Samurai Quest Chapter 10, a private fanfic

You rise early, the next day.

You find Morena waiting for you outside your tent and together, two of you make your way to the Weiss' tent. You wait until your employer comes out, greeting her with a simple 'good morning'. Then you fall into place by her side and escort her to the designated gathering point for the rescue team.

There you find Volk and his hunters alongside a group of workers loading a garru with supplies. Weiss converses with Volk while the rest of the members trickle in. First to arrive is Valentine, greeting you with a nod that you return. She then joins the conversation between Volk and Weiss. Then arrive two mercs one of whom turns out to be a familiar face.

"Hey, dude," Ezra greets you but you find her usual cheer compromised.

"Morning Ezra. Feeling nervous?" you respond.

"That obvious?"

It is but because Ezra is pretty open with her emotions as usual. She is one of the most expressive persons you have ever met and is very easy to read.

"Fuck," she curses after you nod.

"Calm down. Just stick close to Weiss and you will be fine."

She opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by Weiss calling everyone to gather around her.

Your employer gives a short speech as workers finish loading up the supplies. Then she gives her orders to mercenary leaders, appointing Markov to the overall command.

Thus with all the preparations finished, the rescue team moves out of the camp and into the cannibal plains.

The first week passes without any incidents. Volk keeps the team away from cannibals' known routes, sticking close to the hills and cliffs. Still, Volk counts it lucky when the team doesn't encounter any cannibals.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the search for Blake. The team covers large amounts of ground and check all the possible places where someone might use to hide from cannibals but find no sign of her.

Weiss tries to be stoic, keeping a calm front with everyone but you notice the failures slowly getting to her. Many times through the middle of the night you find her awake, looking out at the horizon.

It is at the end of the second week with no traces of Blake found that Weiss starts showing hints of despair.

Noticing this, you decide to talk to Volk for a possible solution.

"Well, if your employer's friend is somewhere around here, then we can split up to cover more ground. But you can guess why that would be a huge risk, don't you?"

It happens during the third week, the team's first encounter with the locals.

You are passing between two hills when a small party of cannibals appear on the crest of a nearby hill.

All of them are nude, from head to toe. Paint is the only thing that covers their bodies, tribalistic designs painted in black, red, and white all over their skin. They wield metal bars and rusted blades as weapons.

When Volk notices them, he has everyone take defensive positions around the garru and prepare for a fight, thinking it is the vanguard of a much larger force.

Good news, they turn out to be a small scouting party with just four members. Three of them charge at you and are riddled with bolts before they can even reach the bottom of the hill.

Bad news, the last one turns out to be smarter than his comrades and turns around to run away while others charge. Noticing this Volk curses but before he can or anybody else can shoot, the cannibal in question disappears behind the hill.

"This is bad. That fucker will definitely bring his friends. We need to move, now."

You grab your bow and break into a run, ignoring the shouts from Volk and Weiss. You sprint up the hill, climbing it under a minute. You crest the top and spot the runner quite a way ahead, heading for a formation of rocks. Realizing that you will only get on chance to bring him down, you swiftly pick an arrow from your quiver, notch it into your bow, draw the string and take a deep breath.

You let everything else but your target fade away from your vision.

The whole world stops. For one single moment, everything stands still and you see the path your arrow will take to reach its target.

You exhale and then loose the string. A whistling sound fills your ear as your arrow takes flight. You follow its path with your eyes, watching it follow the exact path you envisioned, right up to the point where it collides with the back of your target's skull with a crunching sound that you can't hear but imagine.

The force of the impact throws the cannibal off his feet and by the time he hits the ground, he is long dead.

It is one of Volk's hunters that reach you first. She follows your line of sight all the way up to the cannibal's corpse. Then one by one, the other members of the team join you. Everyone takes in your relaxed stance and the dead body of the cannibal lying far away with an arrow buried in his skull.

It is Volk who breaks the silence.

"This hardly changes anything. They will find the corpses, and they will start searching for us. We must get moving."

His words bring everyone out of the trance they were stuck in, his tone dismissive. Nonetheless, you don't miss the grudging respect in his eyes.

It is in the fourth week, the team finally makes progress.

One of the tracker dogs suddenly starts sniffing at the ground before leading its handlers to a particularly muddy patch of terrain. Everyone gathers around the handler while the animal starts digging into the mud. After minutes of effort, it digs up a deformed metal object and brings it to its handler who passes it to Volk.

"Can't really tell what it is supposed to be. Looks like some sort of cartridge," the old hunter comments. "Metalwork itself is very precise and high quality. The rust on it tells me that It has been lying here for months perhaps a year. There is also this strange dust around the edges. Perhaps it was part of some machine."

"Let me see," Weiss demands, taking the metal object from Volk. Her eyes flash with recognition when she inspects it.

"This... This is a Dust cartridge," she claims.

"Dust? Why would you want to keep dust in a cartridge?" one of the hunters ask.

"It is a cartridge for a special kind of dust which is actually the powdered form of a crystal with special qualities and used as ammunition in weapons," your employer explains while continuing to inspect the cartridge.

"I have never heard of a crossbow that uses dust as ammunition," Volk admits.

"There are only three other people I know who possess such weapons. And only one of them uses such cartridges of this shape and size. This must-have belonged to Blake," Weiss states with iron-certainty.

"That is good. We can use this to track her down," Volk responds.

"How?" Weiss asks, her voice betraying a hint of the hope she feels.

"Bonedogs have rather sharp noses. With some luck they can track down her scent," Volk answers before holding his hand out.

Weiss hands the cartridge back to Volk who holds it out to the dogs. After a string of commands and several more minutes of sniffing, dogs find a trail and start following it.

For four days you follow after the dogs. They lose Blake's trail several times, forcing the group to trackback until they reacquire it.

Then on the fifth day, the team encounters another cannibal scouting party, eight members strong. Six of them die before they could reach you, one slain by your arrow, others fall victim to crossbow bolts. Last two, you slice apart with your sword.

This also proves to be your first chance to get a good close look at cannibals.

You note that aside from being nude, none of the cannibals have a single strand of hair on their bodies. There also seems to be two types of cannibals. Red painted ones who walk upright and the green painted ones with hunched backs and scrawny limbs.

Volk's voice brings you out of your inspection of the dead cannibals.

"This will send the bastards into a real tizzy. We better get a move on before their friends come looking for them."

Through the fifth week, the group tries to stay on Blake's trail while avoiding cannibal scouts and patrols. Volk proves his skill as a guide over and over again, hiding the group from the scouting parties and patrols.

Then the dogs lead you straight to a cannibal camp.

Fortunately, cannibals don't notice your arrival on a nearby hill. Unfortunately, their cages have live prisoners in them. Human prisoners.

And Weiss refuses to leave them to their grisly fate.

This means pulling back and going around the camp is not an option. To make matters worse, the camp hosts a pretty large cannibal population.

Large enough to make Volk hesitant about attacking it. You are pretty sure he wouldn't even consider it if he hadn't seen you in action. But in the end, Weiss manages to convince him.

Which is how you find yourself on top of a hill staring down at a camp full of cannibals. You count thirty-three hostiles, fifteen of them, carrying metal cleavers and scavenged sword. Of those fifteen, three of them are clad in armor made from scavenged metal plates.

Yet they are not the most dangerous. That honor goes to the one wielding a giant serrated cleaver. He stands a head taller than the rest and around his neck you spot a necklace made from finger bones.

That one must be the chief which means it will also be your job to kill that thing.

With a deep breath, your draw your bow and wait for the signal.

Five crossbows and a longbow let loose upon the unsuspecting camp below you. Four bolts find their targets, burying themselves in soft unarmored flesh. One of the bolts miss its target completely, falling on dirt and your own arrow bounces off the shoulder plate of an armored cannibal.

Cannibals erupt into chaos in response which is impressive considering they don't possess any notion of discipline or order in the first place. Many of the cannibals start running around like headless chickens, yelling and shouting all the while. Armored ones step in to try to enforce some semblance of order and prevent some of the eager ones from running off on their own.

Hunters, Ezra and you take this chance to swiftly reload and let loose on the cannibals once again.

Unfortunately, their chief spots you and quickly bellows an order that has all the cannibals scatter, resulting in everyone missing their shots except Volk himself who nails another cannibal in the throat.

Then as everyone scrambles to reload, the chief bellows another order that sends all of the others charging in your direction.

"FIRE AT WILL!"

You spend the next several minutes in continuous movement, loosing arrow after arrow at the approaching mass of cannibals. You spend at most a second aiming yet each one of your shots finds its target and claims a kill.

Hunters and Ezra fail to match your accuracy or rate of fire. Half of their shots go wide and by the time cannibals reach your position your kills equal their combined total.

Of the thirthy-three enemies, only fourteen remains.

And with melee imminent, you just know that they will not be able to catch up to you.

You barely get the chance to set aside your bow and draw your sword before the enemy reaches you.

As the most-capable and heavily armored fighter, you hold the point, standing at the front with everyone else having taken positions behind you. This was your decision, a decision you had made to draw most of the enemy toward yourself and minimize casualties among your allies.

It works, as a good third of the cannibals still alive rush you. Six enemies would have been a bit beyond your skill to handle if they possessed discipline, tactics and some armor.

But you face disorganized, naked savages with scavenged weapons instead.

The first cannibal to reach you wildly swings his rusted blade at you, which you easily bat aside with your own sword. Then you bring up your sword to block a cleaver aimed at your skull before pushing away the cannibal holding it to create a breathing space for yourself.

