So, yeah, not dead but almost there. I think I don't know enough words in english to apologized for how much this update took, and not using the profile as I said I would do. Of course, I have a lot of excuses, and sadly, some real, depressing reasons, but still I am sorry. And I don't want to keep you from the read too much, so I am going to keep it short. But really, thank you all for the interest and support. It means a lot.
So, to the reviews:
KnowingEzmend - Thank you a lot!
Yami-Guy - Yeah, I completely understand you. I mean, I tried to do it with a play of how people suppose things and don't think more about it, especially when there are some "coincidences" that keep the farse. But I understand how it may seem forced. But don't worry, it's still there, but we will have development in a couple of chapters. And I am glad that you liked nonetheless!
Ph0enix17 - Thank you for the kind words! About the dark souls 3 timelime... not exactly? I mean, I planned the story before playing dark souls 3, so it's made without it in mind. There will probably things about it in the future though. And I loved the coackroach comparison XD
NightBringer325 - Nah, pretty sure is not that (wink wink) XD
Valkoor123113 - The moving part, he is already working on it on his own. The talking part is a little harder, cause even before the Fire, he already talked very little XD
Annagennisi - Lord of Cinder is... not the exact term ;) And about Gwynevere, the similarities are there, but probably no.
Touhoufanatic - Sadly, Vault was able to trick an entire nation. However, Lautrec is a good example of how our boy replies to be tricked.
Brave2000 - Thank you a lot! And yeah, you had luck with that one XD Sorry that it took so much for the next one. About the ladies' attention, I am still pondering it. I mean, as you say, it's almost inevitable to be some of it, but I wanted to give more deep to the story. And hey, male-female friendships exist! And I already say (in a reply, I think) that Knight here is the good, old chosen undead. Hope that's fine.
Havel the Hebel - Yeah, that can be VERY uncofortable. And poise for the win!
The1whoknox - Sorry, not in this chapter. But almost surely she will be in the nex one!
2562894620 - Thank you! And yes, I wanted him to change the canon. Little at first, but more and more as we progress with the story. And the first meeting with Vault is in this chapter and probably... not what you expected XD
Redhand - Yes, to a world that doesn't know the real essence of Humanity it should be scary as hell. And he is already intevening (laughing evily)
catemperor402 - Glad you liked and sorry that you found it tedious. It won't be forever of course, but still for a little more.
Ayman El Kadouri - Yes, Celestine should probably put a fence or something XD
Firefang099 - Because even with poor memories, he knows that shouldn't count as armor. Not talking about women's modesty in his old world...
Guest (5-19-20) - Soon my friend, soon XD
Mr Weird Guy - Thanks, and sorry about it. Hope you stay around until it changes.
RedDemonEye - Thank you! And yes, Anna and Eli moments are some of my favorites. Glad you liked it!
Reviewer - Thanks! Maia was dying to go, she just found a good excuse XD
largomolo - Exactly. And we know the final goal: Pray the Sun! XD
SkeletalPheonix - Yeah, right? Celestine really needs to relax a little XD
drake202 - Glad you liked it! And yes, after the couple of persons he has seen in Lordran, a real city has to be very astounding. And about the birds and bees... a real knight doesn't talk about such adventures XD
Simple Reader - Yes. I mean, Maia isn't some delicate flower, but it's going to hurt like hell. Thanks for the vote of confidence! And not sure if it's going to be a thing with everyone, but damn, I love that conversation XD
nerothekid456 - Thank you! I really worry about the pacing. And the same to you, stay safe!
VGBlackwing - Those... were words. Informative, but remember that our poor chosen undead didn't invest in some intelligence, so magic will be hard for him.
Halo - Damn, I did't catch the reference :( But it sounds like a real good scene I have to say. And yes, the middle finger wouldn't be a bad reaction XD
Guest 2020 - Of course! Solaire can't not appear! It even happens in this chapter but... yeah, you will see.
Night - Thank you a lot for video. I really liked it! And yeah, the general feeling is similar.
Ediros - Really glad you liked that scene. I really worked on it a lot. And yeah, still working on improving my gramatic.
GioGio5 - I have to say, I never expected this question XD And kind of hard to answer. He wasn't married, but he has had some night adventures. But he doesn't remember, so physically no, but mentally... kind of? So probably an honorific virgin XD
Stuporman - Bizarrely heartwarming is now my favorite description XD And yes, Olga declared war a queen of the dark elves. The main army are monster, yes, but that doesn't mean there aren't elves working for her, or even humans... About Kuroinu betrayal, I changed things. Still a little vibe of megalomaniac crazy person, but at least better than hentai-excuse XD Hope you like it when we reach that point.
Axccel - You are totally right, but that is nowadays. In the past, it was a lot more darker. We will see some of the reasons and her reasoning, not exactly justification, but I hope it will work as an explanation.
Scoolio - HERE IS MORE!
Curse of Whimsy - I love your description as macabre fairytale XD And yes, small child has to be protected! Mmm, saving the country and come back to dinner, I love the idea XD Maybe a future omake, who knows? I like Maia's character, and I really think she has more potential than what some fics use, so I wanted to change that. And yes, sneaku Maia is best Maia XD Glad you liked it and hopefully you will like this chapter as well!
Guest (6-20-20) - Thank you for the kind words! I will try to keep it up and sorry about the delay. And yes, the raid is coming, not in this chapter though, sorry about that.
DecadentWeeb - Happy you liked it! And really proud that it's your favorite version. Lordran is a cruel place, and Knight has suffered it, and we will see some of it, but I like to think that between the loss of memories and his original personality, he hasn't been broken by it. And yes, this land needs a REAL hero, and Knight is dying to be that hero... not literally. Hard to know with an undead XD
tsun - Oh, yes, the bottomless box. Don't worry, it come in the future, but due to its nature, it probably won't be what you expected (Muahahaha)
Guest (6-24-20) - Thank you! And yes, I want to be, if not realistic, at least plausible, so I hope you will like it when it happens. About why there are no more retainers, I read somewhere a explanation, but I don't know if that was canon from the visual novel or just something the fic's author used to try to explain it XD And hey, don't worry about ranting. Good plot is always better!
A Petty Theif - Yes, it's the black armor. You could see it in the story's cover, but if you are like me and read on phone, it's totally normal to miss it.
websplorer - Damn, now I wish I would have used a reference like that at the moment XD
RVA22 - Summoning signals need soapstone and the strange fluctuations of Lordran, which make it very hard... at least, for normal undeads ;)
Bites za Dusto - We will see more of it (hopefully) in the future. But if you want a hint, he in the young spectrum.
Acerze - Thank you! I mean, Knight wants to be a hero, so there will be some saving obviously, but I wanted to write more than that.
Jadex Imperia - Not the souls of cinder, just your old friend the chosen undead. But I have to say, it would be very interesting to read a story about the soul of cinder gaining conscience and their adventures XD
And that's basically it. Again, a huge thank you to everyone who was interested and worried about my health. Hope you all like the chapter, and hopefully I won't need 8 freaking months to update. Just stay safe, and be careful.
