Hey guys real quick shout out to kpop1392as for dropping some reviews, thanks man those meant a lot especially when I was out in the middle of a field with no sleep and wearing body armor. Anyway enjoy the chapter.
Elsa had passed out soon after she calmed down enough to stop crying, she had her head propped up on his lap with the bandit coat he had on, covering her like a blanket. She had originally tried sleeping next to him but ended up falling whenever she got into a deep sleep then waking up. So he offered that she sleep propped against him, he normally wouldn't have suggested it but with what she's been through he felt he should at least give her the option of receiving comfort.
She had asked what he would do which he responded that he didn't move when he slept so he had no problem sleeping against a wall. So with an embarrassed small smile that sent a tingle down his spine, she agreed and laid her head on his shoulder. It didn't take long for some reason she had instantly fell asleep next to him. The logical part of him reasoned that she was just that tired but a treacherous thought entered his head.
Perhaps she feels safe when you're around.
He quickly squashed that thought. No matter what she or anyone else said, he was still a monster through and through the bodies he accumulated would all pay to see him thrown into hell. He truly appreciated that she tried to convince him he wasn't a monster but there was just too much pain to honestly think otherwise. As he was thinking he began to notice that the woman on his shoulder had began to shift a bit and fall forward. Before she could hit the ground once again, Edward had caught her then gently laid her down in his lap. after a while he had taken the bandit jacket he had on and put it over her shoulders leaving him in a sleeveless white shirt he wore under his blacksmith apron.
as she slept he couldn't find any so he elected to come up with a plan for tomorrow. when he brought her to the castle Ahimoth will most likely be there, he couldn't risk seeing the Prince so somehow he had to send Elsa away. he wouldn't do it before he knew he was safe but as soon as he could he would disappear. he supposed he could just drop her off at the gate but there was no guarantee the guards posted there were on the up and up.
hopefully he could meet up with Anna or Kristoff and they could take her off his hands. Worst case scenario he sees Ahimoth and just disappear from his sight line and hope the Prince thinks he hallucinate.
however before he crossed that bridge he had to come down the mountain while avoiding the bandits. with them moving tomorrow they'll be easy to spot, but so would him and Elsa. another downside was that he had no more weapons, he threw his sword away and lost his pouch of ammunition when Zavis shot that bolt into his arm.
Speaking of which…
Edward pulled the bolt out of arm and examined it closely. He was looking for any type of poison on the bolt, not for himself, but for Elsa. If Zavis laced his arrows with poison then he'd have to be even more careful. When he was satisfied that he found none, he snapped the bolt and tossed it away before watching the wound begin to bleed.
He gazed down at the woman in his lap before looking back up and flexing his arm. veins began to crawl up his forearm and his eyes bled red before the slight crackling of red lightning erupted in his arm. after a moment his arm was healed and his veins disappeared as well as his red eye color.
Edward knew what Zavis was, he was the same kind of monster he was except with some differences. The red eyes were what gave him away, unlike himself the man probably had those eyes all the time. Maybe he improved the process to make it permanent versus Edward having to turn it off and on. The only thing that the young man knew was that Zavis could create objects in his hands. He didn't know if there were conditions or otherwise since seeing him kill those guards last night but he knew they were real enough to kill someone.
From what Edward had seen from him he was more a hunter versus a fighter. His moments were fast but the young man would bet Ahimoth would be able to catch him. His fighting style revolves around speed and surprise with his arsenal of weapons. Fighting him would be difficult if Edward didn't see Zavis coming, but if he did then it'd be a much fairer fight assuming he didn't have any other tricks.
Zavis didn't know him so he couldn't have been made like him for very long. Perhaps a few years probably after King Alrick took the throne. That meant he must still be alive. Edward hoped he'd died when they last saw each other but to be honest he'd didn't expect the bastard to die.
Even if I put a bullet through his skull.
Elsa shifted in his lap and broke him out of his trance. she actually looked peaceful given everything that happened. whenever he thought about her; he was torn. Part of him wanted to get as far away from her as possible while the other part of him wanted to get closer.
The part of him that wanted to get closer was drawn to her kindness and intelligence. Her seemingly timid smile that hid a cunning mind that would always look out for her people. The few brief times they talked were easily the highlight of his day. He knew that they hadn't known each other long but somehow he found himself drawn to her. Earlier tonight when he thought she might be in trouble the voice in his soul quieted and all of his thoughts were clear and focused on her.
the monster inside him even responded to him without fuss.
That was also a reason why he wanted to be as far away from her as possible. He didn't want anyone especially her around the monster. there was already so much blood on his hands that everytime he spilled more he could feel his soul getting heavier. even killing those two bandits haunted him, Edward wanted to snap their necks for a quick and painless death. the monster had other plans and made their deaths a painful and worse he did it in front of her.
When she recoiled at the sight of his bloodied face he burned her expression in his mind. there was genuine fear in her eyes it was smaller than he thought but it was still there. He needed to leave before he lost himself and the monster decided to let itself lose on the people of Arendelle. He supposed he could sneak aboard Ahimoth's ship but that left him stranded on his ship for two days.
forty eight hours on a ship with the guy he wanted to avoid most, that was not ideal.
Edward kept hashing out ideas all night and well into the morning. When Elsa stirred once again but this time opened her eyes she looked up to see him staring down at her. It took her a moment to realize that she was in his lap that she sat up quickly with a blush on her face and squeaked a good morning.