The third cannibal following at the heels of the second one uses the opportunity and sneaks in a surprise attack. Its rusted weapon impacts against your side and bounces off from your armor with a ringing sound, only leaving a small scratch.

You are denied a chance to retaliate by the fourth cannibal who attempts to strike at your primary arm, forcing you to take a step back and parry.

You saw the coming attack from your fifth opponent too late. It catches you on the back of your left hand, the serrated edge of a rusted cleaver biting into the gauntlet covering the limb and kissing the flesh underneath. There is fresh blood on the edge of you foes weapon when he draws it back.

You grit your teeth at the pain but don't allow it to distract you from the fight, meeting the incoming blow from your last foe, a cannibal wearing armor made from darkened metal plates.

All of this happens in a span of seconds, your first foe having barely regained his balance by the time that you push aside the gigantic blade of the armored cannibal.

And you finally get an opportunity to retaliate.

The sword style of Harvest is pretty simple in idea. A single sweeping strike, leveraging the long reach of a nodachi to cut down multiple enemies. It is designed for combating foes lesser in skill and strength but greater in numbers.

The difficulty lies in the execution. Such a wide swing can be too easily knocked off course by armor or get stuck in bone. Even in case of an uninterrupted swing, each target cut saps the force behind the blade. As such every additional foe becomes a failing point, rendering the harvest style impractical and obsolete.

At least for anyone without the necessary strength and dexterity.

Unfortunately for your opponents, you possess both, along with a sharp blade durable enough to handle the stress and only one of them is clad in armor.

Big mistake.

You widen your stance and lift the blade onto your shoulder as your cannibals surrounding you raise their weapons back up. You are like a coiled spring, waiting to be unleashed. You wait for the exact moment in which you will be able to cut all those around you.

The moment in which the armored cannibal takes a step forward towards you with all of the others, bringing all of them into the reach of your weapon.

And you swing, putting every single bit of power you can muster, even the momentum of your own body behind your blade. In a single second, your sword slices through six bodies, severing muscles, arteries, and bone over and over.

Two of the cannibals die outright. One has his head separated from the neck and the other has his chest carved and heart eviscerated. Of the remaining four, three are brought to the death's edge, by a slashed open throat, sliced guts, and a carved diaphragm respectively. It is only the armored cannibal who manages to avoid fatal injuries as his armor prevents your swing from cutting deep into his flesh.

With one single stroke, you brought six down to four.

Of those four, three are barely in any condition to fight. It is all too easy to turn aside their weakened blows. The armored one manages to score a glancing hit on you but it proves to be utterly insignificant as you assume the stance for Harvest once again.

And with another swing bring four down to zero.

By the time the last of your foes falls to the ground, gurgling his own blood, you are already looking around for your next opponent.

You notice the cannibal chief first, standing a distance away. He looks at you, his empty eyes taking in the slaughter you have just wrought.

Then he turns around starts running.

You let him escape, deciding to turn your attention to the battle behind you. The first one you look for is Weiss. You find her not next to the garru where she was supposed to say safe but next to Ezra, standing over the dead body of a cannibal. After making sure that there aren't any other threats close to them and with Valentine at their side, you turn your gaze to others.

You find most of them still locked in individual struggles with enemies with the exception of Morena who stands above the corpse three dead cannibals. You motion her to go help the other mercenary then move in to help the hunter squad yourself. With all the cannibals occupied, it is trivially easy to cut them down from behind and it doesn't take long before the last of the red-painted savages are put down.

With the battle finished, an account of injuries is taken. Fortunately, there aren't any fatal ones but some of the hunters have sustained wounds that will impair them from fighting. You, Ezra, Volk, and Morena seem to be the ones who are still fully combat-capable.

It takes Valentine barely any time to treat and bandage everyone's injuries before the rescue squad finally heads into the now-empty cannibal camp.

You once again take point as the group enters the abandoned camp. You sweep the camp for stragglers with Volk watching your back while the rest of the group frees the prisoners from the cages.

On your way back to others, Volk comes to a stop beside the corpse of a cannibal felled in the first volley.

"What's wrong?" you ask, curious about Volk's sudden interest in the dead cannibal.

"These cannibals belong to Wizard's tribe," Volk informs you, his eyes not leaving the corpse.

"How can you tell?" you question.

"The way cannibals paint their faces differ with each tribe," Volk explains.

You nod, trusting Volk's expertise on the subject. After a minute of inspection, Volk raises his head from the dead body and turns to you.

"Let's go."

By the time you join the rest of the group, all of the prisoners are out of their cages. There are five of them in total, all covered in dried blood and dirt. Yet, only one bears any significant injury, a right leg terminating with a cauterized stump right above where the knee should be.

Seeing it, you can't help but remember all the books you have read about the cannibal. One of the authors was very informative about how the cannibals treated their prisoners, which he described shortly as cruelly pragmatic.

According to the author, cannibals didn't have a good way to preserve meat. But they had figured that live meat didn't spoil, so rather than slaughtering prisoners outright, they usually cut limbs or pieces, enough to satisfy their hunger than patch up the victim. Of course, victims in question rarely survived long but it kept the meat fresh longer.

This was also why they slaughtered their prisoners one by one instead of taking pieces from each one. Of course, that meant having to feed the said prisoners to keep them from wasting away, like feeding livestock.

So they did, with the only type of food they have.

Human flesh.

Looking at the prisoners you just freed, you can't help but pity them. Who knows how long they suffered such treatment. Being forced to eat their comrades, kept in cages barely large enough to hold them only to be slaughtered one by one.

How many of them were butchered before you came to save them?

You force such questions out of your mind, focusing on the present. Valentine is treating the prisoner missing their leg on the orders from Weiss. Your employer herself has been questioning the other prisoners about her missing friend which seems to be rather unfruitful so far.

"Are you sure you haven't seen her?" Weiss asks the prisoner she is currently interviewing.

"Nah, sorry lady," the rescued prisoner answers.

Weiss' lips tighten in response but otherwise, she doesn't let her emotions show on her face which for once she doesn't hide under her hood, having pulled it down earlier.

You are about to step in and offer your help to Weiss when Valentine walks up to your employer with a tattered piece of cloth in her hand, stained with blood.

"I have found something," Valentine reports before presenting the piece of cloth to Weiss. "This symbol, is it familiar to you?"

Weiss takes the cloth from Valentine and you notice that there is indeed some kind of symbol on it.

"This... This is Blake's own personal symbol." Weis exclaims, her eyes widening with recognition. Then she suddenly turns her attention to Valentine. "Where! Where did you find this?" she asks Valentine, her voice shaking with desperation.

"It was wrapped around the stump of the crippled prisoner. Cannibals have used it as a bandage," Valentine replies, her tone even.

"No..." Weiss denies, her voice choking with despair.

After all, both of you have read the same books. Both of you know that cannibals tend to make bandages and other stuff from their victim's clothes.

"I am sorry lass," Volk says, his voice ringing with sympathy.

"NO!" Weiss responds, visibly recoiling. "She is not dead." she says.

"Lass-" the old hunter tries to calm Weiss down but is cut off by her.

"Blake is not dead!" she declares, loud enough for everybody around to hear.

Volk opens his mouth to respond but found himself cut off again, by a new voice this time.

"Urm."

Everyone turns to the source of the voice to find one of the rescued prisoners. The guy hesitates under the combined attention of nearly everybody. It takes a moment for him to gather his courage to continue.

"The person you have been looking for. She might have been taken with the others," he informs Weiss.

"Others?" you question, seeing the hope blossom anew in Weiss's eyes.

"Yeah, they... They didn't keep all the prisoners here. They transported half of every batch to somewhere else," the prisoner replies.

"Where!" Weiss demands before you can say anything else.

"I don't know," he responds, dashing Weiss's hopes once again.

You can't help but grow increasingly worried about Weiss. The way this situation is developing and all this emotional turmoil isn't good for her, especially the way most of the people around you seem to have written Blake off as dead.

Then Weiss proves that she is stronger than you gave her credit for. You watch as all the emotion disappears from her face, replaced with steely confidence and purpose.

"Thank you," she says to the prisoner, her voice calm and even, a stark contrast to just a few seconds ago.

The prisoner nods in reply but Weiss has already turned away from him, facing Volk and you.

"We are going to track where they have taken the prisoners," she states.

"Look, lass." Volk starts, sympathy and frustration mixing into his voice. "I understand this girl is an important friend but chances are she is dead. Cannibals don't keep their prisoners for long," the old hunter explains.

"I am willing to take that chance," Weiss calmly responds.

"Alright, let's assume she still lives. We have no clue where she might be. There are many cannibal settlements scattered through the plains. She could be in any of them! We can't possibly search each cannibal village," Volk protests.

Except that is not true. Volk is lying. Both of you know that these cannibals belonged to the Grand Wizard's tribe. And you know where exactly is the home of the Grand Wizard. It is after all on the maps you brought with you, marked with a big skull.

"We know where Blake is."

An oppressive silence descends as both Weiss and Volk turn to you. You can read disbelief and shock from Volk's expression. Weiss, on the other hand, has devoted all of her attention, staring at you with an intensity you have never seen before.

"Explain," she demands.

"Volk identified the cannibals as those belonging to the Grand Wizard's tribe," you inform her. "They must have taken Blake to the ruins of Deadcat which is where their tribe resides."

Weiss turns to Volk. "Is that so?" she asks her tone completely at odds with the narrowed glare she is giving him.

"Yes," Volk admits.

