"I hereby appoint The Golden Guard as the new head of the Emperor's Coven!" Emperor Belos declared to the coven.
The whole coven clapped in union to the golden guard's promotion.
"Still think it should've been you out there." Said a scout as they clapped.
"Yeah, i still can't believe you turned down becoming the position of head witch." Said another scout.
Tate, who was wearing his costume, shrugged nonchalantly. "Too much responsibility. Plus, he enjoys this type of thing."
"You two seem to be getting along lately." Said a third scout
"He's a good friend." Said Tate calmly with a smile under his mask. "It feels good to finally have a friend my age, you know?"
The scouts went silent at this particular comment until the ceremony ended shortly after.
Hunter, feeling proud of his promotion, approached Tate with a smug expression the silver scout could easily sense under that mask.
"Say hello to your new head witch." Said Hunter proudly in a smug tone.
"Oh, you mean the position with more work than your old job while only providing little to no reward." Deadpanned Tate tilting his head.
Hunter stared at him as if he had just committed a sin. "What do you mean little to no reward?! There's the responsibility! The authority! Being useful to the emperor!"
Tate stared at Hunter tiredly, knowing that this wasn't the right time to try to get him away from unhealthy devotion to the coven.
"Okay, I'll ignore that." Said Tate cheerfully as he stretched his arms into the air as if they were stiff from standing around doing nothing at the ceremony. "Let's just go celebrate your promotion already."
"Alright, but later. I have a lot of work assigned by the emperor for my new job." Said Hunter happily "Like getting my picture for coven posters, aah my mask shall be the new face of this coven!!! and a new mission to top it off!"
"*sigh* you're way too excited about this." Asked Tate in genuine concern, crossing his arms.
"Yup! And you're coming too! As my second in command!" Hunter continued happily.
"Of course." Commented Tate dryly with a chuckle. "Just don't make me do anything too crazy."
"Nah, i already learned my lesson with that one."
'You still have a lot to learn, though' thought Tate as he thought about what will happen to Hunter in the future...
And how he could help him.
xxXxx
"Okay, you can move now. We should be able to spread these around." Said the photographer as he began copying Golden Guard posters
"Good." Said Hunter proudly. "Now, Silver Scout, we should get going. We still have a mission to complete."
The two were now at the coven poster designer where posters to join the emperor's coven were ready to be made with Hunter instead of Lilith as the face.
"Ay ay, captain." Said Tate tiredly as he and Hunter left the building. "Where we heading?"
"To one of the emperor's ships. We're going to slay a selkidomus." Said Hunter as he mounted his staff. "Hop on."
Tate stared at him silently in disgust for a good minute until he spoke again.
"Uhh, hop on?"
"I'll walk, thank you." Said Tate with a shiver as he shook his head. "I'd like to keep my dignity in one piece."
"Really?" Said Hunter staring at Tate judgingly as he crossed his arms. Tate didn't budge from his decision causing Hunter to sigh. "Just don't be late. Byeeeeee!"
And with that, he blasted into the sky in a red flash. Tate, now alone, quickly began making his way to the ship.
He didn't expect to see the main cast on their way home from a bounty hunt on his little journey. Might as well check on his mother while he's there, right?
"Unfortunately, I did." Said Lilith angrily as she took a Golden Guard poster from Luz and thew it away only for it to fly back and stick to her face. "He always got special treatment because he was the genius teen prodigy. But he's really just a brat. If he's in charge... vomit!"
"Is that jealousy i hear?" Asked Tate with a smirk under his mask as he approached the group. He pulled the poster off of Lilith's face and stuck it to the wall before continuing. "Perhaps you should calm down a bit."
"Ugh, you." Lilith was clearly not happy with his presence, unlike someone else.
"It's you!" It was Luz and she was all up in his face.
Tate cleared his throat "Yes, human. Sadly i don't have much time to spend here. Can you please give us some privacy? I want to talk to my...old colleague." he said staring at Lilith. "It's personal."
"*sigh* leave us, Luz." Said Lilith with a frown. "Please."
Luz, sensing the atmosphere that could be cut with a knife, nodded and headed towards Eda.
Seeing as Luz was no longer in hearing distance, Lilith spoke.
"Have you come here to mock me?" Asked Lilith with a frown. "Say how much I've fallen now that I'm in a position worse than yours."
"You know that's not my style." Said Tate calmly. "I'm just...checking on you."
"I don't need your pity." Said Lilith in frustration as she looked away from Tate
"No, i just thought that maybe-"
"Maybe what?" Asked Lilith with a deep frown rolling her eyes.