He couldn't help but smile at her and respond with his own good morning. She quickly noticed that he had a sleeveless shirt that clinged to his body like a second skin. The toned arms that bore a large amount of scars sent butterflies in her stomach as she offered him the jacket he used to cover her.
"Leave it, I'm tired of being dressed like them." The woman nodded before twirling her fingers and unsealing the cave entrance letting the sunlight flow inside. Edward went outside first and took a quick look around, seeing that there were no footprints or tracks of any kind he concluded that no one had come this way.
Arendelle was another three hours away with the sleigh, it was bright out so guards would be patrolling. Even with the massive amount of bandits they saw the Arendelle guard was much larger so they couldn't impersonate all of them. Hopefully they could get to the checkpoint and continue on from there.
"Do you think Anna and Kristoff are alright?" Edward looked back to see Elsa looking far off with a worried expression.
"I'm sure they'll be fine, Kristoff wouldn't let anything happen to Anna and your sister is one tough girl if I believe half the stories Kristoff shared." That got a chuckle from the blonde as she nodded her head. Her expression then turned pensive, she looked his way for a moment before whispering.
"This attack happened the same night Prince Ahimoth came to Arendelle...do you think he planned this?" That made Edward raise an eyebrow. The blonde was asking if the Prince of where he came from had ulterior motives. Most loyal subjects would immediately defend their sovereign.
He turned to her and could see she was watching him, not in skepticism or watching for any tells that he might be lying. She was genuinely curious, so curious he couldn't help but ask.
"You trust me to tell the truth about my Prince?" Elsa's answer was out of her mouth without a second thought.
"Yes you've done more than enough to earn my trust." The way she answered took him aback, she really trusted him. He could tell from the sincere look in her eyes so he couldn't help but be truthful in return.
"I highly doubt he'd use bandits to harm Arendelle, he's a soldier. He'd rather be fighting on the front lines instead of sneaking around and using underhanded methods to achieve his goals. I'm sure he came here for diplomatic reasons or maybe to satisfy his curiosity, his ship didn't have one soldier on it, just traders."
"Perhaps someone is pulling strings behind his back."
Edward laughed which made Elsa raise a beautifully sculpted eyebrow. "Well if that's the case, they better hope Ahimoth doesn't find out because the guy may be a bit childish but he holds grudges."
"You sound like you know him."
The young man suddenly grew somber. he could've lied but he felt that doing so would taint the comfortable presence they shared right now. 'We used to be best friends but the coup tore us apart."
Elsa was about to ask him to elaborate about the coup but the horses made their own way out of the cave on their own. Edward walked over to them and kept them from leaving without them. He got next to the sleigh and held out a hand for her. The blonde took it and he helped her into her seat before getting in the driver's seat and spurring the horses forward.
As the young man drove he kept his eyes and ears on the lookout for any bandits but so far all was quiet. in the snow he could see many footprints heading toward Arendelle, the bandits could've been launching a large scale attack on the village. Elsa didn't seem to notice them so the young man decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being, hoping that he was wrong.
After two hours of riding, Elsa decided to break the silence between them. "You mentioned a coup, did King Alrick lead it?" Edward kept his eyes in front but his mind began to reminisce about the past right before the coup when they were in Elysion. The day before that night.
The 26th special division brigade, commonly known as "The Mystic Guard" was sent to Elysion by King Rakat Veera because of reports of an Elemental killing their troops. The 26th were special soldiers trained to specifically kill magical entities. They were fast, efficient, and above all deadly. They were only three hundred strong but that didn't stop them from overcoming their enemies.
A younger version of Edward that had pale skin and black hair was walking with his katana sheathed in his hand. His uniform was a black frock coat that extended past his hips and to his wrists. His thick black pants were tucked into his black boots that ended below his shin. The soldiers of the 26th had the same uniform but different armor types specific to that person. Some had chest plates as well as shoulder pads while others had one arm covered in armor. Edward's version was a spiked glove on his left hand and shoulder pad on the same arm. On his waist was a belt to secure his sheath but the young man generally had his weapon in his hand. The final piece of his uniform was the hood with a cloth to cover his face he had drawn up to cover his head.
The other soldiers had their weapons strapped to their hips or back that varied from swords, axes, daggers, and spears. His weapon was something special, Commander Alrick had given it to him in his last campaign. They were in a faraway kingdom that had an alchemist who specialized in creating metal beasts. There were only a handful but one could take out twenty of their soldiers. While the Mystic Guard engaged them, he managed to sneak into the alchemist's lab and kill him halting all the beasts. Apparently the alchemist had devised a way to divide his soul into each beast so they would come to alive and with his death they all died.
The King was interested in the theory and had his chief alchemist look into the possibility of utilizing the theory. While they were gathering all their research notes, Alrick had found a small stash of the metal that the beasts were made of. The beasts' skin was dense yet they were able to move quickly and cut through standard weapons with their claws. The metal that covered their body wasn't like anything they'd seen before, such metal would be a great boost to their military. Unfortunately the design blueprints were destroyed in the battle and the beasts evaporated after their death.
There wasn't much just enough for one weapon so he gifted it to Edward for killing the alchemist. The young man had taken the metal to a blacksmith he apprenticed under in his spare time and two of them were able to forge his katana. The blacksmith insisted it have a name but Edward was already gone before the old man could press the issue. The blade was pure silver with the blunt edge having a serrated looking pattern. When he used it he found that he could cut through other metals after a few strikes and it was light enough to wield deftly in one hand. The hilt was wrapped in a white cloth with the guard being a grey rectangle that had grey strings tied at the base of the sheathe. The sheathe itself was made from some thick skinned animals that made it hard and durable, he could even use it against a regular sword and there wouldn't be any deep nicks in it. He kept the katana on his person at all times, it was proof of his achievements and was a stepping stone to achieving his ultimate goal.
