A/N: Hopefully, we'll get to some plot soon.
In Iliasburg.
The man sat in his room, reading quietly as he relaxed on the lavish couch. As expected, the Sutherland Inn was a wonderful place. They normally charged an incredible amount of money, but due to his line of work, he got to live there for only around ten coins a night.
Of course, he tried not to grow complacent. This would be a temporary arrangement. It didn't matter if he had to stay there for a year or more, it just wouldn't be permanent.
As he was sitting, and reading quietly, he was struck with the sudden urge to use the restroom. Quietly, he sat his book on the arm of the couch, and stepped into the bathroom.
After completing his business, he took a moment to wash his hands, silently marveling at the wonder of running water. Truly, this place was luxurious. He'd only ever seen such a thing in more modern, upscale cities, such as Grangold. To have such a system in place here made it quite unique, at least on this continent.
As he was doing this, his eyes flashed up to his reflection in the mirror. He was a tall man, his full height reaching just over 6 feet 7 inches. He had short, carefully maintained Auburn-colored hair, and striking green eyes. He was somewhat skinny, yet his muscles were well defined. He'd been a hero for over twenty years, so it would've been strange if he wasn't fit. Still, he was probably considered inhumanly strong, but hey, that's just what monster blood did. He'd never met his mother, but he had a feeling that they wouldn't get along, considering his occupation.
After all, he was Edward Vincenzo, one of the strongest heroes of the current generation. He'd hewn apart many monsters with his blade, and personally, he didn't feel too bad about that. It was what Ilias wanted! These... creatures did nothing but prey on humanity, and he wouldn't stand for it!
Idly, he clutched at the cross that hung from his neck. It was actually a locket, since you could open it up. Inside was a small drawing of his son. He sighed whenever he looked at it, feeling a wave of sadness overtake him.
Yes, that was one of the reasons he'd came to this continent. Over a year ago, he'd just been here on vacation, traveling through all of the more pious communities. They were traveling from Iliasburg to Ilias village, when he just... disappeared. There was no sign of him, no matter how hard he looked. After three days, and three nights, he finally had to accept the truth.
His son was either dead, or worse.
That fact very nearly broke him. His wife had passed away during childbirth, so his son was all he'd had. His brother was still alive, but they hadn't spoken in years. He was a mess for a little while, drinking himself nearly to death. Eventually though, he managed to pull himself out of it. His son's killer was probably still out there, after all. If he didn't bring him to justice, then who would?
So, he'd sailed back to Sentora, and got in contact with his brother, asking him to go down and investigate his son's death. While his brother was investigating, Edward would use his fame to gather up a following of the most devout followers of Ilias. They were pitiful compared to him, but that was okay, because he was just freakishly strong.
With the small militia he'd created, Edward would return to Ilias continent, and hunt the bastard that dared to hurt his son. They'd be able to comb the forests easily with their large numbers, searching every nook and cranny.
Of course, his secondary objective was to cull the monster population. Those filthy things had no business being in such a holy place, and yet somehow, they'd persisted. They constantly assaulted people, forcing them to break Ilias' most important commandment. That was unacceptable, so they had to be eliminated.
When Edward's brother had been found dead, he was livid. Something had slaughtered him, and his entire platoon. Despite the fact that they'd been murdered with conventional weapons, he couldn't shake the feeling that it had been done by a monster.
So now, there were heroes all throughout the forest, searching for the culprit. It was close to the place where he lost his son, and that didn't seem like a coincidence. The more paranoid part of his mind screamed that the culprit was responsible for both crimes, but he quickly disregarded that thought. That was unlikely. There were plenty of monsters in these woods, so they were almost certainly different people.
That was fine. It just meant he had more monsters to hunt.
He was snapped out of his musings by a frantic series of knocks on his door. He sighed, before walking over and answering.
In the hallway, stood one of the many people that had come with him to the continent. He looked tired, and out of breath, like he'd just ran ten miles without stopping. It was clear that something was definitely wrong.
"Boss!" He huffed, leaning against the wall so he didn't fall over. "Some shit happened in the woods. Three of the men in my group are dead."
Edward raised an eyebrow. That was saddening, but not entirely unexpected. The forest was dangerous. Well, whatever. Those men probably fought bravely. The only thing he could do was pray to Ilias for their souls.
"Calm down." Edward grunted, resting his hand on the frantic man's shoulder. "Tell me what happened."
The man took a deep breath, and sighed deeply.
"Well, we'd heard one of us calling for help." He began. "Someone had gotten separated from the group, and they were attacked. We broke through the tree-line just in time to see his killer looming over the body."
Edward hummed, nodding his head. That sounded problematic, yet also a bit promising. Perhaps this would lead them to who they were looking for.
