A/N: Let's go start this new arc.
Her husband's strong hand caressed her tense belly. Feeling the incessant kicks under the skin. The couple had settled into the gardens, enjoying a moment's respite, enjoying the gentle warmth of the sun through the canopy of trees above them. Summer has been mild lately. Perfect for a picnic that the two had on a long blanket.
The giant sat with his back against a tree, hugging his wife who was resting against her other half.
Sebastian: I don't have any ideas for a girl's name...
The kirin turned her head slightly to look at the giant.
Fumizuki: Would you have preferred a boy?
He laughed lightly before placing his lips on hers in a quick kiss.
Sebastian: With you, both would have been a pleasure anyway…
This light tone, sweet as honey. She could only smile and close her eyes as she rested her head against his chest.
Fumizuki: Always weaseling your way out with words…
Sebastian: Damn… You know me so well it's terryfying. One could almost think you're my wife or something.
Fumizuki: Idiot…
They took a second to chuckle and breathe out. Enjoying the sweet simple juice of life.
Fumizuki: I think I like Chinatsu.
Sebastian: Not bad.
*beep* *beep* *beep
The kirin opened her eyes, awakened by her alarm clock. She sighed. Usually she set her alarm late enough so as not to be interrupted in her dreams, now that they had become something of a frequency.
Always the same type. She said to herself as she sat up on her bed. Dreaming of a hallucinated life much better than the one she had. Fumizuki stretched, cracking her bones and chasing away the fatigue, before heading towards the door of her room, shaking her hand through her long purple hair to let it air out for a while.
She had been staying in Ch'en's apartment since the Battle of Lungmen. And honestly, she had gotten used to it. She had the opportunity to feel what it was like to live like any other woman.
She grabbed the pull-up bar that she had installed in the door opening, and showing flexibility and strength, got into position to start doing upside down crunches.
Starting to count, she was able to clear her head of the thoughts that filled her head most mornings. Of course since her divorce, which was anything but official, she had gotten back into the habit of keeping in shape. But she was surprised to have kept so many good leftovers…
Her muscles were becoming more defined quickly, and each day she felt stronger, faster and more quick-witted.
She began to hear the sounds of Shirayuki's footsteps approaching. The gift that only she had the right to.
Shirayuki: My lady… Hello…
Fumizuki: Hello… Shira.
She said out of breath between movements, but with a smile on her face.
The anaty watched her mistress practice with such gusto that even Shirayuki didn't think she was capable of... Especially so early in the morning.
Shirayuki: You should take it more slowly my lady... Your wounds might reopen...
The ninja observed her mistress's tiger-skinned skin, mixing purple and pale pink. But now other less symmetrical and harmonized, as pale markings appeared along her skin. Some old, some recent, all located on the kirin's torso. The only injury she ever had to her head was thankfully covered by her hair.
She was careful with that, not wanting to be disfigured…
Fumizuki: It'll be just fine Shira. You know that my blood gives me some pros.
Shirayuki: You shouldn't rely on it too much either...
Fumizuki: Well... I'll be careful then...
The kirin, once again showing incredible acrobatic abilities, returned to her feet fluidly.
Fumizuki: I'll have to head to the slums, do my rounds.
It had been several weeks since she had placed herself as protector of the infected slums of Lungmen. For several weeks she acted like a true heroine for these poor people and against those who tried to exploit them, to crush them, to make their miserable lives an even greater hell.
Among these she could count Wei.
This scum, this rat... Now that the emissaries from the emperor's court had announced their arrival in Lungmen because of the incident and all the chaos generated by the meeting and the triads, Wei was doing his best to clean the infected in the city. Or worse in his case... The pogroms had doubled in frequency. Even if their intensity had reached zero level. She had heard of men and women among the infected who were organizing the resistance. Strangers, without history, sometimes without even being infected and who seemed to have been there for years, although no one could really remember.
Spies. At first she began to think that they were agents of the reunion, but upon further investigation they were not. Just like they weren't officially from Rhode Island.
So after an evening with a beer and a quite good TV series, she started thinking about who could raise an army of spies without anyone knowing, with the sole aim of defending the infected...