(Real size 11,255 words)
After Maia and he left the meeting room, there had been no idle moment. The two of them had gone through the castle quickly, not caring anymore about being seen. That meant a lot of stares and whispers about him, but he was getting used to it. However, he was starting to wonder why he attracted so much attention. Ok, he was clad in full armor, but surely, he wasn't the only one in this world. And he hadn't found any mirror, but his armor couldn't be so astounding, could it?
Leaving that aside, Maia had been strangely quiet. After some very uncomfortable questions about his knowledge about human anatomy, she had grown silent and not talked again. Maybe she was worried? The Princess Knight seemed deep in thought, probably about the coming mission and what they had to do… Or another thing entirely, he still had problems reading the redhead.
"Woah, that's a serious face. I hope that doesn't mean the meeting went poorly."
They turned to see Elena and Sera, the pair approaching from another corridor. After seeing them, any seriousness on Maia's face was replaced by coldness and resentment, "I don't talk with traitors."
Elena avoided her eyes with a bit of guilt, but Sera just shook her head, "I would feel bad if not for the fact you would have done the same in our situation…" the mage narrowed her eyes, "And that you already did it to me once."
That gave Maia pause, face changing from coldness to confusion and then to a sheepish smile, "Aaaaaaah, that. Well, I am sure we can consider all this as water under the bridge, right, my sage and comprehensive friend?"
Sera smiled innocently, "Of course, my friend who is going to give me a free week from paperwork."
That made Elena chuckle and Maia grimace, "But then I have to do it…" she whined a little, but finally relented, looking at the two women seriously again "Ok, ok, but only because I am going to ask you two a big favor."
Feeling the banter was over, Elena made sure they were alone and got closer, "What kind of favor? What happened?"
The redhead shook her head and began to walk, forcing the group to follow her. After a while, she continued, "The kind that makes Rad's council very angry. Basically, I must do something that will take a week, maybe two. And I promised those old geezers I would be back after that little battle, but that is not going to be possible."
Sera sighed, already knowing what the favor would be, "So, you want us to deal with the furious council and make sure the situation at Rad it's controlled, don't you?"
Maia stopped and turned to the mage with what could be only described as puppy eyes, "Pretty please?"
The black-haired shook her head, exasperated, "Yes, yes, I will do it." Maia was ready to thank her, but Sera raised her hand, stopping her, "But just because when you come back, Elena and I are going to take as many free days as the ones we will have been forced to deal with your responsibilities."
"Ok, sounds fa-"
"Plus the week we were talking before."
"Akk! But that's-!" Sera raised an eyebrow, challenging the Princess Knight to say no. Finally, Maia gave up, forcing herself to say the next words as if they hurt her physically, "That's… reasonable."
Elena laughed, "Well, a vacation will be great. And I just have to make sure no one dies nor does something stupid. Not very different from what I do while our disastrous leader here is doing her job."
The 'disastrous leader' scoffed but Sera looked at her with a teasing smile, "And the fact you will be working side by side with captain Christopher doesn't sweeten the deal at all, right?"
The blonde groaned, a faint blush coating her cheeks, "Please, not you too."
Maia laughed at her friend's embarrassment and the three kept going, exchanging jabs and taunts, but never losing the smile while doing it. He had to admit he was a little jealous of them. Not only about the possibility of talking —which was there, no point denying it—, but for the feeling of friendship and camaraderie. He wondered, had he had something like that in the past?
~ Yes, my friend! It's time to work! Let's show them the power of jolly co-operation!" ~
~ Aww, don't be ashamed. 'Tis the fate of vanguards like you and I. I'll think of something. We can overcome this, together ~
He stopped walking, frozen. He… he did not understand. They were just flashes, only voices and the glint of different armors, a sun and an…onion? Not enough information to know the context, but… those voices, those memories, they seemed happy ones. Showing exactly what he had imagined when thinking about the bond between Maia, Elena and Sera. But then why… why…
Why did they hurt so much?
"Knight? Are you okay, buddy?" Maia's voice snapped him out of those thoughts. She was looking at him with a bit of worry. The other two looked from the side as the redhead watched him carefully, but it seemed for the first time, Maia was not able to decipher his mood. Not that he could blame her.
Not even himself knew what he was feeling.
After a bit of silence, he nodded to the redhead. He did not know what those memories meant, but for now he was okay. She kept looking at him with some doubt, but finally nodded as well, "Right. Don't worry, we are already here, and I have something to show you!"
After her words, he realized they had arrived at some doors. He remembered those doors, and even if he did not, a series of neighs told him they were at the stables again. Not giving him time to wonder why, Maia entered the stables, forcing them again to follow her. He noticed there was not anyone else inside, but Maia didn't seem to care, just looking at the horses until she stopped in front of one of the boxes.
"Here it is!"
When they caught up with her, he could take a look at the horse, and he had to admit it was impressive. It was taller and wider than him, showing a powerful musculature, dwarfing the other horses he had seen. It was completely black, except for the hair around its hoofs that was pure white, and its eyes shined with more intelligence than what he expected from a horse.
"Ta-da!" Maia shouted with a happy tone while waving her hands at the animal, "This big boy is Nox, the biggest horse here in the castle. They usually use it to move heavy things, but for us, it will be our mount! Not very fast, but big and strong enough to carry the two of us. That way, I can ride with you and you don't have to go in another cart. So, what do you think, Knight?"
He blinked, surprised. Had she planned so much only for his sake? He really needed to thank her as soon as he could. He gave the woman a nod and looked again at the horse. He… did not know what to do. What did you do to show appreciation to an animal? After a little pondering, he chose the safest option, raising a hand and putting it on its forehead.
The horse —Nox, he had to remember that— moved a little, as if testing the touch of his hand, but finally stopped, giving what could pass as an appreciative grumble. Or at least that was what he wanted to believe. He had enough problems trying to remember human body language, this was beyond his abilities.
At the curious picture, Elena chuckled, "So, I guess that means he likes the idea?"
"Pretty sure, yes." Maia confirmed, getting close and rubbing the horse's neck with experienced technique.
"And the horse seems to like it as well." Sera mused, observing now with a thoughtful eye, "Mmm, it's curious. With how sensible animals are to magic, I thought it would be unnerved by Knight's strange magic."
"Yes… magic." Maia muttered with a strange expression. After a second, she shook her head and smiled again, "Well, now that this is done, we still need something very important!"
Everyone looked at her, expectantly. When she did not answer, Elena decided to question what all of them were thinking, "What?"
The smile in Maia's face grew even more, gaining a tint of mischief, "What else? Disguises!"
After Maia exposing her plan, Sera and Elena trying to make her see reason, failing, and his silent acceptance, they finally were ready to go. Just before going, the three women gave each other a little gesture with the head to say goodbye. A little too nonchalantly in his opinion, but it seemed they were used to this kind of situation.