"What did this monster look like?" Edward asked. "Was she humanoid, or was she more of an abomination?"
The man shook his head, frowning as he did so.
"That's the thing, boss." He said, a hint of anger tainting his voice. "It was a human, not a monster. Hell, he was just a kid."
Edward blinked. That was... odd. He was surprised that there was a child on this continent that would dare to attack a hero. Almost all the people here looked up to them as the protectors of humanity, so the idea of being killed by a literal kid just didn't really make sense. Maybe he was just a midget?
"He actually looked a little like you." The man continued, snapping Edward out of his thoughts. "Same hair color, similar face..."
Edward stared at the man for a moment, before looking down at his hands.
'it's just a coincidence.' He told himself. His son was dead, and no amount of hope could change that. Besides, he didn't have time to think about such things. He had to lead the heroes he'd brought over.
"How old was he?" Edward asked the man. "Are you absolutely sure it was a child?"
The man nodded, crossing his arms.
"He was absolutely a kid." The man grunted, his voice betraying no sense of doubt whatsoever. "He was anywhere from ten to twelve. It's kinda hard to tell during that stage."
...His son was ten when he disappeared. If he'd somehow survived, then maybe...
Edward tried his hardest to crush the ray of hope that surged within his chest. Despite his best attempts, he couldn't banish the thought that his son might be alive.
If there was even the slightest chance that he'd lived, then he had to go out there. For too long, he'd been sitting on his ass, directing others to do his bidding. There would be no more of that. It was time for him to get back out there, sword in hand as tore through whoever stood in his way.
If it was, in fact, his son, then why had he attacked and killed heroes? He'd raised that boy to be faithful to Ilias, so the idea of him killing some of the goddess' most loyal followers just didn't make sense.
He had to get to the bottom of this.
*LINEBREAK*
"M-Miss Micaela!" I exclaimed, slowly backing away from the deadly woman in front of me. "Aren't you overreacting at least a little bit?"
Micaela glared down at me, wearing a frighteningly cross expression. She took a step towards me, which I countered by taking another step back.
"I don't think I am." She stated quietly, her voice taking on a dangerous quality. "Stop avoiding the question, and tell me what you did."
Fuck, she knew. Or at least, she knew that something was going on. I don't know why I thought she wouldn't. For fuck's sake, she was literally one of Ilias' daughters! She was one of the oldest people alive, and I thought that I could just yell at her like that?
I'm a fuckin' moron!
"W-Why do you assume I did anything?" I shot back, maintaining at least five feet of distance away from her. "For all you know, it just rattled me a little bit. I could just be uncomfortable, or stressed."
Suddenly, my back hit the wall, and I realized that I had nowhere to run. I had to talk this out, and I had to be very, very careful. If I said the wrong thing, I might've died right there. Though, part of me didn't believe that she'd be willing to actually kill me. I ignored that part, because it really didn't hurt to be cautious, especially when you were dealing with disguised angels that were several millennia old. She could turn me to dust with a flick of her wrist, if she so desired.
She studied me for a moment, seemingly searching for something in my expression. After a moment, her eyes widened by a fraction.
"Alex... There's some dried blood in your hair." She said, slowly stepping closer. "...Did you kill someone?"
I winced. Fuck, she was good. I didn't even know about that. That probably meant that Yuri didn't see it either. She'd never let me leave the house with such an obvious stain.
Well, I couldn't lie. She already figured out what I'd done, and I felt like any mistruths I'd tell would only serve to make the hole I was already in become a bottomless pit. Still, I had to be tactful about this. I needed to stress that it was self-defense (Because it WAS!), because I don't think she'd accept any other reason.
"Fuckin' hell." I groaned, slapping my hand over my face. "It wasn't like I randomly murdered some innocent person. I killed strictly to defend myself."
Micaela let out a long, suffering sigh. After a moment, she stepped away, allowing me a little breathing room.
"You aren't lying." She eventually said, the anger in her voice having decreased somewhat. "Yet you aren't telling me everything, are you?"
I tilted my head. What did she mean by that? I told her what happened, so what else could she want?
She seemed to notice my confusion, putting her hands on her hips as she stared at me with a somewhat annoyed expression.
"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" She asked. "I know of your fixation with blood, so you can't lie to me."
...How was I going to get out of this one? Once again, I couldn't lie, because, for some reason, she had the amazing power to instantly see through someone's bullshit. Though, since she already knew the truth, would it really change anything if I just confirmed it?
Fuck it, lying will get me in way more trouble. Though, I still had to be careful with how I phrased it.
"...I did." I grunted, nodding. "However, I didn't actively seek them out just to harm them. I had to kill the first one because he was trying to alert others of my presence, and I had to kill a second to escape the mob that discovered me. When I was running, I slew a third one that had gotten within striking distance."
