Wrath of the Knight and Oni
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest short story for 'A New Crusade IF'! Now this one is gonna wind up a bit differently, but of course you'll need to read all the way to find out how it's different. And for those who are waiting on an announcement about the results of the poll, I shall have that announcement in my next chapter of Breath of the Rifleman. Now then, with no guest review questions, let us head on to the story!
Evening: Roswaal Manor
A nearly inhuman wail sounded in the front entrance of Roswaal's mansion. The source of it belonged to a red-haired maid named Ram who was holding the hand of a blue-haired maid who was almost her practical mirror image. It was little surprise given that this was her twin sister, Rem, who had just passed, but not to natural causes. The master of the mansion, Lord Roswaal, was also there. He was a tall man who wore outlandish purple clothes and a cape along with white makeup adorning his currently neutral face as he placed a comforting hand on Ram's shoulders.
"This was indeed a curse," said Roswaal as he turned his head to the other three occupants standing in the entrance: a whitehaired half-elf named Emilia, her floating feline companion Puck, and a knight in Teutonic Crusader armor with two copies of his coat of arms, a bear's head, and two crosses. "Sir Knight, if you do have any information on who's responsible for this, I'd like to hear it now."
"There was a pup in Arlam Village," said Ulric, "I don't know if it was aware or not, but it transferred a curse to Rem when it bit her. And the last place I saw it, was with the children."
"You mean where you left it," said Ram as she slowly raised her head with a venomous glare directed at the Knight, "you said this wasn't your first time at the mansion, nor your first time being cursed. I wonder if the reason you brought Rem back here was because your true target didn't get bit and now, you're pointing us to the means of the curse to cover your tracks and gain our trust again."
"I had nothing to do with Rem's condition," said Ulric, "the reason I left the mansion in the first place was to draw out my own attacker who I just discovered was Rem. There is someone here wishing to do you all harm, but I am not the one, I desire only-."
"ENOUGH LIES!" Exclaimed Ram as a violent wind whipped up around her, "just come out and say it already, that you thought Rem suspected what you were really up too, so you led her out to the forest and activated the curse on her. Then you brought her back to see whether or not we could dispel it while also trying to earn more of our trust. But that's backfired on you horribly now by the looks of it because I won't allow you to live long enough to enact any more schemes!"
"Listen to yourself Ram," said Ulric as he kept a hand up to block some of the wind blowing in his eyes, "none of that makes sense. I didn't even know I had the witch's scent on me until tonight nor did I know Rem intended to attack me. All I knew was that there was an assailant at the mansion, but now I can see that she isn't the one but who was responsible for the curse. If you'll just help me find them then you'll have your vengeance on the one truly responsible for your sister's death!"
"I said," seethed Ram as she gathered some of the swirling wind into her right hand, "NO MORE LIES!" Ulric made to move out of the way while Emilia began to form an ice wall, but before a fight could break out, a bright light suddenly engulfed them, or at least it seemed to at first. When the Crusader was able to open his eyes again, he noted he was on the road to the village.
"You're awfully noisy for this time of the evening, I suppose," said the voice of Beatrice as Ulric turned around to see the miniature magic wielder standing there.
"What, Beatrice, what happened, where am I?" Exclaimed Ulric as he looked at his surroundings.
"About three quarters of the way to Arlam Village," said Beatrice, "you'd best get a move on too. That red Oni maid is sure to be on your trail in no time, I suppose."
"You want me to run," questioned Ulric in disbelief, "you know that will only make me look guilty. I have no reason to run because I am not the one responsible for what happened to Rem!"
"You think the Oni girl really cares whether or not that's the case," Beatrice asked, "if she wasn't blaming you for this then it'd likely be something else, I suppose. Not that I was paying much attention, but I overheard her home village was destroyed by a bunch of people that had the Witch's Scent on them."
"You mean this scent is that of, wretched individuals?" Questioned the Crusader.
"Those who have the scent of the Witch on them are described as smelling like blood and murder, I suppose," explained Beatrice, "whether you're good or bad, most people try to avoid anything that has to do with the Witch, and those who aren't working to avoid people with the scent are often trying to get rid of those who have it."
"Yet another curse from that wretched being," Ulric said with a clenched fist before forcing himself to relax, "very well then, if Ram really won't listen to reason, then do you have a possible suggestion for what I should do next?"
"I really don't care what you do next, I suppose," said Beatrice as she crossed her arms and turned away from him, "I just brought you here because a fight in the mansion might've accidentally spilled into my library."