For a moment, it seems like Weiss is going to say something more but then she decides against it, turning her attention back to you.

"Wolf, gather everyone. We need to plan," she orders you.

It barely takes a minute to gather everyone, the advantage of being a small group. Valentine, Ezra, the other merc along with Volk, and his hunter squad all gather around before Weiss. After you take your place beside her, Weiss begins.

"According to the information brought to me by Wolf and what I learned from the rescued people, Blake, the person we have been searching for is held prisoner by the Grand Wizard."

Ezra winces and few others give Weiss sympathetic looks but otherwise, the rest of the men seems to have accepted that as a declaration of mission failure.

"As such, I will be going to the ruins of Deadcat to save her."

Those words erase any notion that Weiss intends to return home, resulting in disbelieving looks and general confusion.

"Are you serious?" one of the hunters ask.

"I am," Weiss replies.

"You realize that the ruins of Deadcat are occupied by the strongest tribes, right? It is basically the capital for cannibals," another hunter points out.

"I do," Weiss replies.

There is a moment of silence as the members of the rescue team look to each other in confusion. You even spot Ezra giving you a pleading look but you keep your silence. Meanwhile, Weiss patiently waits as they decide on a response.

It comes from Volk.

"You didn't hire us for an assault on Deadcat. That is basically suicide," Volk states.

"I know," Weiss replies.

"Then you understand that we won't help you if you decide to go through with such a plan."

"I do."

There is a bit of murmuring after that response as people try to understand what is really going on with Weiss, a question you find yourself asking also.

"This team will escort the people we have rescued here back to the safety of our camp. Meanwhile, I will make my way to Deadcat on my own," Weiss explains.

"Are you telling me that you will take on the Grand Wizard's horde on your own?" Volk questions her.

"If the situation comes to that," Weiss responds.

"It won't."

You utter those words with conviction and surety as you step forward. Everybody turns their eyes to you but you ignore them all except one as you turn and meet Weiss's gaze.

"Wolf?" Weiss speaks your name, her tone questioning.

"You hired me to keep you safe and alive which is why I will be going with you," you calmly explain.

"I see," Weiss responds, her sky blue eyes narrowing.

Two of you remain that way for several moments as silence reigns between you. It is like some sort stare-off, a subtle contest of wills. Then, as you watch, your employer closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

When she opens them, you can see resolve shining in those sky blue orbs.

"Wolf. As your employer, I declare your contract null."

Weiss's words hit you like a fragment axe.

"Since I can give no legal reason, as per our agreement you will be paid the full negotiated amount."

You don't understand. Why is she doing this? Why is she turning you away? Why is she rejecting your help?

"Thank you for your service."

You don't understand. What is she trying to accomplish? Why would she try to cut you off now? She trusts you, doesn't she? So why? Did you say something wrong? Was it your comment about being hired? It was just you trying to be professional in front of everyone else. She should know this, you two are friends after all-

And the realization suddenly dawns on you.

'Friends.'

"Heh," you snort in amusement as Weiss's behavior starts making sense and you feel a smile forming on your lips in response. You understand now, the reason why Weiss is trying to drive you away. It is so heartwarming, self-sacrificing yet so ridiculous at the same time that your amusement at the whole situation starts to spiral.

"Hehehe," giggles escape with your breath as you begin to lose control of your mirth, drawing everyone's attention. You don't pay it any mind as your whole focus rests on Weiss, watching as confusion begins to creep into her features drawing even more giggles from your lips.

This white-haired girl before you, so different from anyone else.

Kind, caring, smart, loyal...

You can't just help it.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," you burst into laughter. It is probably the first genuine laugh you had in years, perhaps even a decade.

Of course, she doesn't want you to come. Because at some point, you stopped being her bodyguard and became her friend.

Nevermind your capability as a warrior or the fact that you are the only person she trusts completely.

She simply doesn't want you to die.

And of course, she doesn't. This is Weiss after all. The girl who literally sunk a fortune, traveled all the way from the Great Desert to World's End, and personally lead a team of armed men into the heart of Cannibal Plains.

Just for her friend.

And while you are definitely not close to her as Blake is, she still cares deeply enough for you to throw away your invaluable help so that you don't have to march into the heart of Cannibal Plains with her.

To know that someone cares that much about you is something you aren't used to and you can't help but feel touched. Her actions are really heartwarming.

And stupid.

So fucking stupid.

After all, what makes her think that you will allow her to go on such a dangerous mission, alone?

It takes several minutes for you to reign in your laughter and regain your self-control. Everybody is looking at you like you have gone crazy but you can't find it in you to care.

Your eyes lock onto Weiss's once more and you notice some amount of trepidation there. She clearly didn't expect such a reaction from either and it almost sets you off once again but you manage to push it down.

You have words to speak.

"You can't get rid of me that easily Weiss."

"Is that so?" she responds, quirking a single eyebrow.

"Yes. I am coming with, princess, whether you like it or not," you inform her.

"I assure you, Wolf, I don't need your help."

"And I don't care Weiss. I promised that we would find your friend and bring her back, safe and sound."

"Then I release you from your promise as well."

"You still don't get it, do you?" you ask and her silence is an answer enough. "This isn't about money or duty or obligations."

"Then what is it about?" she asks in return, frustration beginning to seep into her voice.

"You." Your answer takes all the mounting frustration out of Weiss's sails.

"Me?" she asks and you nod.

"I might have joined this little expedition of yours for money, but I am here now because I want to help you. I want to save your friend and make sure both of your return home safe and sound," you explain.

"And like I said, I don't need your help."

"Perhaps, but I am still gonna stick with you."

"Is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?"

"No," you reply. You have made your decision after all. Still, there is one thing you want to... No... You need to know. "Just answer a single question for me."

"Very well." she sighs, resigned.

"Do you really think you can save Blake?" you ask.

She doesn't answer right away, taking a minute to think. But when she answers, it is with resolve.

"I can."

"That is all I need to hear," you tell her before falling back in line.

Sleep doesn't come easy that night. You find your mind filled with doubts and uncertainties, not for yourself but for Weiss and Blake.

It is surprising, how you are more concerned about a person you have never met than your own self. Except, you have accepted long ago the possibility of your own death, on the day you decided to stop running and start fighting.

But the possibility of failing Weiss or even worse, losing her. You don't know if you are ready for that. Can you even accept such a possibility?

You can't, at least that is what your heart tells you.

Weiss is... She is the first genuine friend you made in years. A relationship not defined by benefits but by simple trust and understanding.

This is why you have decided to risk your life for Weiss, why you will follow her into the jaws of death itself.

You just hope that you can reunite Weiss with Blake and bring them safely back home.

And in the end, that is all you can do.

Hope and prepare.

Morning sees you and Weiss preparing your backpacks together. Weiss has decided to its best to travel light. No tents or sleeping bags. Just food, some medical supplies, a map along with a compass and some bombs.

At some point, Morena joins you two without a word and starts filling her own backpack. Weiss opens her mouth to protest but you shake your head.

By the time three of you finish preparing your backpacks, the rest of the camp has awoken. The first one to approach you is Valentine.

"I am coming with you," she simply informs Weiss, much to your employer's surprise.

"Why?" Weiss asks.

"I am not only the best medical expert you have but also a master of stealth. Unless you plan to take the whole horde by yourselves, you will need my expertise to sneak in. Your friend might also be in need of medical attention in which case I am the only one here capable of providing it." Valentine explains.

Weiss can't find anything to contest that, allowing Valentine to join the group. Then, four of you move to find Volk so Weiss can inform him of her departure. You find him with his squad, saying his goodbyes.

"Durn is in charge from now on. Remember what I have taught you and keep each other safe."

"We will, old man."

Volk nods, satisfied then turns around to face your group.

"Have you decided to come with us also?" Weiss asks, resigned.

"Yes."

"What changed your mind?"

"I had some time to think during the night. And I realized that I am old. At best, I only have a couple more years before I become unfit for field duty. Then it will be off to retirement for me, drinking the rest of my days away until my body finally gives out." Volk stops to take a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air. He clenches his right hand into a first and you can see it trembling slightly. "I have grown old in a profession where most people last five years. I have already lived far longer than I should have. And I... I want to do something meaningful with the life I have left... Something that matters. This mission of yours, it matters."

"So with your permission, I would like to come along. I can guide you through the patrols, sneak you right under their noses and if it comes to it, I can fight better than most." the old hunter offers.

"You are welcome to join us," Weiss tells him. You don't know if she held any grudge over the information Volk withheld from her but if she had, she seems to have forgiven him.

"Thank you, lass," Volk responds his grizzled voice full with gratitude.

Weiss nods and together, all five of you, leave the camp, setting off in the direction of Deadcat.

It takes four days for you to reach the ruins of Deadcat. You spend three nights in the utter cold, without any tents, sleeping bags or a fire. Instead, all if five of you take shelter under cliffs, rocks or anything tall enough to block the winds and huddle together for warmth.

It is on the fourth day, as the sun slowly set over the horizon that you arrive at the cliffs overlooking Deadcat.

Deadcat was a city built in a valley surrounded by tall cliffs that protected the city from harsh winds. You use the same cliffs to hide your approach from the cannibals below.

Thanks to Volk, you have managed to avoid every single patrol and warband through these four days. Cannibals have no idea that you are here and Valentine decides to make full use of that. She has the whole group settle down and wait until the sun fully sets before moving out under the cover of darkness.

