As the Red Dragons train for the war against the black dogs and the alliance, what's going on with Troy and his troubles? how will his conversation with his family and Levantines go? Will they be forgiven for their son's Mistakes or will they truly face the consequences of those actions? find out now :)
Chapter 35
Hypocritical Oath...
The next day...Turdas, 9:00 am
Yamakhroz training hall...
Once again, the class was gathered in front of Lee-sin, along with most of the Red Dragons, except Recorder and Yuri who left for their instructors, leaving mostly the men of the crew with the class...
This time, there were no bowls of sand or wooden posts they would be training off of, putting a frown on the Nord...
'What's going on today...? looks like we aren't hitting sand or a wooden dummy this time...' He mused as the instructor stood once again.
"Today, each one of you will be fighting each other..." Lee Sin said, "However, there's a catch; you have to fight three opponents at once."
Hearing that made the Redguard smirk a bit, 'Just a three on one huh? easy enough...but who's getting who?'
"So... one will come here and choose his opponents." Lee Sin said.
The Class wondered who would go up as the four men looked between themselves, Traysek sighing and walking to the front of the class...
'Just like back at Bernahl's class, students there were nervous about getting up the front...' he thought, looking around, finding a few of the students looking away before directing his attention on his men, "You know what? why not? I choose you guys..." he finally said, making Lucien groan.
"How did I not know he wasn't going to do that...?" Inigo deadpanned, sighing.
Erik chuckled, "You think it's because of the mess we left in the basement from our sparring...?" he asked in a whisper.
"Assuming the fact that he was angry about it earlier..." the imperial started with, glancing at his smirking boss, who nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, definitely..." he gulped.
"Remember, it's not a fight to the death, nor a fight to humiliate each other. Fight with integrity and respect." Lee Sin listed, "If you're ready... begin."
Traysek turned to him and gave a nod, before turning to the other three, bowing to them, before being bowed back to, "You guys ready...?" He took his usual kickboxing stance, keeping his hands open.
They looked between themselves, before nodding, getting into fighting stances... Lucien was the first to come at the Dragonborn with a wide punch, which Traysek deflected, pulling him off balance before returning a punch to his left side and another to the center of his chest, making him stumble back to a fall.
Inigo sighed and lurched forward with a kick, which was kicked down by the Dragonborn, however, he used that same momentum to lean in for a hard punch, which seemed effective... until he realized the latter had guarded his face... he was then pushed back, before the Redguard drove at him, throwing punch after punch, while his opponent did the same with a mix of claws... For a minute they seemed to go at one another, until Inigo went for a swipe with his claws, while Traysek ducked under it and slammed his palm up into his elbow making it snap up, before slamming both of his palms into Blue Khajiit sending him crashing to the ground.
He then narrowly moved his head back, Avoiding the Nord's heavy haymaker, and got back into his stance with a grin, "Nice try there Erik~" before lowering himself, giving two hook shots to the right side of Erik's body making him stagger, before throwing a high knee into his chest, which struck, but with the Nord blocking it, he was pushed back and nearly falling, catching himself when he locked his feet on the ground; taking a sharp exhale and regaining his boxing stance. While this was happening, both Inigo and Lucien recovered from the blows they received, getting back into their stances, indicating they weren't finished yet, putting a smile on the Redguard.
The trainees began to form groups of four and began to plan who would be fighting the other. Lee Sin stood there and was looking at the crew's direction.
The trio glanced at each other, making silent agreements as the Redguard observed it, smirking as Erik and Inigo moved around to his sides while Lucien stood in the center, 'Okay then...round two it is...' hardening his stance, waiting for it to come from anywhere...
And as on cue, once again, Lucien made the first jump, or at least seemed to until he stopped short; feinting the blow, and backed away with a smirk...
Traysek was confused for a second until it dawned on him, finding Inigo quickly closing in on him, throwing a wide-claw strike, while Erik came at the other side with a heavy front kick, causing his world to slow down a bit, before side-stepping Erik and with a spin, backhanded inigo with a punch, while he gave Erik a kick to his side, weaving Lucien's punch and catching his kick, countering with a quick uppercut before throwing a roundhouse, sweeping the other leg, knocking him to the ground once again.
With only Erik and Inigo standing, both came at the Redguard simultaneously striking him with punches, claws, and kicks, forcing the Redguard to parry and evade them. Eventually, he broke their rush, by ducking Erik's Haymaker and grabbing his arm...He then directed him into Inigo's punch, giving said Khajiit a front kick to the chest, sending him crashing to the ground next, before slamming his elbow into the held nord, and flipping him over his shoulder with a throw, seemingly going for a final punch, stopping short at Erik's face. A smile on his face as he pulled his hand back..."Not bad guys...even got a few in..." he praised, giving them a bow, turning to face Lee Sin...
"You may give the impression that you work in synchronization, but this fight showed that each had doubts about themselves and each other." Lee Sin said, "You need to be fully open to each other to be fighting as one."
They each slowly got up, groaning and turning to their boss, who slowly nodded in agreement...
Inigo slightly chuckled, "I doubt I'd hit him, to be honest..."
"Same here..." Erik winced, holding his ribs.
Lucien took a deep breath, "Well, we know we all share that thought at least...glad I'm not spitting teeth,"
"If you wish to become one, you need to open yourselves and become closer than you are now." the blind monk stated.
The trio raised their eyebrows, Inigo furrowing his brow, turning to the others who frowned, before they turned to them with it...
"Okay...like a family...? I thought we had that covered, right?" The khajiit asked, getting nods from the others.
"For the most part, unless you mean something closer than that..." Erik added with a raised eyebrow, making Traysek sigh.
"You will understand when the time comes." Lee Sin turned to see with the rest of the trainees.
Traysek walked up to them, "You guys okay?"
"Yeah...ow you throw one hell of a punch..." Erik complemented, chuckling and rubbing his cheek.
Inigo nodded, holding his rib, "For a second, I thought we had you with that rush...we were wrong..."
"That we were, but what did he actually mean? fighting as one?" Lucien hummed, "Almost sounds like teamwork, which is what I thought we were doing,"
"You were, but it was off-key and I could see it which is why it was easy to pick you guys off, you need to be able to coordinate, in case you run into someone as strong, even stronger," The Redguard pointed, looking around, "And since the class isn't over yet, we've time to work on it..." chuckling at their groaning, "After you guys heal up first..."
With Recorder and Dargo
Weaponshop...
True to the elf's word, they were at the weaponsmith, looking over different kinds of weapons, although in their case, they were there for something specific...
"All of these look pretty nice, even that jagged one over there," She pointed out, finding a three-pronged trident.
"Well, if it isn't Dargo." behind the counter was a busty Kitsune woman in a red kimono, fuming a long pipe, "You're here for the weapon you asked me to get you?"
"That and something else." the Dark Elf replied.
Recorder walked up to the counter, "Hi there~ I'm in the market for a sword, any katanas you have in stock?"
"Depends..." the woman turned her sight toward Recorder, "Do you have the necessary gems to buy from a Runemaster?"