He gave them a nod as well. After all, he did not know if he would see them again. For now, the plan was to help with this mission, end the war and return to the town whose name he really needed to figure out. After that, he was not sure, he had not thought so far ahead. But relearning basic abilities looked like a good start.
With that last thought, Maia and he started the journey towards the camp of Kuroinu, where they would join the mercenary group and go towards the Dark Queen's whereabouts. So, in order to avoid spies or information leaks, they had disguised themselves and went through Ken trying to attract the minimal attention possible…
And failing miserably at it.
In Maia's defense, disguising a huge armor with apparently horns on the helmet —he really hoped they were just part of the armor— was not an easy task. After a little discussion, they had opted to use cloaks for both of them. Surprisingly, it worked, hiding his striking features and Maia's famous identity.
It would be perfect if people didn't stop whatever they were doing to look at the strange pair of heavily cloaked figures riding a larger than life, black horse. On the bright side, they were so evident that probably no spy would think about them being part of a secret operation. So now, he was more worried about being stopped and detained by the guards, especially after seeing how some of them had looked at the pair. Not that he blamed them.
If he ran into someone looking like him right now, he would be worried about being stabbed in the back as soon as he lost sight of them.
Beside that little detail, their travel through the city went surprisingly well, no one stopping them and Nox behaving just like Maia wanted, something he was very grateful for. He had to admit, actually riding the horse was more uncomfortable than he had thought, and he had not any desire to know how it was when the horse misbehaved.
Still better than being moved around in a cart like some merchandise though.
After some tense seconds at the gate, the guards finally let them pass without too much fuss. Probably because they were leaving. If they were trying to enter, he was sure they would have been stopped as soon as they were seen. That, and they were not carrying anything, so the possibility of being thieves running away or smuggling something was very low.
That reminded him he was still weaponless. Elena had said they would give him something, but either they had forgotten, or he would receive one at the Kuroinu's camp. Some flashes showed him that trying to kill enemies with bare fists was very inefficient, so he really hoped it was the latter.
Maia's voice brought him out of his thoughts, "Damn, for a second I thought they would stop us back there. Thank the Goddess they didn't! … though they probably should have, we are a little suspicious after all." Maia began to ponder, "Mmm, I should have a talk about security with Claudia when we come back."
He blinked. 'Little suspicious'? He was pretty sure a lot of parents had hugged their children and almost ran away as soon as they had seen them.
"Well, now that we are outside it's just a little more till the camp. I am going to make this big guy run a little, so hold on tight!" the redhead said while giving some pats to Nox. But after some seconds where nothing happened, she turned to him, "Knight, didn't you hear me? You have to hold on to me or you are going to fall."
It was not that he had not heard her, he even understood why he had to do it, but that did not mean his body would cooperate. Ok, ok, he could do this. After some mental encouragement to himself, he forced his arms to move. He was gladly surprised when they responded with just a little struggle. It seemed his last interactions with Anna had made it easier. After a second of pondering that thought, he tried again to shake his head.
No, his neck was still frozen in that direction, because of course it would.
Trying to ignore that fact, he moved his hands to the woman's waist. However, that was when his second problem appeared. Maia was… beautiful, to put it mildly. That meant it was impossible to ignore her… curves, and even if he had seen a lot of beautiful women lately —really, what the hell happened with this world—, that did not make his current situation any less violent.
He did not remember much, but he was sure being so intimate with a woman was not the proper behavior for a knight.
After almost a minute of silence where his hands remained frozen, Maia laughed, "Ok, I expected a lot of weird things from you, Knight. But I have to admit you being prudish wasn't one of them!" she laughed, and without a second thought, she forced his hands to grab her waist, "Really, I am flattered, but not enough to not be pissed if I have to stop to pick your sorry ass up from the ground. So, hold on tight!"
Well, he could not fault her logic. He was still a little uncomfortable with the situation, but certainly he preferred it over being thrown out of the horse. And the fact that there was a layer of hard metal between his hands and her body probably helped as well.
With a satisfied nod, Maia urged on Nox a little and the animal began to increase its speed. As the big horse began to gallop, he had to admit he was impressed. He knew he was big, and the armor did not do any favors to his weight. However, Nox was able to run with not only him, but with Maia on him as well. She had said he was not very fast, but considering the burden he was carrying, it was a lot faster than what he could have expected.
After that, the riding was relatively calm. The redhead talked to him from time to time, apparently wanting to resume what she had started on the road to Ken. She told him more details about the world and the war, but what caught his interest was when she began to talk about the different races living in this land.
He had seen that Celestine was a high elf, that she was not human, but he had not really understood what that implicated. Maia said Elves were an ancient race, older than the rest if what Celestine had told her was true. They called themselves the Firstborns, the race that had communed with the gods when they still roamed the world. From them, they had received several gifts, like their longevity or their magic prowess. Or at least, that was how the legends went.
He was curious about the gods' part. She talked as if all of them were gone, but then, what about Celestine? Being a Goddess Reborn was not the same as being a god? Sadly, he could not make questions, so it would be just a lesson, not a conversation.
After the elves, other races began to appear. Humans, halflings, dwarves, and many more that had disappeared or that were a secluded minority. Even the so-called monsters, like the orcs and imps he had seen. Brainless creatures that just attacked and pillaged the lands to live, taking advantage of everyone who could not defense themselves. And that… was not exactly what he had seen.
The orc and the imps that had attacked the town were not brainless. They could talk and understand things, and maybe they were not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but they were more intelligent than the beasts he saw in his memories. He did not know, but maybe it was just a way to insult the enemy of such an extended war.
Maia then talked about the great divide. Nobody knew exactly how, but along the way, the old elves were divided in two races: the high elves and the dark elves. It seemed there were not a lot of differences between them, just the color of their skin and their magical affinity. Not very much in his opinion, but enough for the rest of races to sort them as 'good' elves and 'bad' elves, respectively.
Which did not make any sense. Dark was not evil, at the same time that light was not benevolent. Both have the potential to do good and cause harm, the stagnation of the purest light could be worse than the coming of the deepest dark, and… and… he was not sure where that had come from.
But strange opinions aside, that had been the beginning of the racism against dark elves, and in a sense, of the reason behind this war. He wanted to know more about it, but it seemed Maia was not comfortable with the topic, fidgeting a little and looking at her side with lost eyes. And when her voice turned a bit resentful and angry when talking about them, he could not blame her, knowing who the enemy leader was.
Before she could continue with it, Maia went silent, and after a second, she pulled back on Nox's reins, making the horse go slower. He wondered what was happening, but then she changed directions and he could almost hear the smile when she talked.
"We have arrived, Knight. Welcome to the current Kuroinu's secret camp!"