Finding the monster that killed his mother.
The night his village was attacked and his mother hid herself and him under the floorboards played over and over in his nightmares. He remembered being too afraid to breathe and looking up at those red eyes. For a moment the three stared one another down until his mother's head was sliced off her shoulders. The red eyes raised his blade and brought it down aiming to end his life. However it stopped a few inches from his head when a shrill whistle filled the air. The monster looked up and took off out of his house, leaving him with his mother's body. The shock of being alive was short lived when he looked over to see his mother's head, her fierce expression was gone.
Looking back, he didn't know if he imagined it or not but her eyes were happy with tears leaking out of them. She looked relieved that her son was spared and he watched her mouth twitch before she whispered.
"Live...a-and remember...I-I'll always love you…"
Her eyes closed and she didn't move, he wanted to get up and shake her head to wake up but her body was far too heavy for him to get out from under. He squirmed trying to get out from under her until he passed out from exhaustion.
When he woke up he was in a bed with is brother sitting in a chair next to him. His brother's expression was somber as if he knew what had happened. Before Edward could speak, his father walked in. His glasses concealing his eyes completely as he looked down on his son with no emotion.
After that day, his father began their training until they were fit enough to join the military. A dozen times they faced deaths and a dozen times they learned what kind of people they were.
His brother was very prideful, firmly believing that no one was worthy of defeating him. This belief coupled with his immense skill made him arrogant but it also granted him a higher position in the military. He became the lieutenant of the "King's Spearhead" the main invasion force of their entire military.
Edward became more vengeful, all previous traces of happiness were wiped from his expression. He chose to be a soldier in the Mystic Guard due to the appearance of the monster that killed his mother. He remembered it resembled a man with white hair and tan skin but his red eyes made him seem less human. His arms and legs were claws instead of actual human hands and he had black dust trailing behind him when he moved. That sort of man couldn't have been human so he joined the only division that focused on magical entities hoping they'd one day track him down.
During his time in the Mystic Guard, Edward didn't attempt to make any friends. He'd rather focus on training than form useless bonds, that however did not stop the lieutenant. Ahimoth had fought him the day he joined, their battle was close but ended up his victory. When they fought the lieutenant used no weapons except his hands and feet angering Edward because he thought his opponent wasn't taking him seriously. It was later he found out that Ahimoth was abysmal at using weapons, he knew basic forms but had no proficiency for any weapon. So he focused all of his time and energy perfecting his own unique style of fighting barehanded. It was odd to watch him spar but when he actually got down to business his fighting style was brutal, the metal gauntlets and boots made his palm strikes and kicks devastating. Coupled with the fact he was very fast and agile enough to do flips and move his body in almost any way he wished made him second to only the commander.
At first the two didn't get along but after fighting against each other so many times and fighting back to back they formed a friendship. Ahimoth was more carefree and brought out some happy traits from the teen that he thought was long gone after his mother's death. During campaigns they were a solid team and Edward earned his trust and that of the commander many times.
This one however would be different from the others, so very different indeed.
The commander had ordered they split up to cover more ground and had Ahimoth stay back much to the man's chargain. That left Edward hiking with nineteen other soldiers to a small town in the northeast quadrant of Elysion. The night concealed their movements and kept them from being discovered until they surrounded the small town. The plan was for three teams of two to sneak into town and search every house for the Elemental fitting the description they gathered.
Elderly Male. Skinny build. Black hair. Brown eyes. Pale skin with a scar across his forehead.
It was late, no one was out in town, so the teams had to sneak into every house to only confirm the target. The king had made an unusual request to capture this Elemental and bring him back to Blackdust. Commander Alrick argued it'd be very difficult to capture one due to his abilities over fire but the King's chief alchemist had expressed they needed him alive for experimentation. To help the effort, the alchemist had fashioned three cuffs made to hamper an Elemental's abilities. They would not break unless exposed to extreme conditions and were completely impervious to and Elemental's magic. The Commander had kept two pairs on his person while giving his lieutenant one. When the teams found the Elemental they would signal the rest of the force and they would all converge on his location and capture him.
Edward was partnered with a skinny man he did not bother to learn his name but knew he carried twin daggers. The two silently crept through each house ensuring the occupants were asleep. His partner had the skills to pick a lock to keep from waking anyone in the house while Edward shadowed him to watch his six. They went from house to house expecting some type of militia but only finding simple farmers. When they were briefed about the Elemental killing their troops, they were told the Elemental was supporting Elysion soldiers and ambushed their troops. If the Elemental was here then he should be in a military compound of some sort with guards posted for his security, yet there wasn't a single weapon anywhere.
The two finally arrived at the last house that was out in the middle of a wheat field. The house was one story but was wide, from the outside it looked able to hold three rooms. There was a chimney with no smoke coming out of the top as well as small shed built on the side of the house. As the two approached the house, Edward grabbed his partner and halted the two of them when he noticed something in the wheat field.
There were burn marks on various parts of the house.
They were not large but consistent, going from the frame of the house to the path leading out to the wheat field. The two soldiers crept carefully and had a hand on their weapons as they entered the house. The house was sparse except it had bookshelves lining the walls. The living room had a table with a few open books on it as well as small medicine bottles.. Edward leaned over and read the pages finding them containing information about the Seven Deadly Sins.