"I see," said Ulric as he put a hand to his chin, "but if I recall, I don't really have much of anywhere else to go. The people of Arlam village would certainly take me in, but Ram would find me there instantly if her sense of smell is anything like her sister's. So, I may just have to take up residence in your library where she can't reach me."
"Absolutely not!" Exclaimed Beatrice as she pointed to the Knight, "I won't have you bringing trouble into my library!"
"Then point me somewhere that I would be less likely to cause trouble," suggested Ulric. Beatrice puffed her cheeks up in irritation as she crossed her arms again.
"If you need a place to go, Kararagi is always looking for workers of any kind, even knights, I suppose," said Beatrice, "but if you want to investigate what happened to the blue Oni girl, the best place to start would be looking into shamans in Gusteko."
"That is as good a place as any to start," said Ulric with a nod of his head.
"And take this with you," said Beatrice as she held up her hand and materialized the load Ulric had packed earlier when he pretended to leave the mansion, "it'll save us all a lot of trouble if you're not coming back around for fresh supplies."
"And here I thought you didn't care," said Ulric as he accepted the parting gift before giving a slight bow, "God bless you for your generosity, great Beatrice."
"Just don't come back here causing trouble again, I suppose," said Beatrice as she turned away from Ulric, hiding the mild blush on her face from his gratitude.
"Then I shall be off," said Ulric as he turned and started walking, "and if you could, please keep an eye on Lady Emilia. I get the feeling her troubles aren't over yet."
"Perhaps I'll check on her every now and then if the mood strikes me, I suppose," said Beatrice, "now shoo, before the angry Oni catches up." Ulric nodded once more before hurrying along towards Arlam village. Whether he was fleeing or not, he knew the people there needed to know of the danger to their home.
The Next Day
Try as he might, sleep would not come. It wasn't that he wasn't tired or that the sound of the wagon wheels turning as it was pulled along by a ground dragon was too noisy. Rather, it was because of the most recent revelation he'd learned upon getting to Arlam village. Petra and the other children had disappeared at some point, only to be found dead in the woods later on. Ulric knew the true culprit responsible and attempted to explain to the villagers what had happened as well as what had occurred at the mansion.
Some who knew him accepted his words, but others wanted to do nothing more than blame Emilia because of her resemblance to the witch, Satella. So instead of trying to convince them of their poor reasoning, Ulric went to investigating where the pup that had bitten Rem ran off too. But it was long gone, having escaped into the forest almost an hour before. But God seemed willing to provide the Crusader with another clue as he discovered that one of the children wasn't among the deceased, a blue-haired girl. Stranger still, no one remembered the blue-haired girl who'd brought the pup in the first place.
But he remembered her, and if he remembered her and the pup she brought was the one responsible, it meant that she was still out there, and he intended to find her. It wouldn't be easy, and he suspected that Ram would be on his trail before long, but that was a bridge he would cross if he happened to arrive there. For now, his goal was clear: find the blue-haired girl, make her confess her crimes and why she committed them and then bring swift punishment onto her and all who were involved.
One Month Later
"DIIIIIIIIIIIEEE!" Shrieked Ram as she fired a blast of wind which Ulric narrowly dodged. It would proceed to destroy a tree behind him as the Knight rolled back up to his feet. 'Damn, I thought I'd given her the slip at that last town, but she must've caught my scent on the wind again.' In truth this was the third time he'd encountered Ram pursuing him and the second time they were engaging in combat of sorts. And she was still as angry now as when he fled the mansion.
"Ram this madness has to stop," said Ulric as he tossed off his traveling cloak, revealing that he had new armor. He'd sold his old chainmail and gotten a lighter, more protective magical variety but left the fabric of his old armor intact to put over it. Ram herself had donned a white robe-like cloak that she was wearing over her normal maid attire, which was looking more than a little weathered now. "I have a suspect, I might even know where to find them."
"You are the only suspect!" Exclaimed Ram as she fired more blasts of wind at Ulric, which he evaded by running through a line of trees, feeling the impact on the ground as one of the larger ones feel behind him, "you are the only one who had something to gain by killing my sister!"
"That's not true," said Ulric as he pulled his sword off his belt and held it up, sheath and all. It was a new one he'd managed to procure after running into Reinhard while following a lead in the capital. The red-haired knight had been kind enough to even get him one made of metal that could take infusions of mana. But its purpose was not for this moment as the Crusader tossed his weapon away, along with the dagger he had hidden on the back of his belt. "I held no grudge against Rem, you or anyone at the mansion. The only thing I owed any one of you was gratitude for taking me in."
