Luca looked at the metal sewer cover where she was supposed to carve a glyph into. She had been surprised at first where Guts wanted the glyph, it being so specific and well, rather dirty. That being said, Falconia's plumbing system was incredible and was rather uniform, made in circles around the city. It was fantastic, much like everything else in this gilded city. Yes gilded, she could see that now. Perhaps not in a literal sense, but she saw it more now, the stains that covered this miracle city. Something was horribly wrong, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

But now she had her task and was at a puzzlement as to how to do it. She supposed she could use a knife maybe, but she wasn't sure if she had anything heavy duty enough. Luckily the glyph she had to write wasn't that complicated and mostly straight lines.

Luca glanced around; nobody was really around. She hoped it stayed that way, it looked like she would need some help to lift and carve the thing. She hurried home.

As governor Luca had a pretty nice house. Not as nice as her house when she was a mistress, but it was more fair this way, and it was all hers. Yes, Luca was quite the self made woman. Her fellow former prostitutes were also helpers, secretaries of sorts. But she needed one of the blacksmiths probably, or just a handyman. Someone she trusted, scratch that, someone she trusted to not tell anyone if she asked him to…

Algar! Of course, he would be perfect!

Luca checked in to her office on the bottom floor of her house to see if there was any immediate work that needed to be done. The Queen was coming by later, but the day was still young, and besides that there wasn't much. Nothing at least that couldn't be done tomorrow. She then went in search of Algar.

Algar was a barrel maker and conveniently crushing pretty hard on Luca. He was a sweet man, but he obviously wanted a wife that could help him with his business, and unfortunately for him Luca was quite happy with her current job. Or She had been. Luca was seriously rethinking it all. Could she continue to live and serve a man who had done such a thing to Casca? Her heart told her no, not much longer.

And if there was going to be some sort of battle in Falconia, she wanted to be far away, and she wanted all of her tennents away from it too. Maybe she should start writing up evacuation plans, whatever goes down, that wouldn't be a bad idea.

She was at Algar's place before she knew it.

"Miss Luca!" He greeted once he saw her outside his window, "What can I do you for?"

She smiled, "Good to see you too. I was actually needing your help etching something."

"Etching something?"

"Can I come in?" She asked.

"Oh, of course!" He got up from his work table to open the door. "Feel free to let yourself in whenever, I trust you not to try and steal anything." He laughed somewhat awkwardly.

Luca entered and sat where he pulled out a chair for her. He sat down at what was obviously his usual spot.

"Now, what's this business with etching? I will warn you, I'm no great artist."

She laughed, "No, don't worry. I was planning to do it myself and I'm anything but artistically inclined, but I'm not even strong enough to lift the cover."

"Cover?"

"It would be eaier to show you, do you have the time?." She asked.

"Uh, yes?" He answered.

"Oh, wonderful, come with me then." She grabbed his hand to lead the way. He paused to grabbed the tools necessary and then followed (very much enjoying holding hands with Luca.)

Luca didn't want to lead him on, but he was a very kind man. Maybe later something might work out, but now she had a job to get done.

The manhole wasn't far away, just a short walk really. Soon enough they were there.

"I need you to mark this," Luca drew the glyph in the dirt, "Onto the cover, think it's possible?"

"Oh sure, just give me a little help lifting it."

So they did.

"Soo, what exactly is this for? Public art?" Algar asked while he copied the glyph.

"Uhh, not exactly." Luca said, trying to figure out how much to reveal. "It's a bit more personal, sort of a lucky charm. It means a lot that you're helping me." She added, "And by personal, I mean the less people who know about it the better it works, so if you could keep it quiet…"

"Of course," He looked up from his work with a smile, "My lips are sealed."

Once he was done, Luca thanked him a kiss on the cheek, and they went their separate ways. Luca went back to prepare for the Queen's visit.

She finished up her duties and then made sure the table was fit for a queen as best she could. The Queen was incredibly kind, her and the King were as good a rulers as one could hope (at least for now.) Time passed quickly and soon enough the royal and her guards were at the door. Luca's district was a rising star in the city, thanks in part to Luca's management.

They ate and exchanged pleasantries and then it was time for the actual work. Luca couldn't help but yet again notice the change in her demeanor since the Queen had lost her baby. She was more mature than she had been before, like someone had opened the door to the real world. Gone were the extravagant dresses and jewelry. It was almost as if she had gone into mourning, which while not unusual at the loss of a child, but for it to last this long… that was unusual. While in Luca's office, the Queen dismissed her guards, telling them to wait outside. Luca's assistants were more than happy to entertain them, who, while no longer prostitutes, still enjoyed the attention, finding it more fun when there was no obligation.

With the door shut, the Queen, asked, "And this is secure. No one will hear us?"

"As secure as you can, Your Majesty." Luca replied. "Why, is there something the matter? I can lock the door."

"Please do."

So Luca did, placing the key on her desk when she was done. She gestured for the Queen to sit on a couch while grabbing some after dinner drinks.

"Would you care for one, Your Majesty?" Luca asked, not at all prepared for what came next.

"Have you spoken with the Black Swordsman?"

What? How did she know? What was going on? Had she been found out? Had she told the King yet? Deciding lying to a queen wasn't the best idea, Luca said, "I did. I had met him a few years back. I was wondering what had happened in that time, and what had happened to Casca."

"Casca…" The Queen said rather sadly, "She had a hard life. I wonder where she is."