He couldn't help but think that him and his brother perfectly represented two of them. Wrath and Pride.
He was about to read more when a fire suddenly erupted around him, trapping him in a cage of flames. He whirled around expecting to see the entire house ablaze only seeing an elderly man with his palm facing him. He fit the description perfectly and given his eyes were burning as intensely as the flames around him that remained suspended in mid air to avoid burning anything meant he was the Elemental.
"It's quite rude to barge into someone's home."
Edward didn't answer as he scanned the room for his partner only to realize he wasn't in the room. He didn't hear the crackle of fire before now so it was possible his partner had not been discovered by the man yet.
"I am growing impatient, who are you and why have you trespassed into my home?"
The teen fingered his katana for a moment debating he was fast enough to attack the man and exit the house. They were three meters away from one another and if it wasn't for the cage of flames around him, he was sure he could make the distance before the man could attack. Unfortunately he couldn't manage a maneuver is such a small space so right now he was completely at the mercy of the Elemental in front of him.
"My name is of little consequence, I am a soldier of the Blackdust military and have been tasked with finding and capturing the Elemental in Elysion who has attacked and killed our troops." Edward relaxed before reaching under the cage of flames and pulling out a chair. He gestured towards it asking for permission to sit down, the man was weary but nodded as he modified the flames to allow him to sit but kept him contained.
"Well you've come to the wrong place, I haven't left my farm in the last two months and never attacked anyone." Edward was about to disagree when the man started to violently cough into his arm. The teen looked on the table to the bottles and guessed that they were for him. The hacking noises were honestly painful to watch, the flames actually weakened as he coughed and gave the teen an opening to escape.
Edward quickly got out of his chair while throwing it with his free hand watching it catch ablaze but remained solid enough to hit the man. He toppled over under the weight of the chair catching him in the side and could only manage to put the flames out before he felt a foot on his chest and and sword point against his throat. The point pushed into his throat with a clear message.
Any attempt to use magic and his throat would be slit.
"I find that hard to believe, we were given your description and given you are an Elemental in Elysion makes me quite certain you're the one we've been looking for." The corner of the man's mouth had a line of blood going down it as well as skin being quite pale. Upon closer examination he could see the man was actually shaking, the brave front he put on before was only a bluff.
"Please, I haven't attacked anyone you can ask the people in town, I haven't left this house. I have a disease that causes me to cough blood, I've been bedridden for weeks, my medication is on the table there." Edward considered believing him, when he announced that he was a Blackdust soldier the old man's eyes didn't widen or narrow in a way that meant familiarity. In fact there was confusion in his eyes why a soldier would come here. Plus there was the fact that he got the drop on the teen, as much as he hated to admit it, if they were enemies, he would've been burned to death. However the old man allowed him to sit and only asked why he trespassed into his house. There was one thing that didn't add up.
If he was bedridden as he claimed then who worked the field and brought medicine to the old man?
A shriek came from the other side of the house as Edward watched the old man's eyes widen in fear. "Lilian!" He forgot the blade at his throat and blasted a pulse of fire at the teen's chest that knocked him off his feet. Edward rolled to his feet preparing to fight watched as the old man began coughing again and used the table as support to get up and make his way toward the shriek ignoring the teen completely. He didn't get far as the door opened and Edward's partner stepped into the room holding a young girl's mouth shut with one of his daggers at her throat.
The older man froze as he raised his hands in a surrendering fashion only for the soldier to press the blade deeper into her throat causing him to freeze. Edward could see the panic in his eyes as he gazed at the girl held hostage, there was genuine fear in his eyes. There didn't seem to be any plan formulating in his mind, all he could do was attempt to calm his panic.
"Please...don't hurt her, please don't hurt my daughter. I didn't attack anyone I swear, we're simply farmers...please don't hurt her."
"Put your face on the ground and your hands over your neck, the slightest movement I deem unnecessary and your daughter will die."
The soldier turned to Edward and nodded toward him telling him to go outside and signal their troops. The teen looked at the scene for a moment being slightly uncomfortable as he watched tears leak from the girl's eyes as she watched her dad slowly get to the ground using the table to support him before putting his face down with his hands over his neck. As he turned to leave he could hear the man beginning to beg.
"Please...please don't hurt her. She's all I have left, please don't take her away from me…"
Edward walked outside and pulled a signal gun he was given prior to the mission and fired it watching the green flare fly into the night sky. It didn't take long for the other eighteen soldiers to converge on the house, the teen led three of them inside to see the old man still on his knees. Two of the soldiers wasted no time in grabbing his arms and roughly striking the man's skull causing him to go limp in their arms. This made the girl cry under the hand that gripped her mouth as she watched them take her father away.
Edward expected his partner to let her go and for them to leave the house when he turned to the other soldier in the room. "Give me some rope, we're taking her with us." The soldier shrugged as he produced some rope from around his belt and the two of them proceeded to bind her hands then with a line of rope began to tug her toward the door. As they passed the table she attempted to grab the medicine only to jerked harshly away.
"Please, my father needs that medicine he's sick and they help…" She was already forced through the doorway as she threw a pleading expression towards him. He was glad he had donned the cloth to cover his face so she couldn't see the troubled expression on his face. He had been to many places and fought many battles for his young age, blood and bodies never bothered ever since his mother's death. However, seeing the fear in that girl's eyes bothered him, while it seemed they had found the Elemental they were looking for he expected a battle hardened sorcerer.
