[text]: Phanes aka WOL usually cursing or insulting in his Amaurotine language to avoid speaking vulgarities in front of children

Within the Ala Mhigo castle halls, a pair of guards in black metallic armor reunited with each other. The Pilus in black armor panted heavily as he questioned. "Did you find him?"

"No, he should not be able to run far from the infirmary. A dosage worth to make a dozen of Sacred Marid to coma for a long while injected before landing here to treat his injuries by his Radiance's orders." The other Pilus answered, anxiety mixed in his words.

"Come on, he should be around someplace… Else, Lord Zenos will have our heads if he discovers the Warrior of Light missing when he visits the infirmary…!" They spun on their heels by a sharp nod from the two soldiers and rushed off in a different direction.

But, behind the pillar near where they stood… The Warrior of Light, Phanes, whom they were searching for, overhearing everything from where he hid. His short white hair in a slight mess with a bandage wrapped around his head, including a throbbing pain every few minutes.

Legionary Visor, worn on Phanes's scarred face and dressed in white Haori when he roused. They replaced his white mask taken along with his equipment. Maroon eyes flinched at the pain once more. His vision flickered between darkness and drowsiness from the sleeping drug they mentioned. It made sense of the faint whiff of Belladonna he recognized.

"Damn it… What the hell is happening?!" The white-haired Amaurotine-Hyur growled in his mind. He shook his head in frustration. Everything was still a blur to him, be it the drug or the blow on his head, which knocked him unconscious.

One hand moved to his left ear, where his spare linkpearl hidden inside with the emergency of it broken… Or taken away if he were to be captured. "Xehde… Xehde… Come in, it's me. Are you guys—!"

Little to his shock, a buzzing sound transmitted from his linkpearl by the hidden jamming sensor around the hallway. Another frustrated grunt escaped Phanes's lips. He clenched both fists opened and closed to examine the bandages around his arms.

Unsure of being grateful or suspicious that his fractured ribs, arms, and limbs treated and healing despite supposedly taken as a captive to the XIIth Imperial Legion.

Though it'd be more of the latter, from the constricting feeling around his neck by a magitek collar unbreakable by physical means.

Peered his head around to make sure no other Imperial Legion walking by, the Amaurotine-Hyur headed to the nearest open door inside and hid behind a pillar.

Before he breathed out in respite, an unknown voice caught his attention. "I always knew that woman was unfit for command…"

Swung his head to the criticism, Phanes's eyes widened realized where he entered. Inside the throne chamber, a group of eight black Pilus and two red stood in a double-line behind the lone officer. The said officer stood right before the large Legatus of XIIth Legion and Crown Prince, Zenos yae Galvus. His head resting on his lifted right hand, peering at the frightened officer before him.

"Aye. When you think all of the resources, we poured into that hole. And for what?" The Militum on the front of Zenos's right in the double-line responded.

"Resources…?" Phanes wondered. He picked up another quick skim, realizing how no one noticed his presence yet…. The white-haired Amaurotine-Hyur moved a few further steps closer to the closest pillar next to the last imperial guard.

Once hidden from view, Phanes stared at Zenos stood from his throne. He drew one of the three katana from his large holder, a familiar red katana to study briefly. Cold blue orbs stared at the Pilus, lowering his head at both his failure and impending execution.

When the Pilus raised his head to speak, a clean-cut sliced across his chest with his blood splattered against the Legatus's black armor and the floor. Any further gossips among the soldiers silenced at the swiftness kill of their departed comrade.

The Warrior of Light never tore his eyes away out of fear, unlike the soldiers, clicked his tongue in loathing and unsurprised of Zenos's nature.

"I wonder, will you stand and show yourself before my parlor now…?" Even though it was a quiet murmur to anyone, Phanes's ears picked up Zenos's voice from afar.

Before the Amaurotine-Hyur questioned at the nonsensical blabber, another footstep caught his attention.

A familiar orange-haired Hyuran woman wearing segmented armor, with a prominent tattoo on the left of her face, strode in later, halted to make an imperial salute.

"Fordola rem Lupis, come at the command of the lord viceroy to present the prisoner taken by the Crania Lupi!"

"Crania Lupi…? Prisoner but who—It can't be…. Don't tell me….?!" A surge of worry and fear swelled in the Warrior of Light's soul. His hands quivered with fury. One of the Resistance member taken prisoner while they were—! "Nngh!"