"You knew her?" The Queen knew who Casca was? It wasn't impossible, but was if so it a smaller world that Luca would've thought.

"Not well, but she was the second in command of the Band of the Hawk. She was King Griffith's right hand man. Did you find out where she is?"

"She's dead." Luca said, "And according to Guts, Griffith raped her."

This information didn't seem to shock the Queen, who's only reaction was the somber look in her eyes growing.

"I figured as much, the poor girl." She then fixed her eyes with Luca's, "I assumed you've grown to hate the King for that."

She'd been found out- what now? Death? Torture?

The Queen actually laughed at her distress, was it going to be that bad?

"I also hate my husband," She continued, "Do not worry."

"I-" Luca was at a loss for words, "What?"

"Yes, I'm planning to overthrow him."

"But-"

"I seemed to be in love with him?" The sorrow turned to anger.

Luca nodded cautiously.

"He's been trying to kill me for a few years now, I thought I might return the favor."

"We are together on this?" Luca asked.

"It would seem so."

Luca took a sip of her drink. "So, you spoke with Guts?"

"Not yet, but I've been working with others who goals align with ours. If he's asked for your help, then we must all be trying for the same goal."

"How do you know he's asked for my help?"

The Queen looked caught, "I had my most loyal servant watch over him to make sure no one killed him while he was weak."

"He asked me to finish a glyph circle. Said it could kill a bunch of the War Demons." Luca said, "I finished it today."

"So a circle is finished. Do you think it's the same circle I need to report on? It wouldn't specifically kill demons, I mean, but that would be the end result."

"How were you to know?"

"I would check where it should be."

"On 5th and Hooper?"

Her eyes lit up. "Maybe Guts is working for them after all."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Luca said, "He seemed… lost."

"Lost?"

"I don't know how to say it any better." Luca admitted, "But, even if he is an instrument of this group, I doubt he knows it."

"Either way I will send the message." The Queen looked at the clock. "Well that didn't take up much time at all. Do you have any other matters of concern?"

"Evacuation plans." Luca answered, "If all hell breaks loose we don't need people who can't fight here."

"I hadn't even thought of that. Do you have any ideas?"

"A few, your grace, but I'll need someone else to look at them to see if they're feasible."

"Done."

They talked a while longer about more mundane things before Queen Charlotte decided it was time to retire for the night.

…

Guts was being interrogated, again. Well maybe not technically interrogated, but it certainly felt that way. By that albino bird bastard no less.

"Guts, I know you still hate me, but I need you to do this for me."

Guts hated how he looked now. At dinner he'd been blinded by all of his emotions, making him observe things in a haze. Now that he was well rested Griffith's charisma was almost too much. It made Guts want to forget, for everything to go back to the way it was- NO, this wasn't Griffith, this was Femto playing at Griffith! Femto had- Griffith had-

Argh! The pain from the brand pulsed.

"I can't make that pain go away, but if you answer my questions truthfully I can put you in much nicer rooms."

"I don't give a sh*t."

"Very well, but you should still answer them. I will be able to tell if you're lying." Griffith looked down at the piece of paper in his hand.

"Why do you care?" Guts spit out.

"I just do." Griffith took a step closer.

Guts gritted his teeth to stop from crying out. Why was Griffith asking these questions? It was all pretty straight forward what Guts had been doing this entire time.

"So please?" Griffith took a step back.

It wasn't much, but it was a bit of breathing room. Guts decided that if the 'brilliant tactician' Griffith couldn't figure out that Guts was gunning for revenge than he might as well indulge him. It wasn't a secret or anything.

"I've been everywhere." Guts said, "Killing everything that swore allegiance to you."

"But after you found Casca you seemed to be trying to find ways to heal her and-"

"Don't you speak her name." Guts growled.

Griffith put up a placating hand. "Fine fine, I was just curious. You seemed determined to help her."

"I failed her."

"Failed her?"

"She's dead!" He spelled it out. Maybe Griffith was an idiot.

"How did she die?"

"Why does everyone want to know?" Guts muttered.

Griffith persisted, "How did she die?"

"I killed her."

Griffith blinked before laughing.

Guts didn't have a response, still reeling with his confession. Yes, he killed the one person he cared about more than anything in this world. He was truly a monster. But what better to kill a monster than another monster. That was all he had left. He didn't deserve to live, if his body would him die, he would've already.

"I'm sorry," Griffith apologised, "That was insensitive of me. But why would you do such a thing?"

When Guts didn't respond, Griffith pieced it together, "The Berserker Armor. I should have guessed sooner, that's pretty wicked stuff. They say the old King Gaiseric wore armor like that. He was unstoppable on the battlefield, but that didn't stop his kingdom from crumbling." Griffith smiled, "You see, he must've been like you, able to leap out of the flow of causality, how else would he create such an empire without divine intervention? Without nothing going wrong until the end. Maybe that armor is cursed in more than one way."

There were rebuttals to what Griffith was saying, sure, but Guts was too far away to react. He had spiraled down down down… With nobody to fight it turned to sorrow. A sorrow that threatened to drown him. If he was someone who could die it would've swallowed him already, but he kept afloat some how.

"Guts?" It was like he was under water everything was distorted. "Guts? Was it too much? Guts-?"

He couldn't feel his heartbeat or his breath. Was he dead? Dying?! Would he go into that vortex, into another hell?

No, he was just going to sleep.

And as the world blacked out he it felt as if arms were wrapped around him. Comforting him as he drifted off.