She nodded, checking her gem bag, "I've got plenty to spend, and I'm not looking for the most expensive blade, just something sharp and functional,"
"Sugar, I'm not your run-in-the-mile blacksmith, I'm a runesmith, only the army can afford my weapons." the kitsune replied as she took a breath from her pipe, "I'm one of the 22 runemasters that can make armory and weaponry using runes and the only one who can make true katanas. So don't expect them to be cheap."
Record nodded, "I see, I'm sorry wasn't trying to insinuate and I know other people that could use this..." clearing her throat, " Alright, since it's not cheap, do you have a catalog or list I could go over for the choices?"
"Whatever she takes, I'll pay for it," Dargo said making the woman smile.
"How interesting." she giggled before taking another breath, "Then browse at your leisure."
"I won't take that long, thank you," Recorder thanked, before checking over the number of swords there, finding their names and effects, checking out the one called void, 'Capable of cutting through magic...impressive, but I already had something similar to that, might time for something new...' scanning over the others, liking the effects on some, like Kiryu, Sakura- no-fumi and paled at the Okami-no-katana when she read it effects...she kept glossing over it, until she stumbled upon a blue scabbard with blood guard at the hilt, frowning at as she read it mentally, 'Umi...now this one seems to have a better effect...and it controls water just like...' her eyes going wide, remember the elemental trials, 'Just like the staff back at the trials...except I couldn't keep it...wish I could, but I think now I found something just a good...' a smile forming, nodding at the blade, before turning her eyes up at the kitsune, "These are nice, some of the effects to them even, but I do have my eye one, Umi right? how much for that one?"
The merchant puffed some smoke before saying, "90 Diamonds, honey."
"Ok that's the one I'm choosing, if that's okay with you Dargo," Recorder said, turning to him.
Dargo put a big bag full of Diamonds before saying, "Would it be enough for both this weapon... and the thing I asked you to do?"
The woman smiled before taking the bag and said, "Wait here, hon, I'll get back with it." she then left for the back of the shop.
Record watched her head to the back, smiling, "Well, she was...nice, nicer than expected...but what this thing you ordered?" with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you remember my old equipment?" Dargo asked, "My old armor and sword. I sent them to her to make something with them while they had that rot in them. Using her skills to forge a weapon that can be used with my magic."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you had lost your other armor and sword, okay then, makes sense why you'd order another one," She concurred, watching the kitsune woman walk out with the gear.
"I must say, it was the hardest thing to do." the Kitsune woman put out a red katana with a black handle and a red scabbard, compatible with your magic, and using that thing that it had."
Dargo picked the weapon before saying to Recorder, "This blade can inflict Scarlet Rot... that's why I sent my old gear to her instead of cleansing it."
"A bit wicked, if I may say." the Kitsune woman smiled before adding, "But this world is unforgiving and one needs to survive at any cost."
"I know." Dargo nodded.
Recorder inspected his new katana, "Oooooo~ I like how it looks, the red's a nice touch, so ice and rot huh? That'll be a deadly combination..." watching the kitsune woman fetch her blade next.
"The element is based on the wielder." the Kitsune runesmith said as she put the blue katana on the counter, "Dargo infuses his weapon, sugar, I only make sure that it can be infused with mana."
"Oh I see, I mean it's still a nice combo, I just recently learned how to use ashes of war, maybe I'll be able to use the water blade," Record said with a smile, taking the sword and placing it in her sword belt, "Thank you for this, Dargo and you too, miss-?"
"The name's Kyouka, sugar." the woman answered before taking a breath.
Recorder nervously chuckled, "Right, thank you Kyouka," she thanked, before turning to Dargo, "Anything else you need here?"
"No, I'm good." Dargo said.
"By the way, Is any of you heading to a village near Ken?" Kyouka asked, "I need some weapons to be delivered. Of course, There's going to be a reward if you accept." she put two fans on the counter, "A Kletzkrieg there asked for these."
She thought about it for a minute, "Actually we weren't planning on it, most of us are training right now, but that also depends on the village, we may or may not know it, but if it's one we know, we can probably get that delivered, just need to know which village this is going to and I'm in,"
"If my memory serves right, it's Eldora." the Kitsune answered, "Well, it's not an obligation, but a request."
Record's eyes lit up, "Erdora? We've been there actually, a couple of times, I know who could get it done too, and might be glad too, sure I'll run these by my captain, see what he thinks," with a nod.
"Well, the reward is here." the fox woman took a spear from behind the counter, "A spear that can create crystalline explosions."
Recorder looked at the spear with a nod, "I'm more of a swordswoman, but I know who'd be interested in this, I'll go ahead and get these to him when I see him," taking both of the fans, "If it's not me that returns after, it'll probably be the captain, three scars to the face, looks intimidating, you won't be able to miss it,"
"I'll keep that in mind," Kyouka replied.
Recorder nodded, turning to Dargo, "You ready to head out?"
Dargo only nodded.
"Alright, I'll catch you later Kyouka," before leaving the store with Dargo...
Meanwhile, at the Wrestling training room...
Yuriana arrived at the gym room she was in yesterday, she looked around for the retired elf, wondering where he was, 'Did I come too early...? don't think so...where is he?'
In a blink of an eye, Yuri was head in the ground when she heard, "You need to sharpen your senses." he helped her up before adding, "Your resistance is impressive, but don't overestimate yourself."
After she shook the stars out of her head, Yuri gave the elf a slightly annoyed look, "Morning to you too, wasn't expecting my head to go into the floor first them," she sighed, but grinned, "So what's today's lesson?"
"Controlling your center of gravity." Moiroy answered, "It can help you stabilize in case someone grabbed you."
She frowned upon that until she remembered something, "Or using heavy weapons...Okay, I think I get it, but how are we doing that?"
"Not that." the Dark Elf sighed, "by using specific stances, you can modify your center of gravity."
Yuri nodded, "Like the one I learned yesterday...alright, when do we begin?" with a grin.
"Now." Moiroy took a stance and said, "Even if it's impossible to grapple me, I'll show you all the ways to change your center of gravity."
She took her new counter stance, "Very well, let's begin,"
"First you need to understand how the center of gravity can change with movement." Moiroy said, "Well, I don't have a gravity center due to my gift from the Earthmother."
Yuri glanced at his nub, frowning, "And yet for some reason, I had a hard time even keeping you in grips,"
"Can catch me, but can't throw me." the Dark Elf pointed, "Now if you want to know what to do, know that momentum is both a strength and a weakness that can be used against you. Therefore, you need to play with it to keep your feet on the ground."
She went into thought upon hearing that, remembering the times she was thrown in sparring by her captain, frowning, "Okay, I think I can understand...your hardest swing or blow can be turned on you...good to know..."
"Not only that but also any grabbing attempt." the Dark Elf added, "That's why you need to be able to change your center of gravity at the last moment to avoid being thrown."
Yuriana nodded, "Easier said than done, but regardless I'm ready to put it into practice,"
"The moment you feel the pull, you need to change your stance from offensive to defensive." Moiroy explained, "Well, you need to be ready at any moment."
She simply nodded, ready for him to come at any point...
With Greil...
"I received word of what we need to send to the queen of the west." the general stated, "But, it's not something that we can do without facing a backlash."
"What is it that they ask?" the Kitsune Daimyo asked.
"Well... she desires a woman..." Greil pointed out, with many difficulties.