He blinked. In front of them, the only thing he saw was the beginning of a dark forest. Well, not that the forest was dark in itself, but that he had not realized how the Sun had almost disappeared, bathing the land in faint, orange lights. It seemed he had been more absorbed in Maia's lesson than he had thought. Added to how dense the forest canopy was, he could not see more than a few meters before him.
Not a bad place for a secret camp, he supposed.
A sudden light forced him to blink. While he looked at the forest, Maia had lighted a torch, filling the darkness with its light. It seemed she had come prepared. And it was a normal torch, and not some kind of macabre, luminescent head, which, for some reason, was the first light source that had come to his mind. That, and some kind of floating light over his hea-
~ Finally, I have found it, I have! ~
…
~ I've done it… I have… ~
No…
~ Yes, I did it… I did! ~
No, please…
~ My very own sun ~
No, please no. Do not do this. Do not make me do this. Please, Sola-
~ I AM THE SUN! ~
"-ight, hey, Knight. Are you with me, buddy?" a voice and the sound of fingers snapping forced him out of… whatever that had been. Seeing Maia was still looking at him with a raised eyebrow, he decided to nod to reassure her. She did not seem convinced, but accepted it nonetheless, "Ooookay? I just said that you shouldn't do anything and let me talk when we found them. Not that it will be hard for you!"
He nodded again, not really hearing her. And, showing again her strange power of perception, Maia narrowed her eyes at him as if she knew it. Which should be impossible, but he could not be certain with the redhead. Luckily, she could not be certain either, so Maia let it aside and resumed their travel towards the forest. And he was grateful for it because he needed the time to think.
That… had not been a flashback. Not like the ones he was used to. It had been more like what had happened at the castle, when he thought about Maia camaraderie with Elena and Sera. He had not seen a complete memory, just voices and confused flashes. In this case, he only saw that floating ball of light. But contrary to the flashbacks, these ones came with feelings. Feelings that he did not understand. Despair, hate, sadness, grieving…
Guilt.
And it hurt, it hurt so much. It was something important, he could feel it, but no matter how much he focused on it, nothing more came to him. It was not nothing new, he had tried to invoke memories before and it had not worked. But that was with new things, he had not problems remembering things that he had already remembered. And that was what was happening here.
It was… like he could not see the whole picture. As if when he was going to get the full memory, something kept him from doing it. And that was frustrating, because he wanted his memories back, he wanted to remember his past life, the one consumed by the Fire. It was one of the few things he was sure about.
However, these memories, what had happened in them, they brought him so much pain that maybe he knew why he could not get the whole picture. After all, he wanted his memories, he accepted them, but some part of him was keeping him from getting them. And maybe, it was as simple as that, because maybe… maybe…
Maybe he did not want these memories back.
And if he did not want those… could there be more? More parts of his past, more memories, that he preferred them to remain forgotten. Then, what should he do? Live happily in ignorance, or suffer with the truth of his old life? He did not know, so it was better to not focus on it for now. There would be time after the mission. Besides, his memories came back randomly or were triggered by fighting.
Maybe he would not have a choice in the matter.
Lost in thoughts as he was, they were in the middle of the forest before he knew it. The Sun had already gone over the horizon, so now they were surrounded by complete darkness, not a ray of moonlight getting past the tree's leaves. The torch was their only source of light, but he did not want to think too much about that to avoid… problems.
He had to admit the atmosphere was a little eerie, even Maia was not talking, too focused in guiding Nox through the maze of trees. Did she know the way, or was she following some kind of clues? It was hard to say, he could not see anything strange marking the path, but maybe they were impossible to notice if you did not know how to look for them. Well, he would trust her with that.
Besides, all this situation was… familiar. Dark forest, uneasy silence, and the sensation that someone was watching his every move, waiting. Looking for the perfect moment to-
~ The dagger went through his chest before he knew he was under attack. He gasped in pain, feeling how the blood filled up his lungs. Not necessarily a mortal wound for him, but the forest had not been kind to him. The ambushes from living plants had left him with multiple wounds and his flask was already empty. He had not enough strength left to survive the backstab.
As he reached that conclusion, the dagger was forced out from his body, aggravating even more the damage. He coughed blood and fell to his knees, already feeling how his body started to disappear. With his last seconds of life, he turned his head to look at his murderer. He needed information to not repeat this mistake, especially because these types of deaths were humiliating.
But there was no one. No, wait, there was someone, a translucent figure dressed as some kind of thief. As he cleaned the fresh blood from the dagger, the thief's words were the last thing he could hear before dying.
"This forest is protected by us. Don't come back." ~
Danger.
All his instincts flared in his mind as his whole body tensed, already moving before he could think of what to do. Maia noticed it, but he had already grabbed his shield when she began to open her mouth. Thanks to that, when the sound of something cutting through the air reached their ears, he was already positioned. A heavy clank of metal filled the forest as his shield blocked an arrow aimed at Maia's head.
The redhead's eyes widened, but she just needed half-second to understand the situation. Faster than what he would ever be, Maia drew one of her swords and cut down another arrow coming to them from the opposite direction. He was ready to fight, but the Princess Knight began to shout before he could get off the horse, taking off her cloak at the same time.
"Wait! I am Maia, for fuck's sake! STOP ATTACKING!"
The silence returned to the forest as he pondered how effective ordering you enemies to stop could be. After several eternal seconds, a figure came from behind one of the trees. It was a man for what he could see, but what caught his attention was his appearance. His resemblance to the thief who had backstabbed him was uncanny, with black clothes and hood hiding his face.
However, the presence of a bow instead of a dagger and the lack of translucent body reminded him that they could not be the same person.
After getting a good look at the woman, the man took some tentative steps towards them, "Maia? Is that you? W-what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a mix of bafflement and nervousness.
"Hello to you too, Kyle. And fighting for my life, it seems." Maia answered with palpable anger, "What the fuck was that? Since when do you greet old friends with arrows!?"
The man winced at that. Hearing the conversation, another figure appeared, clothes almost identical to the first one. The two shared a nervous —almost panicked— glance. Not that he could blame them. They almost killed one of the leaders of the land, and he was pretty sure that would be hard to explain to their superiors.
"Ok, ok, sorry about that." the man —Kyle— finally said, "But you have to admit it's partly your fault too. Vault ordered us to dispose of any unknown close to the camp, and with that cloak we couldn't know it was you! Besides, we all are a little anxious because… "he stopped and looked at him, as if suddenly remembering he was there too, "Tomorrow we start the… the thing, you know?"
If that was their secret word to talk about the plan to end the war, they really needed a better one.
In front of him, Maia let out a mix of a sigh and a chuckle, "Don't worry about him, he knows about the plan. And… you are right. I should have taken the cloak off as soon as we entered the forest. My bad."
The atmosphere was still a little tense, but the mayor part had dissipated. Who knows? Maybe almost killing a partner was usual in mercenary groups? It was obvious those two men were part of Kuroinu, and Maia had been one of them in the past. Still, he really hoped that was their last accident of that kind. If his body had not reacted in time…
"But really, Maia, what are you doing here?" Kyle asked again, this time more calmed, "Vault said we wouldn't have any more contact before the mission."
