The Royal Capital had come alive with violence as warriors walked the roads and scoundrels filled the streets. Everywhere he looked another wandering swordsman looking to make a name for himself stood proud showing off their strength for those passing by.
He shuffled past them all, almost unnoticed by the crowd with an awkward gait and a stubborn glimpse of determination on his face. To one and all they ignored him or looked on in disdain at an unlikely upstart who didn't know how high the heavens were.
Except for one figure who had detached off and slowly followed him for the last three streets. At first he'd thought it was the time for a casual bandit murder amidst the alleyways but one glance back had proved him wrong.
Gamma had said that Mundane Mann was an utterly minor character who had died off in the middle of nowhere, that no one would recognise him. Yet the emaciated old man following in his footsteps wasn't a minor character at all, from the echoless tread of his footsteps to the thread of magic keeping track of him through the crowd. To Cid's own personal opinion from having talked to him at the goddess trial wasn't he being stalked by a main character?
He let his pace slow and muttered under his breath. "It seems we meet again." Would his pursuer take the bait and confirm they were friends, or would he look through the crowd to find who he was talking to.
The old man happily marched straight up to him. "We do indeed my friend this tournament will not be a waste after all. A shame that so much of the clientele will only bore me in their ignorance but it is good to know I will get at least one good fight."
So Mundane Mann had actually been strong? Well, it wasn't like anyone else seemed to recognise him. This was the small elite gathering who only knew each other looking down on the masses. "A pity but flies gather wherever they think they might find glory."
The old man shrugged. "Hopefully I'll at least get a warm up out of some of them, I know the old transcendent swordsman will be having a few bouts as well but last time he forfeited rather than fight me."
"Quinton is coming through." The man was buff with the face of a thug and an arrogance to match. He ignored him without a second thought as mere small fry compared to the old man across from him. It wasn't like either of them would move, for Mundane Mann was a king and could not budge for a side character no matter what, and the old man didn't seem like the type to bow his head except in death.
A hand made to touch his shoulder and the old man moved. It was a simple thing just a casual raising of his arm a single finger extending out to poke this Quinton in the head faster than any member of the crowd might see.
But he felt the magic flow out even as Quinton's eyes rolled back in his head and the man died without a second thought, a corpse toppling to the ground beside them. "Isn't it a waste to kill him before the games begin?"
The old man shrugged. "They will weed out all the chaff before the tournament proper starts anyway, a buffoon like that wasn't going to make anything of himself now was he?"
It was only a little Quinton so he had a point. Someone like that wouldn't have a role to play in his big wave coming through this event. A warm up then, just a little bit of early trouble to spice things up, like a domino pushed down to make the real players start to take notice.
"Fighting before the tournament begins is forbidden." The girl in front of them both was Annerose the only other person who managed to summon a hero in the Goddess Trial. Her sword drawn as she stared them both down over the corpse on the ground.
He grinned. "Aren't you the only one drawing a sword, there hasn't been a fight in the first place just one tap and he fell down."
The old man caught on a grin of his own. "This old man was merely trying to teach him a small lesson but then he died the moment I touched him. How was I supposed to know that this Quinkun was that fragile?"
Annerose met both of their gazes without hesitation the true grit of a knight showing through. "That was not a tap now will you come in quietly or violently?"
The old man had a glint in his eye. "Do you think you can? Perhaps I should tap you as well." The gaze turning deadly for a moment as the old man stepped forward.
He caught the old mans raised hand before it ever extended, letting the tiniest bit of his own killing intent out to match it. "Even if her words are out of order you can't just kill everyone you meet. Quinkun is one thing but if you kill everyone here, you'll ruin the mood."
The old man laughed merrily back. "From the man who turned the wilderness into a graveyard for bandits, I'm surprised the time and the place is not anywhere and anytime."
He nodded enough for the time and the place to kill bandits was whenever and wherever he felt like it. "I thought you planned on letting this knight grow up a bit before you killed her. Wiping out bandit camps wholesale is one thing and slaughtering knights is another."
It was the difference between cleaning up trash and killing named characters. A fight against one of the Seven Swords of Vegalta had to have gravitas to it rather than just killing a Quinkun.