What he got was an old man who looked ready to keel over if he tried to run.
Seeing that and a teen girl that was younger than him crying from seeing her father treated so roughly by them bothered him. With a demoralizing thought, it reminded him of when he looked up at the monster that killed his mother. That panic inducing fear he had trained so hard to forget was in her brown eyes.
My monster was a man with red eyes and a sword, hers is men with black coats and cloths covering their faces.
Edward looked over to the pill bottle and after a moment of weighing his values of being a soldier and being human, he picked up the bottle, placed it in his pocket and left the house.
They dragged the Elemental and his daughter to Commander Alrick who raised an eyebrow at the girl. He turned to Edward after giving one of the soldiers a pair of cuffs for the Elemental before gesturing to the girl.
"Who is she?"
Before the teen could answer, Edward's partner had walked up and answered for him.
"She's his daughter sir. I thought it'd be efficient to bring her along to force his cooperation."
The Commander scowled at the thought, he had done many things that he wasn't proud of while following orders but he never harmed innocents. The girl looked scared out of her wits as she was pulled by one of his soldiers, her eyes met the slumped form of her father and she tried to run over to him. She was pulled back but she kept trying to get to her father which began to irritate her captor. The soldier raised a hand and was about to bring it down on her hand when a thick hand caught his wrist. Turning his head to see who stopped him, the soldier was met with the disapproving eyes of the lieutenant.
The surprise at seeing him made the soldier let go of the rope and the girl ran up to her father who was still being supported by two soldiers. She quickly checked him over with her bound hands and was distraught at finding a lump beginning to form on his head. She turned to Commander Alrick who was easily distinguishable from the other soldiers due to his armor being the most ornate. His entire left arm was covered in plated armor with his commander rank showing proudly on his left chest plate.
"Please, you're making a mistake. My father never attacked anyone, we're only farmers we've done nothing wrong."
Alrick prided himself on being able to keep his face completely neutral so no one could see what was going on in his head. From the look of the old man, he barely seemed capable of being able to put up a decent fight. He was terribly thin as well as sickly pale, however appearances can be deceiving and he matched the description.
"I'm afraid that your father matches the description and he's an Elemental, our troops were all burned to a crisp unless your father's magic can't produce such a result than he's our man. I do apologize for your forceful experience however, you can return to your village. If your father really isn't the man we seek then we will send him back but not until we are absolutely sure." The Commander nodded to Ahimoth who walked over and with a swipe of his clawed gauntlets the ropes binding her were cut away. He stood up to his full height and offered her a hand before speaking.
"I also apologize for your experience, please allow me to escort you back to your home." Lilian looked at his clothed face then back to his covered hand before hesitantly taking it and squeaked when his large hand closed around it and pulled her to her feet. After being picked up she let go of his hand before clenching her hands and attempted to speak without stuttering.
"I want to stay with my father."
Ahimoth frowned when he heard that, Alrick kept his face still but his eyes expressed his displeasure. Bringing anyone besides the target was unnecessary, especially when said target would be delivered to the chief alchemist who had a habit of killing his specimen during his experimentation. It would be easier if she just stayed and moved on from her father who didn't seem to have long in the world anyway.
However it was her father.
The lieutenant glanced at the Commander for a moment putting himself in her shoes. He knew the old man was likely going to be killed but if someone had taken his father he'd want to be with him every step of the way.
Before Alrick could deny her request, Ahimoth beat him to it.
"Sir, it is her father, we can at least let her tag along to help care for him. I will take responsibility for her and ensure nothing jeopardizes the mission."
The Commander looked at his lieutenant for a moment before shrugging and ordered his forces to return to Blackdust. As the soldiers began buzzing around picking up camp and loading it onto carriages, Ahimoth kept Lilian close as he coordinated the efforts. When a soldier had to speak with the lieutenant pulling his attention away from watching his charge for a moment, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see the soldier with the sword from her house holding out a bottle of pills to her. Gratitude shown in her eyes as she took it and was about to thank him profusely when she saw he was already walking away to assist in packing up.
Elysion wasn't too far away from Blackdust, only three days of travel; two on land and one at sea. They already sent an eagle to their King messages could be sent in half a already spent one day traveling and decided to stop for the night in an abandoned town.
That's when everything changed.
It was a regular night, a couple of guards were out patrolling while the rest slept. Ahimoth had offered his cot to Lilian as he stayed outside his tent to give her privacy. She initially wanted to sleep with her father but was turned down, however Ahimoth allowed her to check up on his and make sure he was alright and fed then led her away. Her father had his legs shackled but had a cot to sleep on with four soldiers watching him at any given time. Commander Alrick had asked for confirmation if the old man was really the Elemental they were looking for. When he received the message and read it his widened at what it said.
'Regardless if it's the right one or not, you will bring the Elemental here.'
The bottom was signed by the King's alchemist not the actual King himself. It was no secret he and the alchemist liked each other, in fact on many occasions the cold and twisted persona of the man made the Commander want to strangle him. The King however favored the man so he learned to tolerate his presence. They weren't in the same chain of command him being in military matters while the alchemist was in scientific ones. So to have him ordered that they bring an Elemental that might actually be innocent, pissed him off like no tomorrow.
He had written letters to other commanders in the Elysion region to verify the identity of the Elemental and his abilities so he could be sure he had the right man. When he received the order from his King to apprehend the Elemental he was briefed by the alchemist on who to look for, he's never actually seen the reports. If they contained information that pointed to another, then he would let the old man go, he wasn't into kidnapping innocents.
