So, I have learnt that setting a dead line in my busiest moth of the year it's not a good idea. To make it worse, one of the reviews made me realize I wanted to change a part of the chapter, and that kept scalating until I delete a lot and remade a lot more. I am still not happy with some of it, but as always with me, I have to stop and update or I would never update. No action in this one, but the next one will make up for it, you will see. And this is when I say next update is in two months, but after what happened, let's say two months... ish. And now the guest reviews!:
GOD D. USOPP - Well, not two months but not ten either, hehe... sorry. And yes, Knight is not invencible, that would be too boring I think. And I completely agree, I really enjoy writing Maia and Knight, it's very fun!
Halo - Yes! Now it's even more. Damn, I can't believe but I am super proud about it. And like always, that scene sounds hilarious. At this rate, someday I would make a section of omakes to include all these silly ideas XD About the DARK tower deja vu... I am afraid I don't get it, sorry. Not sure if I am thinking too much about it or too little.
Guest(12/27/21) - As far as I know, undeads doesn't have biological functions, so all move through pure willpower. Which is badass as hell, but not unique to our boy. However, you are right, one of the reason he can't talk is that he had no idea how to exhale air, something he don't reallly have to do. Good work getting it right!
And that's it. Again, I am sorry for the long wait and the loooong delay replying to the reviews. Really, I basically ended the last ones before updating this. I will try to be better, I promise. Again, thanks for all the support, favorites, follows and reviews, I can feel the love. Really thank you. And now, enjoy the chapter!
(Real size 10838 words)
Maia splashed her face with some water and let out a happy sigh.
It was the end of their third day of traveling, and even if she had missed this kind of mission, now she missed her bathroom with warm water even more. Maia hadn't believed it, but it was clear the saying about getting used to the good stuff had some grain of truth. Of course, she would never admit it to the others. They already teased her about the princess part of her title, if they learnt about this, Maia would never live it down.
That didn't change the fact that she had wanted to bathe, though. Especially because she had been moving non stop for almost a week. First with the battle, then chasing that town's men, meeting Knight, going to Ken, then going to the camp and now traveling through the country towards the Dark Queen's domains. Her excellent physical form let her go without sweating longer than many people, but even she had limits.
That was why, when they had stopped early close to a river, she had jumped at the chance of a good bath before even preparing her tent. The early stop was due to the presence of some patrols of monsters they would have to avoid. The bad side was they would have to travel longer the next day, but the good side was Maia could see what she was doing instead of bathing at night with just a torch or even in complete darkness.
She had had to do that one or two times and it hadn't been a good experience. Too many little rocks in the riverbed.
Maia shook her head and then went underwater, making sure her hair was clean. It was moments like this that made her grateful for her decision of keeping her hair short. Just some time close to the bonfire and it would be dry. Compared to Celestine or Alicia, who Maia was sure needed several maids just to wash her hair, she preferred her simple style. With that done, she began to scrub her arms and legs of all the accumulated sweat and dirt. Really, Maia didn't know if Knight had a sense of smell, but if he had one, he was a perfect gentleman because he hadn't said anything while they traveled together.
...
Ha! Hadn't said anything… Maia was sure he would be scoffing at her if she had said that aloud.
And now that she was thinking about the big guy, she turned to the side of the river and grinned. Right at the border of the water was Knight, looking in the completely opposite direction from her and clearly not okay with the situation. His back was almost hidden by his shield and sword, but she could feel the discomfort and awkwardness coming out of him in waves, so she was sure he was as tense as the overworked fabric keeping Celestine's twins from accidentally flashing someone with a religious experience.
And she had seen bridges' ropes with less tension.
Maia splashed the water to hide her chuckle. She didn't want Knight to think she was laughing at him… even if he was part of it.
It had started as a little accident. After all, over the last few days, they had been together almost all the time. Really, even if he hadn't wanted to share the tent, he remained seated at its side all night. So, it had reached the point that Maia was very used to his presence, finding it comfortable and sometimes even reassuring.
And maybe she had gotten way too comfortable around him, because after arriving at the river and almost crying of happiness, Maia had only realized he was still there when her shirt was on the ground and she was busy trying to take off her pants.
He had been, as Prim would say, a gentleman, —better than half of the nobles Maia knew— turning away and leaving as soon as he had realized what she was going to do, or at least that was what she had sensed from him. And… well, that had been the moment when, without thinking too much about what she was doing, Maia had asked him to remain there while she bathed.
She had to admit it had started as a little prank, trying to see what the prudish armor would do in such a situation since grabbing her waist while riding Nox was almost too much, and sharing a tent was out of the question. Maia had reached the conclusion that, even if at first she had started to see the armor as a 'he' just for his form, Knight also saw himself as a male and acted like what she could only describe as a shy... guy.
...Ok, the original thought had been 'shy virgin', but she was almost sure that his behavior was due to deep respect and an old sense of what is proper, so it wouldn't probably be a fair comparison.
That should create some questions about where that shyness and morals came from, and if his creators had deliberately done that, but for Maia was just a reminder that she was prone to tease and mess with her shy friends… Which had started all this thing.
Knight hadn't disappointed and, as soon as she had voiced her idea, he had frozen for an instant, the next second restarting his walk with even more determination. Maia had almost laughed then, prepared to let him leave, but then… then she had kept talking, asking him to please be there in case some of the guys tried to peep at her. Knight had frozen again, his body very tense, but this time he hadn't left, remaining close to the river and looking at the forest, ready to overcome his shyness in order to help her.
And Maia didn't know how to feel about that, not only because of his nice gesture, but because it had just been an excuse to tease him a little more and, at the same time… it hadn't?
Maia sighed at the memory and got out of the water, grabbing the towel she had left close to dry herself. She was sure Knight had done the impossible and tensed even more, but she was too deep in her thoughts to worry about it.