"Like the fact that we're fighting for our freedom isn't enough, we have someone who wants to enslave us!" a blue-scaled Salamander pointed.
"It's not slavery like here." Udemi stated, "The slaves there are treated as normal citizens with a place to live, a job, and protection. While here, it's something else."
"Still, no one would desire that." the Salamander added, "We need to crush them."
"No." Greil's voice was hard, but calm, "We aren't the same as the Shield princesses, we are accepting of other cultures and open-minded."
"Why not send a Succubus?" Gronik said out loud, "Those demons are lustful and their mindset is near that."
"Still, we need to see with them." Greil sighed, "But if one of them accepts, we would win over the West without lifting a single weapon."
"Thanks to the Birds of Prey, we have all that we need to begin in earnest." a lizan Kobold said, "We need to capitalize on that to begin the offensive."
"That doesn't mean that we're to go now." Greil replied, "Commander Niall said that the walls of Feoh and Ur are too resistant to attack now, and we'd lose a lot of men if we decide to begin with Thorn."
"True." the Orc Warlord crossed her arms, "The fleet might be ready, but that doesn't mean that it should be used now; we still need to test them."
Feoh...
Sylla was looking through some bottles of wine, wondering which one to take.
"Each one of these is appearing good." Sylla took a bottle, "But I only have enough gold to spare for only one."
Meanwhile, in the training yard nearby, Reynold was practicing strokes he looked up in the book, giving the sword after swing, sighing and wiping sweat off his brow, 'Gotta say...this isn't the most convenient way to train, but it's better than nothing...' before trying another technique, this time giving a proper thrust with the sword, using less energy...all the while thinking about the tarnished he faced back at the manor, wondering if he'd ever have anything close as that power, feeling the sense of envy taking over as he practiced intensely...
Sylla appeared walking nearby with a bottle of wine named Blonis Cava before being approached by a knight.
"Ma'am, we received the report about that place." he gave her a sealed scroll.
"Good." Sylla nodded, "If this is who I think this is... we may have a lot of problems."
He raised an eyebrow at that and, luckily turned away from them, 'What's she talking about? the tavern that the inquisitor was in...? but that was well hidden...hmm...' he thought to himself, as he continued to train.
"That fort was a village... but still, it doesn't explain everything that happened there." Sylla stated out loud, "Scarlet Rot experiments and the Scarlet Aeonia... this is bad."
"Are we still going to burn the place to the ground?" the knight asked.
"It's either that or the disease will go to other villages and even infect the underground water," Sylla answered.
"R-Right!" the knight saluted before rushing somewhere.
'Fort...? What fort?' he frowned, changing his technique, 'So it's not the tavern, but which fort got hit with this disease?'
"Ensha of the Royal Remains... are you really here?" Sylla sighed before adding, "Last time, you escaped me, but I do plan to end you this time... just you wait."
'Don't know who that is...but sounds like someone to look out for especially if he's got the same disease inflicting weapons...' Reynold mused, wiping the sweat off his brow and stopping, heading back to his tent.
Niall walked to Sylla and noticed the bottle, "Quite the taste." he laughed before adding, "What's the occasion?"
"I just wanted to try the wine of this world." Sylla answered, "I wonder if there could be something made of Rowa fruits."
"Right, do try to drink it with Exalted Flesh if you find it." Niall laughed louder this time.
At that Rey felt himself chuckle a bit, as he continued to practice his swings...
Meanwhile...Back at the academy...
After the class with Lee Sin had passed, the four men of the crew took a minute to catch their breath, The Redguard studying over his ice grimoire...
"That...was an intense class, all that and we still couldn't beat you..." Inigo breathed out, wiping sweat from his brow, "So where's everyone going after?"
"Well, once I finish studying up this grimoire, I'll return it to the Archive and possibly look for something on gravity..." The Redguard told him, "What about everyone else?"
"Possibly going back for the scouting lessons, been going there to up my tracking," the khajiit answered, "But, I kinda wish I had a mentor as the girls do, they seem to be training on their own..."
Don't we all? Good luck trying to find someone, they just got lucky, we may have to keep coming here for our skills, but it works out," Erik added in, "As for me, I was going to check for a shielding course, I'm sure they've got one,"
Traysek sighed, "I wouldn't worry too much about finding one, although there is someone I could talk to, since he was a blade in his time, even then, I don't know if he'll have the time..." writing something on another sheet, the words glowing a frosting blue.
Lucien frowned, "You're talking about Gronik, aren't you? I mean...It can't hurt to try, he might know a few things on the akaviri then...as for where I'm going, I'll see if they have lessons on swordsmanship or ways to improve it...been thinking about learning a fencer-based style..."
"Such an imperial thing to say there, Luci, but if you have the aptitude, I don't why you wouldn't go for it," The Redguard shrugged, finishing off the last of his notes, the words of the copied notes flowing to his mind, 'Oh...that's a new way to use that element...I'll have to try it out one day...' closing the grimoire, "Well, if that's all, I'll see you all at Dinner," picking up the notes and the book, before leaving the gym...
With Dargo and Recorder...
The two were standing in Dargo's backyard, ready to use her new weapon.
"You remember how to do the quick draw?" the Dark Elf asked.
She nodded, "Yeah, I remember how to do it, had plenty of practice with the other sword, should be a bit easier now..." She took the stance, and a deep breath, focusing for a second, 'Ease the hand and let the blade fly...' she thought to herself, closing her eyes...
When she opened her eyes and drew the blade this time, it came out with a blinding speed, a thin wave of water following it from all sides, leaving her blinking, "Was...was that it...?" she gasped, surprised it came out that fast.
"Still slow but you're improving." Dargo said before adding, "Now, you need to work on your mental state."
Recorder frowned, "Right, you did mention that, but I can't think of any reas-" until she thought about it, her times going berserk because she spotted blood, "- Okay, nevermind, you might be right, but how are we doing that?"
"You need to close your eyes and think of the thing that can calm you, then you'll draw." Dargo answered, "We'll begin with that before going to a more complicated one."
She nodded, "So this works like meditation? alright, think I get how it works..." closing her eyes after, hands back in the drawing position, as she began to concentrate...
"When you feel like you got to the highest point of relaxation, draw the blade," Dargo informed.
She took a deep breath, letting the thoughts flow in her mind, the first one, being an embarrassing memory, 'Okay...not what I'm looking for, funny but no...' she concentrated even more, getting a series of memories...the good times and the bad...eventually she came upon another mental image of her downtime, relaxing with the others, feeling herself relax the more she focused on the memory...once she reached her peak, she drew the blade once more, this time...not only was the blade drawn in blinding speed, and got the ring of water but a second slash wave had come from her, even larger than the first, shocking her, "How...was that?" she asked, bewildered by the double slashes.
"Compared to others... an incredible speed." Dargo answered, "I think that you need to use this method more often for the next week to be prepared for the next level."
Record smiled hearing that, "At least I got the basics down of it, getting the fact this won't get easier..." she nervously chuckled.
"To be honest, you did the hardest thing." Dargo pointed, "But your grip isn't perfect yet..."
She frowned, glancing at her held blade, finding her grip, somewhat tight, "Aww...well, there's still a few kinks to work out...let's continue," with a smile.