"Gratitude," spat Ram, her breathing somewhat labored from the numerous attacks she'd been firing at the knight, "what would a servant of the Witch know of gratitude? Your kind felt nothing when you destroyed my village and took my parents so why should I believe you'd feel anything from the kindness we showed you?!"
"It was because of that kindness that I waited outside the mansion that night," said Ulric, "I suspected there was an attacker who was going to sneak into the mansion to come after me, so I made sure the battle would occur away from everyone else. Had I known it was Rem who wanted me dead, I would've confronted her then and there in the mansion!"
"If you're really so innocent of this wrongdoing then why did you run and how did you know what was really responsible for the curse?!" Shouted Ram as she fired more wind blasts to collapse some of the trees around Ulric to limit his movement before closing the gap between the two of them.
"Jiwald," said the Knight, conjuring his body enhancing light magic in the nick of time as he blocked Ram's first blow with his forearm. It felt like he'd just blocked a club from the amount of pain in his arms as the pink-haired maid continued to throw punch after punch at him. Despite managing to keep up with the speed, Ulric's arms weren't able to stand up to the force of the barrage as Ram managed to score a few hits to his midsection before hitting him with a powerful uppercut that sent him landing on the ground several feet away. The Crusader coughed in pain as he felt what was likely a crack or two in his ribs and possible hairline fractures in his arms.
It was thanks to Jiwald that it wasn't worse as he groaned in agony while pushing himself up to a sitting position, knowing full well that Ram wasn't finished yet. The Oni maid still had murder in her eyes as she walked towards him, her hands ready to wring his neck or beat the life out of him. But then she stopped before blood suddenly spouted from her head. Ram collapsed to her knees then, her breathing heavy from the exertion she'd put into trying to kill Ulric.
Said Knight took this moment to get to his feet, keeping an eye on his assailant as she too tried to get back to her feet. "I will," said Ram between ragged breaths, "I will kill you, for Rem's sake."
"If you really wanted her killer brought to justice," said Ulric, somewhat out of breath himself, "you'd help me find out the true culprit. I've been trying to pick up her trail for some time now."
"You really think….I'd believe you," said Ram, "who else….would want my sister dead?"
"I don't believe your sister was necessarily a target," replied Ulric, "I don't know if you bothered to check, but numerous children were also killed that night by the same cursed animal that disguised itself as a dog. After some research and investigation, I've come to believe a mabeast tamer was the one truly responsible."
"And what," coughed Ram, "could they possibly gain…from killing children?"
"This is just a theory on my part," said Ulric, "but given what happened back in the capitol with the theft of Lady Emilia's insignia, I believe it's highly possible that the same culprit intended to stain her ladyship's name as well as the name of Lord Roswaal. If you were thinking more clearly, you no doubt would've come to the same conclusion."
"I came to a conclusion," said Ram as she tried to stand up again, "and I intend to stick by it-guh." She collapsed to one knee again, clearly exhausted from the exertion of not only trying to kill Ulric but the fact that she had barely slept, ate, or cared for herself while on the Knight's trail.
"Your determination is most obvious," said Ulric as he approached her, "but what is also obvious is that you're in no shape to keep going. Let me help you. If you're condition doesn't improve soon, you could very well die."
"I don't need your pity!" Shouted Ram as she tried to punch Ulric, only to stumble in her attempt before being caught by the Knight.
"It's not pity," said Ulric, "I don't want to see you die here because of a misunderstanding. I want Rem's killer brought to justice almost as badly as you, but there will be little point to my doing so if you happen to die as well."
"Why should I….believe you," said Ram between shaky breaths.
"Because if I was the horrible person you believed me to be," said Ulric, "a person horrible enough to kill your sister despite her committing no wrongs towards me, I would've killed you by now as well, would I not?" Ram wanted to argue this point, but in her exhausted state it was hard to think of any kind of response. "How about a deal then? I'll tend to your wounds, and you listen to what I have to say. If you still don't believe me after that, you're free to kill me and I won't stop you."
Ram pondered his offer for several moments, weighing the pros and cons of listening to a suspicious person like him. In their current position, Ram could conjure up one more blast of wind and possibly kill the Knight so long as she unleashed it at point blank into his face or throat. But what he'd just said was nagging at her, because he had a point. The Knight didn't know it but she typically needed her mana refilled from time to time in order to maintain her form. It was what happened when an Oni lost their horn, they could no longer collect mana from the atmosphere and exerting themselves in combat like an ordinary Oni caused a large amount of pain.