Annerose still had her sword up, although it was wobbling slightly in her hands. "You are the one who wiped out the Black Tower in a single night?"
He'd killed a lot of bandits in his time, it wasn't like he asked for their names. "As a knight it is our duty to protect the innocent from bandits that prey upon the weak. Naturally everyone here has killed one or two thousand bandits at some point."
Except maybe Annerose who from her expression was still on rookie numbers. Guess she was a placeholder for a reason. She worked her way up to uttering a response. "How can you not be sure the Black Tower is the Black Tower."
He was resolute for it was a simple matter. "Bandits are kind of weak, so they never really deserve to have names, you just recognise them when they say 'please don't kill me' or 'run away' or 'have mercy.'"
Even if she didn't understand there was one who did. The old man had as he stepped up for an assist. "Sometimes they cry and scream instead it really just depends on how much you hurt them."
He fist bumped the old man, the two of them really were two of a kind.
"Until we meet in the arena."
He saw the old man off, even as Annerose slowly seemed to calm the shaking of her legs. Her sword slowly re-entering its sheath, even as she kept eyeing him. He would find some time to spend with her later as one of the chosen few who suspected that Mundane Mann wasn't as weak as he appeared. "What are the two of you doing here?"
As the chosen one to know of his strength. "I am here to reclaim what is mine. Fun as well if it comes down to it, isn't it normal for a knight to enjoy a good fight. Rather than what we're doing here you should think why you are. If you stay that weak you won't be able to affect anything."
She didn't answer as he left but that was fine because he wasn't really interested in her answer anyway.
Today was going so well as he shuffled his way towards the sign up ceremony, he'd found a friend he might really be able to cut loose against.
Hopefully the two of them would end up in the opposite bracket for the tournament. He was kind of an endgame boss when it came down to things so it would be awkward if they fought in the first round and then he had to phone it in throughout the rest of the tournament.
Beta set out her notes, donned her glasses and smiled to the room around her.
Her first thought had been to meet them alone, but after her Lord's declaration she understood that a show of force was needed to give Natsume Kafka clout for her argument. With the added bonus of looking into Rose's little hint she'd already gathered everything needed to make her mark as the most important member of this upcoming meeting.
Which was why one of the two people backing her was Chi, who had been Karen Von Herzog of the seven swords of Vegalta. She could tell it had been the right choice, as both Alexia and Rose looked at her in startlement as they entered.
Alexia broke the silence. "So even Vegalta has been touched by the influence of the cult, I don't know whether that makes it better or worse to know we aren't the only ones losing."
Chi frowned. "I think we would envy your position for my family tried to pull back the strings on their horrors and was wiped out for it."
Which was close enough to what really happened to sound reasonable. "Yes, she has been one of my first associates who brought light of their actions to my attention, I'm glad that you at least recognise her."
"It is good to know that it will be in such capable hands." Rose smiled but there was some panic behind them. Well Beta already knew the reason for it, so she'd address that when the time came.
The first order of business was her new members for the Crimson Order, a full thirty members of Shadow Garden chosen for a combination of swordsmanship, intelligence and obscurity. By requirement they were mostly elves and therianthropes. They just didn't have thirty humans to fit in with Midgar.
She braced herself for Alexia's retort and it came. "All of them are female isn't that a bit unusual for a selection criteria."
Beta had an answer for that already prepared. "While I get letters from men and women, the former take a rather different tone as admirers and so I feel better working with the female end of my clientele." She set her feet in ready to defend herself.
Alexia though rather than mocking her looked at her thoughtfully. "How rare that you have some sense at the very end." Alexia eyed the reports glossing over them after a few moments. "I've never heard of any of these people although I suppose that's to be expected. A knight I would have heard of would already be serving Midgar in some way."
"Can I recruit some for Orianna." Rose hesitated in her request as though thinking of something. "There aren't many loyal knights there I can trust at all."
"Of course." There weren't any important knights in Orianna in the first place. Because anyone with skill would surely head to another country where they were treated better. Which meant she'd be hollowing out the country from the inside out from the beginning which was all the better. "After we're done here, I intend to show you both them of course but first I have another important piece to help you both with." Because she was superior and the only one fit to lead.