She remained silent, motioning for me to continue.
"I... I enjoyed those killings. They were trying to murder me, so it just felt... right. Besides, I got to see more red up close." I muttered before I could've stopped myself. Fuck, why did I say that? That sounded horrible. I really needed to get my motormouth under control, because it never ceased to get me into all kinds of shit.
I looked over to Micaela, half-expecting to see her plant a foot in my face. However, she continued to stand still. The look she gave me was... complicated. There was an annoying amount of pity mixed in it, but that was all I could really see. It pissed me off, but I wisely kept my mouth shut.
"...Thank you for being honest." Micaela said eventually. "I don't blame you for defending yourself, but it disturbs me that you found any sense of enjoyment in it. That's unacceptable."
She took a step towards me, and I felt a lance of fear strike my heart. My eyes darted around the room, looking for any possible escape route. However, before I could even think of moving, Micaela was practically on top of me, firmly gripping my shoulder with one hand.
Fuck, this is the end! I was so, so dead! There was quite literally nothing I could do. I was going to die.
"Wait, no!" I pleaded, feeling a strange wetness creep around my eyes. "Don't kill me! I'll never hurt anyone innocent, just don't do it!"
An overwhelming sense of dread filled me as I watched her raise her other hand. It crackled with energy, sending sparks shooting out at all angles. I closed my eyes, feeling pure, unadulterated fear overtake me.
There was an overwhelmingly loud THUD, which shook my entire body. However, I was, to my knowledge, uninjured. That was... unexpected, though, not unwelcome. Cautiously, I cracked one eye open, nervously trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
Micaela's fist was buried in the wall, less than an inch from my head. Awkwardly, she pulled it out, before stepping backwards, allowing me some space. I looked to Micaela for an explanation, the confusion probably evident on my face.
"I wanted you to experience the feeling of knowing you're about to die." She eventually said, her voice quiet, yet authoritative. "You can't treat life so casually, because everyone you hurt is still a person, no matter how evil they may be. You needed to be put in their shoes for a moment."
...That was a trick? She just wanted to scare me? Holy fuck, I thought I was about to get turned into paste!
I dropped to my knees, suddenly feeling like I weighed two tons. Micaela looked down at me, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't have a problem with you killing to defend yourself, or even just to get rid of someone especially evil." She continued, as if I hadn't just collapsed in front of her. "I just wanted you to know how it felt, is all."
...That bitch!
"...You couldn't have just lectured me, or something?" I huffed, still trying to catch my breath. "Holy hell, you almost gave me a heart attack!"
Micaela chuckled, apparently finding my discomfort humorous. I glared at her, but made no attempt to move. I didn't want to get into another argument. Not after what just transpired.
"I thought the lesson would stick better if I did it this way." She said, smiling slightly.
Weakly, I flipped her the bird.
"You... are the worst kind of person." I grumbled.
Micaela laughed.
*LINEBREAK*
Yuri looked at the corpse, taking a moment to admire her handiwork. The bastard had suffered, that she made sure of. His screams made her blood sing, and even if she felt a tad bit guilty afterwards, a single look at the poor monster behind her washed away any doubt she might've had. He deserved it, so what more was there to argue about?
The corpse's eyes had been slashed out, and his lower jaw had been completely ripped away. His upper torso had been pinned to a tree with a sword she'd picked up off of a dead hero, hanging about three feet off the ground. His lower body had been hung by its entrails, gently swinging in the breeze.
On the torso, she'd carved the words 'He died slow', in elegant, careful slashes. It was crude and horrible, but Yuri was feeling just spiteful enough to not give a damn.
This, she reflected, may have been a little overkill. Had she been in a more stable mindset, she'd probably have just killed him, and tossed his body further into the woods. However, in her enraged state, she'd made an absolute mess of him.
Of course, she couldn't just leave them out in the open. If this body was found, heroes would be onto this place like succubi at a male brothel. She was sure that she could deal with them all, but more monsters would die. So, she dragged the bodies off the road, dumping them in the foliage. If anyone found them there, then they were probably already searching for corpses.
Yuri looked at the sky, and winced as she realized how late it was starting to get. She'd wanted to stay out a little longer, but she didn't have the time. With a sigh, she made her way home, taking care to avoid being seen.
Before she went to pick Alex up, she had to stop by her house, and get washed up. If she came in as drenched in blood as she was, then Micaela would probably be horrified. That would cause a lot of problems, none of which Yuri had the patience to deal with.
Conversely, Alex would be thrilled. That, she felt, would be just too creepy for her to handle. She didn't want her son looking at her the way he looked at blood. It was... unsettling.