Meanwhile, at the Archive...
Traysek walked up to the counter where the feline-folk was posted and returned to the grimoire, "Hello there, thought I return this coming back, I wondered if you had anything on Gravity?" he asked.
"Not yet." she replied, "They're still being translated."
He frowned at that, "Okay...I mean if they aren't translated yet, then they must be researching it to do so...what about wind and Earth magic?"
"Of course, follow me." and she guided him to a range of grimoires.
He gave her a nod, "Thank you," going to one of the shelves, "Do you know, when they'll be translated?"
"I don't know." she replied, "They're still studying some of the effects and possible consequences. If they see it as a form of magic that can be used freely and with little consequences, they'll translate it all. Otherwise, they'll only translate a bit before putting the original books in some sealed storage to make sure that no one can get their hands on them."
"Okay, I understand, thank you anyway," he thanked with a smile, taking both a wind and earth Grimoires to an empty table, pulling out an ink quill and paper, 'Now...let's see what I can learn from these two...' beginning to study the wind Grimoire...
At the Levantine household...
The Musel family carriage arrived at the Levantine Manor, Count Otto peeked outside and sighed...
"We're here, everyone out..." He said as both Troy and Catherine exited the carriage, looking around...The older knight felt nervous being here but didn't let it show...
The older man walked up to the gate where a couple of knights were waiting, "Hello there, I'm here to see Claudia Levantine, is she here?"
"You heretics better go somewhere else." one of the knights threatened.
The count stepped closer to the knight who said it, "I recognize you, knight...no... stable boy... that's what you used to be...I don't know who you're calling a heretic, but I'm expected here...now, you can either direct us to her or...you can go back to cleaning the stables, boy...what's it going to be?" staring him down, arms folded.
"Ho~ the heretics have a tongue to talk. That's so amusing." the second knight said as they both drew their weapons at the family, "Lord Grave would reward us if we bring him your heads. As for the woman... he'd have other projects for her."
Troy glared at them and stepped forward, "Father, I've got this..." Turning to the knights, holding both hands up, "Fellas~ let's not turn this into something we don't have to...I'm sure we can strike a bargain or two," Reaching into his pack and pulling out two hefty coin purses, "I'm willing to pay for the entry fee, these first halves are enough for the entire week, of food, drink, and R&R~ you let us in and we conduct our business and I'll pay double for the exit...you guys know I'm good for it," with a smirk, "What do you say...?"
Both knights looked between themselves before sheathing their weapons.
"For a heretic, you still have some manners." the second knight said with a smile.
The blonde knight handed them the coin purses, "Of course, we all serve the alliance don't we? I know how underpaid we are, especially on guard duty..." with a smile, "Now...about our appointment...?"
"Upstairs talking with an important person." the second knight said.
Troy nodded, "I see...well, we promise not to be too long... we just..." glancing at his parents, "Need to go over a few agreements, we can wait in the lobby until she's finished talking with them,"
"Depends if the lord and the lady would be ready to see you." the knight shrugged, "If they throw you out, we're not responsible."
"I understand, and either way, our deal still stands," glancing at his parents, giving them a nod, as they followed him through the gate, the count walking up to Troy.
"Well done son...I'm impressed you managed that, of course, if you didn't delve into blood magic, it would've gone a lot smoother..." Otto commented.
Catherine rolled her eyes, "What he means to say, is that you did good son, don't worry about that bit of it..."
Troy frowned at that, "I do worry about that though, they're blaming you two for something I did, and that doesn't sit right with me...I just hope this appointment goes well, or we're going to have problems...and I mean big ones," heading towards the main house.
Except for the mistreatment of the Dark Elves, some strange knights were talking among themselves while glancing at the three newcomers.
Troy noticed the knights staring at them, finding a familiar sun symbol on them, narrowing his eyes, 'The First dawn? what in the goddess's name are they doing here...? they're normally on the frontlines... as he passed them, knocking on the doors.
A maid opened the door, "Yes?"
The blonde knight bowed, "Greetings Ma'am, we're here for our appointment with the paladin, Master Claudia, we've been told already that she has someone already, but we're willing to wait in the lobby,"
"I would ask you to leave." the maid replied, "Master Grave's reputation would take a hit if heretics like you were seen in his domain."
Count Otto narrowed his eyes, "We're not heretics, that was a setup by the Demon crow himself, we're expected today ma'am and it is an urgent matter...concerning that..."
With Swain...
"So that's what they think of me... I see." Swain mumbled as he was drinking a cup of tea in a restaurant while looking through a raven's eye.
"What's the matter?" Dihya asked.
"It would seem that the Musels are going to be our enemies," he replied.
"Are you going to get rid of them?" the Redguard asked.
"They already lost all their business partners." Swain informed, "I asked that the Birds of Prey continue to trade with them, but it's going to end now. A shame, I enjoyed the pathetic trade, but it's going to end now."
"Wouldn't they try to do something to clear the reputation?" Dihya took a stick that had grilled meat on it, "They can recover something."
"Don't overestimate it." Swain retorted, "The moment the high nobility witnessed the boy's blood magic, they made sure to cut any ties they had with them, and to make sure that others do the same thing."
"So they're ruined financially?" Dihya raised an eyebrow.
"They will wither through the month, and the despair will arrive at the end of it." Swain stated, "Besides, I do need to reward that assassin in Feoh by removing the restriction order that exiled her from Ken."
"How would you do that?" Dihya asked.
"By asking Celestine to do it as a personal favor," Swain answered, drinking from his cup of tea.
Back with the Musels...
The maid narrowed her eyes and said, "The Master said nothing of this, therefore, leave before worsening your case."
"What's going on here!" a voice from inside roared as Grave walked to the maid.
"My lord, these heretics are here to harm your reputation." the maid answered.
"Tch, you really want to end up six feet under." the old knight said as he walked toward them, "The hell're you doing here?"
Count Otto stepped in front of both his son and wife, relaxing a hand on his sword, "To clear our names of a..." glancing back at Troy, "Stupid...situation...was hoping to talk to either you or Claudia about what happened, I'm not a heretic and I'm not going to hide like one, especially with a man I served with...Lord Grave..." narrowing his eyes on him.
"As much as I hate that stupid crow, he showed evidence." Grave pointed as the knights encircled them, "If you have evidence of what you're talking about, spill it.'
Otto narrowed his eyes, about to voice his opinion until Troy stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, "Don't father, you can't prove this...false or otherwise, I'll... deal with this...I got you both into it, and I'll get you out..." stepping up to Grave, giving a bow, "Greetings Master Grave, no, he can't provide magic evidence, but I have good authority that my family had nothing to do with the blood magic...in fact...I can show you..." removing the guard from around his neck, exposing a vampire brand, "It's...from the mission in the south, the one where I had to track down the lead of the vampires...well, she found us and had us in middle of field tied up...one by one I watched my brothers die in worst ways...until she got to me...I chose to live and well...that's where I... acquired the blood magic..." he sighed, "I know this doesn't clear things with me...but I at least want my family, even my brother, to be free of mistakes I made at the other estate...they didn't know, until recently, that I had this kind of magic...I kept it from them...if anyone should be punished or executed...it should be me...the actual heretic...I can take it...sir..." kneeling to him, waiting for it to come in any direction.
