Tales of Xalthia
Chapter 42: Crushing Force
Ramza and the others made their way through the forest, following the trail of the hunter with Cheria's Tracer ability. Tsuki remained in the village to recover from an attack that left him temporarily paralyzed. Meanwhile, with the Hunter's incredible speed and sense of tracking, he had already reached his destination. There was a small little hut that was well hidden within the nature and overgrowth of the forest. Despite how well hidden the hut was though, it wasn't enough to remain hidden from him.
The man walked up to the hut's door which was actually fake stone wall. At first glance, it looks like a normal rock wall but if one were to look closely, you could see the wall's imperfections. He soon held his arm back and punched the stone wall with enough force to destroy it completely. On the other side of the fake wall, t he villages were cowering in fear.
The man had a truly menacing look on his face as a wicked grin formed on his face. "Well, isn't this nice? All the vermin are all rounded up in a single space. Unfortunately for you, there's nowhere else for you to run" he said. He then looked around the room and his gaze soon fell on Cesela who was in the back corner. Unlike the rest of the Demi-Humans, she exhibited no fear. She simply stood her ground and glared at him. "Ah, there you are. You should know that you will never escape us, Number 169" he said.
Cesela tried her hardest to put up a brace face. Truthfully, she was very scared but tried not to show it. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.
The man shrugged his shoulders. "Vermin like you should be put to good use. Relationships between Humans and Faeries is a disgusting act and an act that deserves punishment" he said. He then ran his hand through his hair before holding it out to her with a smug look on his face. "I'll tell you what: if you surrender yourself to us, I'll let the rest of these vermin go" he said.
Cesela continued to give him the cold stare, pointing her finger out at him with a defiant look. "Hmph...so I can endure your cruel and senseless treatment again? I don't think so. I'll never surrender myself to you" she said.
The man shook his head. "Well, it would seem you've allowed yourself to be influenced by those people. No matter. Nothing a little...rehabilitation won't fix" he said, reaching for his axe on his back. "Allow me to remind you what happens when you defy your masters, little girl" he said.
Just as the man grabbed onto his axe, a curved blade appeared around his neck from behind. Looking back behind him, he noticed that the curved blade was actually a scythe and it's wielder was none other than Ryoka, the village elder. "I have a better idea. How about I cut your head off and send it back to Sirione?" he asked in a passive aggressive tone.
The man looked down at the blade and instantly recognized it by the scythe's unique design alone. There was only one person that had a scythe like that. "Well, now this certainly is a surprise. I didn't expect to find you here of all places. I was under the impression that you fell in combat a long time ago" he said.
Ryoka chuckled a bit, keeping the blade up to his neck. "So sorry to disappoint you but I'm very much alive and kicking" he said.
The man grinned a bit before suddenly spinning around, swinging his right leg around as he spun around in a sweeping motion. Ryoka then heightened his focus as he vanished from sight briefly. After dodging his attack, he reappeared a few feet away from him.
The man examined Ryoka now that he was facing him without having the blade of his scythe pressed against his neck. He had aged quite a bit since he last saw him but his skills didn't appear to have diminished at all. They looked as refined as ever. "I see you're still in top fighting form. Your age hasn't slowed you down one bit. But what did I expect from the former Knight Commander of Sirione?" he said.
Ryoka was dressed in armor that looked really old but was well-maintained. The armor h ad a crest of a griffon engraved into the metal plating of his chest. The look in his eyes were also different. They weren't the eyes of a simple village elder anymore. They were the eyes of what you'd see in a veteran fighter who's seen their fair share of combat. He glared at the man as he took an attack stance. "I may have gotten older but my fighting form will never wane. Not until Sirione is back in the hands of her proper rulers" he said. His tone of voice was also different. It had a deeper, almost commanding tone to it that was completely different than his elder voice. In short, his entire presence and demeanor was completely different.
The man chuckled once more. "Well, it's nice to see the former Commander being so optimistic. Unfortunately for you though, we hold the seat of power and there's nothing you can do about it" he said, taking a defensive stance.