She would have to be blind to not see how things were not the same as before. Maia had left the group years ago, but she had done her best to keep in contact. And through that contact, she had seen how things changed, how Vault had begun to not tell her about every mission, how Kin and Hicks never had time to have a drink with her anymore, or how some of her oldest friends like Shabal, Gaul and Kyle hadn't talked to her for months.
At least she had seen Kyle now, but the other two had not come with them… which was weird because if there were two persons that would jump to the occasion of a war-ending mission without asking questions, it would be Shabal and Gaul. Why hadn't Vault brought them? She couldn't understand it, but maybe it was just another sign that she didn't know them as well as she thought.
Maia sighed again, dropping the towel, and began to put her clothes on. Really, it was like everything had changed with her almost not noticing it. Everyone seemed tense around her, like they didn't trust her. Garret, the eternal grumpy man, was married and soon would be a father. Kyle now was very reserved and couldn't joke with her like they used to do before. And not only that, the scout had been very weird since Maia arrived. At first, she had thought it was due to almost killing her, —which, to be fair, was a pretty good reason— but it seemed to be something more than that.
Maybe something had happened to his sister? The man basically lived only for his little sister, Lily, and her family, giving them a big part of the money he gained as a mercenary and always being there for them. Really, he was such a mother hen that she had teased him about it a lot, but he just explained it as his 'big brother duty'. So, if it was something related to Lily, that could explain it, but if something serious like that had happened, he would have told Maia!
…
At least, if things were like they used to be.
It was so frustrating. Maia had seen this as a chance to return to the old times when she was a part of the Kuroinu, but it was clear too many things had changed for it to be the same, especially the new recruits. They weren't exactly new, and Maia had met them in her several visits, but she called them new because they had joined after she left. That meant that, even if she saw them as Kuroinu's members, Maia didn't know them that well, and they didn't exactly respect her as an old member.
That was obvious in the way they looked at her when they thought she couldn't see them. Maia knew how men tended to be, and that her body was hot enough to raise passion in a rock, but shit, couldn't they be a little more discreet with their leering? It was getting obnoxious.
So yes, she hadn't exactly been liying when she asked Knight to remain there and keep watch. Maia loved those idiots, and had decided she would trust them with her life… but probably not with her privacy. Better be careful and help them to avoid any 'accidental' peeping. At least with Knight, she knew she could trust him about this… and wasn't it sad that she couldn't say the same about her old group?
Maia shook her head, trying to forget those thoughts. With a final look to assure all her clothes were covering what they had to cover, she decided it was time to free the big guy from his task.
"Ok, Knight, you can look now. I am decent."
Even with her words, the living armor still needed a solid minute to turn around, little by little, and realized that, yes, she hadn't been joking about being decent. Maia couldn't help but laugh a little. In truth, she had thought about doing something like that, keeping the towel around her body over part of her clothes and acting as if there was nothing under it, but nah, she had already teased him too much, and he had been a great help, listening to her selfish request.
And what is more, with that little laugh, Maia felt better now. Maybe things were not the same, but that didn't mean everything was bad. That had been enough brooding for a month, so now she would focus on what was important and positive, and that was how, even with all the problems and steps until this point, she was glad to be able to be here.
She could barely believe she had done it, joining the Kuroinu in probably the most important mission of their history. As soon as Vault had proposed the plan, she had wanted to go. However, Celestine and the rest had thought it would be too risky and that they should remain in position in case something went wrong. She had tried to change their mind, the goddess knew she tried, but they had been adamant about it.
Finally, her obligation towards her title of Princess Knight had won and she accepted she would not join. However, a little incursion before the mission had brought her to Knight, someone who could help the Kuroinu with the barrier problem and… and yes, she had been selfish and lied a little when she said she had to go with him, but it had been her last chance!
And it had worked. Maia was sure Celestine had seen through her lie, but the elf had wanted something selfish as well, so they had reached an agreement. Capturing Olga Discordia, the Dark Queen, alive wasn't a trivial thing, but after seeing Celestine's face, she couldn't say no… especially because Knight had already said yes.
Speaking of the big guy, Maia was really enjoying the time with him. Knight was one of the strangest persons she had ever found, and yes, she saw him as a person and no one would convince her of the contrary. He was quiet, of course, but Maia knew his head was always filled with a myriad of thoughts. Sometimes, he lost himself in said thoughts, and it worried her a little because she could perceive his agitation after those moments, but she would trust him with her life nonetheless.
Knight was a gentle giant. A badass warrior with the strength to break trees and stop monsters in their tracks; one that had some weird obsession with his shield and probably with weapons in general. But, at the same time, he was a big teddy bear, hugging a child and her mother all night to protect them from nightmares… but so prudish that he had not dared to grab Maia's waist. He was someone with an ever present feeling of curiosity and discovery that reminded her of a little baby seeing the world for the first time… which made sense after what Celestine had told her about him.
That made her frown and look at his reflection on the water. There… there still was the whole issue about Knight's core made of souls and what it implied about his creation, but Maia refused to let it stain the image she had of the big guy. After all, you couldn't choose where or how you were born. What mattered was what you decided to do with that life, and Knight had moved for the first time in decades, maybe centuries, just to save a little girl and her mom.
In Maia's eyes, that made him a hero, not a scary abomination.
And ok, maybe she was a little biased about it, with the story being so close to her own and all that, but that didn't change what had happened. Knight was a savior to those people, a hero to that little girl. The fact that Knight reminded Maia of that man maybe changed how she saw him, but not his actions. Knight had the potential to be a hero for these lands, she knew it. He just required a little help to do it, and this mission was just the push he needed.
Knight would be praised as someone who had been critical for the success of the most important attack in centuries, the plan that would end the war and finally bring peace to this country. And he would do it helping the Kuroinu, the defenders of Eostia, and his leader, Vault the hero. The amount of good Knight would be able to do after this, was enough for Maia to help him in every step of the way. Of course, it helped that she sincerely liked the big guy… and that Maia would be part of everything too.