The throbbing pain in his skull returned as he struggled to recall to no avail. Phanes still couldn't remember how he ended up being captured at all. Another faint footstep arrested his concern, to which his heart dropped in horror at who he saw and recognized.

A familiar female Lalafellin in a distinctive yellow, White Mage robe with animal ears walked in from Fordola's back. Her head sank with two soldiers accompanying between her.

The trio halted their movement, as the Lalafell turned her head to the giant blond-haired Legatus. "Zenos yae Galvus, I presume?"

The said Legatus shifted his attention to the Lalafell prisoner. Her brows furrowed at the apathy blue eyes as she continued. "It's true what they say. You do have the eyes of a monster. A ravenous, insatiable fiend."

"Miss Krile…," Phanes narrowed his eyes as he thought, before twisting back to the front to analyze. None of them seemed aware of his presence even now. He noted to get both himself and Krile out here was still challenging. As reason was the only person facing Zenos to come out alive.

The Crown Prince's prowess and speed were things never to belittle, even if he held back all this while. That fucking bastard made fun of the white-haired Amaurotine-Hyur in watching him drawing closer to his level, later understanding how much further he still was.

Unfazed by Krile's remark, Zenos turned to one of the imperial soldiers.

"You. Give the Butcher your weapon."

"My…? Yes, my lord!" The Pilus answered at once before the stained red katana slain him next. Unbuckled the gunblade on his side, he handed over the weapon to the Commander Hyuran with both hands.

Surprised colored Fordola's face at the honor given by the Crown Prince, accepting the gunblade before shifting to her lord. "My lord, this is—!"

"A reward given in recognition of your service. I trust you will prove more capable than its former owner," The Crown Prince explained in a straightforward tone.

However, Phanes snorted mentally, arguably from the true meaning of Legatus's words.

"[Congratulations on securing promotion in your convenience as a tool before getting discarded, dumbass.]"

A slight smile curled on Fordola's lips after peering at her reward once more and saluted. "I… I swear I'll not disappoint you, my lord!"

"Good," Zenos's blue orbs returned to Krile standing behind the Commander Hyur and ordered. "Now, silence that mewling little piglet. I would not hear another sound pass her lips… Until I strip the fat from her."

"[Over my dead body, royal shit head!]" At the mental declaration, Phanes sprung out of his hiding and leaped towards Fordola's group.

Before the soldier on Krile's right reached for his sword, the Amaurotine-Hyur threw a rock he grabbed earlier towards his head.

The minute the rock struck the soldier's head, Phanes ducked then elbowed him away.

His sudden presence startled the eight imperial soldiers, Fordola, and Krile, to the Lalafell's horror of his captured existence.

"The Warrior of Light!" Fordola yelled as she readied her just earned gunblade.

"And, Commander of Skulls, what an unpleasant surprise," Phanes quipped in his mocking polite tone, nudged the other soldier on Krile's left with the blade in hand. He crouched down to dodge the Skull Commander's swinging of her gunblade before rising to steal it from her hand. "I'll be borrowing this, Commander. But I can't promise I will return it the way it was!"

Grabbed hold of the White Mage Lalafell up into his grasp, the Amaurotine-Hyur whirled and dashed for the exit. But when Phanes reached, stopping to shove the door open as hard as he could…. Only later, he realized the door wasn't merely challenging to open but being locked from somewhere.

Footsteps behind the pair drew closer, Phanes set Krile down behind him as they swung to meet the imperial guards and Skulls heading and surrounding them. He raised the stolen gunblade and positioned at one of the coming black-armored guards. "Any closer, and I'll open fire!"

"Hah! Bark and no bite, Eorzean savage! With that collar, you can't—!"

BANG!

"Argh! My eye!" Blood gushed out from one of the imperial soldier's ocular, falling as he sought to remove his helmet to treat his injured eye.

Phanes scoffed at the soldier's pathetic scream and writhing in pain. He regarded the remaining standing officers, wary of him still being a menace to them. "I may be no professional in operating a gunblade…. But I'd be an absolute fool if I didn't know how it functions after crafting and repairing similar weapons for a friend."

One last scan to the soldiers, the Amaurotine-Hyur's maroon orbs glanced behind to his Lalafell companion and whispered.

"Anything at all, Miss Krile…?"