"Such a pathetic man" A chuckle was heard as someone walked from behind Grave, "I assume that's the best excuse you have. And here I thought that the emperor's trust in Celestine keeping a leash on her subordinates was good. It would seem that Rad must rethink staying with the Shields."
"Inspector Shiki." Grave called, "I feel sorry that you had to watch this."
"Don't worry, Grave, you are a loyal servant of Celestine... unlike others." Shiki said, "A traitor can only be born from traitors, am I wrong?"
"You're not," Grave smirked.
Count Otto narrowed his eyes as Catherine started fidgeting with something..."Troy...get up...it's not helping, they really think we've betrayed them...after fighting for this very land...they think that..." getting a cold realization, "She never got my letter did she...?" with an empty smile.
Meanwhile, in the house, Claudia was left alone after Grave and Shiki walked off and had been gone for some time, making her frown, 'What are they doing? They should've been back by now...' standing and walking out of the room, heading to the entrance...
When she got there, she found a scene with Troy kneeling and his parents both angry and frightened, surrounded by knights with Grave and Shiki seemingly smirking at them, "What in the name of the goddess is going on here?!" she exclaimed, making the knights shiver up, "Return to your posts, ALL of you!" she ordered.
'Finally...some sanity...' count Otto thought.
"Stay as you are!" Grave ordered before turning to Claudia, "They were about to arrest a traitor for interrogation by the High Inquisitor for information about our enemies."
Claudia gave him a deep frown, narrowing her eyes, "There would be nothing to gain, they don't know them...and if the high inquisitor needs to make an arrest, especially with one of my students or any of their families, she needs to see me first, you know this,"
"They were calling us Heretics and trying to arrest us for it, Master Claudia," Troy told her, standing up.
"Wha- is this true?" She asked, getting nods from his father and mother, turning to hers, "Father, I didn't press charges for that, I forgave him after learning the details of how said magic was acquired to him, if I hadn't he'd be on trial today..." turning to the Musels, "I'm so sorry this happened, yes I also got your letter, I've been expecting you, Count Otto, but there was another meeting today with the inspector and Lord Grave over war strategy and what happened to one of our forts...appreciate you coming, now's not a good time, I'll come to you," turning to Grave, "They are hereby free to go...they have no charges nor are they suspect to the recent fort destruction..."
The count shot grave a quick dirty look, before bowing to Claudia, "Thank you, my lady... we'll be waiting for you..." turning to Troy, "Come on boy, let's go,"
Troy nodded and stood up, "It was good seeing you again, Lady Claudia, I'm sorry for the trouble..."
"Don't be, I wish I could've gotten back to you, but no matter, we'll handle our business elsewhere, take care, Troy," She told him, patting him on the shoulder.
Cathrine said nothing but gave her a bow, as the knights cleared a path for them to leave...
"The emperor will hear of this." Shiki said with a scowl, "You can forget about getting any kind of help from Rad." he then began to leave.
"Congratulations..." Grave glared at her, "You just spat at my name for nothing but heretics. You will regret it."
Grave left with the majority of the knights.
She frowned hard at that, 'What I did, prevented that...more than you think father...' baring her teeth until she remembered something...her thought going back to her earlier lessons with the man...
'In this world, once you become paladin you must keep a line between your people and yourself, it is your duty of the Levantine family to protect this city and carry our name through honor...!' his voice instructed gently.
She finally came back to her senses, finding herself in a cold sweat, thinking about what just now happened with the Musel face saddening.
"Honey...?" A voice called out to her, belonging to Klaus, finding him near the door, "Why were those knights around the Musels? what's going on?"
She pulled him in a tight hug, "I...I might've made a mistake...a big one...one I can't take back..." a sniffle came from her after.
He hugged her back, "I heard a bit of that, something about them being heretics...I don't believe it, not for one second, I can't look at the man who was my best man during our wedding that way... Otto would never..."
"I know...it was his son, Troy...swain had shown them evidence of him using blood magic and now...we have this happening..." Her tone was solemn, not holding the usual proud tone, "Just...tell me, honey, did I do wrong here...?" tears started to form.
Klaus sighed, rubbing her head, "It's...not up to me to say..." glancing at the knights watching them, "At least not here, if you've got the time, I know where we can talk,"
Claudia sighed, and slowly shook her head, "I... can't right now, I have to instruct the first dawn today, as well as up the prices on certain bounties, but when I'm done with that, I'll be willing to talk to you, honey,"
"Very well, I'll wait on you then," Klaus said, giving her a quick peck on the lips before heading to the house...
Later that night, Yamakhroz...
After intensely studying in the library for hours, The Redguard decided to take a stroll in the city, waving to those who waved at him, 'I'm not going to lie, but this starting to feel better than home...it's usually the other way around...' looking around, 'What to do...what to do...since I've got most of the night out, I could grab a bite somewhere...maybe a stiff drink too, it's been a couple of nights...' wandering to find a restaurant.
Two Kletzkrieg members exited a restaurant that had a claw mark on the sign.
Traysek noticed the sign, raising an eyebrow, 'What kind of restaurant is that...? I should ask...' Walking up to the Kletzkreig, "Hey guys, what kind of restaurant is this? food wise," he asked.
The two Dark Elves looked at him as one said, "Well... it's food. Don't know what to add."
"If you're a Dark Elf, you'd love that place." the other Elf stated, "It's kinda hard to eat Dark Elf food if you're not one."
The Redguard thought about it, "Ah I see, way different than the other one I went to, very well, thank you guys," continuing to find another place to eat.
After a little while, there was a shop with some writing on the sign and a strange smell coming from it.
He took a sniff before passing, stopping and facing it, 'Oh? what's THAT smell? better go see what that is...' his stomach rumbling as he entered, finding an oni woman tending the food, before taking a seat.
When she heard him, she looked at him, showing a face burned in the left half, "Yes?"
Traysek had a look a shock for a second, blinking twice snapping out of it, "Hello there~ I couldn't help myself when the smells lulled me in, what's served here?" he asked.
"Ramen with various things." she replied, "Depends on what you need."
Traysek frowned, "Ramen?' I've...never had that before, heard it was good, guess I'll get that chance now..." with a grin, "I'll take...the beef bowl, BBQ flavored and...do you have drinks?"
"Beer or Sake, your choice," she answered.
The Redguard thought about it, "You know what? feeling a bit adventurous, I'll have some of this sake too,"
"Alright, just the time to prepare it." and she began to prepare the food.
He got comfortable and looked around, watching couples pass by along with their children, making him smile, turning back around to see how it was prepped...
As she was working, the aroma of the beef and the rest increased, "Want to have some garlic with it?"
"Of course," he simply nodded.
After a few minutes, she served him a large bowl of Ramen with some sake while saying, "Hope that you enjoy."
Traysek nodded, "Thank you!" looking for a utensil, finding only chopsticks, picking them up, frowning deeply 'What are these for...? The ramen?' breaking them apart, trying to figure out how to hold them, struggling with it, "How do you use these?" he said out loud.
"Having troubles?" a familiar feminine voice said as she sat next to him.