Being a Princess Knight was an honor, one that she didn't regret accepting, but she couldn't help but feel she had sacrificed a lot in order to accept said honor. She was the Queen of Mercenaries, and that was more than a title, it was who she was. Maia had grown in the battlefield and nothing made her prouder than the achievements on it, except the moments when she had saved people from the horrors of this war. Joining the Kuroinu had been her dream, and she had proved she belonged to the group. With all that, developing feelings for Vault, the embodiment of what she had chased since she was a little girl being carried to safety by armored arms… Well, it had been kind of inevitable really.
Those were some of the reasons why leaving the Kuroinu to help Celestine had been the easiest and hardest decision of her life.
However, now she didn't have to think about it. Now, she was again with her old group, traveling with them, living with them, and soon, fighting with them. Maia felt like something that had been wrong inside her was finally right, like a piece of a puzzle finding its correct place. After all this time, she was where she felt she should be. Even with the new recruits and all the weird feelings and discomfort at her… Maia felt at home.
She shook her head and smiled. Those were enough sappy thoughts and feelings for a while, now she had to focus on what was next. If nothing unexpected happened, tomorrow night they would reach the Dark Tower and finish the war once and for all. Thinking about it, Maia couldn't help the nervous energy that went through her body. Maybe that was one of the reasons the men were like that, being very excited about the mission. She could understand it, after all, she was excited and knew that Vault was excited, Kin was excited, even Knight was excited!
He realized Maia was looking at him and turned to look at her, the darkness of his helmet fixed at her for a while. Finally, as if he could read her mind, Knight gave her a simple nod.
Yep, totally excited.
Before she could keep thinking about it, a rustle of leaves and bushes alerted them someone was coming. Maia tensed a little, wondering if she reallyhad been right about one of them being so stupid and ballsy to try to peep at her, but those thoughts stopped when, before being close enough to see anything, Vault's voice came from the forest.
"Maia, are you there? I know you wanted to take a bath, so, can I come, or are you still at it?" there was silence for a bit, but then he chuckled, "Or maybe you are still at it and you want me to come, I won't judge."
The redhead couldn't help but blush with the image his words created in her mind, but decided that such cocky words deserved a comeback, "Sadly for you, I am already dressed up. And for your information, my bath time is a private thing reserved only to me and Knight."
For a second, nothing happened. Then, the noises increased as Vault began to move again. Finally, he came out of the forest and looked at Maia and Knight, a raised eyebrow in his face, "Ok, I retire the not judging part. You are being a little weird with all the keeping the armor with you at every time thing. Is there something you wanted to tell me about you two, Maia?"
"Ha ha." Maia deadpanned, "It's not my fault that he realized who is better company. Besides, do I have to remind you that me and the 'armor' are the ones who are going to save you all from the impenetrable barrier problem? You should be more grateful, you know?"
Vault scoffed a little, "I admit it's going to be a great help, but don't think we didn't have our own plan for it."
Maia blinked, surprised, even if it made sense they had already prepared a solution on their own, "Well, that's the first time I heard something about that. What was that plan?"
"A contact, someone who could pass the barrier and deactivate it with his team." the man scratched his chin, "Just… not a very reliable one. After what happened with the Killer Rabbit, I trust your golem more than him."
"Woah, I didn't think anyone would accept the mission. Who was this contact-plus-team of yours to be able to go through the barrier?"
"Vampires." Vault replied with a serious tone.
Maia's eyes widened. Vampires… they were not the good kind of people. Maybe not as bad as the monsters under the Dark Queen's control, but still not ones that liked to cooperate with others. Natural vampires were very few, so they increased their numbers converting other races —usually humans— through a ritual with a high mortality rate. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the little detail that the ritual participants weren't always doing it willingly.
After that, full vampires burned under the sunlight, silver was poisonous for them, and they had to drink blood to feed themselves —again, usually from unwilling donors. In exchange, they had night vision, were very strong, very fast, and with the annoying ability of being stupidly hard to kill. Maia had fought a few, and even after cutting one in half, he had kept trying to bite her. The only ways to really kill them were piercing their heart, cutting their head, burning them to ashes, or forcing them under the sunlight… and then enjoying the resulting fireworks.
They usually lived in little groups, although she was sure Claudia had said there was some kind of stable vampire city in the northern mountains, but she digressed. The thing was, they hated people, and people hated them, so trusting something so important to one of them didn't seem like the smartest choice.
"Then you are really lucky I found Knight when I did it." Maia finally said.
Vault grunted, but didn't deny it, "Still, it wasn't so bad. Even if they were discovered, I am sure at least one of them would have broken the barrier. And you can bargain with them when you have something they want."
"Like what? Virgin blood?" Maia raised an eyebrow.
Vault chuckled, "Yes, like virgin blood. Too bad he didn't realize we didn't confirm the virgin would be human… or humanoid for that matter. We still were pondering what would piss them off more, giving them a virgin cow or a virgin pig."
Maia laughed, glad to hear some things never changed.
"Yes, yes, but really, I have more trust in your golem than in that blood-sucker. However, that wasn't why I am here. I wanted to talk with you. Can we?"
His serious tone surprised Maia, not even giving her time to gloat about how he had admitted her solution was better than his, "Err, right, yes. We… we can sit down on that rock?"
It was supposed to be a suggestion, but it came out more like a question. However, Vault didn't seem to mind and, after a quick nod, sat down on the rock she had pointed at. Maia followed him and sat at his side, so now they were close, looking at the little portion of the river that moved through the trees, and the sky turning orange as the sun began to hide. And then she realized that all this was… was...
Oh goddess, this was romantic, wasn't it?