Maia turned serious again, "I know, but this was necessary. I have a surprise that will make the mission a lot easier." she announced proudly.
The man just raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "And I guess your friend here is the surprise?"
The redhead blinked and then let out a deflated sighed, "Have I ever told you that you are a real killjoy, Kyle?"
"Just a thousand times, Maia." he answered with a deadpan.
After that, the two kept looking at each other without blinking. He was starting to feel the tension increase, but when it reached the point he was considering doing something about it, Maia broke the silence with a loud laugh. After a few seconds of this, Kyle joined her with some snickers. The other man just shook his head, as if used to what he was seeing. For his part, he was a little confused, but could understand more or less the interaction.
Just like what had happened with Elena. Banter between friends.
"Hahaha, good to know some things never change." Maia finally said, a happy smile on her face.
"I guess." Kyle replied, but a lot more subdued. Maia did not seem to notice it, but for a second, the man had looked… anxious? It had been too fast, had he imagined it? Maybe, because as he kept looking at them, Kyle seemed completely normal, "Ok, if he is with you, he is trustworthy. Let's go to the camp, then you can explain the surprise and I can tell Vault how you almost died because you forgot to take off the cloak."
She gasped, "Don't you dare!"
The banter kept going as the group began to move, the two men escorting them through the forest, and he had to admit it was a little funny to watch. After a while, the two mercenaries moved ahead and started to talk in whispers. He was curious, but it was stopped when Maia used the opportunity to talk to him.
"Hey, Knight, I want to say thank you for your save back there. It was careless to drop my guard just because we were close to the camp. If you weren't here… well, if you weren't here, I wouldn't have been here in the first place, but you catch my meaning, right?" she chuckled a little and shook her head, "Jokes aside, thank you. It's good you kept that shield."
She knocked on the shield and he nodded to express his agreement. It was not a great shield, especially compared to the ones in his memories, but it had probably saved Maia's life. That gave it a quality on its own.
"You know," the redhead continued, "I have planned to give you a weapon at the camp, but after such performance, maybe I should give you another shield so you can go with one in each hand!" she laughed and then looked at him with a sincere smile, "I am pretty sure it would be great. After all, you are really good at protecting."
Good at protecting? For what remembered, he was good at two things: killing things and not dying while killing said things… or at least, not staying dead. However, what she said… it did not sound too bad. The protecting part, not the two shields part. He was pretty sure it would be both ineffective and ridiculous. And he really wanted to have a real weapon in his hands, so now he was even more eager to get to Kuroinu's secret base. What could he say?
He could not sleep, but at least, he could dream.
The camp was, in a word, chaotic. And that just looking from the trees' shadow, still too far away from the camp's lights.
Tens and tens of men were moving around with no order nor rhythm, but somehow, not running into each other in the process. Maybe it was like an ant colony? From outside, it was easy to see the perfect order the insects had doing anything, but from inside, it was impossible to appreciate it…
That, or they were just lucky. For goodness' sake, he had seen a man carrying swords around and almost impaling someone three times.
But even with the aforementioned lack of coordination or self-preservation, it seemed they were the best mercenaries for a reason. As soon as Nox put a hoof in the camp perimeter, everyone around them reacted in an instant, locking their eyes on them and hands already on the closest weapon. After some tense seconds, they began to realize who was the woman on the horse and… the tension remained? He had thought they would relax after recognizing her.
Maia noticed it as well, and raised her voice with a jesting tone, "Hey hey, don't get you panties in a twist! It's just me, and I must talk with Vault. So, go on with whatever you were doing, we will explain things later."
It seemed her words were enough, because after some shared looks, all of them resumed their works. They gave Maia some greetings while they passed, as well as suspicious looks at him, but they left a clear path for them without further problems. However, it was easy to see they were still a little tense. Why though?
"Jeez, what is wrong with them?" Maia whispered, voicing his thoughts, "They looked at me as if I were the Dark Queen in the flesh. Fuck, they are a scare away from killing whatever is closest to them."
"Can you blame us?" Kyle replied with a little grimace, close enough to hear her whispers, "Everyone knows the magnitude of what we are going to do. Right now, any kind of surprise…" he looked at them but avoiding Maia's eyes "… is not a good surprise."
The redhead sighed, "Yes, I can understand that. But believe me, this one is worth the hassle. You will see."
The man remained silent, but he did not seem very assured by her words, not that he could blame him. If he had learnt something about Maia, it was that she loved to leave things unexplained and mysterious to maximize the impact when she finally revealed them. It was kind of fun when you were in the know, but he could understand the exasperation when you were not.
They finally arrived at what seemed the center of the camp, with more tents and several bonfires. And it was clear the information about their presence had moved faster than them, as in front of the biggest tent, there were two figures standing, looking at them with evident expectation.
The first one was a man of slim complexion. Green and black clothes covered by some kind of purple cape, secured around his neck with a metallic button. Messy brown hair and glasses over his green eyes completed the image, giving him an obvious air of an intellectual. If he were to bet, he would say the man was a mage or something similar.
The other one… well, he would be lying if he said he needed a presentation.
The man was big, probably the biggest he had met in this world, as it was the first one who could look at his helmet without looking up. And when he said big, it was not just about his height. The man was corpulent, but with no appreciable amount of fat, just pure muscles and broad shoulders. He would expect someone of his size to wear a heavy armor, but the man had just dark clothes with a pair of greaves, long gauntlets and a heavy pauldron decorated with the image of a black dog.
Dark hair, red eyes, and a strong jaw with some stubble. He was basically the definition of what his memories came up when he thought about the world 'manly'. He was just standing, but it was easy to see how he exuded confidence and strength, not a bit of worry in his face as he looked at them. Added to how every man around them was looking at his direction waiting for orders, it was easy to know who the man was.
He had to be Vault, leader of the Kuroinu and —if what Maia had been repeating was anything to go by—, this land's hero.
He had to admit, he was not disappointed.
However, that could be a little biased due to the piece of art that Vault had tied to his back. Saying it was a sword was the same as to say a castle was a house. The basic concept was the same, but it was so much more. It was almost as tall as its wielder, and even with just a glimpse, he could feel the strength of its metal, the sharpness of its edge, and the quality of its craftsmanship. It was basically calling to him, telling him to grab it, to use it, to keep it with the rest of his weapons and—!
And…
And ok, it was clear after some of his memories, but now he had proof that he had a compulsive obsession of grabbing every weapon he found. Or… not every weapon? He had not felt this with Maia's dual blades or Claudia's long sword, and both were exquisite weapons. He did not know what triggered the feeling, but he probably should watch himself before he ended up stealing something important.
Happy for once that he could not say out loud his internal ramblings, the group finally reached the tent.