Alexia smiled to hide the venom. "There you go again not treating us as equal partners at all. More like you're expecting to be able to lead us both around."
"I'll gladly listen when you have relevant information to add." But there was nothing the two of them could contribute. It was already their highest honour to be allowed to play a part in Shadows plans even if unknowingly. "As you know instructor Zenon was a plant by the Cult attempting to marry into the royal family of Midgar."
Alexia sighed in frustration and Rose looked on in puzzlement. "Is that why he's no longer teaching the first class?"
"Yes, it is he was found guilty and killed." Alexia raised her head to meet her gaze firmly. "I want to say that we don't leak like a sieve quite that much, but you already have an explanation for how you know don't you."
Beta did. "The establishment of a new order directly after you returned meant that you no longer trusted the old one. There is only one person who could be considered trustworthy who died on that day and no way you could hide him."
"When you say it like that it seems obvious, but no one else keeps putting together things like you do." There was real venom in there, the kind that was bitter about her superiority.
But that bitterness was what made it possible for her to take the lead. "Do you think it is a one off thing or a matter of doctrine that they put themselves into the good graces of the Royal Families?"
"Iris." That hadn't been the way she'd been leaning because that was the current mission for Shadow Garden instead. Ah but if her Lord knew that the Cult was infiltrating the Crimson Order as well then he had already thought about it and planned for this. One more piece of the puzzle that made sense as to her task.
"I was leaving that for you to check, but naturally we looked into Perv Asshat as Princess Rose's fiancée and found he too is involved in all sorts of illicit acts. From his poisoning of the king to having already taken over most of the actual governing work of the Orianna Empire. We've traced a number of disappearances of children to his vicinity much like the ones from the Archbishop." She turned to Rose having picked up on her hints as…
Rose stared back with wide eyes and a kind of horror on her face. "My father is being poisoned by Perv?"
Beta reconsidered her argument. Wasn't this something Rose had been hinting at all along when they had agreed to work together? No if she had made a mistake then Cid would have told her so of course she was right. "I had someone trail the royal party into Midgar and he was both being led around by Perv and didn't seem to be all there. It was a far cry from what was said about him in previous years."
Rose was aghast. "I have a meeting with my father later today, but I haven't seen him since I joined Midgar academy."
She hadn't been hinting at her father being poisoned. Well Chi was trustworthy anyway, had been declared as such by Cid so even if she'd come to the answer by the wrong method that didn't change that she was right. "That meeting has to be a trap."
Rose was deflating rapidly into her seat and she didn't know how to deal with this. "Are you truly sure that it's turned out like this?" She nodded back and Rose spoke again. "I can't not go to the meeting without explaining myself so even if it's a trap." She trailed off.
Alexia looked between the two of them. "Midgar could give you an excuse, but before we did that I'd like to know for sure." Shadow Garden would have trusted her report without asking. The trouble with having to deal with outsiders.
"What would I need to bring to get you to take it seriously enough for that then." Even if it wasn't something she could make it was something they could forge.
Alexia grinned. "I have my own way to verify it, because as the King he's still visiting Midgar isn't he? I'll ask Iris to go and talk about security with them, tell her to do it herself to make sure the Cult isn't interfering. Once she turns up it would be rude for anyone other than the King to greet her."
She looked back in surprise, so even Alexia could be right sometimes.
Rose raised her head a hand clutching the centre of her chest. "If they really have gone after my father then I will do as I must."
"And that's been really grim." Alexia stood up. "And so while we're waiting on that just meeting isn't going to let me work through this list, so let's head down and see how good your helpers are in the arena."
The Bushin Festival was a grand event where hundreds if not thousands of swordsmen came to ply their trade and show off their skills. But not everyone was worthy enough to stand on the grand stage of the arena, and so these first few bouts merely separated the men from the chaff. With no noisy princesses or famous characters at all it was the lowest level of seedy swordsmen each walking the rounds as they identified their competitors.
Mundane Mann walked amongst them none daring approach due to his sickly complexion and hunched posture. Those who were powerful would have no interest in a weakling and he sidled up to his first bout without being accosted by anyone.