The two stared at each other in silence for about a minute. Suddenly, Ryoka shot forward with a burst of speed, quickly closing the gap between them as he held his scythe up, swinging at him in a rightwards motion. The man took his axe off his back and blocked the attack, the tip of the blade just inches away from his head. He then broke the stand-off and swung his axe at Ryoka in an uppercut motion. Ryoka did a backflip to avoid the attack. Once he regained his bearings, he swung his scythe from left to right several times, releasing four energized sickles at the man. The man then used his axe to cut through three of the sickles and narrowly dodging the fourth one though getting cut up by it a little bit as it shot past his face. With the man staggered, Ryoka's hand was enveloped with a purple energy as he placed his hand on the ground. Moments later, blasts of purple energy shot out from the ground around the man, soon striking him from below his feet, launching him up into the air. The man recovered from the attack, gripping his axe with both hands as he held it up over his head and then tossing it at Ryoka with extreme force. Ryoka looked up and jumped back just as the axe slammed into the ground where he was standing but before he could react once more, the man came barreling down at him, his fist outwards as he shot at Ryoka like a rocket. Ryoka blocked his punch by blocking it with the pole of his scythe, causing a small crater under his feet from the force of the attack. It took Ryoka several moments to bring himself to break the stand-off by ducking and swinging his axe in an uppercut motion. The man jumped back just as the blade slices the air just inches in front of him as he backflips back to his axe.
The man placed his hand on his axe as it laid implanted into the ground, the long handle stick up into the air as he looked towards Ryoka with a satisfied grin on his face. "Yes. That's the Commander I once knew. You may have aged but your fighting skills are as top-notch as ever" he said, chuckling a little bit.
Ryoka held his scythe across his shoulders as he stared down the man intently. "You could never beat me back then. What makes you think you stand a chance now?" he asked.
The man chuckled some more as he reached for something behind him. "True. Your fighting style and technique did reign supreme back then. However, the times have changed and your fighting style is now obsolete. It's time new tactics were employed on the battlefield" he said.
The man then pulled out the crystal from before and almost immediately, it started to glow once more. The air around them grew heavier just like the village. Moments later, both Shades and Dusks appeared from the darkness that the crystal was giving off. All of which surrounded Ryoka.
The man stood behind the wall of Shades and Dusks as he kept his gaze on Ryoka. "Why rely on old fashioned techniques when you can simply overcome such obstacles by sheer, overwhelming and limitless force? Sirione and Eresseas are perfect examples. Age-old traditions and techniques passed down from countless fighters yet were utterly overwhelmed by a crushing, relentless force" he said with a menacing look on his face.
Ryoka started to make a connection that caused several flashbacks for him from the time Sirione fell under attack by an overwhelming and mysterious force. A force so powerful that not even their best fighters stood a chance. "...I see now. So, that's how Sirione fell so easily. These...things were sent to drive a wedge through our defenses, giving you a clear path to the royal family that you cut down. Then, you used these things to wipe out the last of the resistance" he said. It didn't make sense to him until now.
The man gripped his axe, picking it up and placing it over his shoulder. "You're catching on. It's thanks to King Caius that we were given such power" he said. He then swung his axe a bit before holding it outwards toward Ryoka. "And it is with that power that we will continue to reign over Sirione and do with the Demi-Humans that we see fit and I will start by finally striking you down once and for all and rounding up this misguided cattle of yours" he said.
Just then, a girl's voice shouted out from the forest behind Ryoka. "That's what you think!" the voice shouted out as it echoed through the woods.
Moments later, several energized arrows shot out from the brush past Ryoka and colliding into groups of bunched-up Shades and Dusks. Along with the arrows, sparks of electricity came shooting down and striking the group, thinning out their numbers a little bit. Then, a blast of black flames shot past Ryoka and collided with the man, who ended up taking up a stance as a barrier formed around him before the flames could touch him.
Soon, Cheria and the others had emerged from the brush and stood beside Ryoka. Rein was surprised to see Ryoka in what had appeared to be royal armor. He even recognized the design and insignia on platings. He knew there was something to Ryoka that he didn't tell them but he couldn't figure out what it was but this was something he didn't expect. Everyone else, however, had no idea who he was. All they knew was that he needed help.
