones, cleavage, and a mysterious-looking, black tattoo in the middle of her chest.
She and her army had recently begun their invasion of the North and had already taken several cities and towns. The border, at this point, was already the Empire's territory.
Her next target was the fortress disguised as a city where the so-called Hero of the North had made his base. She wanted nothing more but to crush him physically in front of all his followers before killing him mentally before disposing of the empty husk of a person. Esdeath grinned at the thought as the fortress came into view.
But her instincts crept up. Something was off.
Was it the silencing wind, the sudden tightness of air, or was it the mass murder of crows flocking over the stone walls of the city?
But as they came closer and closer to their destination, her survival instincts flared up even more. The horses started to snort and stiffen their limbs as the animals had sensed an unseen danger. The marching soldiers began to ripple murmurs as the admirals had their thoughts.
The Three Beasts exchanged glances and Nyau reached for a flute from under his jacket as Liver re-adjusted his ring.
Something was here.
Perhaps it was the piles upon piles of dead, mutilated, humans at the entrance of the fortress or perhaps it was the walls painted red with blood. But nearly every single living thing in the Esdeath's army had their guards up as they stifled their flight or fight response.
Esdeath raised a hand to signal a stop when they arrived at the foot of the gate.
"Halt," she simply said as she slid off her stallion.
"General—," began Liver but was cut off.
"Stay here, I'll check this out myself. Prepare for a possible fight,"
The silver-haired man nodded in response and turned back to order the men to ready their weapons.
As Esdeath approached the silent fortress, she spotted a body hanging from the ceiling by ropes and wires, on the other side of the moat. Her fingers began to crackle with frost as she cautiously approached it.
The body was stripped of all clothing and but dressed in thick crimson blood, but Esdeath could tell that it was a man. The person's arms were spread apart and tied onto an individual length of rope. The person's head hung low, with their long black hair stuck together by slow, dripping blood. The skin on the man's sides had been flayed and pulled to the sides to be attached to the wires. It was as if the man had wings of skin sprouting from his flank. Two large organs rested on the man's shoulders, Esdeath stepped forward to take a closer look and realized that they were lungs.
As she circled the corpse that was suspended in the air and got to see the view from behind. The man had his back completely split open, and it was not just the skin that was yanked apart but the flesh too. The spine was still rather intact but the ribs had been shattered from behind and revealed an empty area where the lungs would've once been. Both intestines had other organs that had been crushed into mush and slowly dripped into a bloody, pulpy pile underneath the corpse.
It was a gruesome sight, even for someone like Esdeath who had seen many horrors on the battlefield, with over half of them being ones she had committed or ordered.
Several crows flew into view as they rushed to the blood pile completely unafraid of the Ice General. The dark birds dyed their beaks and feathers crimson as they feasted on the remains.
"Who the hell did this?" she said to herself quietly, taking once more glance before heading into the courtyard of the fortress.
Red stained the walls once again, and numerous bodies of both civilians and soldiers littered the ground with even the fountain in the middle running red. The scarlet liquid was simply everywhere in excessive amounts, creating puddles and rivers through the cobblestone streets, even waterfalls or bloodfalls down stairs and platforms.
As she walked through the courtyard the blood at her feet froze.
"Did you like the Blood Eagle at the gate?"
Esdeath instantly unsheathed her rapier and spun around as the unknown voice echoed through the crimson courtyard.
He stood on the walls, looking down at the general with a smile.
"I don't know if I did it properly, it's been a while," he said, "Honestly I could've done it a bit cleaner but, oh well too late now,"
"Who are you?" Esdeath said in a tone that made it sound more akin to a demand.
The young man performed an elegant bow.
"I am Rai, of the Empire's Apex Six,"
"The Apex Six doesn't exist," The Ice General stated as she rest a hand on her hip, while her rapier was still ready to strike in the other.
Rai fakely gasped and put a hand over his mouth, "What?! A high-ranking military person like you doesn't know of my little group of misfits?"
"Why would I be informed of rumors and urban legends," Esdeath scoffed, "I said it before, and I'll say it again, The Apex Six isn't real,"
"If you believe that, then we must be the only unit that's been doing our job properly," said Rai, "Or maybe you've just been out and about for too long. Sprinkling your frost flakes on little villages on the Empire's borders,"
"You know who I am?" she eyed the brown-haired male warily.
"Course I do. Blue hair, wearing white, a weird mark on your chest, not to mention big boobs, which might I add, are just the size I imagined them to be," Rai stepped off the ledge of the wall and plummeted to the bottom, landing softly on his feet.
"General Esdeath, it's a pleasure to meet you at last," he said, bowing once more to the cold woman.
Esdeath simply stared at the young man, who had now straightened himself up, studying him and every single detail on his body.
'His hands are blood-soaked, so are his clothes. His face smudged red so he must've wiped the blood off his face. He's wearing a cloak with a hood, must've been traveling from someplace far away…. Is he really from the Empire though? Perhaps I should bring him back just in case,'
A minute went by before the silence was broken.