Edward couldn't sleep so he decided to leave his tent and look up at the full moon in the clear night sky. It was calming to gaze at the large rock in the sky, letting his mind wander far away from the single minded reality of his vengeful life. The respite didn't last long however, as the sky began to fill with dark clouds that had lightning inside them. Edward thought it was odd for the weather to change so suddenly and thought maybe he should return to his tent before it rained.
It was too late as it starts raining, but rain didn't fall from the sky.
Lightning bolts began to descend on their camp, striking tents and catching them ablaze. All at once soldiers started running out their tents attempting to seek some type of cover only to be struck by lightning. Edward ran as fast as he could until he found a house with partially collapsed roof and dived in, barely missing a thunderbolt. When he looked outside saw his comrades attempting to get in buildings for cover. He spotted Ahimoth running with Lilian before a bolt of lightning struck right in front of him and threw him off his feet and into a building. The girl ran after him to check on him, putting a roof over both their heads.
Edward watched the Commander order his troops to take cover in the buildings while personally grabbing the old man and carrying him into a building over his shoulder. A few soldiers were able to heed his command but most were all struck by lightning and burnt to a crisp. After a few short minutes their three hundred strong men got turned into some thirty odd men. The fire raged as the tents burnt to the ground and with it the bodies of their comrades. As Edward gazed into the destruction he could see a silhouette walking through the smoke and fire.
It was a man dressed in a white jacket caked with dirt and tattered brown pants with no shoes. On his wrists and ankles were broken shackles that clinked with every move he made. His hair was brown with dark skin and electric purple eyes. His hands sparked with lightning as he surveyed the destroyed campsite searching for something. Edward stayed hidden as he took in the man and could see him being the Elemental they were looking for. His eyes were filled with rage as he found a surviving soldier and proceeded to electrocute the man until he was cremated.
It seems the old man was telling the truth, they did have the wrong guy. However if that was true why did the reports describe the old man down to the scar on his face. The two Elementals looked nothing alike and they could've been more prepared if they knew he could strike them down with lightning.
The teen pushed away his thoughts as he focused on the situation, going out to face the man was suicide, he'd fry them the moment he could see them. Fortunately he didn't seem to notice some soldiers run into the buildings, that meant they could surprise him. He wished he had projectiles of some sort to make up the distance but was caught off guard when he saw two small balls fly toward the Elemental. The man turned to see them heading toward him and before he could stop them with lightning they went off in his face blocking his vision with thick smoke. Six soldiers bolted out of houses and rushed into the smoke with their weapons drawn prepared to detain the Elemental.
"Mystic Guard! Rally here!" Edward heard the Commander speaking from three houses down from where he was. Noticing the smokescreen was still thick enough to block visibility, the teen rushed out of his house as did other soldiers and ran to the rally point. When they all arrived, the Commander was looking out the window with the old man crouched down next to him as he observed the smoke.
The young man took a quick count of the room and could only see twenty two soldiers inside. He expected to see Ahimoth with the girl but was disappointed to see neither. His first initial reaction was to run back into the house he saw his lieutenant get blown into but six more screams stopped him as six bodies flew out of the smoke covered in blast marks. The smoke dissipated revealing the man with a few cuts on his skin but remain standing.
"I know there are more of you out there! How does it feel to be the ones being hunted?! You monsters took EVERYTHING from me and now I'm going to kill all of you for it! Every last one of you will be turned to ash, the same way my family did when you burned down my home and took me away from them!" The man began to throwing lightning bolts at random houses lightning them ablaze hoping to flush out more soldiers. They were hiding in one of the farther houses so they had time before a lightning bolt came their way. Unfortunately the house only had one exit, the front door. They would easily reveal their position to the murderous man and invite more casualties if they chose to use another smoke bomb or tried to make a run for it.
Alrick gazed out the window going over his options, he already had a couple plans that were likely to succeed but would guarantee more casualties. Normally he would avoid plans that were considered suicide but in this desperate situation, if they didn't succeed in either killing the man or sealing him in cuff they'd all die. He found it very unfortunate that none of them had a firearm with them, perhaps one of the patrolling soldiers had one but they were all killed in the initial storm. He thought of his son and hoped he was still alive hiding somewhere waiting for the right time to strike but that seemed unlikely. Shaking his head to focus on the task at hand he faced the soldier awaiting his command.
"Alright listen, are only advantage is he doesn't know how many of us there are and where we are. During the storm there were only single lightning bolts, meaning he could only launch them one at at time with line of sight, probably from his palms. Rushing him head on his suicide, so we need to be smart about this, the burning tents can provide excellent concealment to get to his position. However if he sees one of us leave this house he will focus his attacks on this house. That's why we need a distraction, one of you need to run out and lead his line of sight away from this house so we can get in position."
His soldiers did not move as they listened to his plan, their faces were covered but he could tell they all knew what he was insinuating. The person who would be a distraction was probably going to die giving them time to get into position. The Commander didn't order anyone, he wanted a volunteer. As battle hardened as they all were, none of them were suicidal, so the hesistance they had was understandable.
Edward didn't want to go, he still had a goal he needed to fulfill. Throwing his life away was not an option, however if they didn't do something then his life would still be thrown away. He was fast, faster than most of the other soldiers and the nearest house was thirty meters away, he could make that in a few seconds. While he did that they could advance and get the drop on the Elemental with no problem. The teen took a deep breath and prepared to raise his hand to volunteer for the mission…
Until a gunshot pierced the air and a wail of pain came from the Elemental.