Valentine herself moves ahead of the group, silently taking out any lookouts or guards that stand on the group's chosen path of approach. None of the cannibals see her coming in the dark and thanks to her you and the rest of the party manage to make it to the ruins undetected, taking cover under the shadow of a still-standing section of city's walls.

On the other side stretches the ruins of what was once Deadcat, the former capital of the northern people and the current home of the Grand Wizard's horde.

Valentine sketches the general layout of the ruins in dirt using a knife. You mentally add drawing to her list of talents because those are some neat lines.

"The prisoner cages are all placed here," she taps the middle of the sketched map with the tip of her knife, "arrayed around a massive cooking pit in a circular pattern. To get there, our best option is to circle around and enter the ruins from there," she points to a spot at the edge of the drawn map, "right between these two buildings where there is narrow alley we can use to stay hidden until we reach the open street," she informs, tracing the path.

"We will need to be careful when we cross it. There are cannibals scattered all over the ruins and while most of them are currently asleep, it would only take a single cannibal spotting us and raising alarm to bring them down on our heads." Valentine warns you, letting her words hang in the air for a few seconds before moving on.

"Once we are past the street, we will go through this collapsed building which opens up to another alley that can take us all the way to the edge of the clearing where the cages are. After that point, we will have little to no cover to hide behind so everyone must exercise full caution. I will take care of any lookouts still awake and create you an opportunity. Get to the cages, find Blake and get her out. Any questions?"

No one speaks and after a moment, Valentine nods. "Good, then let's move."

You slip into the ruins, hugging the remains of the city walls until you arrive at the mouth of the alley Valentine informed you about. It is narrow enough that you have to move through it in a line.

Well, most of you anyways for Valentine simply scales one of the buildings and keeps overwatch from above. As the most heavily armored fighters of in the group, you take point and Morena brings the rear, putting Weiss and Volk in the safe zone between you.

The night is dark and the alley you are in is even darker, cut off from the moonlight. The rubble and dirt crunches under your feet with every step, loud as thunder in the absence of any other sound. The possibility of discovery has put you on edge. Your throat is dry, your heart pounds and your whole body is tense as a bowstring.

Despite the vastly different circumstances, it feels like your first combat mission back when you were just a recruit. The thought makes you even more tense as you remember how it ended.

You lead the group through the alley, expecting a cannibal to pop from every corner. It is after several minutes spent walking in the dark that the end of the alley comes in your sight, with the street laying just beyond it.

You move towards the end with swift steps only to halt when you hear the sound of footsteps coming from the street. You raise your hand and signal for everyone to stop then draw your combat knife and start creeping towards the mouth of the alley.

The cannibal reaches it first, turning around the corner. It takes a few seconds for her to process the sight of you coming at her with a drawn knife.

By the time she opens her mouth to shout, you have already buried your weapon in her throat up to its hilt. She gurgles, blood pouring out from her open mouth. She tries to struggle as you pull her into the alley but the sudden blood loss robs the strength from her pretty fast. You keep your hand over her mouth until she goes completely limp then drag her corpse deeper into the alley.

Each one of you crosses the street without problems. Once Morena joins you among the remains of the collapsed building, you start moving again. Valentine briefly appears to give you all clear before disappearing back onto the rooftops.

Everything goes as planned until you step on the fingers of a sleeping cannibal, hidden by the rubble. The cannibal wakes up with a snarl and by the time you realize what is happening, you have already put your knife through his eye socket. You dumbly watch as the second cannibal you killed tonight collapses to the ground.

It takes some minutes to find a suitable place to hide the body then you continue your way out from the rubble and into the alleys once again.

Suffice to say you pay extra attention to where you step from that point onward.

You manage to make it through the alleys without coming across any more cannibals thankfully. You peek out from the alley and see the clearing. The prisoner cages are on your side of the clearing but there is still a significant amount of open ground between them and the mouth of the alley you are in. You can also see the sleeping forms of cannibals scattered across the clearing itself.

One wrong step and the whole party might find itself surrounded with no way out.

Wonderfull.

You wait until Valentine signals all clear then leave the alley. The clearing is illuminated by the firepits and tough rows of cages block the most of the clearing from your view. Thankfully, it works both ways, hiding you from any potential cannibal that may be still awake on the other side.

You crouch to minimize the sound of your steps as you creep towards the cages. Volk then Weiss follow after you once you make it to the cages and use them as cover.

Unfortunately, with your attention focused on looking out for any possible threats, you fail to notice the prisoner inside the cage you have crouched next to waking up until suddenly she grabs your arm and you almost stab the poor sod on instinct.

"Y-you! You are not one of them!" she babbles, her fingers clutching at your forearm. "P-please, get me out of h-here. I will give you a-anything." she pleads, her voice laced with desperation.

You wince at the sound of her voice, quickly looking around to see if any cannibal has heard it then turn your attention back to the scorchlander inside the cage.

She has clearly seen better days. Her face is gaunt from starvation, indicating that she hasn't given in to her hunger yet and ate the human flesh cannibals serve their prisoners. Her hair has grown long and coarse, matted with so much dirt and mud that you can't tell its original color. Her orange eyes carry this manic gleam,

You make a shushing motion with your fingers, not wanting to alert any nearby enemies with your voice.

She ignores your warning. "Please, j-just get me out! I want out! You h-have to let me out!" she keeps begging, her voice getting louder and louder as she becomes more hysterical, her reason being overwhelmed by an unstable mix of fear, desperation, hunger, and sudden hope.

Your first thought is to kill her.

She is, after all, threatening everyone's lives with the noise she is making. All you need to do is to stab her through cage's bars, right in the throat. She wouldn't suffer much.

Volk would understand. Morena wouldn't even see anything wrong with it.

And Weiss...

She would understand too. You know she would, even though she would hate the necessity of it. Weiss is a smart and pragmatic girl, one that prioritizes the lives of her friends first.

Yet some part of you still fears she may disapprove. That such an act might drive her away, or worse, make her feel guilty.

And it is that fear which drives you to spare this woman's life.

"Shut up or I will cut your throat," you snarl at her, keeping your voice as low as possible.

The woman in the cage falls silent. You know it is not because of your words. She is too hysterical to actually listen to anything you say.

Rather, it is the tone of your voice and your posture which gets through to her as some animal part of her brain recognizes the threat you suddenly present to her life. Her lips still move but she doesn't dare give any voice to her silent pleas even though her fingers still clutch your forearm like its a lifeline.

You are debating what to do with the woman when Weiss and Volk reach you. They see the woman clutching at your arm and silently make their way over while Morena remains on the lookout.

Weiss is talks first. "What happened?" she whispers to you.

You resolve to teach her battletongue if you manage to survive this.

"She wants me to set her free," you explain, keeping your voice to a whisper.

Volk soundlessly curses. "We can't. She would wake the whole horde trying to escape."

"Couldn't she hide out in the alley?" Weiss asks.

Volk shakes his head in response. "We can't trust her to sit still until we find your friend and make our way back," he answers.

"We can set her free on our way out," Weiss offers.

"We could. But then what about the others? Are you planning to set all of them free?" Volk asks.

Weiss bites her lip, the question stabbing itself into her heart like an armor-piercing bolt.

"We can free as many as we can on our way out," you offer.

Weiss gives you a grateful look. "We will do so," she states.

Volk just shrugs. "Wasn't expecting to live through this anyway."

With the decision made, you turn to the woman inside the cage and lower yourself to a crouch to be at her eye level.

"Listen. We are looking for someone. A black-haired woman with amber eyes and the ears of a cat. Help us find her and we will free you on our way out," you inform her. "And keep your voice low unless you want to wake up every damn cannibal in this place."

"P-promise," she stutters shakily. "P-promise me... Y-you will g-get me out... P-please?"

"What is your name?" you ask the woman, your voice gaining a solemn edge.

"Ahri," she answers.

You take a deep breath then look Ahri straight in the eye. "Ahri, I promise you. I will make sure you get out of this place alive if you help me find the person I am looking for," you vow.

"Okay," Ahri responds, stunned by the intensity behind your words.

"Good. Now, tell me. Have you seen the person I described," you ask.

"I... I haven't seen anyone like that," she confesses, "b-but they don't keep everyone here!" she quickly adds, fearful of angering you. "T-the building n-next to the Wizard's hut. T-they take some of us t-there," she informs you.

"What do they with them?" you ask, your mind imagining possibilities.

"I don't know," Ahri answers, sounding lost.

You sigh. "Thank you for your help," you tell her, genuinely grateful, then stand up.

"O-one more thing," she adds before you can turn away. "T-the building's door. It's locked," she informs you, her voice cracking from overuse. "Wizard has the k-key."

You nod then turn away from Ahri to face Weiss and Volk.

"Well, that made our jobs a lot easier and harder at the same time," Volk admits.

"We need to regroup and plan," Weiss agrees.

You simply nod again and then the three of you retreat back to the alley with Morena in tow.

Valentine drops down from the rooftops with barely a sound, startling what feels like half of your lifespan away in the process. The annoyed look you throw in response is ignored with her trademark cold professionalism as she joins you, Weiss and Volk in the corner of the alley.

Three of you swiftly inform the Last Hope operative of what you have learned from Ahri. Once she is brought up to speed, Valentine reports what she has seen from the rooftops.

"There is only a single building with a steel door," she starts, etching a rectangular shape in the dirt with her knife. "It doesn't have any other points of entry and the door itself is strong enough to shake anything short of a thermal drill which means getting the key is our only option for getting inside."