Cesela's ears twitched excitedly as her tail wagged as she made her way through the cowering crowd of villagers and stood in the destroyed entryway of the shelter. The sound of Cheria's voice and everyone's familiar scent brought happiness and relief to her. "Cheria! Everyone! You're all okay!" she shouted.
Lynette looked towards the shelter and saw Cesela. She was relieved to see her unhurt and well. "Cesela! Are you okay!?" she said.
Cesela nodded, wiping her eyes a bit as they watered up a bit from tears of happiness. "I'm fine! I just knew I'd see you all again" she said.
Ramza rested his greatsword over his shoulder as he held onto his gun with his left hand, aiming it at the man within the barrier. "Hang in there just a little longer, kid" he said.
The man released the barrier and looked over at the newly appeared group of people. It was the same group that had interrupted his fun back in the village. Only this time, he wasn't about to let them off so easily. More than that, casual talk between Demi-Humans and Humans simply disgusts him. "You again? You people just don't know when to quit, do you? More Demi-Human sympathizers, I see. Disgusting vermin" he said.
Suddenly, Elle shot forward, blowing straight through the crowd of Shades and Dusks, striking them down with blinding speed. Then, once she came out the other side, she swung her sword in a horizontal motion with speed and force. "What's disgusting here is your very existence" she said in a cold tone.
The man didn't anticipate the intense speed of her attack and barely had enough time to block her attack, clashing his axe with her sword. To his surprise, the force of the clash actually forced him back a little bit. For someone her size to do that to him, he knew right away that she wasn't the average fighter. "Well, aren't you a feisty one? So small yet so strong. Someone with your talents and strength would be a perfect fit into our ranks" he said.
Elle gave him a ice cold stare that could send chills down a normal persons' spine. "Sorry but my services are employed with another. Besides, I don't work with vermin like yourself" she said. She then jumped back, breaking the clash and held her sword in the air. Moments later, a bolt of electricity shot down into the blade, making it electrified as it sparked, her power being focused into the blade itself. After a moment, the sparks grew dramatically in intensity. "Volatile Spark!" she shouted. She then swung her sword downwards, releasing a dense arc of electricity at the man, leaving an electrified trail behind it with bursts of electricity coming from it.
The man put up a barrier in front of him to absorb the attack but the intensity of the attack was too much and it shot right through the barrier, colliding with the man which caused an explosion of electricity, charging the already heavy air around them. You could practically feel the intense electrified air. As the smoke cleared, the man's armor had been blown off as he appeared to take a good bit of damage from the attack but still showed no signs of losing or giving up. Moments later, the man charged at Elle in retaliation, swinging his axe in a similar motion. Elle blocked the attack but ended up being pushed back from it, causing her to drop down to one knee as she was knocked off-balance. The man then charged at her once more and swung his axe downwards over her once he was close enough to her. However, before the axe could reach its mark, Lynette quickly cast a magical Arte called Sheltron which formed a dome-like barrier around Elle. The axe slammed down on the barrier and stopped dead in its track, preventing any harm to Elle. Ruko then slammed his steel gauntlets together and soon charged through the crowds of Dusks and Shades as well, killing what he could as he forced his way through to the other side. Once out, he lunged towards the man. The man jumped back but Ruko quickly closed the gap. Not giving him a moment to rest, he delivered two quick punches which were both blocked by the man's axe. Once they both stood at a stand-off with each other, Ruko pulled his right arm back as streaks of light went into the gauntlet. After a brief moment, he thrust his arm forward, slamming the gauntlet against the axe. Only this time, the force pushed the man back a bit, his feet digging into the ground. Almost in sync. Ramza and Luan had already forced their way through the remaining Dusks and Shades and charged at the man. They both jumped into the air and came barreling down at him with Ramza's greatsword and Luan's staff both in a downwards motion. Both weapons clashed with the handle of the man's axe as they landed on the ground and held the confrontation.
The man was briefly overwhelmed a bit when they all attack him at once. Despite being forced on the defensive, he had a pleased grin on his face as if he were enjoying this. "I got to hand it to you, you folks aren't half-bad. It's not often I get forced on the defensive side. Today is just full of surprises" he said, staring intently at Ramza.