Thankfuly, before her stupid feelings made her freak out, Vault started to talk.
"I will be direct, how much control do you have over the golem?"
Maia blinked, not expecting the question. At least, it surprised her enough to snap out of her fantasies, "Well, I talked with him about that, and as long as it isn't related to play with kids, he will follow what I said." she finished with a smile.
Vault raised an eyebrow, clearly curious about the kid part, but it seemed he wanted a serious talk, because he didn't comment about it, "Good. Then, if you tell it to obey someone else like it obeys you, would it do it?"
Maia frowned a little. Technically, that had been her original plan, ordering Knight to follow Vault's orders and then leaving. Of course, that had changed when she decided that lying about it was her only chance to come along. She didn't need to keep the secret now that she was here, and it would be useful if someone else could help Knight during the attack in case they got separated, but…
"I… Yes, we can do that, at least with you and Kin. And really, I probably should have suggested it myself. But… Why the sudden interest, why all these questions?"
It was strange. Did they not trust Knight? He was new and mysterious, so Maia could kind of understand that. But it was her responsibility and she had vouched for him, assured them there would be no problems. So then, maybe… did they not trust her?
Even after accepting that things had changed, she was surprised how much that possibility bothered her.
They remained in silence for a little, until Vault let out a heavy sigh and began to rub his neck.
"Look, Maia, this mission… compared to some of the crazy shit we have done, it should be an easy one, but we are used to surprises. If something happens, I know your golem will fight with us, but if something occurs to you, I don't want it to stop moving in a critical moment, or worse, turn crazy and attack us. I will do my best to protect you, but in case something goes wrong, I need to be sure it won't cause problems."
After that, he remained in silence, giving her time to think and try to fix the chaos made by her thoughts and feelings, because the truth was, Maia didn't know how to feel about it.
On one hand, her heart began to beat a little faster after his words. After all, he was… worried about her? Well, of course he would be worried, they were friends and this was a very dangerous mission. But, the tone he had used… It was like he cared about her a little more than what was usual for friends, right? And… and… Ok, she had to stop losing herself in wishful thinking like a little girl. She should probably ignore that part.
And that left the other hand, with Maia feeling a little pissed about his doubts. She wasn't a fragile princess, she was a Princess Knight, and the distinction was important. She was proud of her strength, and Vault should know it after years of fighting side by side. Maybe now she didn't see as much action as when she had been with the Kuroinu, but that didn't mean she needed protection. So, no, she wouldn't fall for it. He was basically underestimating her and calling her weak. She would not blush!
And maybe, just maybe, focusing on that anger would give her a little respite from all those feelings that made her weak at the knees everytime he smiled at her.
Maia didn't know what expression was on her face after her internal argument, but after a glance, Vault shook his head and looked directly at her eyes, "Don't take it the wrong way, Maia. I know you are one of the best. It's just… I can't help but worry about you. You are… important to me."
Ah, shit. There went the blush.
Quick, she needed to change the topic! "W-well, I will tell him that later, so there won't be any problem with Knight." that was good, but she needed to keep going! "A-and less worry about me and more about the mission. You know how important it is, but you didn't bring some of the best and instead you brought someone like Sard." the redhead shook her head, "I mean, I like Sard, but he is not the sharpest knife."
The man chuckled a little, "I know, I know, but he is useful for other things. And if you doubt my choices, I am sure you have thought about who you would have brought, haven't you?"
She scratched her head, a little embarrassed, "Not really? I mean, I don't really doubt your choices, but it's strange that Sard is here and people like Shabal or Gaul aren't. I know those two are some of the best and they would kill for a chance like this, so when I didn't see them, I found it weird, just that." Maia ended with a shrug.
Well, not exactly what she had expected when she changed the topic, but at least her blush was gone. However, before Maia could keep going, Vault turned quickly, looking at her with some surprise.
"Wait, didn't you hear? Those two retired, left the group."
Hearing this, she almost froze, a look of disbelief in her face, "They what!?"
Vault laughed, a deep sound that reverberated through the field, "Retired, Maia, retired. It's not so strange, you know. Many just want to join the good fight, win for a while, and then enjoy the deserved prize for their work."
The man finished with a serious tone, looking at the sky with a deep emotion in his eyes. Maia lost herself in those eyes for a second, but quickly forced herself to snap out of it. Despite her best efforts, she could feel some heat on her cheeks, so Maia was thankful that Vault wasn't looking at her. He was already cocky enough; he didn't need to know how imposing and handsome he was under the dusk light.
Trying to regain her thoughts, —and ignoring how much it hurt that her alleged friends had decided and done something so important without even telling her— Maia shook her head, looked at the sky as well and resumed their conversation.
"Well, I understand that, and I can imagine Shabal doing it, but Gaul? I was sure the blockhead would kill himself before leaving the fight and becoming a farmer or whatever people do when they retire."
Vault chuckled at that, turning his head at her with a smile, "What? Have you never thought about it? Even I want to rest someday. Hell, maybe find some good company that lasts more than one night, while I am at it."
The redhead forced herself to keep looking at the sky and shrugged, trying to act nonchalantly and not think too much about what he had said, "I guess I haven't. There always were new battles to fight, new enemies to kill. Hell, until you came up with this plan, I couldn't see an end to this war. Just some short, peaceful moments if we were lucky."
"I see." she felt him moving, "And now?"
Maia had to suppress a shiver as his voice sounded so close to her ear. She turned and noticed he had gotten closer, his red eyes fixed on hers. Fuck, she prayed to Celestine and every other god she knew that she wasn't blushing. The moment between them continued for a while, not a sound breaking the comfortable silence. After what felt like an eternity, Maia coughed and looked at the sky again.
She had to get a grip. She was a Princess Knight, the Queen of Mercenaries! Not some naïve, maiden in love, for goodness' sake! And she would prove it!