She then adds another rectangular but much more smaller shape beside the first. "Wizard's hut has two cannibals guarding its entrance," she tells you, adding two small crosses in front of it. "Due to the lack of any cover, approaching it from the front is impossible without getting spotted. The right side and the back, however, are facing a sheet fence we can use to cover our approach until we are behind the hut. From there, we can sneak up on the guards and take them out."

Volk scratches his beard, inspecting the shapes drawn by Valentine. "Sounds simple enough," he mutters.

"Let's hope then it turns out as it sounds," Weiss responds.

Valentine leads you through the dark alleys and around collapsed buildings filled with sleeping cannibals until you reach an open street. On the other side stands the sheet fence Valentine told you about and you can see the Grand Wizard's hut just beyond it. The fence circles third of the way around the hut itself, starting from the opposite side of the street and ending somewhere near the building where Blake may be held.

After a cautious crossing, you and the rest of the party follow the fence until you reach the back of the Wizard's hut. Then you very carefully make an opening in the fence using your hands and ripping metal sheets as silently as possible. It creates some noise, far more than you would have liked, but no cannibal comes to investigate.

Then once everyone is inside, the time comes to decide who will be handling the guards.

Valentine is the obvious choice but someone has to handle the other guard lest risk alarm being raised.

You volunteer but Weiss raises some concerns regarding the fact you are in plate armor and such armors tend to make sneaking hard. Instead, she offers to handle the other guard which you refuse because you can very much kill a cannibal without making noise or raising alarm.

Of course, luck, being the fickle bitch she is, decides to prove you wrong.

Just as you are about to haul yourself onto the wooden platform, right at the blind spot of your target, the plates of your armor loudly clink. As a result, you find yourself face to face with the cannibal who has turned around to check the noise, instead of his vulnerable back.

Both of you move at the same time. You draw your knife and stab at your target's throat in one swift motion only to have your wrist caught, stopping your knife a few fingers away from soft flesh.

For a moment, you and your target stalemate, deadlocked. Then, the cannibal finally remembers that he can just shout and call for help. He opens his mouth only for you to slam your head into his face.

You are rewarded with a sickening crunch as cartilage and bone shatters under the impact of your helmet, turning a would-be shout for alarm into a pained moan. The cannibal staggers back and his grip around your wrist weakens just enough that you are able to shove your knife into his throat and silence him before he can make any more noise.

You wait for the body to still before wrenching your knife out. Turning around, you find yourself face to face with Valentine, her target already laying motionless in a corner.

She gives a disapproving look at the corpse of your target. "Sloppy work," she admonishes you.

"Could do with some remedial classes," you agree.

"Perhaps, if you can make it worth my time," she muses.

Then the moment passes and both of you turn your attention to the task at hand. Valentine moves to signal the others and get rid of the bodies while you position yourself by the door, preparing to breach. You wait until the rest of the group gathers on the platform before grabbing the handle and silently pushing the door open.

The sight that greets you is far from anything you have expected or imagined.

"It's... normal?" Weiss speaks, giving voice to the confusion everybody is feeling.

The Grand Wizard's room looks shockingly normal for the dwelling of a cannibal chieftain. There are no rotting body parts hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers, no rugs made from human skin or chairs made from bone, no set of bloodstained cleavers hanging from the walls, no prickled organs in jars, nothing you would expect from someone who eats other people.

Instead, what you find is an ordinary room.

There stands an absolutely normal bed with a wooden frame at the corner with bedding made from cloth. There are two wooden chests placed nearby, holding who knows what. Then there is the other side of the room which is occupied what looks like a very primitive workbench with a lantern of radiance hanging above it, illuminating the whole room.

On the bench lies a dissembled crossbow along with multiple sheets of paper filled with sketches of various mechanisms and writing. Next to the bench is an honest to Okran bookshelf, filled with actual books.

"Are we in the right place?" Volk questions and you can't blame him.

You would expect a room like this to belong to an inventor or a mechanic, not a man-eating savage. It is difficult to believe this is where the Grand Wizard of cannibals sleeps, especially without the presence of Wizard himself.

"As interesting as the implications are, we are wasting time," Valentine reminds everyone.

"You are right. We have a couple of hours left until sunrise," Weiss agrees. "Since the Wizard himself isn't here, we can only hope he left the key we are looking for somewhere around here," she concludes. "Everyone, I want every part of this room searched."

You take the bench, Valentine starts going through the bookshelf while Weiss moves towards the chests leaving Volk to check under the bed.

You go through the drawers of the bench but only find more papers filled with notes and sketches along with basic tools and pieces of machinery. How the Grand Wizard maintains all of these is a mystery as most of the tools seem somewhat maintained but you fail to find anything that looks like a key.

After double-checking every part of the bench, you turn your attention to what others are doing. Valentine is going through the pages of a book while Weiss is riffling through one of the chests. Of Volk, you can only see the old man's legs sticking out from under the bed.

You decide to help Weiss with her search and swiftly make your over to her.

"Hey, found anything?" you ask as you crouch next to her.

"Nothing yet," she replies, her focus on the chest.

You nod and open the other chest. Inside is an old, weathered notebook and nothing else. You take it out and inspect it under the light. The cover is bare and opening it reveals yellowed pages filled with handwriting. Curious, you decide to skim through a few pages and discover that it is a journal, detailing the life of some farmer.

You are just about to close the book when you come across a disturbing entry.

"I felt the eerie sensation that we were being watched. And we were. They came to our camp during the night, slaughtered our gars and dragged the rest of us to their village. The sour smell of rot was rank, knocked me back even more than the sight of those deathly effigies.

I've numbed to it now.

They separated us into blood-stained cages and bandaged the worst of our injuries. First they beat us, then they tend to us, so it seems... Light, what do they want from us?"

You skip the next few pages which are damaged and read the next entry.

"Day 4

They dragged uncle Sen away yesterday morning. Cut a piece of him away as if he were some... 'thing'. An object to be harvested. They stemmed the worst of his bleeding, but with his gaping wound I don't know how long he'll last... Fuck. We need to get out of here fast."

You feel unease pool in your stomach as you read further.

"Day 8

Uncle passed away last night. It was a death I'd wish on no man, hacked away piece by piece until he was a twitching stump of a person. They finished what was left of him for breakfast. And us? We retched on the leftovers. Fattening up the food caches... Frighteningly logical thinkers.

There are four of us left."

At this point, your investigative tendencies have fully taken over, fueled by some sort of morbid curiosity that compels you to find out what happens next even though you can make a pretty good guess.

"Day 13

Their eyes. They don't look like human eyes. No. They look like whirlpools. Like death. Like black"

"Day 17

Mother passed last night. Didn't make it as long as the other two."

"Day 20

Death visited in the night. A cockroack. Pa-ru, pa-ru. Remember these words, she says. And then melted away again. Pa-ru."

"Day 21

Baste the meats to keep it soft. Meat. Meat. Me-at. Me. At. Ha. Ha. Ha."

You skip a couple more entries filled with insane scribblings before finding one that is sane-ish.

"Day 26

Little Brother. So far away. Can't reach him. Can't hear him. Sometimes I talk to myself. Sometimes to Death. I miss the voice of humanity."

Then you reach the last entry in the journal.

"Day 27

Managed to pocket some wire during my trip to the chopping block. Everyone else may be gone, but they won't touch a hair on little brother's head.

Now's time to get you out of here, Robun."

The rest of the journal is filled with blank pages.

(Acquired "Captive's Journal")

The name mentioned in the last entry sounds familiar. You rack your brain and try to recall where you heard it before. Then you remember there actually being a cannibal hunter named 'Robun'.

"Hey, Volk," you call out the to old cannibal hunter still searching under the bed.

"What is it?" he calls back.

"Do you know any Robun?" you ask.

"Only one," he answers. "Our leader. A real tough bastard."

Small world.

"I think I found his brother's journal," you inform Volk.

There is a loud thunk followed by a string of creative curses and swears as Volk crawls back out from under the bed. Then he rushes over to you, his expression utterly serious.

"Where is it?" he demands.

You hand him the journal and patiently wait as he reads through the entries. Once he finishes, he looks... grim.

"This journal, it must be taken to Robun," he declares, then hands the journal back to you. "You are the more likely one to survive out of us two," he explains at your confused look.

You accept the journal with a solemn nod and place it in your satchel. It is one more responsibility placed on your shoulders but it is of the kind you would willingly bear.

Then, returning to the task of looking for the key, you notice the metal lever Volk is holding. You open your mouth to question him about it when a shocked gasp from Weiss pulls both of your attention. Turning to your employer, you see her take out a metallic object from the wooden chest before her.

The object itself looks like a glass panel with a metal casing. Glass is cracked and the metal itself shows signs of wear and tear. Yet, Weiss seems to have recognized the object if the way she is looking at it is any indication.

"What is it, Weiss?" you ask her.

"It's... It's Blake's scroll," she answers.

Her answer causes some confusion for you since the thing looks nothing like a scroll. It isn't even paper. But, you guess the important part here is that it belongs to Blake which confirms that Blake is somewhere inside the camp.

After all, there had been more assumptions made than you would have liked at the start of this question. It is only your faith in Weiss and your desire to keep her safe which brought you this far.

Now, you only need to find the key and see if Blake is indeed inside the building. "Did you find the key?"

Weiss shakes her head. "No."

Two of you turn to Volk with questioning gazes.

"Didn't find any keys," he informs you then shows the metal lever he is holding. "Only this."

"That is it," Valentine states, joining the conversation.