Ramza glared at him as they both lock stares with each other with their weapons pressed up against one another. "You should give up while you have the chance. You can't possibly win against all of us" he said.
The man chuckled for a moment before his chuckle turned into a growl. "You really think you've won already? Don't get so ahead of yourself!" he shouted. He then swung his axe in a right diagonal motion, breaking their clash.
Ramza and Luan both jumped back when the clash broke. As they did, Phi came in charging from behind where Ramza and Luan stood. Her sword was enveloped with a light blue aura as she quickly closed the gap between them. Once she was close enough, she jumped up in the air with her sword over her head and landing back on the ground within arm's rach of him, slamming her sword against the ground, releasing a blast of blue energy at him that soon morphed into the face of a lion. Since breaking the clash threw him off-balance, he didn't have time to reach to the sudden attack so he took the full brunt of the attack which sent him back and crashing into a nearby boulder. Not wanting to give him a chance to recover, Rein took a stance, holding the blade of his sword close to his face as the blade was enveloped in black flames. The flames soon intensified as he lunged his katana forward, shooting out a blast of black flames at the boulder the Hunter crashed into, igniting the area in black flames.
Nagi, who was standing behind Luan watched as everyone threw their attacks in a relentless barrage at the man, feeling a bit tense. "Did we get him?" she asked.
Elle and Ramza cautiously approached the black flames that covered the area around the boulder. At first glance, it appeared to be over which made them drop their guard a bit. However, as they did that. the Hunter's axe, which had a pointed tip, thrust out of the flames at Ramza. Ramza quickly blocked it just before the tip impaled him but was forced back a bit. Before Elle could react, the axe then swung in a left diagonal motion at her. Elle blocked the attack, holding her ground. However, additional strength and force was applied in the clash which forced her away as well, sliding against the ground. Moments later, the axe disappeared within the flames once more and then a crescent wave of black and purple energy shot out towards Nagi and Luan. Phi quickly ran up to them, putting herself between them and the attack. She then struck her sword into the ground as energized wings formed on her back with a barrier forming in front of her as well. The attack soon collided into the barrier, seemingly not having any effect afterwards. Then, a similar attack soon shot out towards Lynette, who was out by herself. Ryoka rushed over to her side, took his scythe and sliced the attack in half with relative ease. Rein was about to charge in towards the flames when he sensed something coming towards him from underground. Moments later, a blast of energy shot out, blasting him up into the air and crashing back onto the ground.
Suddenly, the man charged out from the flames, his armor torn to shreds with significant damage done to him, shooting towards Cheria. Cheria quickly released several energy arrows but the man dodged them with ease. However, the arrows came back around and surrounded the man. Soon, the arrows came down over him, filling the air with dust and sand. There was a brief moment of respite when the man came out of the dust cloud, quickly closing the gap between him and Cheria. Before anyone knew it, he was within arm's reach which caused her to stagger back. The man pulled his free arm back, making a fist and lunged it forward and slammed it against her stomach. She ended put up some barriers in front of her which softened his attack but his fist went through all the barriers. She ended up coughing up blood. She amazingly stood her ground briefly before falling forward. He then grabbed onto her neck, lifting her up off the ground. It was just like what happened with Zieg except Tsuki wasn't around to help and everyone was too far spread out.
The man kept a moderate tight grip on her neck as he held her up off the ground. "I'm starting to like you guys! You're not all talk after all! The fact that you were able to wound me quite significantly tells me that there's more to you than I thought. However, it's my turn to retaliate now" he said. He then threw his axe down, the blade striking into the ground and then drew a short sword from behind him, angling the blade at Cheria's stomach.
Phi's barrier soon disappeared and faced in the direction of Cheria and the man. "Cheria!" she shouted. Just as she was about to act, black and purple sparks erupted from her body when she tried to move, effectively paralyzing her in place. "W-what is this!? The attack was blocked!" she said.
The same thing happened to Ryoka. He was also unable to move as the sparks immobilized him. "D-damn! It's one of his signature moves. The attack he used isn't all that powerful and can be easily evaded but when blocked, its aura seeps into the blocker and paralyzes them" he said.