She'd already been chasing this so-called Knight for a month and if he got away now, she'd lose any chance of avenging her sister because she'd likely die here. With that in mind, she decided to make a gamble. "I need….mana," said Ram.
"Mana," repeated the Crusader, "I'm afraid I don't know how to treat someone with mana."
"In a similar way….to using magic," said Ram as she allowed her body to relax, prompting Ulric to lay her down on the ground gently, "just press your fingers to my forehead…..and let mana flow out of there. The main difference…is that you don't need…to conjure an element." Ulric nodded his head before doing as instructed. He placed his hand on Ram's forehead, visualizing his gate as he let mana simply flow out of his body through the point at his fingertips. He'd been working on some of this with Puck and Emilia back when he was at the mansion and had continued to do so ever since his untimely departure, but he was by no means an expert on it.
Despite that, he noticed a change in Ram's state as he continued to release mana into her forehead. Her breathing evened out and some color was returning to her skin. "So," said Ram, "since you're apparently not going to kill me, half-baked knight, and I'm currently immobile for the time being. I suppose I can listen for a minute." And listen she did, long after being mobile again and even after getting Ulric medical treatment of his own. From that conversation sprang a plan, a very bold and very dangerous plan.
Hidden Basement in Gusteko: Start of the New Year
"My, my," purred a voice Ulric had hoped to never hear again, "I knew there was a possibility we'd be seeing each other again, but I never imagined it'd be quite like this." Elsa stepped out of the shadows and into the glow of the lamp on the nightstand near them, the only source of illumination in the room. "So how have you been, Sir Knight? Is the half-elf girl well? Have you both been taking good care of your bowels?"
"She was saddened the last time I saw her," Ram answered for Ulric, "but otherwise she was healthy."
"I don't recall asking you," said Elsa while keeping her attention on Ulric, "who might this be that you've brought with you?"
"Her name is Ram," replied the Knight, "and despite her appearance, she is quite skilled. Moreover, she would have a better idea about Lady Emilia than I."
"Oh, you refer to her as 'Lady' now," questioned Elsa, "and yet here you are. Was this little meeting some sort of ploy to lure me out of hiding?"
"If this were a trap, Ram and I wouldn't even have set foot in the room," replied Ulric, "I still remember in vivid detail what it took for you to be bested in our last encounter."
"Then what is your purpose here," asked Elsa while licking her lips, "it can't be that you believe the difference in our strengths is so great that you've simply come to surrender your bowels to me."
"We've come seeking an audience with the one you call 'Mother'," answered Ulric, "if the information we've acquired is accurate, she is the one who commands you."
"Oh, you know of Mother," said Elsa with a tilt of her head, the smile never leaving her face, "that could be a problem. You no doubt are aware that one such as her desires that we operate in secret, and the fewer non-clientele that know of her, the better."
"Indeed we do," said Ram, "we have no intention of telling anyone about her, because we wish to join her organization."
"'Join', you say," repeated Elsa with a hand over her mouth to possibly stifle a laugh, "while I'd be most happy to groom the two of you into fine assassins, Mother won't simply let you in just like that. Do you have some form of proof that you won't simply try to betray us?" The Maid and Knight's response to that was to each hold up a small black book.
"It's my understanding that anyone who receives these inevitably becomes a part of the Witch's Cult," said Ulric, keeping to himself how he and Ram really acquired them, "the reason we were able to set up this meeting in the first place is because one of your members seems to believe I am 'Pride' of the Sin Archbishops. Alas, he failed to tell us any more than that before disappearing. It's my belief that the only way either of us shall learn our place in all of this is by seeking out someone with an intimate knowledge of such matters. And with a network said to be worldwide, your 'Mother' is no doubt the most knowledgeable of all."
"She'll be delighted to hear such flattery," said Elsa, "and while I'm not supposed to know, the seat of 'Pride' has been left vacant for some time. If you really are the new Sin Archbishop, I'd probably be punished for killing you, even if Mother doesn't think very highly of the other Archbishops. On the other hand, if Mother senses you are not who you say you are, then she'll deal with you accordingly and turn you both into a pile of mindless meat."
"Then it would seem your best course of action is simply to take us before Mother," said Ram, "if nothing else, you can say you found something amusing that you think she'd like to see. That way, even if you're mistaken about Ulric's identity, there would be little danger to you."