"This is the key?" the old hunter asks, surprised. "Doesn't look like a key," he adds.

"Look at its end," Valentine instructs and your eyes trail down to the end of the lever where you notice several protrusions of varying length and width. "See those teeth like protrusions? They are meant to slot into a mechanism."

"Then we have everything we need," Weiss declares. "Let's go save Blake."

Silently you and the rest of the group make your way over to the building with the steel doors, sticking to the edges of the clearing and using the empty cages as cover to hide yourselves through the way.

Once you reach the building in question, you take the lever-key from Volk and slot it into the opening in the wall next to steel doors, then twist it to lock it into place. You move the lever as slowly as you can to minimize the noise made by the mechanisms controlling the door. Valentine and Morena keep watch as you work until the doors fully retract into the walls.

Not knowing what you may find inside, you take point once again with Weiss following right behind you.

The first thing you notice is the darkness, obscuring everything from your sight. The only source of illumination is the slivers of moonlight filtering in from the barred holes high up, too weak the reach beyond the rafters that hold up the roof.

Then there is the stench, a sickening mix of rotten flesh and blood that invades your nostrils.

As you step forward, you reach for the lantern of radiance clipped to your belt. It takes a few seconds and multiple flips of the ignition switch to light the hive-built device, sparking a bright fire inside the glass case.

You raise the lantern high. Its radiant glow pushes back the darkness and illuminates your surroundings, revealing the blood-stained wooden boards under your feet and numerous corpses littering the floor.

Weiss's breath hitches at sight but she holds fast. Trusting your back to her, you make your way over to the closest dead body and inspect it.

It has chunks of flesh missing and bears multiple claw marks. One of the arms is clearly broken, twisted in a wrong angle and you can clearly see the collapsed ribs on left the side of the body.

Yet there are no weapon wounds on the body.

It is as if he was mauled to death by some animal.

She strikes without warning.

It is the sound of a heavy impact upon the wooden floor that alerts you to her presence. You swiftly turn around and draw your katana from its sheath in one fluid motion only to find Weiss being pinned to the ground by her.

She claws and punches at Weiss's face and with such savagery that you fear you may not make it in time. Yet, by some miracle, she fails to draw blood or inflict any injuries.

Weiss manages to catch one of her attacker's wrist mid punch and tries retaliate with her free hand but her attacker simply leans back, keeping her head out of Weiss's reach.

Then you finally reach them.

While you haven't gotten a good chance to look at her, something about Weiss's attacker looks familiar enough that you do not strike her with your sword.

Instead, you lash out with your leg.

Your shin catches her below the chest, the impact folding the attacker around your leg for one brief moment before throwing her off Weiss, breath driven from her lungs. She falls on her back a step away from Weiss's feet, coughing and wheezing for breath while clutching her bruised stomach.

You are about to go after her with your sword when Weiss grabs your wrist.

"Don't," she orders and you obey.

Instead, You and Weiss watch as her attacker scrambles away a safe distance before climbing back onto her feet, finally giving you a clear look at her.

Pale naked skin, caked and covered with dried blood and dirt. Long black hair, unkempt and dirty. Amber eyes with slitted irises.

And a pair of cat-like ears peeking from the top of her head.

"Blake," Weiss calls out with a shaking voice, confirming your suspicions.

Blake hisses at you two in response, sounding more like an animal than a human. When you stare into her amber eyes, you see animalistic instinct instead of human intelligence.

You fear that reasoning with her might not be possible.

You draw your Jittje and sheath your Katana.

Blake must have sensed weakness for she lunges at you, far faster than you expected. You try to bring up your Jitte and block but you are too slow.

Blake's fist slams into your helmet with a thunderous noise. Force of the blow sends you stumbling backward, reeling. Weiss's friend has hit you harder than a Shek despite not having the necessary muscle mass.

Unfortunately, you don't have to time ponder how that is possible as Blake presses her advantage, trying to strike at you once again.

This time though, you are ready. You bat away her extended arm with your jitte, diverting her follow-up strike off-course before shoving her back with your free hand to get some breathing space.

"Blake! Stop this, please!" Weiss pleads desperately, trying to talk some sense into her friend.

Blake ignores her, focused on you. You notice her tensing up for another lunge and step forward. She lunges just as you lash out with your jitte.

Your strike lands on her arm with enough force to break bones. Blake yowls loudly in pain, scrambling backward while clutching her forearm.

"Wolf! Don't hurt her!" Weiss shouts.

"She is not leaving me much choice princess!" you fire back, your eyes never leaving your opponent.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, your strike hasn't broken Blake's arm but it has pissed her off enough that you seem to have the feral catgirl's full attention.

Blake snarls at you, her amber eyes burning with animalistic hate, yet there is also wariness in them, a recognition of the threat you present.

You, on the other hand, try to come up with a way to subdue Blake without hurting her. Fortunately, Weiss's friend has turned out to be supernaturally tough. There isn't even a bruise on her despite the hits she has taken.

Then, before you can come up with a plan, Blake finally gathers her courage and attacks again.

She moves fast and in an unpredictable way, barely giving you any time must a defense. You swing your Jittje to keep her away from you but she ducks under it, dropping down on all fours then lashes out with her foot and hits you in the chest.

Your armor absorbs the blow, leaving you unharmed but the force behind you is enough to stagger you which Blake capitalizes on before you can raise your guard. She tries to spring up and lunge at you, aiming to bring you down to the floor.

Except, her foot slips on a puddle of blood, robbing her balance. She falls onto one knee, and a pained hiss informs you that she might have twisted something in her leg.

Though you can't really count on that considering your opponent's capacity to shrug damage, so you need to move in fast and capitalize before she can recover.

"Wolf-" Weiss starts.

"I know!" you snap, cutting her off as you advance on Blake.

Seeing you approach, she hastily climbs back on her feet favoring her right leg. You sheath your jitte and lunge forward, taking advantage of Blake's impaired mobility. She scrambles back but her injured leg slows her down enough for you to grab her forearm.

With your opponent off-balance, you sharply twist her arm and lock it behind her back in single movement. Then, you grab the shoulder of Blake's other arm with your free hand before forcing her against the floor and straddling her waist from behind. She bucks and trashes wildly in an attempt throw you off but it proves ineffectual. You let go of Blake's shoulder and grab her free arm and force it behind he back.

Pinned under your weight, both arms restrained, Blake is trapped with no way out. Despite that, the feral girl keeps thrashing underneath you, hissing and growling like a cat.

You ignore the angry cat sounds coming from the naked girl under you and turn to Weiss. "Go get Valentine. She should have some sedatives potent enough to knock her out."

Weiss nods and rushes towards the entryway, leaving you alone with Blake. You idly muse how two of you must currently look like, a man in samurai armor forcing a naked woman to the ground. 'Wouldn't be an uncommon sight back in the cities,' you bitterly think.

Fortunately, Weiss returns with Valentine soon, preventing you from stewing in such depressive thoughts. Valentine swiftly pulls out a box full of syringes from one of her satchels and takes one out. Blake notices her and the syringe she is holding and renews her struggle to throw you off.

"Hold her still," Valentine orders.

You hold her wrists together with one hand grab the back of her head with your other hand, threading your fingers through her coarse, dirty, black hair before forcing her head against the floor. Valentine kneels beside Blake's head, ignoring the threatening cat noises coming from Weiss's friend, sweeps aside the black hair covering the cat girl's neck, exposing pale naked flesh underneath before sticking the syringe in.

You keep Blake still as much as you can while Valentine injects her with sedatives. It takes affect almost immediately as Blake's struggles weaken then cease in a matter of seconds. Still, you do not relinquish your hold on the naked girl until she goes completely limp and Valentine checks to make sure she is not faking.

Afterward, you finally take a breath in relief and let go.

Your relief lasts for ten seconds before Volk rushes inside the building with a panicked expression.

"We gotta go! Now!" he shouts.

"What's going on?" Weiss questions.

"Cannibals!" Volk responds. "They are coming!"

Guess it was too optimistic for cannibals to sleep through all the noise. You curse, then move to grab Weiss's unconscious friend and lift her up while Weiss herself continues to question Volk.

"How much time do we have?" Weiss asks.

"Minutes at best," old hunter replies.

You throw Blake over your shoulder before making your way over to them with Valentine in tow.

"Volk! Can you carry her?" you ask the cannibal hunter.

Volk takes a look at the naked form of Blake before turning his eyes back to you.

"Yes," he answers. "My old bones still have that much strength left in them."

"Then she is yours," you reply and pass Blake to him.

Unlike you, Volk strains a bit with Blake on his shoulders but the extra weight doesn't seem to impair his movement much. He clearly won't be able to fight but again you only need him to run at this point.

With the problem of Blake solved, you lead everyone out of this charnel house Blake was imprisoned. You find Morena waiting for you outside, her eyes looking at the far side of the clearing where you can see the light from multiple torches among the ruins.

"Do we have a way out?" you ask.

"Yes," Valentine answers. "This clearing is close to the edge, leaving most the ruins at the opposite side. We can take the alley two buildings to our right and follow it outside with little resistance."

"What about the prisoners?" Weiss asks.

Everyone turns towards far side of the clearing where the prisoner cages are. Going to rescue them now would put you dangerously close to the horde gathering in the streets beyond.

"We can't save them. It is too risky!" Volk protests.

You want to agree with him, but you remember the promise you made.

The promise which fate itself calls on you to honor.

If you move fast enough, you might just be able to save Ahri in time before the horde descends on you. But you might also find yourself surrounded all too easily with no way out.