"You mentioned a Blood Eagle, is that a Danger Beast?" Esdeath asked as she sheathed her rapier.
"A former Northerner like you doesn't know what a Blood Eagle is?"
The Ice General flashed Rai a freezing glare. He sighed and shrugged, "Well it isn't that widespread of practice so there was a chance that you wouldn't know. It's an execution that my former village used on enemies, it creates quite a mess so we never used it often,"
Rai gestured a thumb towards the gate, "The Hero of the North would've given you a pretty decent example of it,"
Esdeath turned her head to the gate and the body hanging from the ropes and wires, "That's Numa Seika? You killed him…,"
"Yes, I did,"
"And the rest of this fortress?"
"Also me, I haven't fought in a while so I let loose more than I should've," admitted Rai as he stretched his arms.
"...I'm hungry," he mumbled and yawned.
"You said you were part of the Empire?" Esdeath questioned and received a nod.
"Then you will come back with us," she stated in a firm voice, "If this is what you can do then you're perfect material for my squadron. We will enlist you into the army once we return right away. You will be promoted immediately and will work with me to crush the rebellions both within and out of the borders,"
"Sure," Rai immediately answered.
"Splendid, I'll order the men to burn the bodies and then we'll be on our way," said the Ice Queen as she spun around.
"But no,"
…
…
…
"What was that?" a deadly frown appeared on the General's face as she slowly looked behind her.
"No," Rai repeated, crossing his arms, "Well not to going back to the Capital with you. But I'm already part of a Team and I will not betray them,"
"That again," Esdeath replied, her voice laced with venomous frost, "I told you, Apex Six is just a failed squadron that never saw the light of day because none of the candidates survived,"
"But it does," countered Rai, "You're standing in front of one of those 'candidates', and if you ever disregard my family like that again," his golden eyes sharpened into a fierce glare, "I will kill you,"
"Try it," Esdeath threatened, returning his glare with her ice-blue own, "If you dare,"
Rai's gaze didn't falter off of the Ice General as he equipped his black and white mask, and ice danced around Esdeath's frosted fingers.
"As you wish,"
In an instant, Rai disappeared closing the gap between them and appearing behind the General. Esdeath sensed him quickly and kicked out behind her before spinning to unsheathe her rapier. Rai leaned to the side and dodged the kick before jumping back to avoid a sudden thrust from her blade.
Esdeath continued her onslaught and barraged the assassin with stabs from her sword, which were dodged cleanly by her opponent. On the final thrust, Rai dropped his body to the ground to sweep her legs but Esdeath reacted just in time to step back before aiming a kick to his body.
Rai palmed the ground to send himself into the air avoiding the kick. Esdeath stepped forward and whipped her body around to slash at the brown-haired male. Her target twisted his body like a cat in the air over the strike as he snapped out his leg towards the General, who jumped back to avoid getting kicked.
Esdeath quickly stabbed the ground with the tip of her rapier which was cloaked in frost. From under the fortress roads, rows of ice spikes crashed through the ground and raced towards Rai.
The assassin tore his cloak off and threw it aside. He raised an open hand before clenching it tightly.
Suddenly the blood on the ground shot up like a crimson geyser, breaking through the wave of ice spikes.
Esdeath's blue eyes widened for a brief moment before regaining her composure and summoned a legion of icicle shards behind her.
Rai mirrored her technique and raised more blood off the ground, which separated and sharpened into spears in the air.
The two fighters sent their projectiles flying forward in the hope that at least one would hit their opponent. Red and blue particles flew throughout the courtyard like a weird celebration as the ranged attacks met in the middle.
Without wasting another second, Esdeath dashed forward with her rapier, piercing through the chaos of colliding projectiles above her. Rai took notice and summoned a scythe made of blood before rushing in himself.
Blood clashed against ice, as they slashed, stabbed, blocked, parried, and countered each other's attacks.
Esdeath tried to pierce through Rai's heart. Failed due to a swift parry.
Rai attempted to bisect Esdeath. Missed as the General leaped out of the way.
The Ice Queen went for decapitation. Only to witness an acrobatic dodge.
The brown-haired assassin attempted to slice off the legs. Only to find his weapon to be crushed by an ice boulder.
Esdeath saw her advantage and rushed forward to finish off her defenseless opponent. A thrust from her rapier with impeccable speed. Rai leaned out of the way just in time…to find out that it was a feint. The Ice General caught his masked face in on hand and her palms glowed a light blue.
Ice exploded from her hand and Rai was blasted back. His body bounced off the ground several times and rolled before coming to a stop.
"I'm disappointed, you should've taken my offer peacefully, then at least you would've gotten stronger to challenge me properly,"
Esdeath sheathed her weapon and walked forward to check if he was dead. Surely he must've been, an ice blast from that close could end even the toughest Danger Beasts.