Following intense reflection, she sent a message to the doctor if he was responsible, the latter replied, "yes. »
Shirayuki: Are you going to do this for a long time...?
Fumizuki: Until the Kojui get back on their feet, I'm afraid.
Shirayuki: I will accompany you.
Fumizuki: There's no need. Go make sure I don't get murdered at this board meeting...
Shirayuki: Understood my lady.
These buffoons... The city had become a real Eden since this miracle. The vegetation had flourished and even multiplied since then. Some animals even began to appear here and there in the most "wild" areas.
For many residents, everything had become much better. The weather, the temperatures, the air, the atmosphere. For her too, she could not deny that she finally found the city magnificent day and night. For her there was nothing better than spending an evening in one of these new parks, where people were dancing and playing merrily.
Despite all the efforts of Wei and his clique to remove all this, thinking that it was only weeds that had to be removed before the arrival of the very important emissaries.
Of course it caused more than a few stirs when it was she who created the opposition to this directive.
She had no desire to ruin this natural and miraculous beauty...
Then everywhere she looked, she was reminded of the doctor...
She said to herself with a smile on her lips, her tail slowly wagging from left to right.
Then it was a bit more romantic than the copy of Coral Coast on her bedside table…
Shirayuki: My lady I... it shows more and more when you think of him.
Immediately the kirin froze, embarrassed like a young girl.
Fumizuki: Oh... Gods...
She shook her head and went to take a shower, deciding to ignore her bodyguard on the subject...
She would really like to take a vacation to clear her mind...
Siesta was too touristy… Maybe Dossoles?
Shirayuki: If you can allow me, mistress, you should make a move on him.
Sebastian: Are you really sure you girls want to do this?
Irina: Oh come on, there's no point pretending we're made out of wet paper...
She said with a thrust of her hips towards the doctor standing next to her.
Sebastian: It's just the "going all out" thing that worries me personally…
The giant was in the training room early in the morning as usual. But unlike usual it wasn't just him and Nearl... at their usual training time, they had come face to face with Irina and Amiya. Then the cautus, surprising everyone, proposed a two-on-two confrontation.
So they agreed to this arrangement. The giant and Irina, against Amiya and Nearl.
Nearl: I agree with Amiya. We are all capable here and trained.
Sebastian: Well, well…
He looked at the cautus, standing about twenty meters away, it was still a surprise that the girl had decided to take up arms rather than use her arts. And it almost surprised him that she decided to choose the longsword as her weapon. When he looked at the kuranta, however, he had the feigned impression that she did not really appreciate this departure from their usual arrangement.
He actually liked it... it added a little spice to life.
Amiya: We start whenever you want!
She kicked the tip of her sword, using the momentum to let it rest on her shoulder.
A smile appeared on her face, not the kind that the girl usually had when looking at everyone, which radiated the days. No, that smile was confident, that of a warrior about to have fun.
The giant raised his arm suddenly, drawing his revolver in a dazzling gesture of speed, before emptying his barrel. The first bullet hit Amiya's shoulder and she almost fell due to the shock, the giant having reduced the art concentration of his shot to make it "non-lethal"
Which was a good joke in itself... He was sure it would have been lethal to any human being on earth. The other shots were blocked by Nearl's shield which was placed right in front of the cautus.
Irina, for her part, threw herself forward, swords in hand before jumping to kick the kuranta's shield to knock her off balance. Using her arts at low intensity, she would have expected her attack to succeed, not for the kuranta to send her further away with a parry.
She had heard the rumors of course, but she would not have expected that this woman was actually a real bulwark made of diamond. In the air she did not let herself be defeated and instead drew her grenade launcher to attack the kuranta and her partner.
The two separated, Nearl raising her shield again to block the grenade launcher shot. As for the cautus, she threw herself with abandon towards the doctor, sword in front and he did the same. The clash of their blades caused such a noise that it seemed as if the plates of the cruiser's hull themselves were shaking violently. The sparks threatened to blind them and yet they did not close their eyes.
There was less than a second of stalemate between the two. Before the one who was the most familiar to the way of the sword acted. Taking a side step, shifting, while using their point of intersection to rotate his blade around that of the cautus. Sending hers towards the ground, and sending the hilt of the giant's right towards Amiya's face. The cautus, still strong in her reflexes, ducked just in time to avoid taking the attack head on.