"Well Mother does love to toy with others from time to time," said Elsa with a finger tapping against her chin, "and if you are who you say you are, Mother might even reward me for helping to advance her cause. I could also have some fun with you myself, so very well then, I'll take you to her."
Some Time Later: Hidden Fortress of the Assassin's Organization
Ram and Ulric had been rendered unconscious by Elsa at the end of their conversation before being put on a wagon. From that point on, they were blindfolded and bound as they faded in and out of consciousness thanks to a potion that was continuously administered to them whenever it seemed like they were regaining their senses. Ulric couldn't tell if they traveled for several hours or a few days, but eventually they arrived at their destination. They were taken out of the wagon and roughly carried down into some sort of subterranean area which stank of moisture, poison, and blood.
Their journey through the maze-like underground fortress took a few minutes before they stopped at what was likely a large door where their captors exchanged words with some apparent guards. The duo was then hauled into a chamber that Ulric could tell was massive just by how freely their captors moved around before setting them both down in kneeling positions. The clacking of Elsa's heeled shoes entered the chamber then before she stopped right behind the two and spoke. "Oh Mother," said Elsa, "I've returned to be graced by your most wonderous and bountiful beauty, and I've brought two new recruits."
"Recruits?" Replied a surprisingly child-like, and cruel, sounding voice, "Elsa, Elsa, Elsa, I thought we talked about you bringing home live meat creatures."
"But of course I'd remember your wonderful words on the matter," replied the Assassin, apparently bowing, "these two have received gospels of the Witch's Cult, you see, and claim that it led them to me. And one claims to be the final Sin Archbishop, the Archbishop of Pride."
"PRIDE!" Exclaimed the childish voice before the sound of flapping wings was heard, then a loud thud as the figure who'd been speaking landed roughly in front of the two. Ulric's and Ram's blindfolds were ripped off then as they finally got a good look at who they were dealing with, and the Knight's eyes widened slightly. The one standing before them resembled a teenage girl of fifteen or possibly less wearing hardly anything save for a black bra, panties and long black stockings with purple, wavy circles on them that left her toes and heels exposed. She also had black sleeves that went up her arms and connected to a piece of black cloth that went around her neck and covered her shoulders.
What made Ulric's eyes widen, however, was the presence of some type of large pink and purple flower petals sticking out of her hips and black wings on her back. But the most striking feature of all, was her blond hair and red eyes that gave her a resemblance to the little blond thief, Felt, whom Ulric had first met upon coming to this land. "Yes I know, you're both absolutely awestruck upon seeing my beauty," said the one known as Mother with a devious, cruel smile on her face, "you meat creatures are receiving the highest honor of the land by just being in the same room as me, hearing my astounding voice. Why you should thank the spirits you're even breathing the same air as me."
She laughed then and it was a sharp, piercing sound that seemed to jab right at one's mind along with their ears, causing an immediate aversion that struck on both the mental and physical level. Ulric and Ram knew immediately this was a person who should be despised and hated, who was cruel in more ways than they ever wanted to imagine. "Ah, now what was I doing," questioned Mother, "just kidding, I was about to question you both, though I already know the answer to one question." She grabbed Subaru's chin with her hand, quickly taking in the scent on his body.
"So it's you then, male meat creature," she said, "you are the one claiming to be the new Sin Archbishop of Pride?"
"I proclaim only what is written in the gospel," replied Ulric, "and mine proclaims it to be so. Ask some of the others from the cult, they'll certainly agree that I have been blessed with a great deal of the Witch's love."
"Well of course you have!" Sang Mother before doing a quick spin with her arms held up in the air, "for you have found yourself within the presence of the greatest and most beautiful of all the Sin Archbishops! I am the Sin Archbishop of Lust: Capella Emerada Lugnica!"
"But how is that possible?" Questioned Ram, "that is the name of the ruling royal family." She was quickly silenced by Capella suddenly morphing her left arm into that of a giant black, clawed limb which stopped just short of Ram's face.
"Obviously you are an incompetent fool for not already knowing why I have such a name," said Capella, "but since I'm such a kind, gentle soul I'll take the time to explain it to you, yet again, in a way you can understand: with my spit which is loved by masochists like you!" She let out another piercing laugh at her own apparent joke. "I am the most beautiful, most wonderful, most kind, most alluring woman to ever walk the face of this world. Those who are lucky enough to be blessed with even the slightest hint of my presence are already receiving more than the world will ever be able to offer them and as such, only the name belonging to the highest, noblest, and most luxurious royal family will do."