"Well, well, well." Vault started, a heavy tone of jest in his grave voice, "If it isn't one of the famous Princess Knights in the flesh, I am honored." he finished with an exaggerated bow. Maia raised a brow, not amused, and opened her mouth to answer, "Although, I am confused. A Princess Knight would have announced their presence, not come at night disguised with a cloak as a simple assassin."
Maia's counter to the first part died in her mouth after hearing the last part, grimacing with a little flash of shame, "You have already heard that, eh? Yeah, that… that was my bad. But in my defense, I was excited to see you all again, and… I forgot." after a second of silence, she could not contain some chuckles, "Now that I say it aloud, it's not a great defense."
Vault grinned, "No, it's not. We are lucky Kyle didn't make you a new hole in your body, and one you wouldn't enjoy at that."
Maia scoffed, but there was a little tint of red in her cheeks, "First, that one was awful and you know it. Second, I wouldn't say it was just luck." she turned to him and patted his arm, a smile on her face, "It was Knight the one who stopped the arrow. I am really in his debt."
He liked to think he got straighter at the praise, but the cruel truth was his body had not moved a muscle. Besides, he probably did not deserve it as he was not very sure how he had sensed the attack from the man —man who, by the way, had disappeared without him noticing.
Probably just the aftereffects of his flashback, but it unnerved him a little that he had not felt Kyle moving.
"Knight?" Vault raised a brown, probably curious about the name, but did not continue his question, "Well, then we have to thank you for it."
The man raised his hand, ready to shake his hand. Fortunately, before they could descend into the usual stupidity of his lack of coordination, Maia put herself between them and waved her hand, dismissing the situation, "Yeah, yeah, he is great. But first, I see Kin here, but where is Hicks?" Maia asked, curious.
"Doing a last-minute task." replied Vault, retracting his extended hand. Then looked at the woman with a teasing smile, "You will have to wait until tomorrow to confess your undying love, I am afraid."
"HA!" the redhead instantaneously exclaimed, a mirroring smile on her face, "Not even in his dreams."
Vault chuckled, "Poor him, he will be broken." he shook his head and then looked at Maia with a serious expression. The men around them seemed to notice and understand the change, as they began to leave to grant them privacy. When they were alone, Vault continued, "Ok, it's good to see you, Maia, and I enjoy our conversations, but I think it's time you tell us what you are doing here and who your new friend is."
Maia sighed, "I wanted to explain when the three of you were here, but I guess I will have to do it two times." then she laughed a little and shook her head, "And you are right, probably better to do it now, before Kin sprain his brain trying to understand Knight."
After her words, the other two looked at the man with glasses —Kin, it seemed— and found him with an exasperated expression, some drops of sweat in his forehead, and what he was pretty sure was a nervous tic in his left eye.
Noticing the looks on him, Kin shook his head, as if trying to remove something from his head, "It's just… He is… B-but, his armor… it… the power inside… i-it doesn't make sense!"
Maia laughed, "Don't worry, don't worry. Not even Celestine can read him appropriately, so don't feel bad about it."
That made the two men tense and look at him with obvious interest. Vault was the first to talk, "Ok, now I really want to know."
"Of course you do." the redhead replied with a smug smile, "It's a bit of a long story, though."
Oh, joy. He already knew the story she was talking about.
Well, here they went again.
Like other times when people had heard his story, Vault and Kin went through several changes of attitude and face. Maia had told them almost everything —only leaving aside that he was 'powered' by souls and the fact that the last 'owner' that had passed control over him to Maia was a little girl—, and while some parts were easy to accept, others had caused a lot of disbelief. Especially when she got to her plan to help.
"So, let me get this straight," Vault finally said, "You found an old armor in the middle of the forest, which ended up being not an armor but a magical golem. One that can act and think like a human, that not even Celestine fucking Lucross knows how it work, and you want it to infiltrate the Dark Tower, alone, and deactivate its defenses. Something that every dark elf we have asked said it was a suicidal mission, mind you."
Maia thought for a second and then nodded, "Yes, that's basically it."
Vault and Kin turned to each other and blinked. Then blinked again. And finally, began to laugh. Kin's laugh was quiet and restrained, but Vault's was the completely opposite, loud and completely unrestrained. He was sure that if they were seated on chairs, he would have fallen from it.
"You both suck." Maia deadpanned, the fit of laughs still going strong.
Finally, Vault recovered enough to talk, "Sorry, Maia, but you have to admit it sounds like a bad bedtime story. Really, if I were to say something, I would say it's a trap. The timing it's too good to be true."
"Don't be so skeptical now, Vault." Maia shook her head, "If some months ago someone has told us that we would be attacking the Dark Queen's fortress, we would have sent them to an asylum. And despite that, here we are."
Vault chuckled at that, "Ok, I will give you that. And yes, if it can do what you say, it will be an unvaluable help, but you are not being rational, Maia. The barriers aren't the only tower's defenses. There will be monsters and things we don't even know guarding the place. You will basically send your glorified toy to its slaughter."
It was hard to appreciate, but he was sure Maia was starting to show some signs of being really pissed off.
"He is not a toy, Vault." she said with emphasis, getting closer to the man and poking him in the chest with her finger, "He is more than you can imagine, stronger than you can imagine. Give hima sword and shield and he will take the tower on his own."
Vault blinked, surprised, and he could not blame him. Maia's trust in him, while not new to him, it still made him feel warm, made him want to live up to her expectations. That… and some flashbacks had shown him he had already done something like that one-man invasion… several times?
Not a tower, though. That would be a new one for him.
After some seconds, Vault recovered enough to reply, "So, it's a master swordsman as well?" he asked with irony.
Maia frowned, "Well, I wouldn't say master swordsman, but in terms of pure, brute strength, he is incredible. Probably even stronger than you, Vault." she added with a teasing smile, "I wasn't joking when I said he beat me in a spar."
The man blinked, but instead of being offended, he just laughed, "I have never claimed to have the strongest arm, just being the strongest in general." he returned the smile, a hint of arrogance in his eyes, "But let's put your toy's might to test. Hey!" he shouted to the men around them, "I need a table and that someone tell Sard to come here. I have a job for him."
As soon as Vault said those words, two men immediately moved to follow his orders. The rest began to whisper between themselves, and even if he could not hear the words, it was easy to perceive the tone of expectation. Maia looked surprised, but only for a moment. Then, she nodded to Vault with a confident expression, as if accepting a challenge.
Something told him he would be the one to face said challenge though.
Before he knew it, the two men returned, one carrying a table and the other… escorting a mountain? Maybe 'mountain' was an exaggeration, but it surely fitted more than 'human'.
The man —to say something— was massive. Broader than a horse and taller than himself by a whole head. What made him seem even more big were the bulging muscles that conformed his body. And they were easy to see, as the man was wearing just grey pants, not a piece of clothing in his upper body. The other significant detail was his head, completely bald and, frankly, too small for his humongous body, but he was pretty sure no one dared to tell him that.