"...maybe you'd change."
"Look, I don't care what you think of me! Unlike you, i have to prove myself or- or what kind of witch am i?!" Lilith said angrily causing Tate to go silent. "Just leave. You're only making this worse."
The next few seconds felt like hours, Tate couldn't really find the will to reply to that. He turned around and began walking away.
"...you'll never give me a chance, will you?" He said trying his hardest to sound threatening. "I guess no one can say i haven't tried. Farewell."
Lilith was surprised by those words, but shrugged them off and headed back to her sister without much thought.
Tate, however, was not very happy after the exchange.
xxXxx
"Not again! Stupid body! Ugh!" Said Tate angrily as he got on the emperor's ship. "Who cares about what she says?!"
"S-sir! Are you alright?" Asked one of the sailors worriedly as they saw that the silver scout wasn't in a good mood.
"I'm fine, where's the golden guard?" Said Tate clearly not fine.
"Inside, sir." Said the sailor. "But are you really fine? You don't look good."
"I just need some time." Said Tate taking a deep breath
Soon, Tate joined Hunter inside the room on the ship.
"Oh, you're here." Chirped Hunter. "I never really noticed how much people around these parts like you."
"Uh huh." Tate nodded dejectedly.
"Hmm" Hunter easily noticed Tate's not so good mood. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah" Tate sat down on a chair. "Just remembered some bad memories. It'll pass by."
"Oh." Hunter stared at Tate before noticing something in the room window.
He saw Luz deciding to join the crew on the selkidomus hunt. Salty, the crew captain, turned to the window and nodded to the golden guard.
"Looks like the human has decided to join our little hunt." Said Hunter menacingly.
"Why are you saying it like that?" Asked Tate tilting his head.
"Oh, uh, I was just trying to set the mood." Hunter began awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Is that bad?"
"It just kinda makes us look like the bad guys, you know?" Said Tate putting a hand on his mask's chin.
Hunter went silent, thinking about what Tate had just said before realizing that he was completely right.
Hunter's shoulders slumped dejectedly before he slowly made his way to made his way to make a plan with Tate.
xxXxx
"So your plan is...to get the human to kill the selkidomus for us?" Asked Tate, not wearing his mask, as if he already didn't know the future.
"Yup and we get to mess around for the rest of the mission. You know, celebrate the promotion?" Said Hunter, not wearing his mask, cheerfully with a shrug as he ate a cracker from a box of them on the table.
"And here i thought you were workaholic." said Tate tilting his head with a smile as he took a cracker from the box.
"Eh, dealing with the selkidomus on my own would've been...annoying and i wouldn't be a good boss if i just dumped it all on you. So, the human can do it." Said Hunter as he relaxed on his chair.
Tate only hummed in affirmation. Sadly, before they could completely relax, Tate felt a presence approaching the room...a presence that was not a sailor.
"Hide, now" Tate whispered and Hunter teleported behind the door using his staff almost immediately. Tate hid by sticking to the ceiling and crouching. Both put on their masks without hesitation.
"Oof. Hey, King want a cracker!"
It was King, the little hungry demon stumbled into the captain's quarters after a fight with a bird looking for food.
"Huh? Is that the Emperor's sigil?" He said as he inspected a message Hunter left with the crackers. "This ship belongs to the Emperor? Oh boy, I gotta tell Luz!"
"Unfortunately, you won't have the chance." Said Hunter as he stood menacingly behind King, scaring him.
"Still think we look like the bad guys here." Said Tate as he hopped back unto the ground scaring King even further.
"Weh!" King exclaimed in shock before Tate grabbed him like a baby.
"Well, that's that. I think he'll make a good hostage in case the human tries anything funny. Let's put him in a cage and- Tate?" Hunter began talking in a serious tone before noticing that Tate was completely distracted.
"Aww, oh my gosh, you're so cute." Said Tate happily before beginning to scratch King exactly like a puppy.
King tried to struggle out of Tate's grasp only to succum to the comfortable scratches, becoming almost paralyzed from comfort in the process.
"I guess that's one way to restrain the rat." Hunter shrugged nonchalantly as Tate began feeding the little demon some crackers. "*sigh* I'll never understand your weird obsession with pets."
Tate rolled his eyes and continued cooing over King, not caring about Hunter's opinion.
xxXxx
Later.
"Looks like the owl lady is trying to steal the bounty." Said Hunter staring outside from the window. "Grab the rat and let's head out."