Or you can just forsake the promise you have made, and go with the rest of the group and escape.

Now is the time to choose.

What was it you told Morena that night?

'You need to stand for something, draw your lines and never cross them.'

Breaking a promise, forsaking one of your own principles...

It would rob all of them of any worth.

After all, if you can break one, what stops you from breaking the others? What guarantee is there that you won't break them again? Once a line is crossed, that is it. There is no going back.

Is that really something you want?

No.

You won't let Fate turn you into something you aren't.

Perhaps this will be your end. But if so, it will be YOUR end.

You are the one who decides the kind of person you are.

And here and now, you decide to be more than just a simple survivor, to be someone who doesn't let circumstances steer him onto the easy path, a person who follows his chosen path despite the danger and risks.

You are Wolf.

And you keep your promises.

"Weiss. I am going to save them."

Your words draw everyone's attention to you. Volk looks at you as if you have suddenly grown a second head. Valentine is impossible to read as always, cold and calm. Morena understands. She remembers your words, remembers what you have told her.

Then there is Weiss.

She looks at you, her expression indecipherable. She holds your gaze through a single moment, a moment in which the whole world comes to a stop.

For an instant, you see your resolve mirrored in those eyes.

Then she nods and draws her rapier.

"Let's go."

"No," you deny her. "You can't risk yourself. Blake needs you."

Mention of her friend makes Weiss hesitate for a second but it doesn't stop her. "Volk and others can take her to safety," she reasons.

"I am coming with you too," Morena declares.

"No! Morena! I order you to escort Volk and Blake to safety!" you snap, your words coming out harsher than intended due to stress and hurry.

Morena almost protests which tells you how ill your orders sit with her. It is only her immense respect for you that stops her from challenging your orders, but it is clear that she is furious about it and you will have to talk it out with her later if you manage to survive the next few minutes.

Weiss, on the other hand, you really have no leverage over her. You can't command her like Morena and you don't have the time to convince her to do the reasonable thing and go with the others.

Still, you have to at least give it one last try.

"Weiss," you plead. "Please go with others. I will be fine."

Weiss simply shakes her head and you resign yourself.

There are two people now that you have to keep alive no matter what.

That fact settles on your shoulders like a lead weight as you turn around and break into a sprint towards the opposite end of the clearing with Weiss following at your heels.

The ruins which have been eerily silent since your arrival has begun to come to life with the sounds of distant chants and shouts. Light from countless torches illuminates the night, casting an orange glow over the ruins.

By the time you and Weiss reach the cages, all the prisoners inside have woken up. Many of them reach out to you from their cages, pleading and begging for salvation.

Weiss immediately starts cutting the locks apart one by one with her rapier while you simply keep running, ignoring all the other cages in the favor of the that holds Ahri.

The captive scorchlander looks at you with disbelieving eyes as you approach her cage. You draw your katana without a word and slash the lock of her cage. Your sword slices it apart and the rusted iron falls to the ground in two pieces, setting the scrochlander free.

Ahri skittishly leaves her cage. "I... I didn't think you would come back," she admits, her raspy voice shaking with emotion.

"I promised," you simply reply.

She looks at you as if you are something bizarre and unreal. "Thank you," she manages to choke out.

"Stick close to me," you tell her.

Then, you turn your attention to the other cages surrounding you and start cutting locks one by one. Some people you free immediately run off, others decide to follow you like Ahri.

You and Weiss keep methodically cutting the locks, freeing prisoners until finally there is no one left in the cages. By the time you are finished, you can hear the numerous footsteps coming from behind the buildings surrounding the clearing.

The horde is almost upon you.

You have no time left.

You can see the first of the cannibals starting to trickle into the clearing from the streets.

"Weiss! We have to go!" you shout. "NOW!"

"I am almost done!" she shouts back.

You curse and begin herding the prisoners towards the middle of the clearing, away from the approaching horde. Midway, Weiss herself joins you, followed by a similarly sized group.

Many of the prisoners are in bad condition. They suffer from malnutrition, infection, and sleep deprivation. The distance you and Weiss sprinted in a couple minutes, takes much longer them. The main bulk of the horde has yet to enter the clearing and your current hope is to get all the prisoners into the streets at the other side before that happens.

As such you find yourself covering their retreat, cutting down the cannibals catching up from behind while Weiss leads them from the front.

And for a moment, it looks like you are gonna make it. That you will be able to reach the streets on the opposite side.

Then from behind a building, they step out.

The first you notice is the giant. He stands twice as tall as any normal man and is clad in a crude armor made from blackened metal plates riveted onto each other. His face is hidden inside a spherical helmet dotted with holes and in his hands is a large sledgehammer which he lifts singlehandedly.

Next to him stands half-naked female cannibal. Two things set her immediately different from the others. First is the visible scars covering her chest, the second is the gigantic cleaver with a serrated edge she carries. A skirt made from chainmail sheets and a pair plate leggins probably looted from one of her victims cover her from below the waist.

Then there is him, standing in front of these two.

The Grand Wizard.

You recognize him from all the stories Volk and the other cannibal hunters told you during the nights. That distinct plate armor, so unlike the crude ones worn by the ironskins, looking pristine and colored bone white with a large, red hand, painted on the middle of the chest plate.

And the eyes.

Most of the cannibals lack that certain spark of humanity, of intelligence mixed with emotion and empathy.

Not the Grand Wizard.

His eyes are all too human.

"What is this? Our guests leaving? So much without a goodbye?" he speaks in a smooth and clear voice, far cry from the guttural noises other cannibals make. "Now that is just rude."

The sight of the three cannibal leaders standing in their path brings every prisoner to a halt.

You curse, forcing your way to the front of the group. You can't afford to be stopped now. Every other cannibal in these damn ruins is about to come down on top of your heads and you don't have the option of backing off or going for another.

As if to prove your thoughts, a group of six cannibals bursts out from one of the side streets. You find yourself torn between turning around to face them or standing your ground against the threat in front of you. While the three major threats in front of you seem content simply blocking your escape path, you can't really trust that to continue if you present them with your flank.

Thankfully, you are rescued from making a choice when Morena bursts out from an alley and cuts the cannibals off, three of them literally with a single swing of her plank. Another two fall down, suddenly sporting scalpels in their necks. You trace their paths and catch a glimpse of blue on top of the rooftops. You turn your head back to Morena just in time to see her finish off the last cannibal, her armor stained with fresh blood.

Then she turns around and makes her way to you.

"I thought I ordered you to escort Volk," you grumble.

"I did. Then I came back," she replies.

With the momentary threat dealt with, you turn your attention to enemies blocking your path. Grand Wizard looks amused while the female cannibal eagerly eyes Morena who comes to stand by your side, with Weiss standing on your other.

Odds look a lot more even now.

This situation is clearly past words.

Violence is now your only option.

Except there is one single problem. You now understand why the three cannibal leaders have been so content to stand in the mouth of the street and not chase you into the clearing.

Flanked on both sides by ruined buildings, they would easily be able to fend you all off if you charge them. That choke point provides them a great advantage and you especially don't want to take your chances against the big guy with such little space to maneuver in.

That and if they were to advance into the clearing, some of the prisoners following you might escape by going around them.

Which is why they need to be drawn out if you are going to engage them in combat. Except you don't have any ideas on how to do that.

Then a colossal armored giant covered in blue ethereal flames appear on your side.

You whirl around to face this new and sudden threat when it lunges forward and smacks the giant cannibal into a nearby building. The already damaged structure gives out and collapses on top of the giant.

"That was unexpected," the Grand Wizard comments calmy.

Weiss doesn't deign to answer him, instead turning to you. "The white knight is on our side. I will explain everything later," she tells you.

You nod, words failing you at that moment.

Both of you turn your heads towards the street as the giant cannibal explodes out of the rubble and charges the white colossus, locking weapons with it before actually pushing its counterpart back towards the clearing. Prisoners hurriedly scramble out of the way of two clashing giants, providing them with ample space to fight in while Weiss moves on to help them.

Apparently, having had enough with waiting, the female cannibal with the cleaver also charges out from the street at that moment and engages Morena in a duel, leaving you alone against the Grand Wizard himself who lets a drawn-out sigh before raising his weapon, a gleaming saber-like cleaver.

"Well, shall we?"

Four running steps bring you to Grand Wizard.

You lash out with your sword, over and over. You foe deflects each strike, keeping up with your furious assault. It is made clear from this first exchange that the Grand Wizard is a fighter that is far above any you have faced during this journey so far. he is your equal in strength and speed. More so, he fights, not with the savage ferocity of other cannibals but with the measured discipline of a veteran.

But, as you press on with your assault, you realize that he is mostly self-taught. His fighting style is one that is born from pure experience. All the things that were taught to you, he had to discover himself. And as you finally slip past his defense and stab your sword into his leg through an opening in the armor, you realize that you are the more skilled fighter.

Before you can push your sword any deeper, Wizard's blade crashes into your chest plate with a thunderous sound, forcing the breath out of your lungs and sending you stumbling backward.

Rather than pressing his advantage, Wizard tests his injured leg while you try to fill your lungs with air.

"You are pretty good," he admits, in a jovial tone.

You glare at him from beyond your helmet's visor.

"A little bit deeper and you would have severed some important arteries, perhaps even muscle," your foe comments casually as if talking about the weather rather than a crippling injury he almost received. "It seems I am fighting for my own life. How exciting."