It was his first match of the day, and he was the clear underdog. Just by looking at the odds on the board you could see that… he looked at the odds again. His gait was unbalanced, his shoulders were slumped, and he had barely any heroic resolve at all. Yet somehow he was the clear favourite to win the bout as he wondered whether the other guy was coughing up blood and already half dead.
Was the person running this whole show blind? But even if they'd made a clear and unforgiveable mistake that didn't mean he was willing to lose over it. He would just have to win in the most overly embarrassing manner possible to the point that his next match had the right odds.
He wobbled as he stepped forward, eyes unfocused and barely registering the man who was supposed to be standing against him. His opponent couldn't look more confident and he understood why, even he would be expecting his defeat if he was watching his performance was so good.
The answer came plain as day. More than twenty knight otaku standing watching without even the appropriate respect to gamble properly. Proper gambling involved setting the precedent that it was a long shot, concealing your true power until there was a surefire match with massive odds and taking the entire pile for yourself. Not blowing it up on the first try for a quick gamble.
There was an art to gambling that had to be respected as he casually leaned to the side, letting the sword pass through empty space without a second thought. His arm absentmindedly lashing out twisting the man's leg so he went spiralling out of control and into the wall wiping himself out.
The man had tripped in his rush to charge, his nerves getting the better of him as plainly as anyone could see. It wasn't because Mundane Mann was strong and merely because the other side had made a mistake.
Betting on a sure thing wasn't going to make much money in the first place. He'd wait until he found the odds against a Shadow Garden member and then he would bet everything on them and reap the rewards. His own mumbling ever so silently. "Lull them into a false sense of security and then strike."
He flashed away into in an instant stripping his Mundane Mann costume and returning to being a faceless mob Cid Kagenou slowly ambling his way back to the arena to watch. One nameless face among the crowd as he sidled up next to his good friend Skel Etal, present yet unnoticed as mobs should be.
The two of them nodded to one another and he quickly tuned out Skel's boring plea for money to gamble with and settled into the role of a minor character unseen by anyone. The hustle and bustle of the world fading away around him as he stood in the quietest part of the scene.
"Cid." A high-pitched squeal and Princess Rose latched onto his arm without warning. "We weren't able to meet up again after the fiasco at the sanctum, but it seems fate has drawn us together once more."
Fate was one way to say the both of them were scoping out the competition. But she was completely failing at the subtlety part of it as parts of the crowd slowly began to notice who had joined them. All he could do was take one step into the background to try and become the faceless mook next to the princess.
Skel was looking on in envy. "You're not more handsome than I am, or a better swordsman. Yet you've managed to ensnare another one, teach me your ways."
In such times as this all he could do was try and be the voice of reason. "Skel go back to talking about gambling." It might just save his life.
His friend did not take the hint. "This one isn't even threatening to murder us all like the last one you dated."
"How nice to know you have such fond memories of me." Alexia's words were almost sweet enough to ignore the venom in her tongue as she found her place behind them. Skel's face morphing from jealousy to sheer panic.
But he could lend him a tiny hand. "Isn't it a good thing that he's honest about his flaws. You'd never have to worry about what went on underneath the surface with a man who had nothing going on in his head anyway."
Skel had his head bowed. "I didn't mean anything by it I swear, if you want I will divulge all of Cid's darkest secrets in return for your clemency."
All his darkest secrets belonged to Shadow so only Beta hanging back behind the princesses could know them anyway so he shrugged and ignored it.
Alexia smiled sweetly back at Skel. "Well since Rose does seem to like him it's best if she knows just what's wrong with Pooch, go ahead."
"Yes maam," Skel bowed even deeper. "Once when we came home from Mitsugoshi Cid pooped his own pants and we had to leave him behind on the street while he found a dark alleyway to disappear into." Skel was staring directly at his feet by now as the words gushed out. "In fact it's his most notable character trait that he constantly disappears into the toilet. He can't hold it in at all and after spending any amount of time with me and Po he vanishes straight into the nearest toilet."
He was calm and serene as he considered it. Was this the solution to his princess problem that could get them to go back to treating him like a minor character? Well Cid didn't have any pride in the first place, so it wasn't like he was losing anything.