"Now that all is ready, let's explain some things." Vault said and immediately the ambient sound disappeared. After making sure everyone was paying attention, the leader of Kuroinu raised his voice "Hear me out you bastards! I know all you are curious about Maia's presence, so I will keep it simple. She is here to help our sorry asses because she thinks we can't do anything without her!"
Vault finished with a wink directed to said woman. It made her blush the tiniest bit, but she hid it quickly with a pout. The audience laughed at the interaction, and that was probably what the man wanted, as it lifted the tension he had felt since Maia and he had arrived. It seemed he was not the leader of those men for nothing.
With a laugh of his own, Vault resumed his speech, "I know, I know, but in her defense, she has brought us something that could be a real help," the man turned to him and smacked his armor, "This here, is a magical golem with enough intelligence to infiltrate the Dark Tower and bring its barriers down for us. And that would make things a lot easier, but for that it must join us for the mission, and that brings us to the reason why I asked for the table and for Sard. After all, what is the only test to join the Kuroinu?!"
All the men around them answered as one, "Show your strength!"
Their leader grinned, "Exactly. So now, our strongest man, Sard, is going to arm wrestle the golem and test if it can join us or not. So, set it up and get ready for the show. Ah, and Sard?" he looked directly at the man, a sardonic smile in his face, "Try to not break it."
The mountain of muscles laughed and cracked his shoulders, "No promises."
And after that, everyone began to move to follow their leader's orders. Soon, the table and two boxes were set close to the camp center, giving enough space around for anyone who wanted to see the test. A test he had not accepted, but a test he had to pass, nonetheless. At least, he remembered what arm wrestling was, a simple duel of arm strength between two persons. It was usually reserved for taverns, when the men were both drunk and bored, but he did not remember to have participated himself. That meant no muscular memory to help him.
He just hoped it would be easier than shaking his head.
"Ok, everything is ready." Vault spoke at his side, catching his and Maia's attention, "Let's see what your tin toy can do, Maia."
At the obvious taunt, the Princess Knight answered with a big grin of her own, "Of course, and I will be expecting your 'sorry ass' to apologize after he destroys Sard. No hard feelings, Sard!" she shouted suddenly to the man, who just shook his head. Then, Maia turned to him, "Welp, you have heard it all, Knight. So, go there, arm wrestle Sard, make him cry, and show them what you are made of!"
He would try his best to avoid that.
With an internal sigh, he moved towards the table. The man was already seated on one of the boxes, so he decided to do the same. After some mental cheering, he was able to sit down and repress the sudden urge to raise his leg to adopt his usual posture. The slow and mechanical movements this caused, prompted several laughs from the men, but he had decided to ignore them. He had enough trying to force his arm in position.
His opponent was already set and looked at him with half scoff-half disbelief, "It has trouble raising its fucking arm. This is going to be easier than impaling an imp."
He remembered said imps, the things that had fled instead of fighting him even if they had had the numbers on their side.
So, he took some offense with the man's commentary.
He narrowed his eyes and grabbed Sard's hand. Seeing they were ready, Vault raised his arm, "Ok, on the count of three. One… two… three!"
In a split second, it was already over.
With a heavy thud, an armored arm hit the table with enough strength to dent the wood. Silence filled the camp as everyone processed what had happened. And he did not blame them. Obviously, the Kuroinu had expected their champion to win, but probably they had not expected that win to be so one sided.
"What the hell?" Sard raised his voice, "It didn't even try!"
Maybe it had been the pressure of being observed, maybe the shock of realizing he had narrowed his eyes, or perhaps the fact he had not been able to force his arm to obey him and apply the force he wanted.
It was probably the latter.
It was not as if he was not able to move his arm. Little by little, his body had started to obey, but it was still a constant fight —He could not even move his neck properly— and even if he had been able to move his arm, he had been too slow to apply the strength necessary. It seemed outside of a fight, his reflexes were incredibly disappointing.
However, it did not change the fact he had failed the test miserably. A fact the audience finally realized and caused them to laugh at him. Before he knew it, Maia was at his side with a strange expression on her face.
"Knight? What was that? I have felt your strength in our spar, and I am sure you can do better than that." she said with a little tint of anxiousness in her voice. Then, she blinked, as if she had realized something obvious, "Wait. You… oh fuck, you don't know how to arm wrestle, right? Sorry, that's my bad. I will teach you and then we can repeat it."
And before he could try to convey to her that ignorance was not the problem, Maia got to his side, grabbed his right arm, and began to move it through the necessary movements, slowly explaining to him each step. He had to admit it was a little denigrating, being treated as a child. And of course, he was not the only one who could see it.
"Maia, what are you doing?" Vault asked from behind them, a little hint of mock in his tone.
Little it may be, it was clear Maia had caught it as her eyes narrowed, "He didn't know what he had to do, so of course he didn't push back. I just have to teach him and then he will show you all what he can do."
Truly, Maia's faith in him was moving, enough at least to ignore how she had been teaching him as if he was an infant. And it seemed Vault saw it as well, because even with a face that clearly showed his doubts, he accepted to repeat the test. Sard was not happy with the decision, though.
"This is stupid, Maia." the mountain of muscles said as he sat down again, "If that retarded toy needs instructions to just moving its arm, it won't be of any help."
She just smiled as she moved his arm one last time, "What? So afraid of losing now that he knows what to do?"
Sard narrowed his eyes, "You are on."
And there they were again, grabbing each other's hands to start. However, this time it was different. Maia trusted him, she had put her name and pride on the line for him, so he could help and become a hero. He could not disappoint her; he would not disappoint her. And if that was not enough, the man in front of him had mock him, belittled him as just a 'toy'. And he had had enough of it.
He was nota golem. He was not an armor. He was not a puppet. He was not a toy.
He…
He was more than an amnesiac. He was more than a crippled. He was more than an outsider.
He was Knight. His name, his ideal.
And he liked it.
He will show them who he was, show them why they were wrong, he just needed some time to move his arm. And now, he knew how to get it.
"Ok, the same as before." Vault's voice sounded again, silencing everyone as they focused on the table, "On the count of three. One… two…"
He was frozen in the Fire
"Three!"
The wood of the table groaned as two powerful forces clashed: a moving one and a static one. The man pushed with all his strength, enough to bend metal, but it was futile. Knight's arm was frozen, every muscle blocked with habit born from eons of tension. Sard's face grew red as he put his all, but it would not be enough. He was not able to move that arm.
Only his owner could.
And that was what he was going to do. He had all the time he wanted to focus. Since he had awoken in this world, his body had fought him in every step of the journey. Knight had to trick it, make it think he was in a battle so his body could move almost on its own. Outside of it, his movements were very limited, not even being able to shake his head. But his farewell to Anna had shown him something.
He could force it to obey.