Looking outside they saw the man was clutching his leg as soldiers with the standard uniform of the King's Spearhead rushed into battle. Their armor was black and covered their upper torso with their symbol on the front. The bottom of the armor was covered in a silver cloth that reached all the way down to their boots.
The Elemental's eyes widened in fear as he quickly forgot the Mystic Guard and focused his magic to combat the siege of reinforcements. He fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt that burnt soldiers and made them hunker behind tower shields for cover. As they did this, Edward saw a glint in the distance and was happy to see Ahimoth back on his feet with a pair of magic sealing cuffs. They made eye contact and ran out of cover at the same time then made a dead sprint toward the immobile enemy.
The Elemental turned to see Ahimoth rushing his way and held an arm out to throw a bolt of lightning at the charging man. Right before he released it the sound of something twirling through the wind filled his ears right before a sword was thrown in to his arm. Seeing Edward in the after pose of his throw, the Elemental forgot all about Ahimoth and raised his other hand to strike him with a lightning bolt.
The teen watched the lightning gather in his palm and fought to remain calm, he trusted Ahimoth to get there if he gave him a chance. Edward knew his friend wouldn't let him down, and he had a relieved smile when the lieutenant lunged with a fierce punch that knocked the Elemental to the ground. His friend wasted no time in binding his hands behind his back with the cuffs while throwing his friend a wave. Edward returned the gesture and caught his katana when it was thrown back to him.
Ahimoth roughly brought the man up to his feet as all the soldiers came out of cover to meet in the middle of the charred battlefield. The King's Spearhead vastly outnumbered the Mystic Guard due to the latter taking so many casualties but the two groups stood apart from one another as if they had reservations about being close to one another. It wasn't because there was some rivalry between the two groups, it was because of the animosity between their commanders. Commander Alrick stood at the front of his remaining soldiers and addressed the main army with a loud voice.
"Where's your commanding officer?"
"I'm right here, Mystic."
Alrick frowned at the name as an older gentleman walked up to him. His jet black armor was polished as it covered him from his neck down. A heavy chest plate decorated with gold engravings gleamed in the moonlight as they connected to the large shoulder pads. His gauntlets were heavy duty as well with spikes on the knuckles, his legs were covered with thick armor plating that covered the thick boots on his feet. Under the armor where the joints were exposed peeked out white cloth with a spear design going through their kingdom's insignia. The long cloth that covered in the gap in between his legs in the front did the same as well as the wider cloth that covered both his legs in the back. In his right hand was large battle mace that had a red handle before the black iron shaft that led to the ornate mace that looked like an eight pointed star.
His face had a vertical scar that went through his right eye leaving his grey left one open. He was squared jaw and had no facial hair but the tense wrinkles and greying hair showed his age. Commander Asger the Crusher was in charge on the King's Spearhead and was currently the second strongest warrior in their kingdom. He was a crass and vicious man that cared only for the thrill of battle, concepts of mercy and decency were foreign to him.
In his mind, if one could pick up a weapon then one could kill with it and should be killed by their superior.
This mindset guided his actions in every invasion, many have lost their lives to his large mace whether they be soldiers or townsfolk seeking to protect their homes. Alrick was by far the closest to him in terms of skill when it came to their military but never challenged the man knowing that it would become a fight to the death just to prove who was stronger. Asger attempted many times to instigate a fight between them but soon lost interest when Alrick explained that if one of them were to die, it would hurt their military might.
To Asger it was an excuse of a coward knowing that he would be killed if he accepted the challenge.
To Alrick it was a product of loyalty to protect his kingdom.
The two never got along and did everything possible to avoid one another, unless it was absolutely necessary. The invasion of Elysion happened to be one of those times.
"Asger, why are your troops here? I was under the impression that you were marching toward the capitol." The large man scoffed as he fixed the Elemental with a glare.
"I was until his Majesty ordered all of our troops to decease hostilities and return to the kingdom with the Elemental that wiped out our troops." Alrick turned to the Elemental who glared at Asger with righteous anger before turning back to him.
"I assume this is the one correct?" The large man nodded and watched Alrick turn to the remainder of his soldiers while producing a key out of a pouch. He walked to the old man who was still bound by the cuffs and was about to release him when a large hand caught his wrist. The Mystic turned to the Crusher with a glare and attempted to shake off the hand but growled when it stayed firm.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Releasing an innocent man. I was ordered to capture the Elemental who attacked our troops, we did, now I'm releasing the Elemental we accused falsely. Now remove your hand." When he tugged and the hand stayed firm, Alrick turned before stepping up so they were now face to face. The tension in the air grew thick as the soldiers on both sides took a step back knowing if they came to blows they didn't want to get in the way.
"The King has ordered that both of them be taken to Blackdust. He received intelligence that there was another Elemental in the area and taking him would likely flush out the first Elemental who escaped capture a week ago."
Alrick eyes flashed in anger as he roughly pulled his hand out of Asger's grip and fought very hard to keep his composure. If what the Crusher said was true, his men were essentially used as bait for a dangerous enemy while fetching an innocent old man. He felt betrayed by his King and wanted to hit something, fighting the Asger never felt so appealing but he reminded himself the man was too much an idiot to come up with something like this. If it had been the Crusher asking for the old man, he would've told him to shove it and let the old man go but since it was his King he was honorbound to follow his orders.
When he turned back to the old man who looked like the last of his hope was crushed he also caught the eyes of his daughter that had tears in her eyes before turning away. Ahimoth looked between the two of them before turning to his father, the cloth on his face hiding his face but his body posture and silence spoke volumes.