Maia took a deep breath, trying to gather her courage, "I guess… when all this is over, I wouldn't mind stopping for a while. You know, rest for a little and do something that is not related to battle. Who knows, maybe…" she clenched her fists, "Maybe even find someone to share more than one night, while I am at it."
She had said it. Oh shit, she really had said it! And ok, she hadn't been looking at his eyes, they hadn't been lying in the grass stargazing, the wind hadn't moved her long hair while she said it, and she hadn't actually confessed, but except for those little details, it had been like that confession scene from the book Prim couldn't stop gushing about. With the parallel words and all that. It had to work!
…
Well, to be fair, trashy romance novels and Prim 'my-paranoiac-cousin-won't-let-any-man-look-at-me' Fiorire, probably weren't the best helping guides, but this was so out of her expertise that it wasn't funny. She hadn't known who to ask, and Prim was the only one that maybe could help, and innocent enough to not realize Maia wasn't asking 'for a friend'.
Really, the only one with a formal and good relationship was Claudia, and Maia was too proud to ask her for help. Besides, the paladin didn't like Vault very much for some reason, so it would probably end in a verbal —if not physical— fight.
Ok, she had to stop thinking about all that and focus again on her almost-confession. She was too nervous to look at him and see his reaction, but the parallelism was clear. He surely had noticed… right?
Finally, Maia heard him chuckling, which she didn't know if it was a good sign or a bad sign.
"I see." Vault said with an amused tone —again, was that good or bad?— and stood up from the rock, "If that's the case, maybe when this is over, we should continue this conversation, Maia."
She opened her mouth, ready to reply, but no words came out. Maia didn't know what she should say. After all, what had that been? A gentle rejection? A promise of something more? A dashing declaration of his undying love for her? Well, probably not exactly the last one, but she still didn't know if it was a no, a maybe or a yes… or even some other convoluted option.
Argh! Why all this had to be so fucking difficult!?
Trying to not show the chaotic mess that was now her head, Maia closed her mouth and answered with just a nod. Despite her efforts, it was clear he had seen something, because Vault just shook his head a little and began to leave, not even bothering to hide his chuckles… again. Now that she thought about it, and knowing the man like she knew him, that probably meant he had caught her confession, but it still didn't tell her his thoughts about it.
Maia sighed, but she couldn't help the smile that formed in her face. Maybe it hadn't worked as intended, but she had finally taken the first step. They would talk about it when this mission, and hopefully the war, were over, and Maia had to admit she was optimistic about it. She couldn't be sure, but he hadn't seemed contrary to the idea, and if that was the case…
The Princess Knight shook her head, trying to suppress her blush. No time to lose in fantasies, she had to focus on the mission first… she had repeated that a lot today, hadn't she? But it didn't make it any less true. And at least, she had already done the hard part of said fantasies, no matter how torturous it had been. Really, she was glad no one else had seen that.
That was the exact moment when a faint memory decided to return and made Maia slowly turn her head, seeing certain black armor, which came with the realization that Knight was still there, silently observing.
And that he had been there doing it from the very beginning.
Why the fuck was he still here!? She hadn't said anything, but it was clear he should have left them alone. Couldn't he read the mood!?
…
Well, maybe he couldn't, she still wasn't sure of his limits. However, any thought of that being the case disappeared when she focused on him, because if that helmet weren't looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smile, she would eat her sword.
As she fought down a new blush, Maia stood up and went to him, "Yeah yeah, laugh if you want, but that, my friend, that was progress."
Of course, he didn't answer, but his amusement was obvious… at least to her. Knight began to move towards the camp, but she couldn't leave it like that! If he thought he could tease her with no repercussions, he was very wrong. Unlucky for Knight, Maia had more than enough experience in this kind of battlefield from her 'talks' with Elena and Sera.
"Hey, I had to work for it. Not all of us have a beautiful widow waiting for us at home."
The effect was immediate. He froze and went so rigid that the shield fell down from his back. Damn, Maia didn't know it could do that, but she decided to remember it for future blackmail. After some seconds, Knight turned to her, slowly. It was obvious he was asking her if he had really heard what he thought he had heard.
With the roles inverted, it was her turn to use the teasing smile, "What, do you think I didn't see it? You, her, cuddling all night long under a beautiful star sky. And that on your first day moving around. Really, I am equal parts impressed and proud. You surely know how to court a lady!" Maia decided to finish him with a wink, "Had her daughter not been there with you, I am afraid of what could have happened. I should have known you didn't need the 'bird and the bees' talk, shouldn't I?"
If an emotionless armor could look scandalized, Knight had achieved that point and gone beyond. Without losing a second, he recovered his shield and began to… escape? He wasn't running, but it surely was the fastest walk she had seen him doing.
She couldn't hold it anymore and began to laugh, "Hahahahaha! Oh, come on, don't be like that. It was just a little teasing! Knight, come here, don't make me run behind you. Knight…"
…
"Knight!"
His attempt at running away had been a short one. First, because running outside of battle was an action that still eluded him, so Maia had caught him with little effort. And second, because he did not want to cause any problem to the group and endanger the mission, so he had stopped trying when they reached the camp. Really, it was part of the reason why Knight had not left Maia's side the past days, not knowing if his wandering could be a problem or not.
The other part was that Maia was the only one around who treated Knight as a living being and… yes, that probably influenced his decision more than the other part now that he thought about it.
All those things had disappeared from his mind when Maia had asked him to remain close while she bathed. Knight would have gone and risked any problem with the group to avoid that, especially because it was highly improper and, after the tent issue, he was sure she had just asked in order to mess with him. However, then she had said it was to protect her privacy from unwelcome visitors and… Of course he had accepted.
Knowing the woman as Knight knew her now after some days together, he was almost sure it had just been an excuse to make him accept and see how he reacted in that situation, but well, he would not take the risk just to save himself some discomfort.
