For the last three weeks, Isaac trained himself in non-lethal and less-than-lethal takedowns and techniques, improvising most of them from hunting techniques that his father taught him to incapacitate larger game before dealing a killing blow. But for the skills he would need to take down enemies from a distance, he used the resources provided to him to craft hunting equipment that would ensure a live capture. With a few crucible steel balls and high-quality sinew, courtesy of Boris, Isaac was able to create bolas, weights on the ends of interconnected cords. These would be used to entangle a fleeing attacker's legs, so as to allow capture. And with a few requisition forms from the Quartermaster, he was able to get himself a collapsible baton and an arm-length gauntlet for his left arm, which could be used as a concealed shield from enemy attacks. While Isaac still had his knives and sword on him, they were mainly for intimidation instead of use of force. Isaac walked into the throne room, equipped with the equipment for his day-to-day responsibility of guarding the Princess. King Nigel saw him enter the room and smiled.
"Ah, Ranger Abaddon! Glad to see you've made use of the resources provided to you to perfect your trade. Now, Sally will be walking throughout the kingdom today. Same as before, stay by her side and ensure no one attacks her." King Nigel explained.
Isaac bowed, his cloak swaying gently.
"Of course. It shall be done." Isaac responded.
Isaac followed Sally, staying by her side as she exited the castle. For the past three weeks, Isaac has gotten to know Sally better. Mostly, he learned that she was a skilled combatant and an acrobat. While he knew that she could most likely fend off anyone that would attempt to hurt her, apparently she had never had to fight off someone like those that Isaac was experienced with. Especially how she never carried weapons. Today, Sally planned on walking throughout the Kingdom to see how things are going. She held her people as being her top priority. Isaac believes that to be an honorable quality.
"Princess Sally, I still cannot see the reason why you would need me to accommodate you on checking the welfare of your people. There are guards everywhere. They would be able to intervene in the event of an attack." Isaac said.
Sally smiled, noticing a running theme.
"Isaac, you don't have to keep calling me 'Princess Sally'." She said.
"Then what should I call you?" Isaac asked.
"Just call me 'Sally'. I mean, you are my friend, right?" She asked.
"I apologize, Pri-… Sally. I have not had many friends in my life. The only other person I have considered my friend was Talion. Unfortunately, I have not spoken to him since I had relocated here." Isaac explained.
"It's okay. Come on! We can get lunch at the marketplace before they run out of the good stuff!" Sally said, jogging to the marketplace with Isaac in tow.
The marketplace, while busy, did not have as many people as usual. As Isaac and Sally walked through the marketplace, the people gave them a wide berth, a few of them staring at Isaac. It only makes sense since he had violently eviscerated an attacker in the middle of the day. Sally looked up at Isaac's face, seeing his look of discomfort.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
Isaac shook his head.
"No. Too many… painful reminders. We should move along." Isaac suggested.
Grabbing Isaac's hand, Sally led him out of the marketplace. Eventually, Sally led him to the bride that went over the rive that cut through the Kingdom. Sally let go of his hand, looking around. Only a few people were near the bridge, but none paid them any mind. Isaac walked over to the ledge of the bridge and looked down over the ledge, seeing the creek running underneath, only about a foot deep. The bride was above the creek by only a few feet. It was a rather small bridge.
"Are you feeling better?" Sally asked, concerned.
Isaac nodded, not looking away from the bridge's ledge. Sally walked over, joining Isaac.
"Isaac… I need to know what you're thinking. I want to help you. But you need to tell me what's going on up there." Sally said.
Isaac sighed, standing straight.
"This… is not the first time I have killed someone. About a month ago, Lily and I were leaving the forest to come here. But as we were walking, three people attacked us. They took Lily. But they were not leaving without me. I killed them before they knew what to do next. I knew then I had no choice. But the day I met you, before you yourself were attacked… I killed again." Isaac confessed.
Sally nodded, knowing what he was referring to.
"One of the guards told me about it. Said she was attempting to mug you with a knife." Sally said.
"Yes, except I could have avoided death entirely. Instead of spinning around and slitting her throat, I could have easily tripped her and bound her hands together with a piece of rope. Or I could have hit her and incapacitate her with a choke hold. But instead… I resorted to killing her. It was as if I had already decided to kill her if she would not leave. After the fights, I am always left wondering what I could have done differently. That is what I am thinking." Isaac explained.
Sally didn't know how to quite answer this. While she knew about the hardships of battle and loss of life that often occurs, she herself never had to take a life to protect her own. Sally gently placed her hand on his, causing Isaac to quickly notice. After a moment, Isaac composed himself, placing his arms by his side.
"I believe I am feeling better. We should continue with moving through the Kingdom." Isaac hastily said, faintly blushing.
Isaac and Sally continued with walking throughout the Kingdom, with Sally stopping at a stand to get something for her and Isaac to eat. Isaac was fine with any of the meals, as long as it didn't contain pork, shellfish, made from an animal that has cloven hooves, or a combination of meat and dairy. After getting food, Sally and Isaac continued to walk throughout the Kingdom.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask. Why don't you eat certain food? I never met anyone who would turn down Sandra's seafood surprise." Sally asked.
"Dietary restrictions. It is against my religion to eat shellfish, pork, animals without cloven hooves, and animals that crawl on the ground. My parents taught me that these animals are unclean, not meant to eat. Shellfish: Bottom Feeders, full of sediment. Pork: Trichinosis. Animals without cloven hooves and do not chew cud are often riddled with diseases and parasites. It is not only a religious restriction, but one to prevent ill health." Isaac explained, keeping up with Sally.