Alexia nodded smiling happily. "See Rose the man you're holding is so full of it he has to spend time making excuses for why he doesn't hang out with his friends. He really is a rotten person don't you think."
He stared back blankly because telling Skel that he didn't actually like him was outrageous, unacceptable and true. And when you couldn't refute something the only option was to attack. "Isn't it your third member who looks like she's been left behind and abandoned."
Beta was standing in a daze her expression betrayed. "Ah I'm fine I'm just watching everything I wanted be taken by someone else."
Beta had always like stories about princesses as a kid, so it was really unfair he was stealing these two from her. But how to extricate himself from Rose's grip so Beta could take his place was the hard part. Hitting a princess wouldn't do anything for his aim to remain a mob.
"Well then come over here and join in we were just discussing before about who to bet on to win these matches weren't we Skel." He tapped the edge of the fence next to him and turned back to look. The next match had one of the Knight Otaku so Beta would know just who to bet on and show off.
She practically teleported to his side, wedging her way past Skel in a flash of speed. "Yes, the next match has someone I hold in quite high regard heading into it."
Skel mustered what little courage he had and turned back to the arena. "I know what you mean, a big muscly man brimming with confidence against a weak scared girl. I think we all know who is going to win this one."
Beta was going to kill Skel. Pure unadulterated malice and killing intent flowing from her and if he had taught her to make looks kill it would be too late. He put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down as he spoke. "Looks can be quite deceiving my friend don't you know how to gamble?"
With a deep breath Beta calmed down at least, a look of smug satisfaction creeping onto her face as she leaned into his touch.
He turned back to the girl called to the arena, he had taught her swordsmanship as Shadow. Peerless swordsmanship that no human could dare to match and, in this moment, if she lost wouldn't people begin to doubt him? Not to mention that she had the odds against her, so it was one of his students performing a brilliant upset at just the right moment to rile up the crowd. The thrill of the upset would only drive anticipation for the rest of the tournament until he rode the big wave right to the top.
"Anyone with eyes can tell the girl will be the victor. I'd bet on it." This was the true way to gamble. With insider knowledge no one else had and the other side could only weep as you reaped the profits.
His pockets were bare though, so it was not to be. For all his money had already gone on props and while he could not regret it there was no money to work with. Then a gold coin fell into his hand as Rose smiled back at him as she spoke. "If both Cid and Natsume have faith in her than how can she do anything else."
Princesses actually were good for something it seemed. The wait passed on for several minutes as they waited for the gambling to stop. And then the match itself lasted two seconds as the little girl ruthlessly and brutally slaughtered the poor innocent thug who had no business entering an actual tournament in this lifetime.
One gold coin becoming several as he let himself follow Beta's led to the next bout she wanted to see. What ensued was a series of easy bets and easy wins making him a small fortune, so because Beta had done something nice for him it was only right to praise her in front of her friends. "Natsume really does have a good eye for swordsmanship doesn't she."
Tragically after amassing a small fortune people began to notice the knight otaku all hanged around each other and stopped betting against them, the odds changed and he'd only managed to make a small fortune rather than a large one.
Then he'd found an even better prospect and bet the whole lot on Fenrir, because anyone who could fight Alpha was invincible among the crowd gathered here. In his mind he gave gaunt a salute for Gaunt finding such a wonderful helping hand, because no one else it seemed was willing to bet on a child.
It had been a good haul, he had made a lot of money and the day was slowly wrapping up. Even if he hadn't managed to get rid of them Rose had become less troublesome and had even let go of his arm to look at the combatants. "They all share a similar style." Muttered under her breath as…
They all used Shadows fighting style. I mean it was a poorly polished and rudimentary version of it, but it still shouldn't be that surprising. He let his heart lift because a main character had finally started pulling back the strings. One day she would realise that everything was connected and he had been responsible for everything. He would have to prepare to congratulate her one day for actually managing to accomplish it.
But it was not to be for Rose uttered the darkest and most terrible words known to humanity. "Stylish Bandit Slayer."