Except he had regretted it all the moment she began to tease him about Eli after Vault had left. And he had done nothing to deserve that! Except maybe being a bit amused about how Maia acted around Vault, but she could not have—
Wait, she could read him like an open book. Of course she had noticed.
However, Knight would have not said anything about it… had he had the ability to say things. He was happy to see Maia had someone she cared about so much. From what he had heard, it seemed they would talk about their relationship after the mission and he hoped Vault would give the redhead the answer she wanted to hear. He had no memory about it, but the little social ability he had left told him she had stronger feelings than the ones of a simple infatuation.
And speaking about Vault, it seemed he wanted Maia to give him control over Knight… Which was not as important as they thought, but well, it was normal to obey the man at charge, so he would let them keep their delusions until he was able to explain this stupid misunderstanding.
His training to shake his head was not progressing exactly, but some little spasm and twitches made him feel hopeful that someday that would change.
That was another reason to remain close to Maia. After all, she was the only one who could kind of understand what he was thinking, even if she was the main culprit that everyone thought Knight was a magical golem controlled by a child's orders. She had an outstanding ability to perceive what he wanted to convey —including, it seemed, a bit of amusement he had not wanted to show.
So, even if he wanted to be a little angry with Maia, the truth was he couldn not be. Besides, after he had decided to stop trying to run, she apologized several times for the teasing, with only the little detail that her regret had lasted a respectable amount of ten seconds before she had promised to remember how sensitive he was for the next time.
Knight would be more offended if he could not see the mirth in Maia's eyes, devoid of any kind of malice. She just enjoyed the banter, like she had done with Sera and Elena… like he had experienced in those painful and blocked memories.
Really, he could not bring himself to hate the little event, even with all the internal shame and embarrassment it had caused him. Besides, not everything had been bad.
Good part, he had widened his eyes.
Not so good part, nothing else had happened. Which was frustrating because he had wanted to negate her words so vehemently that he had been sure this would be the time he finally shook his head.
Sadly, it had not been.
Maybe he was exaggerating. He did not mind the idea even. Eli was a beautiful woman, and one of the few people that had treated Knight more as a person than as an object. He had not had the time to really meet her, but for the little he had seen, he saw her as a sweet woman and a caring mother. She was not the problem.
It was him.
Since Knight had awoken in this new world, he had improved a lot, but that did not mean he was at the level to be considered as 'normal'. And maybe normal was not the correct word, considering his strange ability to absorb souls and not staying dead for long, but in his current condition, he could not talk or barely do anything not related to battle. Eli had looked like a good person, so she deserved better than what he was now. She deserved a partner who could share her joys and burdens, not another child she would have to take care of.
Which, to be honest, applied to any other woman. Until he regained control of his body and remembered how to take off his armor, the event of him having a romantic relationship was as probable as people realizing he was not a magical golem on their own.
So, not very likely.
And beyond all that, Anna was another big problem. Knight had really grown fond of the girl, and, in a sense, they had connected. But he was little more than a strange, sentient toy for her. A real bond with the girl would be a lot harder to form. And if he started a relationship with her mother… if he really started to… to be a father for Anna, Knight would have to be able to control his body completely.
Especially to say no. He had the feeling parents had to do that a lot.
Ok, where the hell had those thoughts come from? He was really getting ahead of himself. Knight was pretty sure he had no feelings for Eli, at least, not of that kind. And for being a parent for Anna… he was a little more doubtful in that regard, but it still was something very improbable and not important right now. He had time to think about it before he could finally return to the town. The town he wanted to come back to, but did not even know its name.
Knight knew it was strange, how fast he had got attached to the little community. He had just spent some days immobilized on the ground, and then one day more with little to none movement. And yet… It had been so alive. He had spent an eternity in the Fire, a place where nothing happened, just unending flames consuming —slowly, but unceasingly— his mind. After that, seeing the town's life, any life, had been enough to make Knight find the place so ideal.
Maia would say it had been love at first sight, he was sure, and then tease him about it.
His attachment to Anna and Eli was related to that feeling of life, but also increased due to how they had treated him. It was a mix of being grateful and an impulse to protect them. After the attack, it was easy to see where that impulse came from, but with Anna was something a little different, something more… more… Knight did not even know what, but it raised new questions.
Did he feel like that just because he had got attached to Anna, or due to something else? Had… Had he had a family once? One that Anna reminded him of? The thought did not bring any flash or memory, not even one of the kind his mind did not want to remember, but that did not mean it was not true. After all, his oldest memories were flashes of some kind of prison, surrounded by mountains and snow, but that was not the beginning of his life, Knight was sure of that.
The thought was a little unnerving, because if he had had a family, Knight had forgotten everything about it, but still remembered random facts of life, and many flashes of that desolated land filled with battles. What did that tell him about how he was before? He did not want to think too much about it.
Knight mentally shook his head. There was no point in losing himself in these thoughts. Even if he did not remember about his past life, he could still create a new one, nameless town involved or not. Besides, whatever could happen in the future, it would have to be after this mission. After freeing this land from the war. That was the only thing he should focus on.
Which was hard to do in his current situation, alone at night with a lot of time to spend. Stargazing and practicing basic movements were a good distraction, but those were activities Knight could do without thinking, so his brain was free to think about all the myriad of things he was trying not to think about. The only thing he could do that would occupy all his attention was the meditation to try to regain his ability to summon and unsummon weapons. The only problem with that was he had not tried to access his strange power since the last time.
Maybe it was stupid to ignore something that was so powerful and probably connected to how Knight could take his armor off, but he could not help it. The Darkness had been, at the same time, equal to the Fire and it's completely opposite, at least in the feeling he had gotten from them. And that caused more fear in him than what he was comfortable admitting.
So, no progress in that issue for now.