"Of….course," said Ram, doing her best to get a read on the clearly insane girl's mood, "forgive this ignorant meat person."
"That's more like it," said Capella before turning to Ulric, "but that still begs the question as to why the new Sin Archbishop of Pride is here?"
"I believe the most beautiful and gracious Capella has already answered that herself," replied Ulric, doing his best to keep his voice even, "I am in the presence of the greatest of all the Sin Archbishops. Who better for me to learn from, who better for me to serve, who better to show me the path than you, most beautacious Capella, Sin Archbishop of Lust?" He bowed his head lower then, truthfully preferring to look at the floor as opposed to the mad child in front of him. He also wished he could cover his ears when said cultist began with her piercing laughter again.
"Oh I think I might actually like this one, Elsa," said Capella, "he catches on quick and, with a little work, will be quite an elegant speaker. Alright, I suppose they have enough on their minds besides meat for me to at least try them out. Though just so they're clear about how things work around here." She held her hands up to them while Ulric raised his head, blinking as he wondered what she was trying to do.
He blinked when she put her hand on his head before nearly recoiling at the sight that greeted him upon her removing it. Where Ram had just been kneeling a moment before, was a pile of meat! 'What manner of demonic power is this?!' Ulric almost shouted aloud before Capella put her hand on the pile again, returning Ram to her original form. It had clearly been an unpleasant experience as the red-haired Oni was on the verge of hyperventilating while on her hands and knees. "I know, my intoxicating and boundless power leaves my children almost as breathless as my beauty."
"W-What, what did you," questioned Ram as she continued trying to get her breathing under control.
"Why it's my authority, little meat person," replied Capella with an evil smile, "as you've no doubt gathered already, mine is the strongest, most potent and powerful of all the authorities of the other Sin Archbishops. And this is how I might punish either of you should you make a mistake. Now then," Capella snapped her fingers, signaling a figure dressed in a cloth outfit made of a similar material to what Elsa and she were wearing to appear, "take them to the rooms for the new recruits, because tomorrow we'll be testing what it is these children have to offer."
The apparent assassin nodded mutely before cutting off the ropes binding their wrists and signaling to Ulric and Ram to follow them. The pair did their best to make it look like they weren't hurrying out of the room. Meanwhile, Capella examined her right hand for a moment. 'Strange, my authority didn't work on the meat knight.' "Is something the matter, Mother," questioned Elsa.
"Oh not at all, my child," replied Capella, "just pondering what to do with our new arrivals. I feel things are going to get a little more, chaotic, around here very soon."
The Rooms of the New Recruits
Their apparent guide said very few words while leading them to their destination, a corridor filled with numerous doors on either side of it. The assassin opened one of the doors and pointed to Ulric, indicating that it would be his room. He then pointed at Ram and indicated the next door down would be hers. After that, their guide departed and practically melted into the shadows down at the end of the hall.
"I shouldn't be surprised that Shinobi would be employed in an organization of assassins," said Ram as she walked right into Ulric's room. Under better circumstances he might've rolled his eyes at this action but refrained upon remembering they were in enemy territory now. With that in mind, he slid into the room and closed the door behind him, making absolutely sure it was locked. He turned to his compatriot then who'd taken the liberty to sit on what was to serve as his bed.
"Are you alright," he asked, "what happened just now was-."
"Indescribable, yes," said Ram, still holding her composure surprisingly well, "for almost a solid minute I couldn't move, talk, breath or even think. While I'd never admit it out loud to you it's taking everything I have to keep myself together at the moment." Had the circumstances been better Ulric would've teased her by saying she had indeed admitted that fact out loud. Instead, he brought up what he knew was likely on her mind at the moment.
"So, we're most assuredly killing that monstrosity that parades around as a little girl," said Ulric, "along with our own target as well?"
"Yes," said Ram, "for once you and I are of the exact same mind. The time has come to visit wrath upon such senseless murderers, for my sister's sake."
"'If one does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow,'" quoted Ulric, "and this den of sinners most certainly has not repented. So what shall be our first step?"
End of Wrath Part 1
And there you have it everyone, the end of the first part of Ulric and Ram's journey of vengeance has begun! Also, yes I know I could've gone on a bit longer, but there's a lot more to cover in this short story and this seemed like a good ending point. But fear not, part 2 shall be along soon enough and that's when the dominos really start falling. So in the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or any requests you've got for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as the Crusader and Oni enact their plans to punish all those responsible for their misery! 'Til then.