She only took a few steps before her ice-blue eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
Rai was already pushing himself up from the ground, his brown hair shadowing his eyes. Bits of his now broken mask fell off his face and blood dripped from a gash on his forehead.
"Damn…probably should've polished that thing more," he said quietly.
The assassin began to laugh, as he staggered to his feet, "That was good Miss Esdeath, really good, as expected from the Empire's strongest,"
Esdeath quickly stomped her foot on the ground and all the blood in the area froze.
"You should just quit here," she told him, "You're injured, all the blood has been frozen. You're no match for me in this state,"
"Oh but that's where you don't understand Miss Esdeath," Rai wiped the blood leaking from his lips to his chin, "Even frozen… Blood is still blood,"
The assassin punched his fists together and the ice all around began to rumble, before shattering like fragile glass as the contained blood erupted out.
Upon taking a closer look, Esdeath saw that Rai's eyes were no longer golden, but his sclera was crimson and his pupils were a white reptilian slit. From his back sprouted two vermillion tendrils with pale veiny lines coursing through them. A slimy red liquid was excreted from the skin on his forearms and began to wrap around his arms from his elbows down to his fingertips, cloaking them crimson. His fingers each elongated slightly into what looked to be claws.
The Ice General stared at her opponent and readied her stance, planning her next move when something from the back of her mind came floating forward.
"...Now I remember, three years ago I heard of an incident near the Western Border. There was a battle and the battleground was said to have been dyed red from blood. Survivors of the battle reported a monster in human skin who could wield blood like an experienced old general could wield a blade … That monster, that's you isn't it,"
"Perhaps," Rai grinned psychotically as he summoned another blood scythe, "So, ready to continue, Ice Queen?"
"General Esdeath!"
A sudden shout cut through the courtyard. Their attention was turned as they looked toward where the voice had come from and saw the Three Beasts along with half of Esdeath's army pour into the fortress grounds.
"We heard conflict!" yelled Liver as he readied his ring, "We're here to provide reinforcements,"
"Your assistance is not needed here," the General told them.
"Indeed, this was all just a misunderstanding,"
Esdeath whipped around to see that Rai was strolling towards them. Not a sign of battle damage on him, his eyes back to the normal golden, and the tendrils had vanished. It was as if their quick fight had not happened at all.
"What?" she hissed.
"I just wanted to see if you were the real General Esdeath," Rai admitted to her, "There's a type of Danger Beast out in the North called a Whopperflower, who can imitate another living being's form and abilities to an almost indistinguishable level. I was just hunting one down,"
"So you're saying you slaughtered an entire fortress and picked a fight with me was to—,"
"Track down a Whopperflower, yes… except for that slaughtering part. That wasn't intentional, that just happened, but I assure you it was out of self-defense. Although I did need some salt and blood to make drawing it out easier,"
"...,"
"What? I'm short on coins and there was a contract out for one at a town just over the border," the assassin sighed, "I was hoping it had impersonated someone from this fortress but unfortunately that's not the case,"
"General, who is this boy?" asked Liver.
"I'm not sure myself," replied Esdeath as she started to head towards the gates, "But I can confirm that he's strong and that there is nothing here for us. Burn the bodies, then we'll continue along our route before making our way back to the Capital in a fortnight,"
"Yes General," the silver-haired man bowed, before ordering the Imperial Soldiers to get to work.
Rai followed after Esdeath with a joyous smile present on his features.
"You were holding back weren't you?" she suddenly asked, catching him off guard, "You pulled your punches from the very start,"
"As expected of the General to figure that out, but yes I did indeed to check if you were a fake created by a Danger Beast," answered the golden-eyed assassin, "But it's not like I was the only one who did so, you weren't fighting at full strength either,"
"I felt that it wasn't necessary. And if I did, you would've died in a couple of seconds,"
Rai chuckled, "I could say the same if I went all out at the beginning,"
Esdeath glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, a subtle smirk curving up, "So what will you do now?"
"I wasn't joking when I said I'd join you guys on the way back to the Capital, that's something I plan to do,"
"Oh? You have business there?" asked the General as she mounted her horse.
"Yes, and I need to see how my little brother and sister are doing," replied Rai, "I'm sure that they must've been waiting for me,"
"Are they the family you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes, they are,"
"So," Esdeath furrowed her brows, "From what I have added up, then that means the Apex Six are indeed real?"
"Real, or not real," shrugged Rai, "It's just a rumor made up for the public to believe is it not? And it's up to you to decide whether you want to follow it or not. I don't really care,"
Although still slightly confused, Esdeath hummed a response and decided not to pursue the topic any further but instead vowed in her mind, that she would discover the secret that the higher-ups of the Empire had kept hidden from her.
Whereas for the golden-eyed assassin, he looked off in the direction of a distant mountain range.
'Azi, Hei, don't worry, I'll be there soon,'
The hybrid warriors of Blood, Poison, and Flame, were to be reunited once more.
The War Within - 4