With a mental sigh, Knight looked up to the sky, trying to lose himself a little in it. Tomorrow was the last day, and after that, he would have all the time in the world to recover that ability and the rest of his basic motor functions. Hopefully, while he observed a little town living day by day, and a little girl telling all about her daily adventures.
Yes, that was a good thing to focus on.
"Well, well, well. Our dear Princess Knight in the flesh. The scouts told me when they came back from reporting, but I couldn't believe it. What? Aren't you afraid of breaking a nail?"
"Yeah, yeah, fuck you too, Hicks." Maia replied without losing the smile.
Finally, it was time to begin the mission. The group had reached the forest around the Dark Tower at midday, but after that, they had had to go through it following a route full of curves, stops, and sometimes, even going back for a little. Maia had explained it was the route the scouts had made in order to avoid any kind of detection, but Knight would be lying if he said it was not bothersome.
After hours of doing that, they had reached a little clearing where the scout group were waiting for them. The moment they saw them, Maia had smiled, jumped off Nox, and approached the group. Knight had done the same, thankful that Nox was smart enough to remain there with the other horses, because he would not have known what to do with the animal if that was not the case. That brought him to the current conversation between Maia and one of the men —Hicks, it seemed.
Funny thing, he remembered that name. Maia had explained that the Kuroinu obeyed Vault as their leader, but that Kin and Hicks were close seconds. They were Vault's right hands, so he knew this man was important, and understood why he had been the one to make sure no one could detect them before starting the mission… and that the insults between Maia and he were probably nothing to worry about then.
He was tall, with a lean but clearly strong body, and Knight was sure of that because the man wore an open vest that showed his muscular chest. Brown hair and a sharp face completed the image of the man who seemed to be the main scout of the Kuroinu, even if the possibility of someone being better at it than Kyle was kind of scary.
Returning to the current situation, after hearing Maia's insult, the man just laughed, "Glad to hear there is still some fire in you, Maia. I would like to talk a little more, but we don't have a lot of time." saying that, his face turned serious and looked directly at Knight, "So, is this the golem?"
Maia frowned, "Yes, he is. And better remember to address him appropriately when all this is over."
Hicks raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, clearly showing he would not.
"Forget it, Maia." Vault's voice interrupted them before it could scalate, appearing at their side with Kin behind him, "You know we don't have the time. So, can you do what we talked about?"
The redhead sighed, clearly not happy with the issue, but finally relented, "Ok, ok, I get it." then, she turned to him, her face becoming serious, "Knight, it's finally time. The Dark Tower and its barrier are beyond these trees, so it's time to do what only you can do. And I will look for you as soon as we can enter, but I don't know how chaotic it's going to get when the attack begins, so, to avoid problems, follow what Kin, Hicks and Vault tell you as if I was the one talking, ok?"
Knight nodded. It was the logical thing to do, and he did not need Maia telling him that or giving him her permission, but oh well. As he had already decided, there would be time later to fix the misunderstanding. Besides, Vault and Kin looked happy that she did it.
Maia nodded in return with a smile and took a step back. At her side, Hicks scratched his chin and began to talk.
"Well, let's start this thing. You, golem, raise your right arm!"
Knight blinked, confused, but decided to obey. After all, the man was one of the main leaders of the Kuroinu and it seemed to be something important.
After raising his arm, Hicks nodded, "Good. Now, raise your left arm!"
He did it, although a lot more doubtful than before.
"Perfect. And now…" Hicks grinned, "Dance like a erotic dancer!"
Thankfully, before Knight was forced to think of a way to transmit he would not do that, Maia smacked the man on the back of his head while Vault sighed and looked directly at Knight.
"Ok, for the sake of everyone involved, forget the part about obeying him, only Kin and me." Vault said with Maia nodding behind him, clearly agreeing with the idea.
Hicks just looked at the group, rubbing where Maia had hit him, "Rude."
Knight nodded quickly and lowered his arms. He would probably still heed his orders through the mission, but now being a lot more skeptical about it.
However, Hicks continued, "Ok, ok, that was not necessary. But now it is something serious. So, raise your arms again."
Knight looked at the man with a raised eyebrow, proving his recent thought. In case this time was different, he looked at Maia, but a quick shake of her head told him it was not, so he did not follow the man's orders. Seeing he was not going to do it, Hicks deflated, but at least did not say anything more. The strange part was that Vault smiled at the man, almost like gloating about something, but did not say anything either.
With… whatever that had been done, Kin got close to Knight. Before he could react, the mage grabbed his right arm and put some kind of silver bracelet on his wrist that instantly adapted to his size. It looked like a valuable jewel made of silver, with little, white gems surrounding it in some kind of pattern, but it was obvious by its automatic resizing that it was magical as well. Knight looked at it with curiosity while Kin began to talk.
"Ok. We need you to drop the barrier so we can reach the Dark Tower without a world of problems, and for that, you will need this artifact. As soon as you go through the barrier, it should begin to shine with a dull light, hopefully dull enough to not alert anyone. Follow the direction that makes it shine, if it stops, you are going wrong. Do you understand that?" the man asked as if he was talking with a child. It aggravated Knight a little, but nodded nonetheless, "Good. It will take you to a secret door and open it. After that, keep doing the same to reach the center of the barrier spell. When you find it, destroy everything you see."
Knight nodded again, and, after waiting for a second, Kin decided he really had understood it and released his arm. The next second, Maia grabbed said arm and began to inspect the bracelet.
"So, this is the 'key' the architect was talking about?"
Kin nodded, "Yes, and I have to say the spell inside of it is ridiculously complex. With our time limit, I was unable to copy the artifact, I just could barely add a guiding spell based on the original spell for the secret door, and on some readings of the barrier for its core. It was made for our previous helper, but it should work as well for the new one."