Then, you find suddenly find yourself on the defense as Grand Wizard starts raining blow upon blow on you. You deflect and block, managing to keep up at first but while Wizard may lack the technique you possess, he makes it up with creativity and cunning. Feints and jabs force openings in your defense which is exploited by attacks coming in from angles you don't expect.

You take a hit to your right leg, then to your shoulder. Armor prevents Wizard's blade from drawing blood but the force behind it is enough to crush and bruise, leaving deep dents on your armor.

You take a step back to get yourself some breathing room. Your shoulder feels numb and your leg aches whenever you put your weight on it. These are not the type of wounds that will impair your fighting but if you let it, they will add up, opening you for a killing blow.

Grand Wizard, once again, doesn't pursue you. For all the blows he managed to deliver, you still managed to get in a strike of your own in retaliation, opening a deep cut on his right arm.

"You realize she is different, right?" Wizard asks you in a conversational tone as if you aren't in the middle of a duel to the death. "That giant warrior, it was her who summoned it."

He is talking about Weiss, the girl who you thought was a simple noble who turned out to be so much more.

You explode into motion, swinging your sword at Grand Wizard's head. He brings up his blade in a block and rather than stepping back, you push forward, locking blades with your foe.

"And?" you ask, staring at your opponent over the connected weapons.

"Aren't you curious?" Wizard responds, his voice straining with the effort he is spending against you. "How she is able to do such wondrous things?"

Before you try to answer, Wizard twists his blade and let your weapon slide off to the side with a trail of sparks. Expecting such a move, you immediately bring your sword back in a slash but Wizard deflects it upwards, having anticipated your response.

Then he stabs you in the abdomen area between right under your chest plate.

You feel like someone has set your guts on fire. Fighting through the pain, you bring you sword again in a vicious counterstrike but Grand Wizard simply retreats back out of its reach.

You ready yourself for another assault from your opponent but it doesn't come as Wizard doesn't press the advantage yet again which is really starting to get suspicious.

"That girl with the cat ears is different too," Wizard informs you. "It is why I prevented others from eating her."

You remain silent and force yourself to think. Why is your opponent being so passive? What reason he has for not pursuing his advantage?

"You see, I have this gift," he confides. "I can figure out how things work. Machines, animals, people... It is all about finding the patterns."

You grit your teeth. "Why are you telling me this?" you question.

"Because you can understand!" he exclaims with joy. "Unlike my lesser brethren who only care about eating, killing, or breeding, you can understand what I am talking about. You comprehend what such things mean."

You sheath your katana, your focus solely on the enemy before you.

Normally you would never render yourself vulnerable with such an action in the middle of a fight but this time it's different.

You figured it out.

You figured why Grand Wizard has been so passive.

"You are stalling," you accuse as you draw your nodachi out from its sheath.

"Yes," Wizard admits. "Though everything I said up to this point has been true, I have indeed been stalling. After all, I don't need to beat you. I just need to hold you off until my horde arrives."

"Why?" you ask.

"Because you are dangerous," he answers. "Every time I cross blades with you, I risk my life and I like living."

You raise your nodachi, tip pointed at the enemy and assume your stance. "You will die in the next minute."

"Is that so?" he asks, his voice taking a serious edge.

Your answer is a swift lunge that brings Grand Wizard into your range. You strike, the tip of your sword flowing around your opponent's block and stabbing into his shoulder, punching through the armor plates. You take a step back, letting Wizard's retaliation strike harmlessly pass through the space you have been occupying then forward yet again, bringing your sword down in a slash.

Your nodachi rends through metal with a screeching sound and bites into the soft flesh underneath. The wound you dealt is deep and long, yet it doesn't reach any of the vitals you aimed for.

Your foe still lives.

There are no more words, no banter in that friendly voice. Instead, he strikes back at you, silent and focused.

You turn it aside, then the next one. His attacks have become predictable now, striking at you from the same angles over and over again in an attempt to overpower you.

It won't work. You only need to hold fast until Grand Wizard tires himself out and gives you an opening.

Except you should have known better.

Grand Wizard is not a conventional fighter all.

And that mistake costs you.

In the middle of his assault, Grand Wizard lets go of his weapon and scrambles back. Caught off guard, you react too slowly, allowing him to get a single step distance between you two.

Thinking that Wizard is trying to escape, you move to chase after him.

He doesn't. Instead, he draws another weapon from a black sheath at his belt.

It is a weapon the likes of which you have never seen before. Some sort of katana with a weirdly shaped handle similar to that of a crossbow.

Wizard points at you, not the blade but the muzzle built into the hilt, revealed by the blade folding itself over the hilt.

You understand too late the true nature of the weapon.

Grand Wizard pulls the trigger and you hear a bang followed by a metallic ping.

You look down and see a hole in your chest plate.

Then the pain registers.

It feels as if a gorillo punched you in the chest. You try to breathe only to cough as the metallic taste of blood fills your mouth. Your vision blurs and you fall to your knees, barely catching yourself before the rest of you hits the ground.

Pain is immense. Every time you try to breathe, it gets worse. Edges of your vision have begun to darken and you can feel yourself slipping away.

No. You can't. Not now.

Yet you can't move.

You have people to save.

You can't breathe.

You have promised.

'Perhaps after this expedition, you and I can check?'

'See if the night sky is as you remember it.'

Weiss.

'That was close. Too close.' you think as you approach the fallen form of the warrior.

If it hadn't been for your pet's unique weapon, this warrior might have been your end. And such an interesting weapon it is. It was worth all the time and effort spent you spent on it, discovering what it did. You are still shaky on the how but you will figure that out in time.

You always do.

But first things first, you need to assess the situation and make sure the rest of the intruders are dealt with. While you aren't combat capable anymore, you still need to direct your horde so that they don't slaughter all the meat, or that white-haired girl.

Honestly, the white-hair is the more important prize here.

But your army needs to eat.

So you need to make sure enough of the prisoners are taken alive, at least to feed everyone until another raid is organized.

You will also need to send hunting parties to see if you can locate your missing pet.

Except you are getting ahead of yourself. Focus. You need focus. Interesting stuff can be dealt with later.

Now let's see how the current situation is. Hmmm. White-hair is fighting Carnage. Shek warrior seems to be heavily injured and is hanging back though it is clear that it wasn't an easy fight for Carnage and White-hair may very well kill her if not stopped.

Meat Lord is still wrestling with the White-hair's pet. You are confident that Meat Lord will win, due to his overwhelming strength.

Then, of course, there is the absence of your horde. They should have been here already minutes ago. Wonder what is taking them so long.

Perhaps a new set of war chiefs are in order?

Sound of ragged breathing pulls your attention. Turning your heard, you see the warrior's hand clench around the handle of his sword. It seems he still lives.

How tenacious.

Well, guess you can be a kind host and put an end to his pain.

Such a shame. He was a worthy opponent.

You will make sure to eat his heart and liver yourself.

You are about to approach to warrior when much to your astonishment and horror, he starts climbing back onto his feet.

Which is impossible. You shot him in the lung, very close to the heart even. And you know just what kind of damage your pet's weapon is capable of.

He shouldn't be able to breathe let alone stand.

Yet he does.

How?

You don't understand.

You swiftly pull up the weapon for a second shot as the warrior who should be dead turns to face you. The sound of wet, labored breathing sends chills down your spine and your heart fills with dread at the sight of the hate-filled eyes staring at you from behind that visor.

You pull the trigger, but instead of the bang you expect, you hear only an empty click.

The warrior starts to advance just as you remember that you used the last of this weapon's ammo.

You immediately switch it back into the sword form and raise it towards your enemy.

Then you hear a whistling sound.

Where are your hands?

Where your hands should be, there are only blood squirting stumps.

HE TOOK YOUR HANDS!

The pain that follows is drowned by the sheer animalistic fear that grips your heart.

You scramble backward, trying to put as much distance between you and this immortal demon.

You need to escape.

You have to get away.

You have to-

The severed head of your prey falls to the ground, soon followed by the rest of his corpse.

The way forward is open, and the people you saved surge forward towards their salvation. Countless faces that are foreign to you pass by, eyes glimmering with renewed hope.

You watch them all go, moving around you and the corpse at your feet like a river flowing around a rock.

Then you double over in pain and fall to your knees before painting the ground red with vomited blood and bits of gore. It takes the last sliver of strength left in you to not collapse into the mess but to fall aside.

The hilt of your sword slips from your loose fingers.

You hear someone call your name in the distance but you can't turn your head.

There is no strength left in your limbs now. Whatever reserves you dug into to defy fate has been spent.

You dimly realize that someone is moving you. A part of you notes that you should be screaming in pain yet you feel nothing.

Pain has become a distant memory.

"We... him to safety... coming... must leave..."

The world grows dark once again.

"...won't make... internal bleeding... too much blood... can't stabilize..."

And the last thing you see before falling asleep is a brilliant flash of white.

"For it is in others we find the strength to defy destiny. Through the bonds we forge we become a beacon of virtue and hope, lighting the way to a brighter future, irrepressible in radiance and unmarred by defeat. I release your soul and with my heart, embrace thee."

Arc 1-3 COMPLETE

Quests Completed

-Save Ahri

-Rescue Blake

3 WS

4 Toughness

Deathblow: Killing an enemy with a melee attack refunds a single attack. This can occur as many times as the character's Weapon Skill Bonus in a single turn.

Other gains from accomplishments

5 Willpower(Stat), 1 Intelligence(Stat), 2 Fellowship(Stat), 5 Stealth(Skill), 5 Endurance(Skill),