Tate nodded as he held King by the scruff of the neck.
'it's time to make a dramatic entrance.'
Meanwhile, with Luz and Eda the owl lady.
"It's called "disguising your tracks". Now, why were you on that ship to begin with? You coulda gotten killed!" Eda scolded Luz.
Without another word or a warning, a fist of boiling water crushed the land in front of Luz and Eda revealing none other that the golden guard himself.
"That could still be arranged."
Tate, however, went with the much more elegant approach of walking on the boiling sea with King in hand.
"If you don't cooperate, that is." Added Tate calmly
Luz and Eda eyed at the two coven member with wary gazes.
"King!" Exclaimed Luz in shock upon seeing the limp King in Tate's hand.
Tate, deciding to be nice, threw King to Luz. Something that earned him a "really?" Look from Hunter.
"King! What did they do to you?" Luz asked in concern
"Ahh, he knows all the good scratchy spots." Said King half sleeping lessening Luz's worry.
"*sigh* hello, criminals. What's about to happen should be relatively painless, if you just do what we say."
"And why would we do that?" Asked Luz narrowing her eyes.
"Because none of you can use real magic." Replied Hunter cheerfully.
"You don't know that!" Said Eda glaring at Hunter.
"Maybe not, but I do know you're standing on a plant that eats flesh."
Eda and Luz quickly took in what Hunter said got away from the plant, getting a laugh from both coven members.
"Okay, the human will remain a sailor to repay all the money she lost, while the Owl Lady will be arrested, again, for attacking one of the Emperor's ships." Said Hunter cheerfully.
"Emperor's ships?" Asked Luz in surprise
"They're the only ones worth robbing." Replied Eda before turning to the two coven members. "Why are you guys hunting the Selkidomus? It's a peaceful creature, and you're provoking it!"
"The emperor ordered me to slay one." Said Hunter nonchalantly. "I'm just following orders."
"I'm here by his orders." Added Tate pointing at Hunter before noticing Eda ready to do something stupid. "And before you attack, know that you're severely outmatched. Please, for your own safety, choose your next move carefully."
Eda flinched and much to Tate's surprise, she listened to his words and just stared them down. Even Hunter was surprised by this.
"Huh? And here i thought I'd have to dangle you above the boiling sea before you start listening." Said Hunter cheerfully. "But I suppose we don't always have to be that mean. No one will have to be a sailor or get arrested, if one of you follows those Selkidomus tracks and slays the beast. Here! I'll help."
Hunter proceeded to materialize a pirate sword for Luz which glared at Hunter after picking up almost about to attack. Seeing as combat was inevitable, Tate decided to make it more of a sport.
"How about a sword duel, human? Whoever lands one hit on the body of their opponent, wins. If you succeed, you don't have to kill anything and you get to go home scot free. If you lose, you do as we say." Asked Tate cheerfully. "Heck, i won't even move from this spot, and if i do i immediately lose."
Luz naturally agreed and surprise surprise, she was defeated with a block and a light tap on the shoulder after barely performing one attack.
So, Luz, Eda and King all had to work together to fake the death of the selkidomus
"Hey, Hunter." Said Tate getting his partner's attention. "Do you think we're the bad guys?"
"What? No! We're protecting the isles from wild magic, we're the heroes!"
"The heroes that get rid of anyone unwilling to follow them, even their own?" Tate continued dejectedly.
"It's...a necessary evil."
"Is it?" Asked Tate calmly. "I mean, I've looked into incidents caused by wild magic in the last half a century and...nothing."
"I-i'm...sure there was some sort of mistake. It's the will of the titan. Besides, what brought this up all of a sudden?"
"...i guess i just have this feeling sometimes. The feeling that we're...not doing the right thing." Said Tate dejectedly, more upset about Hunter's reply than anything.
Before Hunter could respond however, he and Tate heard the fight between Luz and Eda against the beast.
It ended up with them winning and "killing" the selkidomus before approaching Hunter.
"Thank you for your service. You can find your own way home. And try to stay out of trouble. The Emperor is not a merciful man. You want a ride?" Hunter said before turning to Tate who shook his head "Your loss. Byeeeee!"
Tate gave Eda, Luz and King a glance before nodding and heading back home, walking on the boiling sea that would give a normal person 3rd degree burns.
And as he went back to the castle, he realized something. The true cruelty and coldness of the emperor.
He sent Hunter to find materials for his replacement.
But Tate refused to let the worst happen.
xxXxx
Tell me how i did. Leave a review.
Toodles.