Traysek glanced up, finding Gronik's wife there, "Oh! Kurenai! It's been a while, you're looking well," he nodded with a grin, "And yeah...I have no idea how to use or even hold these,"
The Oni woman served Kurenai quickly as she took the chopsticks in a particular way, "You use them like this."
The Redguard observed how she held them, changing how he gripped them to match hers... after a few attempts, he finally got the grip right, going for his ramen bowl, "Oh wow...thanks for that!" taking a bite of ramen, humming at the taste, 'Not bad at all...I could eat here again...' finishing slurping the rest of what he had on his chopsticks, "So... how you and Gronik been doing? I rarely see you guys out and about,"
"Well... he's recovering for a continuation." Kurenai answered, "Besides, he has a hard time keeping track of all the movements of the Shields."
Traysek nodded, "I can imagine and after visiting one of their "Forts" it can't be easy..." pouring himself a cup of sake, "I was planning to see him, but if he's recovering, I can try another day," taking a sip of it, recoiling, "Ugh...that's strong..."
"That's the softest drink in all of Rad... well, the softest made in the lands of the Sword Saint." Kurenai stated, "Which reminds me... I heard some rumors about a force of nature appearing in a village in the southern part of Rad, being so strong that no one dared to approach that village. And soon, all the villagers became strong... very strong, which is still the case."
The Redguard raised an eyebrow, "That strong huh? Now I'm interested in meeting them...when we get to that part of Eostia that is..." gulping the sake, not recoiling this time.
"Yeah... those people should be left alone..." Kurenai stated, "In fact, if one gets involved in the war... it would be done by the next day before noon..."
"Gods...only one? And that's any of them...I dread to think what would happen if the shields got to them, we'd have problems for sure, I can respect them sitting out, it takes a lot to do, especially with people that strong," Traysek complimented, going back to his ramen.
"To them... deadly monsters that take a lot to defeat... are just normal animals..." Kurenai said, "Not to talk about their stamina... capable of traveling from the continent in the south to the north one in one day..."
The Captain thought about, "So, they're like other Redguards...except they're not...interesting...many of my kinsmen can do that, taking on dangerous beasts? Well, that depends on the warrior..." he shrugged.
"Can those beasts your kinsmen take on destroy a kingdom in a day?" Kurenai asked.
"Eh...that also depends on the beast and its size..." The Redguard shrugged, "Tamriel's threats vary...from the common bear, to the Dragons and Daedra... Can't say many of my kinsmen have won unscathed against a dragon, guess I'm the exception," taking another sip of the sake.
"For them... only a child can deal with a horde of those monsters... and still call them bugs..." Kurenai pointed.
Traysek blinked twice at that, chuckling, "Okay now that...that's a bit up there, I'll admit, we weren't doing it like that back home...Now I'm wondering what their training regiment is,"
"Good luck with that... no one has the balls to approach them since their current chief can destroy this world with a tantrum," Kurenai informed.
"That alone sounds like more like a god and less of a warrior..." He slightly sweated, "And to be fair, Kurenai... I don't think a lot of those guys in the alliance have any balls in general...pardon the vulgarity..." pouring another cup of sake.
"No biggie, I'm not that much to act like a proper lady." Kurenai shrugged, "Well, why do you want the help of Gronik?"
"Well, since he was my predecessor two hundred years before now, I was hoping to learn the ancient techniques he learned under the blades at their glory, along with the eighth school of magic, Mysticism, the only magic school I've never delved into..." Traysek explained, "Which I'm not expecting a 'yes' to, he's a busy man after all, but I thought I'd throw the question out there and see what happens,"
"That depends on how much free time he has." Kurenai answered, "But if he says yes, that would mean you'll be doing it at night. Besides, he's bad at teaching."
Traysek raised an eyebrow, "Really now? I...wouldn't have guessed that, he seems...wise to do it, I'm surprised," he chuckled, taking a sip.
"It's more like the fact that he can send many different messages at the same time." Kurenai sweatdropped, "He tried to teach once, but it didn't work that well." she sighed before adding, "There's also the fact that he believes that power corrupts. Well, that's just how he is; straight on his boots and too respectful of the law."
Now it was his turn to sweat drop, "I...I don't know how to feel about that one...getting a familiar vibe from it though..." thinking back on his meeting with the mad prince, "But as for the power aspect, I can somewhat agree with him there...power can corrupt if you let it... but...I also know it can be tamed and controlled through practice...it's not power itself that's dangerous, it's the wielder..." taking a bite of the ramen.
"Do you know someone who has power and obeys the law?" Kurenai asked, "Anyone who has power without a really good cause, needs to be put down for the safety of the world."
He thought about that, "A bit harsh, but that's facts, And to answer your question, I haven't met too many...especially at the seven kingdoms..." frowning upon something, "Although...there was one...that stood out to me back there, A Lord of ravens if you will, meeting him was...interesting...in an oddly good way...I hope to run into him one of these days, I do owe him for helping us get away from them,"
"You mean Swain, right? Know the guy." she sighed before adding, "It's true that he can control himself... but that's because he lived for thousands of years after being here. He also told us that he wouldn't go rampant in an unknown world... but he still created a network to take control over the seven kingdoms. He's waiting for the right moment to strike, but the fact that he's related to both the Lady of this city and the enemy false goddess shackles him. It would take betrayal to set the demon free."
Traysek frowned at that, slowly putting it together, "He's actually on our side in this, but is keeping tabs while being there...acting as one of their nobles...clever~ more than clever...I could take notes from that..." he chuckled, "But this does answer the suspicions I had on him...glad to know I was right..." taking a sip, thinking about something, "So you mentioned that Gronik was bad at teaching, but you're not, are you?" giving a knowing smirk.
"If you have Demon blood, I can see that you get the basis of the Taimanin training." Kurenai answered, "If you don't have it, don't count on it. Being a Taimanin isn't a joke, but a sacred and ancestral tradition that keeps the world safe from demons."
He raised an eyebrow at that, "'Taimanin...?' I wouldn't know what that is...nor do I have demon blood, no...I have Dragon's blood, but I doubt I'd make that cut," he chuckled.
"No, it doesn't." Kurenai took a deep breath before adding, "Moreover, from what Gronik said, you are powerful, so why seek more power? Why increase the size of the target on your head?"
Traysek sighed, staring at the lantern for a second, turning back to her, "It's...not about seeking power with me, it's about refining swordsmanship and combat...increasing our chances when this war kicks off..." he answered, "Besides... I've already seen the price they put on our heads, training is a necessity here, not a want...which is why I thought of seeking Gronik out,"
"You're going to need to give the right arguments with him." the woman stated, "After all... he gave up divine powers because he knew what could happen to him."
"Which I can understand, I'll have some work cut out there, again, not expecting a "Yes" from him, especially with how he views power..." He concurred, pouring more sake, "If he accepts, Great, but if he doesn't, I won't mind either way, the academies have been generous in letting us train and study with them, it's enough," gulping it.
"So you are accumulating power." Kurenai had a smug grin on her face, "Looks like someone is overcompensating for something."