He did not remember how to move his muscles, but so what? Babies forced themselves to learn, and even if he hated the comparison, it was an accurate one. He just had to relearn, make his body remember who its master was. This arm wrestle was just the first step. Just another enemy he would slay. So, with all the determination he could gather, Knight ordered his body to move, to show the strength to swing giant swords and endure the attacks of any creature.
That was his will.
And in the face of his will, his body obeyed.
With a heavy crash, an unarmored arm hit the table with enough strength to break it in half, forcing its owner to fall to the ground. Sard let out a cry of pain, and as soon as Knight released his hand, the man brought the arm to his chest, cradling it in an attempt to ease the pain. And then Sard saw it.
A black armor standing over him, looking at him with a face so dark that no light could pass through. No, it was not a face. It was the darkness itself that was looking at him. Sard began to sweat as the heat of flames hit him, even if there was no fire close. Then Maia appeared at the side of the armor and the world returned to normal.
"Not so cocky now, are you, Sard?" Maia asked as she put her hand on Knight's arm, the sweetest and most vindictive smile he had ever seen plastered on her face.
"I…" Sard started, still affected by the strange vision and his loss, but it soon changed to anger, "T-That didn't mean anything! I want to fight it! One versus one! And I will show that toy what a real man is!"
"Enough." Vault powerful voice stopped the conflict before it could escalate, "We don't have the time nor the men to waste them in a stupid grudge. I proposed the arm-wrestling to avoid any injury if Maia was right, and…" he turned to the redhead and gave her a nod, "I have to admit she was, if not right, at least not too wrong. This armor of hers is strong at least. Tomorrow we will see if it can fight as well, but for now, it has proved it can join us."
The men began to talk between them, commenting the news. All except the ones who were too busy laughing and pestering Sard about his defeat. At Knight's side, Maia looked smug, but it seemed she was not fully satisfied.
"Leaving aside your choice of words, I am still expecting an apology~" Maia said to Vault with a childish tone.
The man just chuckled, "It may be strong, but I won't accept it until I see it fight."
"Tomorrow then. It will be fun to see you eat your own words, Mister leader of the Kuroinu." the redhead said with a big grin on her face.
This time, Vault openly laughed and then mirrored her grin, "Keep dreaming, Miss Princess Knight."
And with that last exchange, the man returned to his tent, leaving the two of them as the audience began to leave as well. Maia kept looking at the retreating form of the man for a little while, an emotion in her eyes that probably was the infatuation Elena had talked about, but it was not his area of expertise.
He barely remembered how courtship worked, and even if he did, he was pretty sure he had never met a woman like Maia, so it would not apply either way.
After a while, the redhead shook her head and began to move, "Come on, Knight. We have to borrow and prepare a tent for the night. Today had been a long day, so I need some good sleep."
He nodded. It had been a long day for him too, but sleep was something that he apparently did not need. It was not something bad, as he could use the time to look at the stars and think about everything that had happened. Maybe even practice a little to move his neck.
However, the most pressing matter was the new test he would have the next day. Vault had talked about fighting, but if he did not want any of his men to do it, it would probably be against a beast or a monster they find in their journey. But for that to happen, they would have to finally give him a weapon!
…
Hopefully. He remembered fighting a corpse with just a shield. It had not been quick.
With that last thought, Knight moved to follow Maia.
It was very late when the tent's cloth moved and one man entered. He was tall, with toned muscles visible through his open vest, but with a slim body type. Brushed back, brown hair and a pointy face showing that he wasn't happy. At the table, Vault and Kin tensed and got up, but recognizing the newcomer, they relaxed again.
"Finally, Hicks." Vault started with a hard tone, sitting down again, "What the hell were you doing? Enjoying the sights?"
Hicks grunted, taking one of the chairs and joining the other two at the table, "You asked me to take the less men possible and search the forest for a fucking secret ambush. Do you know how hard it is to do that?" he shook his head, disappointed, "Especially when the scouts are scared shitless in case they find something."
"So, I will deduce from your tone that you didn't find anything?" Kin asked.
"Not a single trail." the man confirmed, "Either they are using a battalion full of assassins at the same level that Kaguya's fucking Shadows, or there is no ambush waiting to kill us tonight."
Vault nodded, expecting the answer, "No ambush then. Maia can be cunning, but she would never pull out a secret operation without making some kind of mistake, especially with me around." he chuckled, "If she knew something, she would have come to kill me personally, or try to convince me not to do it. Probably the latter, as women in love are one of the stupidest beings in this world."
The three laughed. Maia's secret feelings for Kuroinu's leader weren't as secret as she thought. They had already considered them for their plans, and if it worked, she would be the easiest target of all.
"Well, now that we know we don't half the army ready to cut our throats, we need to decide what we do with the Princess Knight and her little surprise." Kin reminded them, turning serious again.
The other two nodded, Vault speaking first, "Before that, where is she now?"
Kin closed his eyes, focusing on the familiars he had left around the camp, "She is still in her tent, sleeping. The golem is just sitting in the ground, outside and is…" he opened his eyes and blinked, "Stargazing?"
Vault waved his hand, "Don't be a fool, I am sure it's keeping watch. I don't know if she ordered him or if it was made to protect its master, but the scouts said it protected Maia from the arrows before she realized what was happening, and we are fucking lucky for that one. However, it shows that any action against her will cause it to attack us."
Hicks shrugged, "So what? The boys told me about the golem and how it beat Sard at arm wrestling, but that doesn't mean it can fight."
"It doesn't, but it probably can." the leader replied, "Maia was adamant about its fighting ability, and after how it toyed with Sard, I am ready to believe her. After all, that thing can learn."
Kin nodded, "It's worrisome. And the biggest problem is I can't discern its magic. The armor is enchanted, very enchanted, and I don't know with what because one of them is to hide everything about the armor and its user." he frowned, annoyed, "The only thing I can discern is there is power fueling it, and only to know that it's so ridiculously massive that the armor can only hide part of it."
"And what?" Hicks scoffed, "It's strange and weird, but that won't matter when every part of that armor is destroyed and in the ground. We have enough men here to dogpile it while we deal with Maia. I don't see the problem."
"The 'problem'," Vault stressed, "is that its presence changes things. We can't use our plan for Maia right now, especially if the golem gets violent. Not talking about the fact that we don't have a cage here in the camp and rope won't be enough. If we do this wrong, we may be forced to kill Maia, and that's something we can't afford. Not only because we would lose one of our financial supporters, but because the Princess Knights are a symbol. We need all of them."
Hicks sighed, "Ok, so it's a problem. What do we do then?"
"Nothing." simply answered the Kuroinu leader, as if it were obvious.
Kin nodded with a little smile, but Hicks blinked in confusion, "Wait, what?"
Vault just grinned, "She wants to help, right? So we will let her and her toy help. If it works, it will make our lives a lot easier and I will use these days of travel to think about what to do with the golem. If not, we will just use the original plan. And for Maia…" the grin turned vicious, "I am sure the Dark Queen has more than enough cells in her tower."