The man chuckled, looking over at Ryoka. "I'm glad you remembered after all this time. Unfortunately for you, it's a little late" he said. He then looked back at Cheria and gave her figure a look over and from what he saw, he liked what he saw. "I could impale you with my sword or I could spare your life in exchange of becoming my personal slave. You're not a Demi-Human but you have a nice figure so I can make an exception just for you. Your choice, my dear" he said. He had a really creepy yet menacing look to his face as he said that.
Cheria felt a little violated at how intensely he stared at her body as he held her up in the air. Despite being in her situation, she looked down at him with a defiant look. "I'd never...submit myself...to the likes of you..." she struggled to say.
The man grumbled a bit, his creepy expression turning cold as he gave her a cold, emotionless stare. "Defiant girl. Have it your way. At least with my way, you would of lived a little longer" he said. He then pulled his arm back before thrusting it towards her stomach with intent on impaling her.
Everyone stood around helpless as they could only watch as Cheria was about to be impaled. Time felt like it slowed down to a crawl for Cesela. She was on the verge of tears as she dropped to her knees, watching everything turn sour right in front of her with Cheria about to be brutally killed. "Please...someone save her...!" she said. She then fell silent for a moment. Moments later, she lifted her head up and screamed out as loud as she possibly could. "Please save her, Tsu!" she screamed.
Cesela's scream reverberated throughout the whole forest around them as time by slowly. It was like her voice sent out a shockwave. Just as the sword was inches away from impaling her, the sound of steel clashing and flesh being pierced echoed out. Everyone expected an unwanted, gruesome sight of Cheria being brutally impaled. However, what they saw was not what they could of expected. Standing between the Hunter and Cheria was someone dressed in black ninja attire. The person had twin short swords drawn with a thick stream of blood coming off the blades and splattering through the air. Cheria was falling onto the ground with a now severed hand falling down next to her. Only, the hand didn't belong to hers. The hand that fell to the ground was the hand the Hunter was using to hold Cheria up in the air. Meanwhile, the Hunter's short sword was blocked by one of the mysterious figure's swords. The person had effortlessly cut through the remaining bits of the Hunter's armor and sliced his hand clean off his body. It took everyone several moments to register what just happened in a literal blink of an eye.
Time seemed to speed back up and everyone returned to their senses when the man stepped back, dropping his sword and gripped his arm as he screamed in pain. Everyone still couldn't believe what they just saw. All of their attacks, including the ones they had done back in the village, wounded him but didn't appear to affect him all that much. Yet, this mysterious person came out of nowhere and inflicted a very serious and possibly fatal injury with just one attack.
The mysterious man swiped his sword that had blood all over its blade to the side to get the blood off the blade as he gave the Hunter a stone cold stare. "Sorry to cut in but I'm afraid there's been a change in plans" the person said.
Ramza was still in disbelief as he tried to come to terms of what they just witnessed. "H-he sliced his hand off like it was nothing! Who is this guy?" he asked.
Cesela looked over to the mysterious person and immediately recognized the clothing and also the man's distinct violet colored eyes. "It's him! That's the person who saved me back in Chesberry!" she shouted. She then sniffed the air and verified that it was someone she indeed knew.
Elle regained her composure as she made her way back to everyone. "That's the assassin?" she asked. He certainly looked the part though something seemed a bit different about him. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
The man, groaning from the intense pain, glared at the assassin as he reeled from the pain. "Y-you...that outfit. Those violet eyes! So, you're the one who stopped our operation in Chesberry!" he shouted.
The assassin looked over to the man. Just like before, most of his facial features were hidden behind black cloth. The only thing visible were his violet eyes. "I am. What of it?" he asked.
The man growled as he glared daggers at the assassin. "You're a highly wanted man for slaughtering Sirione operatives and releasing our property. On top of that, you ally yourself with the Demi-Humans and you sliced my hand off! Don't think you'll be getting off the hook so easily" he said. Despite now having only one hand now, a confident grin formed across his face.