He frowned hard but grinned "Trust me, there's no overcompensation...especially from the waist down, I'm sure I'm well off in that department" he laughed, "But on a serious note, the dangers here are different...found out the hard way when one the inquisitors turned my own flame cloak spell against me...so we're just trying to adapt, instead of going in big-headed,"
"So you have your own definition of 'Adapt', huh?" Kurenai asked.
"Oh...wouldn't say that, I'm sure it's universal...mostly..." He admitted, looking away for a second, before sighing, "I'll be honest, there is something I do seek...Strength and power, they're nice to have...very, and those that attain them are lucky... but those alone? that's where the problems start... strength can be turned against you, and power will only make someone arrogant...insane in some cases. They're... not to be depended on..." staring at the cup, "I prefer knowledge over the other two...the know-how of things, not just in battle, but outside of it too... from the people, the cultures, to the military structure both friendly and hostile, knowing can make difference, prone to fewer mistakes and less bloodshed... but without it, whatever weapon anyone holds, it might as be made of paper metal, no matter how divine it is,"
"Well, color me surprised." Kurenai smirked, "Normally, people start stumbling to give a fake answer, but not you." she chuckled before adding, "I'll see things with Gronik." she then left a Diamond before leaving.
Traysek waved as she exited the tent, "Take care Kurenai, this was nice~" before glancing down at his bowl, finding only the broth, before drinking it, finishing the meal, "By the gods, you made a killer meal here Miss, I'll definitely be back," leaving a diamond on the table, heading out of the tent.
With Swain...
While resting in an inn, Swain glanced at the starred sky.
"That other Dragonborn is better than expected." Swain drank from a cup of tea before adding, "Maybe he'd be interested in an 'Arrangement' when we meet."
"What kind of arrangement?" Dihya asked, wearing a strange robe.
"Are you enjoying your new sleeping robe?" Swain smirked before answering, "After seeing his past, I can say that I have a good use for his skills."
"What are you talking about?" Dihya was confused now.
"You'll see, you'll see..." Swain continued to smirk as he drank from his cup of tea, "Which reminds me, I need to pick a souvenir for Celestine and one that I'd send to Olga."
"Really?" Dihya sweatdropped, 'It's not like we're tourists here...'
House of wings...
After a long day, most of the crew was back at the house, hanging out in the living room, the front door opened, revealing a slightly drunk redguard coming in, "I'm home! anyone in?"
Lucien walked out, "Yeah, we're in here, most of us came back early, once again the other two are still out,"
"I expected that, they did mention they had personal trainers, we'll see them soon," he said closing the door behind him.
He followed the imperial to where the others were, finding them nearly laid out...
"So did you manage to ask Gronik?" Erik asked, getting a headshake from the captain.
"Not yet, I couldn't find him tonight, but I did run into his wife, we had an interesting chat, asked her about and said she'll get back to me on it," Traysek answered, "I wouldn't be surprised if he rejected the request, especially with all he does,"
Inigo nodded in agreement, "I mean it's hard for us to find one ourselves so we get it, don't mind the academy though, but having a personal teacher sounds nice too,"
"I agree, but if you don't I wouldn't fret about it," The Redguard said, before yawning, feeling the effects of the liquor kick in, "I'm going in my room for a bit, do let me know when they return,"
"Sure thing," Lucien nodded, sitting back down at the table.
With Recorder...
Recorder once again had her eyes closed, hand completely relaxed on her hand, standing in front of the ice dummy Dargo materialized, feeling the air still around her as she took calming breaths...when she felt the air reach its stillest and at her calmest, she quickly drew the blade in a blue flash, causing water slashes to surround the dummy, leaving many deep slashes into it.
"Too stiff." Dargo remarked, "You need to be more relaxed than that." He then walked and began to change her posture, "Take deep breaths and forget about everything. Let your mind be one with the sword and let your body move freely."
She nodded, but glanced at the dummy, 'Way more than last time, you've almost got it Recorder, I thought I was there for a second...' She then took a look at her posture, the hand laying on her blade, not gripping it, "Clear my head...haven't tried that yet..." closing her eyes again, but this time, instead of focusing on a thought that calmed her, she did the opposite, emptying her thoughts and when she finally did, she felt relaxed, naturally, everything seemingly slowing down, no longer feeling as if she was holding a weapon...or anything for that matter...her eyes slowly open, cold, before a bright blue flash was seen with a large slash on its chest, her sword clicking back into its sheath...
The bright blue slash remained until it exploded, water ripples in slashes going over the ice dummy before it shattered from the last large one.
Upon seeing it, her eyes went wide, "Did...did I...?"
"Impressive." Dargo nodded, "You pulled it off. Although, this is the beginner version. to advance, you'd need to work on it alone; that road cannot be made by anyone else besides yourself. Of course, I'll be happy to help you walk that road."
Recorder smiled with a nod, "I'll be glad to ask you ways to improve it, thank you Dargo, this is a good start, really is,"
Upon seeing her smile, the temperature around Dargo began to increase as a slight blush began to appear on his face.
She felt the temperature rise, watching the ice nub melt down "Uh...Dargo? You good? You're heating everything up," she nervously chuckled.
"S-Sorry about that." Now blushing with embarrassment, Dargo concentrated his powers to stop the heat from increasing further.
Recorder fanned herself off, flushed and slightly sweaty, "Well then, I should probably head back, I enjoyed training with you for a while, wouldn't mind doing it more," slightly blushing, but smiling, "I'll see you around Dargo, take care~" before turning around and making her way out.
"T-Take care..." he waved back.
With Yuriana...
The Redhead was locked in a grapple, locking her instructor in return as they were in the center of a circle of the ground, trying to toss each other out, with her focusing her strength to the core of her body, it made it hard for him to throw her, but it took many tries to get to this, covered in scratches and hair a mess, she was rough looking as she held on.
"You've improved," the Dark Elf said as he twisted his hand quickly and threw her.
As she flew outside of the area, she tried to balance her center of gravity, succeeding in landing on her feet this time, nearly falling after she landed, sighing in relief, but then realized she was outside of the ring, marking this as the tenth thrown out of it, groaning in disappointment, "I landed on my feet, but I'm still rung out..." she sighed.
"Don't be down like that, you learned an important lesson," Moiroy said as he walked to her.
She took his hand, and was helped up, "Really? I thought it was catching the landing after being thrown," she grinned, chuckling.
"This ring isn't the only thing that you must think of. In a battle, there's no boundary, no rules, nothing that should shackle you from fighting." Moiroy stated with a serious tone, "If you limit yourself, you can lose more than your life. You need to learn how to fight in every kind of terrain possible... which is going to be the lesson for next time."
Yuri thought about it, "I see, wondering what to expect there, but I'll be ready for it," giving a bow, keeping her eyes on him, "Thank you for the lesson today, sir," in a pleasant tone, before turning and heading out of the gym.
Near Thorn...
Volt walked to a room where the child was sleeping.
He gave her a good overall look, noticing his features on the girl while noting her mothers, feeling himself smile, 'There's no denying she's mine...but to be kept away from her...good thing that changes...' stroking her hair gently, as merc opens the door making him frown, "Is there something wrong?"
"Boss, the prisoner is awake..." the man replied with a low enough tone.
He smirked, standing up, "Good, it's about time we got to that," following the merc out of the room...