Maia nodded, seemingly fascinated by the magical artifact. For his part, Knight was glad he would have some kind of guide. He was not very fond of his memories about getting lost inside a dark forest and inside a white city —to say a few, after all, he had got lost in almost every place he could remember. And… being guided by light… there was a memory about that, he was sure, but, after the last time he had thought about sources of light, all flashes related to it were blocked. He just hoped it did not contain something useful for his current task.
As Knight began to inspect the bracelet more carefully, Hicks sighed and rubbed his neck, nervous, "Are we sure this is a good idea? If the golem triggers the barrier or fails to destroy it, not only will they know we are here but, if what the architect guy told us is true, the defensive spells are no joke."
Vault shook his head, "Too late for second guessing, Hicks. If we don't do this tonight, when the defenses are at its very minimum, we will never do it. And really, using our blood-sucking friend was even more risky. Maia has vouched for it and I have seen what the armor can do in battle, so we just need a little faith." he declared, then looked at Hicks and raised an eyebrow, "Or maybe you want to wait 100 years for the next chance?"
The man sighed, "Ok, ok. Trust the toy to do it. Got it."
"With that said, everything depends on you now, Knight." Vault continued, now looking at him. Knight was surprised. It was the first time one of the Kuroinu had called him by his name, "Tonight there is a special event for the Dark Queen, and that means there shouldn't be anyone from her court in the tower. However, we can't be completely sure about that, and that's without considering all the traps and monsters that could be there as protection. So, be ready to fight, don't let anything stop you, and destroy the barrier. That's your main priority."
"Except for this one: don't die. That's an order." Maia added with a very serious tone. It was probably the most serious Knight had ever seen her, so he automatically nodded, even if part of him wondered if dying would really be the end for him.
After that, the little group remained silent and he understood it was time to go. Knight looked at the rest of the men and noticed everyone was looking at him, waiting. He could see the nervousness in their eyes, but it was paired with anticipation for what they were about to do, the chance of ending the war and changing this land once and for all. And for that to occur, Knight had to first go through the barrier, infiltrate the enemy stronghold and destroy said barrier before anyone could notice him. Which meant that, if he failed, the whole mission would fail.
No pressure then.
And with that thought, Knight turned around and began to walk towards the trees Maia had pointed at. Doubting himself right now would benefit no one, he just needed to keep going and reach his objective while crushing any defenses that tried to stop him. Maybe, this time he had to be a little more sthealty about it, but the core of the problem was the same as the ones he had done again and again in his memories.
Focused on his thoughts, Knight almost missed the barrier. There was no visible sign that indicated where it was, but he could see how, some meters in front of him, the air was weird, showing sometimes little glints of light, like waves moving through the water. He… he had to admit he had expected it to be a massive wall of fog, but Knight supposed different worlds meant different types of barriers.
That did not mean he would treat it differently, though. So, after stopping for a second to mentally prepare for what could be at the other side, Knight traversed the glinting air.
He noticed it immediately, some kind of strange force going through him, trying to look at his very soul and, somehow, he knew it was pondering. For a second, he panicked. He had assumed he was not human considering all his strange memories and abilities, so Knight had not worried about the barrier, but what if those memories of being human in the past were enough to trigger it?
Luckily, his fears proved unnecessary when the feeling of being questioned disappeared and he found himself at the other side. If his lungs worked, Knight knew he would have let out a relieved sigh. It seemed that, even if he was sure he had been human once, now he was not human enough to activate the barrier, or at the very least, his soul was not, and… that was good… right?
...
He decided it was not the time for an existential crisis and inspected his surroundings instead. After confirming there did not seem to be any kind of alert or problem for his trespassing, Knight looked behind him. From this side, the barrier was a lot more obvious, but still fairly transparent, so he could see how half of the group looked relieved when nothing bad happened. And standing in front of everyone else, Maia was looking in his direction with a proud smile, not a trace of doubt in her eyes.
Knight decided for the umpteenth time that he would not betray her trust in him.
Now that the first obstacle was done, he began to walk, noticing how the bracelet began to shine, and made sure he followed the direction where it shined the brightest. After a minute of it, the canopy over him got thinner and he saw his final objective... and decided that whoever had named it the Dark Tower was clearly a very unimaginative person.
The building was obviously a tower, except for some little buildings at its base, and very dark. It was made of a stone so black, that it seemed to absorb the light from the few torches Knight could see from his position. Beyond that, the tower was massive, as wide as the palace he had seen in Ken and maybe even taller than it. It was hard to affirm with all the trees blocking his sight, but it was tall even when he compared it to the building of his old world.
And of course, he realized with resignation, that meant there was going to be a lot of stairs.
However, his guiding light did not lead him towards it but to its right. Knight kept going slowly, making sure to watch out for any kind of patrol that could detect him. This became easier, as the trees around him began to be wider and bigger, making better hiding places. And finally, after almost falling twice due to the big roots in the ground, Knight reached a tree fairly larger than the rest. As soon as he got close to it, the bracelet in his wrist began to quickly pulse with light and some kind of symbols appeared in the tree's trunk.
Then, with a disturbing sound, the wood cracked open, showing a spiral staircase that went down to a complete darkness.
This was it, the secret entrance. Knight could not see anything down there, and cursed himself for not bringing any kind of light, until the bracelet began to shine again and he decided it would have to be enough. Before going through, he grabbed his shield and unsheathed his sword. He was entering enemy territory, so he had to be prepared to fight at any moment.
Now ready, Knight began to go down the stairs. As he began to submerge himself in the darkness, he mentally prepared to finally start his mission. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, the little light that entered through the secret door grew so faint that he could barely see the opening at the top. Thankfully, the bracelet created a little zone of light around him, barely illuminating him and his immediate surroundings, but at least he could see where he was walking.
His last thought before the wood cracked again and the door closed behind him, was that all this situation was incredibly familiar… and that he really hoped there were no giant skeletons this time.