Whoa! It's an update! Sorry guys, I had to study for my piano certificate of merit. Music theory should be outlawed…evil…
"Rebels?" Duo muttered to Hilde as he stood half hidden in the shadows, keeping a silent watch on the soldiers. "What rebels?"
Hilde's face turned serious, and her voice grew tight. "Supposedly, there are some idiots out there who like to stir up trouble. They evidently don't like the peace that the OZ council brings, so they target their Special bases, where the Powers of Peace are protected. My brother…he died recently in one of their attacks."
Duo was silent, taking in her words.
"Was he a soldier?" He said finally.
Hilde nodded. "…But he was so disillusioned by the supposed glory of war. He never was meant to be a soldier." She said with finality, eyes red-rimmed, but voice steady. "He cheered like everyone else when the Fey were eliminated, believing that he could be a warrior without fighting anyone in this peace."
Duo had turned to face the soldiers. In a soft voice, that was chillingly cool, he spoke.
"Soldiers become what they are by actions. A true soldier is ready to die anytime." He pondered the laughing ring of drunken soldiers before softly speaking again, in an almost hurt and confused voice. "You said everyone cheered when the Fey…died. Tell me, why so many viewed them as a threat?"
"Are you a sympathizer?" Hilde continued, without waiting for him to answer her question. "Don't be. For years we've been looked down upon by them, and when children starved in the streets during the famines, they walked around in the fanciest of silks, turning up their noses at our plight. They were cruel…" Her voice dropped off to a haunted whisper, eyes staring into nothing, evidently lost in memories.
"But why a threat?" Duo said, his posture stiff at the lies. His people did no such thing!
A call for more roast beef came from the group of soldiers was ignored as Duo turned his head at Hilde's silence.
Her hands clenched, the inn mistress was pale, her eyes unfocused and glassy. Instantly Duo sprang to her side as she stumbled and fell into his worried arms.
"Hilde? What's wrong? Damn it! Hilde!"
He shook her gently, ignoring the loud, more annoyed calls for roast beef from the soldiers. When there was no response, he reached a hand to her forehead, intending to take her temperature.
Magic.
With shock, he felt the unmistakable metallic presence of mortal magic crash against his own at the contact of his fingers against her forehead. His physical senses dulled as he fought off the foreign power that was trying to take hold in his mind.
Unbidden, he saw a startled ice blue eye open and trace the magic…with an oath, Duo frantically broke his contact, somewhat confused as he realized he was staring at a rather drunken and overly curious soldier a few inches away from his face.
His fist shot out and smashed underhanded into the soldier's gut instinctively, gagging as a wave of rank breath washed over him, forced out from the startled soldier's lungs.
The man crashed backwards, his scarred features twisted rather comically. Duo carefully propped Hilde in a chair as he shakily stood up.
"The next time you need something, try asking someone who can actually respond." He said bitingly, his heart racing at how close his cover had been blown. If the man had seen his ears…
The soldier's companions were roaring with laughter as the soldier curled up into a ball, his skin rapidly turning pale under layers of dirt. With dismay, Duo realized that he had hit the human like he would an Elven soldier in one of their practice fights. With the fact that Elven physical abilities were well above the level that mere humans had, Duo had probably given him quite a crippling blow.
Ouch.
When the soldier's companions suddenly realized that their fallen comrade was seriously hurt, things might turn a little nasty. That would be a very bad thing.
Very bad.
And, Duo thought, with a rapidly growing headache, it was happening.
"Hey! What did you do to him? You crazy moron! You want to have the shit beaten out of you?"
Great. Absolutely wonderful. What he did not want right now was a damning fight on his hands. What he wanted to do was to get the hell out of here before whatever powerful mage that had set a spell on Hilde came tearing after his trail.
I may run, and I may hide. Duo smiled grimly, knowing how the Elven people regarded running away from a battle as one of the horrifying acts of cowardice possible, But I never have yet lied. He still hadn't sunken that far in order to carry out his revenge.
"Your companion will be fine. But no, thank you very much. I don't think I want the shit beaten out of me, as you so artfully put it."
"Too bad." One man grinned, wiping a greasy hand across his mouth. "You're in for it now."
Oh yeah. He definitely had a killer headache coming up. That line was so clinché, it made him almost want to puke on them. Here was a creature that was painfully lacking in imagination.
Duo palmed the black dagger, his action hidden under the shadowy folds of his cloak.
They were about to discover firsthand what it was like to have a tiger among coyotes.