When they got to where they were keeping the hunter, the man was covered in cuts, the area around him bloody as the lone shadow worked info out of him...
"You're late." Masanari said with a serious tone to Volt before snickering, "Long time since we had to talk, right?"
Volt chuckled, "Same to you, I'd rather deal with you often to be honest," turning his smirk to the tortured hunter, "So...did you get him to squeal yet?"
"Only mumbles about a place called the dream something being a place of solace." Masanari sighed, "Never seen someone so resistant to pain."
Volt rolled his eyes, "So he's not even croaking when you cut him, interesting..." smirking, looking down at his coat, "I have, back home in Ansur, he's one of old man's Gehrman's hunters, can't say he's ever liked me much or he would've been in this too,"
"Why not kill him since he's an old man?" the Shinobi asked.
Volt shook his head, "It's not that simple, he's the first hunter, even with his age, he's still a threat and not someone to take lightly either," looking down at the prisoner, "And to make matters worse, it's not like he'll tell us his reasons for being around here, he looks like a mess as is,"
"Should we dispose of him?" Masanari took a small jar.
Volt thought about it, "I think that's what he wants, it'd be an easy out for him, besides, I was thinking about handing him over to the crimson viper and letting her do her work on him, he might squeal then," with a devious smirk.
"Do you know where she is?" Masanari looked at Volt.
"Last I heard, she was at her lair at Ken, something about selling merchandise off, you know how that goes," He chuckled, "But that's I'll have to contact her, see if she wants a new toy hunter,"
A chuckle was heard as the hunter said weakly, "You're done... traitor. Master Gehrman will skin you..."
Volt looked at him and laughed, "Ohoho! so he speaks! color me impressed there kid, you managed to keep your sanity...but uh..there's one problem with that...that's if he knows what we're planning, dear hunter~ and we're not letting you go to tell him either, especially with this rumor about a dream being the way you all can come back, no, you're going to be oboro's new toy for the week, assuming you survive that long," he mocked.
"You think that a Hunter isn't prepared to face something like that?" the Hunter chuckled again before adding, "You may have killed the former leader of those mercenaries in his sleep due to you being so pathetic, and you haven't changed, huh?"
Volt laughed, shaking his head, "No I haven't, but soon things in the seven kingdoms will, it will be what it was meant to be, a nation of true service to the hardworking men, so" leaning into his face, "I'll ask you once, join us and spy for Ansur, you can pretend this conversation never happened and we can go our separate ways...or you can keep being stubborn, end up as oboro's sex slave and the next time we see you, you'll be dolled up like a woman...so what's it going to be?" grinning darkly.
The Hunter smirked before saying, "I choose the third one." before biting on something.
"Dammit, he's got something in his mouth!" Volt yelled, bolting forward to grab him, finding foam coming out of the dead hunter's mouth, eyes rolled back, "He's already dead, none of you checked to see if he had anything in his mouth?"
"Bite Down..." Masanari narrowed his eyes, "Hidden it in his teeth... which means that there's some sort of relation between these guys and the Ashina."
Volt gave the corpse a hard stare, "You're thinking old man Ashina sent him? possible, but why and why one of the hunters?"
"The hunter must have been a decoy." Masanari narrowed his eyes, "Which means... that the real threat returned to him. After All, the Ashina are known to use the Nightjar Shinobis."
"Damn..." The black dog leader growled, "Nothing we can do about it now, except keep an eye out..." glancing back down at the dead man, shaking his head, "Could've been a team, even well rewarded, such a shame," turning to his men, "Feed him to the dogs, no point in letting him stink,"
"Sir!" One of the mercs piped up, as a couple of them went to cut the hunter loose, dragging him somewhere.
Volt sighed, "Now then, the only thing to do now is to keep preparations for the assault on these fortresses," turning to Masanari, "You and your shadow brothers have been more than instrumental in that, just wished you would've helped out at the other fortress, those Red Dragon morons keep getting in the way,"
"If you want a piece of advice, don't let him speak." Masanari stated, "He seems to enjoy getting under the skin of his opponents. Still, you should learn to keep your calm when fighting him."
Volt sighed deeply, "I'll keep that in mind, it also seems like that fucker is pain tolerant, almost liking it, that blood slash I hit him with didn't seem to faze him too much, I'll have my work cut out killing him,"
"Maybe you should ask for something else from that guy." Masanari suggested, "After all, he's the one who gave you that weapon."
"Perhaps, but that's if I can, he went to acquire something, hopefully, it's something we can use," The merc leader sighed, "I'll have Kin contact Shimahazuya about his preparations on his end, assuming he hasn't gotten started,"
"That bastard's still alive?!" Masanari snapped as Volt, "You know that Master Owl needs the priestess to appear as the true leader of Rad!"
Volt held up his hands defensively, "I know that of course, as for his location, that I'm not too sure about, I'll have to ask Kin, but once he's...outlived his usefulness he'll be up for grabs, you have my word there,"
"Master Owl can see this as a sign of betrayal." Masanari stated, "You know Master Owl's plans, and how that bastard can foil them."
Volt nodded, "Yeah, what he's got in store for her...and people call me sick...his obsession makes him a detriment, but he can be used his giant insects may play a role in battles in the future, especially with the monster army still active, we'll need all the help we can get, but once again, once his usefulness is done, I'll have no issues bringing you his head,"
Masanari clicked his tongue before disappearing with a smoke bomb.
Volt sighed, shaking his head, 'Back to the original plan, what to do about Feoh...that'll be a good place to start, Princess Alicia is noble but that'll be her greatest weakness...taking that city will be easy, as long as everyone sticks to the plan...' leaving the room with a smirk, confident about his plans.
To be continued...
Uh-oh...looks like Volt finally got his daughter, what's to happen to her in the future? Hopefully, she realizes what a piece of work her father is... worst-case scenario, is she ends up being just like him... :( But we'll get back to that later, for now...Looks like Traysek's talk with Kurenai went well and he might get that apprenticeship he was seeking...no luck on Reynold so far...but I have plans there...
To Cross: I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
To OniTenshi500: Thanks man, you making me blush over here / XD but I always did find that to be kinda dull, everyone making that side out to be the ultimate good guy, which if I'm being honest we would ALL choose the big tiddy elf over the rapists any day...But after a while, it starts looking the same...and ever since Night unfurls, that's the side people go to...(Not that I'm hating on staff sergeant, he's brilliant and his story motivated me to start mine)There's even a fic with Dante from DMC5 being knighted in Celestine's service, need I say more...? LMAO but there are some exceptions out there, Like the hand of suffering for example, and that one was a really good one, I'm still waiting for that to continue...we just choose to do it differently since people tend to go the white knight harem route, whereas you say..."The MC is the only decent man in that entire world who doesn't want sex but gets it anyway, He kills and brutalizes every bad guy in existence...and no one judges the method, and manages to come out in the end with many women to his side who can't think for themselves" Yeah...No thanks...I'll leave that to Wimblegurk brigade...I'm not a part of that challenge...nor do I intend to be...this is my original storyline and I'm sticking to that, but I'm glad you stuck with us :) and hope you continue to do so ;)
With that said, the next chapter will be there much sooner than this one, thank you everyone, may the gods watch over your battles in Elden ring, and stay safe everyone :)