"Sadly, no…," Krile's brows furrowed, her hands moving around in attempting for a mechanism to give away in unlocking the door.

"They fortify the exit with anti-aetherial enhancements, Evyind."

Narrowed his eyes, Phanes turned back to the imperial soldiers who stood armed with their own gunblades and swords. "There are now nine rounds in here, either you share to kill yourself with it, or we'll use it to take out our own lives!"

Ignoring the outrage at the declaration as he pushed the blade next to his neck, Phanes focused on Krile's reaction. He hoped the Lalafell understood his plan.

From her green orbs widened in astonishment before hinting an understanding glance.

The Amaurotine-Hyur internally breathed a relieved sigh.

Now… If the medicine didn't affect Phanes's judgment, he guessed the number of bullets correctly by the weight of the gunblade.

Mere luck, he thought to himself in aiming right into the imperial soldier's eye.

The same soldier mentioned and confirmed his remarks, the magitek collar on the Champion of Light's neck zapped, not only his physical strength….

It also drained, and suppressed all of his aether to prevent from being regenerated.

"Curse you, savage! You dare—!"

The dull pain of the gunblade cutting a thin line of Phanes's pale neck pushed a slight more, bleeding and staining the collar of his white haori in red. His eyes narrowed and responded with a deadbeat voice. "I'm not repeating myself twice, 'savage'. It's our exit of this misery or two dead bodies of your prisoner."

"Silence, Warrior of Light! You dare to—!" Before Fordola stood forward, a chilling chuckle stopped all movement.

The imperial soldiers, and Skulls parted away for the origin of the laugh to come forward.

Heavy and slow footsteps matched the overwhelming presence of the Legatus, approaching with a delighted smirk on his face. "Well, well…. If I have known you're livelier when awake, I would have visited you sooner, my friend."

"And, if I had known you are still in your 'delusional' state, Your Radiance. I should have brought that concoction from the infirmary and smashed right to your brain upon cracking your skull open via your third eye." Phanes spat politely, the grip of his gunblade tighten as his glare grew fiercer at the approaching Crown Prince.

Krile's and the Imperial soldiers' surprise at Zenos's proclamation ignored in favor of the blasted grin on the Legatus's face.

He knew from the start when the white-haired Amaurotine-Hyur entered and hid behind the pillar, waiting for him to appear as he murmured.

"Delusional?" The large Legatus laughed, his stride never ceased along his grin widened at his 'friend's' attempt to make his threat real. "Wasn't you declared us to be 'friends' after that night, my beast? Presenting your heartfelt gift and feelings of how common we both are…."

"I do not understand what bullshit you're spouting, Your Radiance. Has executing your own soldier gotten a little too high for you?" Phanes snapped back, his eyes darting back between himself and Krile. Things were manageable if he's alone. He could handle Zenos long enough until a bunch of foolish soldiers entered to give him his escape.

"Now, on a more important matter, Your Radiance." Phanes jerked his head back to the Garlean Crown Prince, who stopped a distance before him. "What's your actual purpose for capturing Miss Krile—?!

"Gngh!" The Amaurotine-Hyur faltered, one hand raised to clutch his head at the returned throbbing pain in his skull.

The other gripped tighter of the gunblade, his blurry vision trying to focus on Zenos's malicious smirk at his vulnerable state.

Krile moved to the Warrior of Light's side, ready to support him. "Evyind!"

"I'm alright… It's just… Nngh!" After assuring the concerned Lalafell, Phanes directed his glare back at the Legatus while trying to push the pain away. "Answer me! Why was Miss Krile, and I brought here by your—Argh!"

"Me?" Another chuckle escaped from Zenos, blue orbs glinted and took another few more steps closer. "It was 'you,' my friend. You willing fall into the hands of your hunter all to save those savages. Your so-called 'friends' of what the stars have written as you said."

Teeth gritted in anger at how much venom the Crown Prince spat of his friends, yet the intense pain made the Warrior of Light unable to retort against his insult. Zenos showed a satisfied grin, leaning towards his smaller 'friend.' "Remember, my beast… Remember the first step of our dance…. You, the prey, fallen into the jaws of your predator."

"Argh… S…. Shut up!" Phanes growled with no bite, trying hard to resist the pain. However, it became clearer to him as he thought to himself. "I…. T… That's right… I ended up here because…!"

END