She hadn't recognised it as Shadow he felt his head drop. Instead she had remembered a blight upon his past, a time when he had been young and innocent before he had the sense to come up with a decent name. Like all children he had made his first venture out into the world teeming with excitement at what was to come. But without the experience necessary he had forgotten to properly create his character and ended up just being lame.
Stylish? He'd been running around with a paper bag over his head what part of that could be called stylish. A character who just turned up and killed people without any deeper motivation. Who could be described in just a single line without any nuance wasn't cool at all.
There was no choice, he was going to have to take Rose aside and make sure she never spoke those words again.
The air was cold outside as night was falling and the manor given to the Orianna kingdom was coming into sight. Alexia had given her an excuse not to come, Natsume had offered troops and she'd accepted both and come out here anyway.
Cid would be upset with her after everything was over and she wished she could have spent more time with him. But the burning in her chest was growing the pulsing darkness therein undeniable.
It wouldn't change no matter what excuses she'd made; her life was running out and if she had only these few days left then she would spend them wisely. Later on Natsume would find her last message, she hadn't had the heart to write one to Cid.
It had been a good last day now that she'd had the time to enjoy it.
Today she would die on the steps to drag Perv down with her.
Walking up to the Orianna kingdoms embassy in full view so all would know where she went as a blur suddenly crashed down and grabbed her. Overwhelming force dragging her away and up into the sky.
By the time they stopped she was half the city away unharmed even as her captor walked off to the other end of the roof they'd stopped on.
He stood alone, normal average clothing a simple sword at his waist. The burlap sack mask covering his face as she looked on in awe. "Stylish Bandit Slayer."
The figure remained silent in contemplation after her words. His overwhelming heroic figure standing resolute over the city below them. "There comes a time when all things must end, for the world changes as much as we do. A day when we must decide for ourselves that things must change."
"I know." She grit her teeth and rose because while it was nice to see him again. It didn't change what she still had to do. "But my kingdom stands on the brink of ruin as thieves stand ready to seize it out from under me. As the princess I must go even if it leads to my death."
The figure eyed the sky. "Yes, because your kingdom is being stolen and that has called me back to you in this moment. To slay the bandits who are about to claim hold over your kingdom the Stylish Bandit Slayer must return to life once more."
She could ask for no better ally than the hero who would started her on the path to knighthood. The selfless figure who had stood against ten times his number of opponents as only a child. "It is an honour to have you by my side at the end. But it seems they have full confidence for the chancellor has drugged my father and already holds the reins of power."
His voice was rich and comforting, filled with life as he spoke. "Can you say it is the end when I am here? Even if all the pieces are set and everything looks hopeless there is still a chance to flip over the board and change the game."
For her country there was. For herself there was not but she would still make sure to spend her life well. Uncovering the mark itself where her heart had already begun to change due to the demonic taint flowing through her body. The first sin of the demon that could never be overturned as she smiled wanly. "My time has already come."
He did not recoil in the slightest taking a step closer and laying a hand down on her shoulder even as she was corrupted. Warmth, power and something else flowed through her form and in an instant the corruption was burned away. The mark of the demon annihilated by his hand. "That mark does not decide your fate, for only I can judge you worthy or not. Come we have work to do for it is time to take back your country."
It was an impossible thing, beyond the hands of mortals from the very beginning. But as it was him she could believe in it, the same invincible figure from her memory brought to life in reality once more. "Do I go back in now that I'm cured." No, he had taken her away from the embassy. "Do you have a plan Stylish Bandit Slayer."
"As I have said I have grown up and am no longer the Stylish Bandit Slayer. You should now call me." Silence hung in the air the tension so thick she could feel it.
"Azrael."
She nodded and wracked her mind for what she could do to help. She wasn't strong enough and as her association with Natsume and Alexia had made clear she didn't actually have any resources to bring to bear. "I don't think I have much to offer but anything I can do I will."
The paper bag tilted lightly. "We're in this together, my plan will require your full participation as well as a few props I will need to set the scene just right. Rather than not much to offer you have the leading role in this script."
The leading role? The only plan she'd had in her mind had been to try and stab Perv and while that might kill him, the cult would clearly have another pawn to step in. She didn't understand at all. "Are you sure I can do it."