After Sally was done walking around the Kingdom, she made a detour to one of the Kingdom's watchtowers on the wall. With Isaac in tow, she made her way up the stairs, stopping at the very top. She leaned out over the rail, looking out over the wall. The crisp autumn air caught in her hair. Isaac looked out over the wall as well, seeing the forest he had resided in for ten years.
"My mom used to take me up here all the time! She said that on a clear morning in the winter, you can see the sun just peak over the Glaciers in the East. The one time, when she took me up here, we saw a large column of smoke over near the coast. My father sent a troop of guards at first light, but there was nothing but a charred house." Sally explained.
Suddenly, Isaac's eyes widened. He felt his heart begin to quicken.
"Do you know what happened there?" Isaac calmly asked.
"There was a group of people there. They said they were burning down an abandoned property to clear the space. Said they were going to build a small port there. But I guess they never got around to it." Sally said.
Isaac clenched his fists, visibly angered.
"They lied." He responded.
"What?" Sally asked.
"The people that burned down that house… they lied." Isaac said, his voice becoming forced.
"What do you mean?" Sally asked.
Isaac stretched out his arm, pointing to where she was referring to.
"I lived there, me and my family. One night, my mother woke me up… She was frantic! Putting a pack on me with my sister inside, she gave me her knife and pushed me out of my window! She screamed for me to run! I ran! I never ran so fast in my life! I could feel… the heat! It was all ablaze! I heard her scream… By Elohim…" Isaac said, losing himself in thought.
"Isaac?" Sally asked, shocked by his revelation.
"They killed them. Those people… they killed our parents! They burned them alive!" Isaac shouted, slamming his fist on the rail.
Isaac stared out to where the remnants of his home was, feeling as if he couldn't look away from it. He could practically see it alit, the column of smoke still rising. His mother's scream… it was burned into his memory. He closed his eyes, practically feeling the heat from the fire. The light of the fire penetrating his eyelids. He slowly opened them again, instead finding himself in his quarters. Isaac sat up, finding him still in his clothes, but lying on his bed. His weapons were by his bedside, as were his boots and cloak. A sleeping Lily was curled up at the foot of his bed, holding onto a rolled-up piece of paper. Deftly, Isaac pulled the paper from her hand. He unrolled it, finding a message for himself from Sally.
"Isaac, you passed out while in the watchtower. When you wake up, come find me. I want to help you find who killed your parents. But my dad can't know! He will not allow me to help find these people myself! But if he thinks I'm travelling with you on diplomatic errands, he won't question it. These people… they need to meet justice! I will not allow them to get away with this any longer! NO ONE deserves to live with them still on the loose! Come find me… and bring whatever you think we'll need. -Sally"
Isaac put his boots and cloak on, grabbing his weapons. He softly laid Lily on his bed, tucking her in. Giving her a quick peck on her forehead, he made his way to Sally's chambers. After knocking on the door, it slightly opened, revealing Princess Sally.
"Did you get my note?" Sally asked.
"I did… and this was a long time coming." Isaac responded.
Sally closed the door behind him. Isaac looked around her room, seeing it for the first time. She had a large bookshelf on the west side of the room, which contained over 1,000 books. Her bed was a queen-sized bed with a canopy. It was red and gold, but a white trim on the tassels of the rope that was used to raise and lower the curtain. Sally unrolled a map of Mobius, which included all of the countries and continents that made it up. She circled the location of the fire with a marker. She waved for Isaac to come closer.
"I circled where the fire was. To find out who did this, we need to figure out where they came from." Sally said, explaining her plan.
"The one who held you hostage… he was one of them. At least, part of the same group that did it. They have been after Lily and me for years. I assume they wish to finish what they started." Isaac explained.
"Why? Why are they after you?" Sally asked.
"They have convinced themselves that I am what they call a 'demon-spawn'. Some kind of unholy abomination. They will not rest until both me and my sister are dead. I want to see them rotting behind bars!" Isaac explained.
"Agreed. But first, we need to figure out where they are." Sally said, drawing arrows pointing away from the island.
"The closest to the island is the mainland, being the United Federation. This could be an international incident." Sally said.
"Unlikely. They use crossbows and swords. Likely from Medieval origins. They could easily be organized in a European country." Isaac said.
Sally walked to her bookshelf, grabbing a book on European history. After looking through it, she circled a few European countries.
"The ones I circled have had a history of occupation by the Knight's Templar during the Crusades. If they originate from there, it may explain their obsession with you." Sally explained.
"The Crusaders were established to reclaim Jerusalem from Islamic rule. Not to hunt who they believe to be demons." Isaac explained.
Sally stared at him, surprised by his knowledge.
"My mother was very knowledgeable. She wanted me to be a scholar, instead of a hunter. But my father, he believed I could be both." Isaac explained.
"Okay… well, these guys could be deriving inspiration from the Knight's Templar, kinda like a splinter cell. Spain, France, and England were main sources of Crusaders during these times." Sally said, looking at the map.
"They could be expanded into all three countries, instead of solely based in one. If that is the case, then bringing them to justice will not be as simple as walking in with restraints. They will be trained and armed." Isaac explained.
"Then, how do we stop them?" Sally asked.
"Draw them out, like poison from a wound. I have already drawn their ire by surviving their previous attempts. It will take something big to draw their attention on a global scale. But it cannot be reckless, or else they will be able to capitalize on it. Travelling to these countries and drawing them out is an option, but you cut off one head, the others will respond to it." Isaac explained, laying out the plan.
"But… we're not killing them, right?" Sally asked.
Isaac looked back at her, seriousness in his eyes.
"No. I don't like killing. But I want them to suffer! I want them to never see life outside metal bars again! I want them to finally meet justice!" Isaac exclaimed.