This wasn't right, good men died tonight.
Alrick turned back to the old man and undid his bonds before speaking to him. "Your presence has been requested by the King, we will escort you to see him and return you and your daughter home when our business in concluded. During that time you will be under my protection, I will assign my lieutenant to see to all of your needs." The gesture was small, but the gratitude in not being treated like a prisoner shine the older man's eyes as he lowered his head whispering a thank you before walking over and hugging his daughter.
Asger narrowed his eyes and took a step toward them but was immediately caught off by Alrick who fiercely stared into his eyes. A staredown insured for a moment before the Crusher scoffed and turned back toward his troops ordering them to prepare to move out. Alrick did the same and the two groups made their way back to Blackdust.
As Edward traveled he knew that tonight was the start of something. Whether it would blow over depended entirely on what happened when they returned home and saw the King.
He looked back to see Ahimoth supporting the old man as they walked while stealing a few glances at Lilian. Perhaps his friend had taken an interest to the young girl, times were dangerous and reaching an older age to begin a relationship was difficult for a soldier. Despite them being hardened soldiers, they were still teens.
"I guess hormones are easier to fight when you devote your life to killing another."
Edward hoped his friend found happiness, because unbeknownst to him, his future was not a happy one.
That was six years ago, he had seen war but one within his own kingdom was a different beast altogether. People they fought with turning on one another was horrible, the rampant violence and death. All started by those two Elementals from Elysion. To this day he still didn't know the old man's name. He knew the lightning Elemental's though, he was the one who delivered him to the chief alchemist.
To his father.
It didn't feel right handing him over to his father but orders were orders. The next time he saw the Elemental there was a white sheet over his body and his father had ordered his body be disposed of. Edward looked at the report that was sitting on a table and read the top line.
Subject 62: Maurice Raith. Result: Insignificant.
King Alrick made a call that changed everything, whether he was in the right or wrong was up to God. What he did though was definitely wrong and now he's paying for that mistake. When he returned to Blackdust then and only then would his debt be paid, until then though all he could do was keep moving forward.
"Edward?" The young man jumped at his name and turned to the blonde woman next to him. It seemed he became completely engrossed in his memories that he didn't answer her question.
"Yes, King Alrick led the coup that sparked a civil war that lasted five years."
Elsa absorbed the information as she recalled his far away expression when she first asked her question. There wasn't any pain in his face but she could tell that he was reliving some distant memories that still seem fresh in his mind. She wanted to ask what he was thinking about but before she could he pulled hard on the reins forcing them to stop. The blonde looked ahead to see the checkpoint to Arendelle, she expected to see the bodies of the guards who tried to save her last night but was dismayed to see even more littering the ground.
Sitting on a makeshift bench of stacked bodies was Zavis who was absentmindedly fiddling with his crossbow. Elsa couldn't help the shiver that went up her spine as he continued to fiddle with his weapon and not even looking up at them.
"You know, I didn't expect much from a guy like you, throwing a sword with enough force to impale me and sever my spine was quite impressive. The bomb too was quite effective, I haven't had to regenerate so much in a while. I was really pissed you managed to get the drop on me, I searched high and low for you after digging my way out of that cave hoping to tear you into tiny bits. Then Greed decided to find me and calm me down, after he explained they were calling off our plan for Arendelle and that we needed to pack up before the rest of the guard returned. All of our men had already left the city just as all the guards came rushing down the mountain."
Zavis finished messing with his crossbow and rose off his perch, nonchalantly strolling around keeping his eye on Edward. The waves of wrath he felt from the man was gone, he could only see the predatory look in his eyes as he appraised his prey. His eyes did flicker to Elsa for a moment but ultimately returned to him as he continued to speak.
"That gave me very little time to come back down here to get what I want. Despite your rather clever attempts to throw off your trail I was able to find that you hadn't made it down the mountain. Instead of looking for you on the mountain, I decided to go to a place you're guaranteed to pass through. Unfortunately there were more guards here that I was forced to contend with. Ordinarily I'd want to take the Elemental with me but there's no time for that, so I'm giving you a once in a lifetime chance. Get out of the carriage and I'll let her pass, refuse and you both die."
Elsa was stunned he would propose something like this and expected she actually agree to this. After everything he put her through, he thought she'd leave her rescuer to his mercy? She was about to decline his proposal when Edward beat her to it.
"Deal."
He was already out of the carriage and walked away from it while keeping a healthy distance away from the man. Elsa not believing what he did, jumped out as well and ran up to him ready to rant at him for agreeing. She didn't get the chance as he chopped her neck at the same place as Zavis did the night before. She crumpled into his arms, unconscious. He knew that she wouldn't have agreed but he hoped that if he made it seem like he was sure that she would trust his judgment and go.
He carried her body to the sleigh and slapped their butts and watched them ride down toward Arendelle. He hoped that an actual guard would find her, there was no smoke in the village so there didn't seem to be a large bandit attack he predicted. Those footprints must've been the rest of the guards returning to Arendelle. That made it easier to accept the deal, knowing she was on her way to safety calmed him but he prepared himself for the coming battle.
Zavis slung his crossbow over his shoulder before holding out a hand and gathered some black dust in his palm.
"Get ready."
Hey guys hope you all enjoyed the super long chapter, 10k didn't know I had it in me. I don't know if this will be the new average chapter length I needed to tell a long story in one chapter. Hope you guys stay tuned for the next chapter, drop a review :D.