A hand reached out and patted her on the head. "It's just a matter of getting time to teach you your lines, a bit of practice and I know just what we're going to do. Follow my lead and we'll tear out their plot from underneath them in broad daylight."
She rose hesitantly. "If you think I can do it. Then what's your role to be?"
Her saviour gazed back at her and even without being able to see his face she knew the warmth lurking within. "I am to act as your guardian for this event, so I'll need a new costume. I can hardly turn up with just a paper bag over my head now, can I?"
He could because she believed in him. Even if it looked weird, she would without a moment's hesitation declare the man wearing a paper bag as one of the greatest knights of the Orianna kingdom. "Then I can get you the crest of the Orianna kingdom, and some other things in my room." She didn't know what else he would need.
Azrael shrugged and took off the paper bag. His heroic countenance clear in the moonlight as she recognised him at once. "I have friends in high places, so I'll arrange the rest, it seems we're going to be putting on quite a show."
"Cid."
He moved through racks of Mitsugoshi looking for a few pieces to complete his new costume.
Rose was an unfair woman indeed. There he had gone just to ask her not to use his embarrassing old nickname and instead she'd invited him to drag out the darkness within the heart of the Orianna Kingdom. He hadn't even had a name prepared and now here he was working his way through.
Now he had the perfect chance to become the shadow behind the throne. The only person she trusted when all seemed lost who had overturned the traitors and set her back on track to taking the throne. One day he would be able to whisper in her ear when she ruled with no one the wiser, like a true eminence in shadow.
A scythe was the right weapon that was obvious. No longer just a slayer of bandits but a grim reaper here to judge the lives of mortals. He needed a headpiece, but the burlap sack would look corny as anything.
One step further then it was not that it was blank except for the eyeholes but entirely without a face. Justice was blind and utterly merciless when it came for them. An inhuman killer with no purpose except to cull the wicked. He was to be defending Rose while she worked so he could cover it up initially with a broad rimmed hat and be a proper Yojimbo.
But what for the rest of his costume long ago he had been content with just wearing his everyday things but how could he allow that for something as grand as this. Death would be traditionally in a black cloak, and a Yojimbo could always wear a full cloak with his weapons hanging behind him. Yet he needed to differentiate it from just Shadow otherwise wouldn't Shadow Garden just look like a plant from the Orianna Kingdom rather than his own brilliance?
How to use the colour black while making it distinct enough. The mannequins were torn to pieces around him. Heads and torsos falling freely to the floor as he tore their arms away. An idea in his mind because he'd used the name of an angel and while the wings didn't fit his aesthetic there were much older ways he could work with.
Ten arms with ten scythes hidden under the cloak until it was unveiled. He hollowed them out piece by piece fitting slime into his new joints to pull the pieces. Much more manageable than having complete human puppets to work with.
He would be taller as he ripped the lower legs of a mannequin and hollowed them out, filling them with slime that they would make passable stilts. All bodyguards had to be the tallest person in the room just so he could look down on people literally as well as metaphorically.
Ah he could chip away at the mannequin limbs he was using so they had eye shaped holes where you could see the darkness flowing underneath. When his cloak was removed it would look so cool like that.
That simple moment where they went from thinking he couldn't see to wondering how many of the eyes were real when the form beneath was revealed.
Well, this next arc will be split into multiple chapters rather than posted in one go like the Sanctum. Because a lot will happen in it and this felt a good enough point to stop for the first part. Hopefully none of the scenes went on too long, eh there wasn't much payoff in this one I guess.
I still have no idea how I am continuing to write this much but who knows you may get each of the chapters of this arc after one week. I have at least most of the plot points I want to cover in my head so yay for that. Now the only hard part is writing it.
If I continue writing at this pace, the arc itself should be four or five weeks to completion for those of you wanting to wait until its all done. I just want to avoid posting a 25000 word chapter.
Anisomeone: There is intended to be lots of seven shadows fluff throughout this story. Strong villains means Cid needs to spend time with the Shadows.
This arc is going to have quite a bit of Rose fluff too, and Alexia will be getting parts too.
I don't have too many characters moving around in this arc I promise.