The assassin continued his endless stare at the Hunter as his cold, violet eyes shot chills down the spines of everyone around. "Oh? Tough talk for someone now with a pretty significant handicap" he said.
The man chuckled a bit. "I still have my ace in the hole" he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the dark crystal from before. "Fall to the power of Dark Arcanum!" he shouted. Then, the crystal started to glow once more. Not long afterwards, Shades and Dusks formed from the darkness once again.
Elle knew that their situation wasn't getting any better despite the Hunter having a significant injury. "Damn! There's going to be no end to this at this rate!" she shouted.
The assassin sheathed his swords and reached down, picking up Cheria's bow along with an arrow. He attached the arrow to the bow and after a moment, the arrow itself turned into an arrow of pure Mana. He took aim, pulled the bowstring back and released it, setting off a minor shockwave as he did so. The arrow shot forward but the target wasn't the man. It was the crystal. It all happened so fast that everyone had trouble following its path. The arrow pierced clean through the crystal. shattering it to pieces. When the crystal shattered, the dark energy within the crystal had a chain reaction and erupted into an explosion, engulfing the Hunter within the explosion. Soon after, the Dusks and Shades disappeared along with the heavy presence the crystal emitted.
A dark cloud of smoke was left after the explosion. Cheria was holding onto her neck as she stared over at the smoke cloud, coughing a bit. She wasn't sure if the fight was really over this time. "That had to finish things...right?" she asked.
Soon, the smoke cleared up. The man was down on one knee with virtually no armor left on his body. Not only that, his injuries grew even more severe from being caught up in the explosion at point blank. He tried to stand up but his body wouldn't allow him to.
The assassin gave the bow back to Cheria and drew one of his swords again. "So much for your secret weapon" he said, almost mocking him.
The man groaned in pain, not having anymore strength left to pull himself up from the ground. "Ugh...damn you to hell" he said.
The assassin took a stance as he faced the Hunter. "With this next strike, I'll put an end to your suffering" he said.
In the blink of an eye, the assassin completely vanished from sight. No one knew where he went or from where he will attack. Then, just as fast as he disappeared, he reappeared behind the Hunter. He caught on fairly quickly and started to turn around as the assassin thrust his sword with intentions of stabbing him in the back. The fight appeared to be at its end as the man was not only badly injured but had nothing to defend himself with. However, before the assassin's blade could reach him, someone else appeared between them. This person had grabbed onto the assassin's hand with the blade of his sword in between their fingers, stopping the attack in its tracks. The person was an unarmed, middle aged male, wearing standard armor. He had black hair with dark blue eyes and his appearance looked a bit rough. He looked like a war veteran of sorts.
Everyone was still trying to cope with the fact that the assassin had came out of nowhere to intervene in the fight. The last thing they were expecting was to have someone else show up. Luan, however, seemed to recognize the man from various documents and reports she's read about Sirione. "Wait, that's-!" she said.
The man in armor looked up at the assassin and simply stared at him in silence as if he was studying him. He looked over him until his eyes were staring right into his. "Hmm I see. Those eyes of yours...the story they tell...they remind of someone..." he said.
The assassin returned the stare as he examined the newcomer. "What is it with you people and my eyes? If you love them so much, take a picture. It'll last longer" he said.
The armored man chuckled a bit, briefly shaking his head. "I would but it would seem that I forgot my camera at home" he said.
The assassin scoffed a bit at his remark. "Wise ass" he said. He then jumped back, putting distance between them. As he backed away, he noticed that he had the man's axe on his back. To place such a heavy axe on his back and still have time to block his attack with ease, he knew he wasn't your typical fighter.
The armored man took a casual stance once the assassin broke off the attack and backed away. Unlike the Hunter, he didn't give off any hostile vibes. He then took the time to look at everyone else that was around that had been fighting the Hunter. "I commend you on your fight. You succeeded where most often fail with minimal injuries, might I add. I'm impressed, to say the least" he said.
The Hunter looked up at the newcomer and he looked rather displeased about his interference. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay out of my way" he said.