Before she walked back into the village, she decided to take a bit of a dip in the river. It would get most of the blood off her, and she could manually get rid of the rest. So what if it was the drinking water? Everyone boiled it first before using it.
The water was freezing, so she didn't spend to long there. Still, she did try to make sure she got as much off as possible. She couldn't really clean her clothes with just cold water, but she could at least get some blood out of her hair.
After that, Yuri quickly darted into her house. Carelessly, she tossed her clothes away, putting on another, identical set. She had around six or seven outfits, and they were all the same. She knew what she liked. Also, the village's tailor didn't really make anything else that she'd be interested in. Yes, there were other outfits for sale at that shop, but all of them were much too... revealing for her tastes. They offered essentially no protection from the elements. Why anyone would wear such garments was beyond her.
After making sure she was presentable, she stepped back out into the village, and marched up to Micaela's house. It wouldn't do to keep them waiting, after all. Yuri quite liked Micaela, so she didn't want to be rude to her.
...Speaking of being rude to Micaela, what had Alex been doing all day? She knew they didn't really get along, but it wasn't like Yuri knew anyone else to watch him. If he'd misbehaved, then she might have to actually punish him...
Of course, that was only if he'd done something wrong. As angry and mean as Alex was, he usually knew what not to do. It's possible that he just sat and glared all day, which, while not great, was much better than saying anything wrong.
Still, she felt like something transpired. It had to've, considering his... explosive temper. Oh well, she'd just ask Micaela. Her friend would tell her what really happened.
Once she arrived, she firmly knocked on the door. She could hear movement inside, so she waited patiently for her friend to answer. After a moment, Micaela opened the door, a tired, yet pleased expression on her face. She stifled a yawn. before greeting Yuri with a nod.
"Hello Yuri." She muttered. "I assume you've finished whatever... business you had to attend to?"
Yuri nodded.
"Well." Micaela said. "Alex is over there."
She gestured to a corner inside the living room. Against the wall, Alex was curled up into a ball, snoring loudly. There was a small blanket draped over him, which made the sight about ten times cuter.
"He's been like that all day." Micaela said. "He must've been really tired from last night."
Yuri nodded. That probably made sense. He'd probably only slept for about five hours, and he was sick. She'd slept less than him, but she was also much more used to lack of sleep. Besides, most monsters had more stamina than humans. She could probably stay awake for a week if she wanted to. It would be a horrible, torturous experience, but she could do it.
"Did he give you any trouble?" Yuri asked, glancing back at her friend.
Micaela shook her head with a smile.
"For the brief time he was awake, he just kept to himself." Micaela said. "He didn't really want to talk, and I respected that."
Yuri felt more than a little relieved that Alex hadn't caused trouble. That would've been very embarrassing. She really did expect him to at least talk back a little, but apparently he didn't.
Quietly, she walked over to him, and scooped him up in her arms. Carefully, she removed the blanket, taking care not to wake him. Swiftly, she walked back to the door, whispering "Good night" to Micaela as she passed.
The walk back home was uneventful. As she walked down the street, she could feel the gazes of the townspeople on her. More specifically, on her son.
This was normal behavior for a good majority of the residents, and it pissed her off. They looked at him like he was a piece of meat, when he wasn't even a teenager! It was disgusting, and she couldn't stand it one bit. Sure, she understood that most of them had certain...needs, but surely they could restrain themselves at least a little bit.
Of course, nobody ever tried anything. Not after what happened to that dark elf. Still, they stared at him all the same. Other than glaring angrily, there really wasn't anything she could do in retaliation, and she hated that.
If they'd waited until he was an adult, then she wouldn't have really cared about their advances so much, as long as it was consensual. However, many of the townsfolk were apparently far too impatient to consider basic decency.
Yuri shook her head. She'd just spent all day trying to get her anger to a more manageable level. She did not need this right now. As quick as she could (without waking Alex, anyways.), she traveled back home, locking the door behind her. Quietly, she walked into Alex's room, and deposited him in his bed.
"Goodnight, Alex." She softly whispered in his ear. He stirred a little, but didn't wake up.
Without another word, she left, softly closing the door behind her.
A/N: This chapter feels a bit rushed to me. I'll try to polish it as much as I can, but I'm not sure if I can make it sound that good. I'm just trying to move things along, because I'm sick and tired of where we are now. I have so much I want to do, but at this point, most of those plot points are years away.
This chapter might not have too much substance, but I'm trying to set up a big fight. We've finally met our first big antagonist, so at least we're going somewhere.
After the climax of this arc, there will probably be a big timeskip. Maybe soon we can get into the actual main plot. That would be nice, wouldn't it guys?