The armored man looked back at the Hunter with the same calm expression he had been giving while remaining somewhat neutral to the entire situation. "And I thought I told you not to be reckless. You and your Hunters still have a purpose to serve. We can't have you falling in battle so soon" he said. He then looked back over to the assassin and the rest of the group around them. "Besides, I'm quite interested in this mystery assassin. His skills are quite exceptional" he said.
The assassin knew the newcomer wasn't a threat to him so he sheathed his sword and crossed his arms. "Gee, I'm honored to have such high praise. Do I win a prize or something?" he asked.
The armored man shrugged. "Consider our retreat your prize" he said. He then leaned down and threw the Hunter's right arm over his shoulder and helped him up. "I apologize for his actions. He was operating outside of his intended orders and will be thoroughly punished for it" he said.
Elle couldn't believe what he had just said. Foreign words coming out of the mouth of someone within Sirione's dictatorship. It's almost strange. "Since when did the dictatorship start to have morals?" she asked.
The armored man looked over to Elle. "Believe it or not, there are still a few who serve Sirione that hold their moral beliefs of the past over the current state of Sirione although there aren't many that are left that think that way" he said. He then looked back at the assassin to give him one final look. "Well, it's time for us to make our leave. I'm sure we will be seeing each other again in the future" he said.
An incantation circle appeared under them and in a flash of light, they disappeared along with the incantation circle. It was the same kind of spell that Elle had used to get Tsuki and everyone else out of Eresseas when it was attacked only much more potent and stronger. Immediately after they disappeared, the heaviness in the air vanished. Silence soon filled the forest once again as everyone slowly started to breathe a huge sigh of relief. A lot happened so fast in little time.
The assassin stared at the empty space the two men once stood for a few moments before making his way into the forest without saying another word. However, he was stopped when he felt someone grab onto his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that it was Ramza who stopped him from leaving.
Ramza held onto his shoulder with a tight grip as he stared the assassin in the eye. "Hold on there. You think you can just walk away like that? We have questions we need to ask you" he said.
The assassin brushed his hand away and turned back around. "What is it?" he asked.
Ramza examined him but most of his recognizable features were covered with the ninja garb he was wearing. His eyes though were familiar but very distinct. His eyes had a very cold feeling inside of them. "Who exactly are you? Who do you serve? Are you an ally or an enemy? What are your intentions?" he questioned him.
The assassin shrugged. "If you must give me a name, feel free to refer to me as Shadow. I serve no one and I'm neither your ally nor your enemy. My intentions are to exterminate the slave system and anyone affiliated with it" he said.
He then started to make his way back into the forest to make his exit but before he could get far, a voice called out to him. He looked behind him and saw Cesela running up to him. She ran straight past Ramza and approached Shadow. "W-wait!" she shouted.
Shadow turned around once more and looked down at Cesela. He immediately recognized her as the girl he had rescued from the slave trade back in Chesberry a while ago. "It's you. The girl who was being auctioned off" he said.
Cesela looked up at Shadow. "I never thanked you properly for rescuing me back then so..." she said. She then bowed to him out of gratitude. "Thank you very much for saving me. I don't know where I'd be right now if it weren't for you" she said.
Shadow patted her on the head gently. "You don't have to thank me at all. I'm just glad you found yourself a group of friends" he said. Warm, kind words coming out of the mouth of someone who appeared to be cold and emotionless in nature. It seemed strange.
Cesela took a moment to sniff the air around the assassin which caused her to smile and nod. "I have. I'm grateful beyond words" she said, thinking back at some of the good memories she's had so far since becoming a part of Tsuki's group.
Shadow chuckled a bit. "Stay close to them no matter what. I'm sure they'll shield you from any harm that comes to you" he said.
Shadow then turned around one final time and continued to make his exit. Soon, Shadow disappeared into the forest just as fast as he appeared. With the Hunter and the two newcomers gone, everyone started to relax. They had avoided any further disaster with little loss of life. With no trace of any more enemies in the area, Lynette healed everyone's injuries they sustained from the fight and then attended to the villagers, healing their wounds and guiding them back to the village. Seeing as how the three men disappeared without leaving even the faintest of trails of how to follow them, there was no point in giving chase to them.
To be continued...