Folded on herself, the giant followed up with a kick to send the poor young girl like a soccer ball a little further. Aware that it was still a two-on-two confrontation he turned to look at Nearl and Irina's side, just in time to receive a grenade head-on, the explosion knocking him back a step, and the heat burning him a few cells.
There he was sure that some operators from Rhode Island would be dead, not just normal humans... Irina clearly lacked the training for real mastery of her grenade launcher... Of course he had not been directly targeted, Nearl was, but the kuranta's ability to use a shield, to block, parry, deflect, return, terrified him to his core... Even if here it only resulted in a grenade shot being thrown back at him. As Nearl found herself struggling with the ursine again, she glanced at the giant meeting her gaze and beginning to smile just a little.
This woman…
Feeling the wind at his back, the giant took a step aside, dodging a thrust, but with his blade in hand he did not have time to turn around, before feeling a kick behind his knee making him losing his balance, followed by another kick to the plexus. First thinking of responding with a big sweep of his arm to sweep around him and push Amiya away, the giant changed his mind. He had to go against his brutal instincts. Because he knew that she read him, but above all he knew that he had to be better, to overcome the hatred, the anger, which was boiling deep within him.
So he waited, Amiya slashing her sword towards his head, planning to stop just short of hitting him, so she could point out her victory. But as the feigned idea of victory made its way into the young girl's mind, the giant's blade rose to meet that of the cautus. The two weapons collided again in a shower of sparks, the giant taking advantage of his position close to the ground to deliver a sweep to the young girl, making her fall.
Thinking of delivering his victory blow, the giant could hear Nearl running towards him with her shield raised, and frankly not having the speed or reflexes to dodge the kuranta at full speed, he absorbed the locomotive blow. Propelled like a rag doll before landing on his legs, being familiar with clashes with the knight. He glanced at Irina, seeing the ground ursine with stars in her eyes.
Her treatment and reduction in use of her arts had made him much more vulnerable compared to her time in the reunion...
Nearl, and Amiya prepared to face the giant, readying their weapons. As he began to whisper. The two did not hear the giant who seemed to be waiting for them, whispering.
The cautus looked at the kuranta, the older woman nodding and raising her shield. The two moved away slightly, deciding to circle around the giant, before throwing themselves at him.
Using all his concentration he parried the attacks one after the other, which seemed to surround him in an endless assault. Then finally, his whispers became real words, driven by stress and fatigue.
Sebastian: The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the abyss! While a wind from God swept over the face of the waters!
He swung his sword all around him making the two women step back, before hitting the tip of his sword on the ground, raising one of his hands towards the sky.
Sebastian: And then, God said: let there be light!
What appeared to be a small ball of floating light concentrated in the palm of his hand, exploded into a blinding ocean of light. The two young women were blinded and more than disoriented in the face of the new ace up the doctor's sleeve, which no one had seen before.
So when they were both hit in the back of the head and taken to the ground, it was clear what the outcome of this confrontation would be...
Nearl: What...
She said as her vision returned to her, Amiya next to her seeming to have recovered even faster.
Sebastian: And light there was.
Amiya: Dokutah… Your arts…
The giant put away his sword before taking a deep breath, he was still standing, contrary to what the energetic demands of his arts should have asked of him.
Sebastian: First time using them in combat... It's not too bad, right...?
Nearl: I don't hurt anywhere anymore.
She perhaps knew the doctor's arts better than anyone, after all it was as if the giant's were modeled after hers.
Sebastian: I can't control the healing aspect. So okay, it's not the most wonderful technique.
Amiya: and yet it worked this time...
She said, already emphasizing the idea of taking her revenge a little later. Just before jumping to her feet showing great energy, before extending her hand towards Nearl.
Nearl: You're making more and more progress...
Sebastian: And yet never enough.
To his surprise it was Amiya who held out her hand to get up, which she accepted out of politeness, although with a hint of hesitation.
Like almost everyone else, she could see that the young woman was changing suddenly, becoming more confident in herself, more proactive, more combative. Her bubbly and soft personality now showing less often. Even if it is still there more often than not.
Nearl took the cautus' hand and found herself propelled to her own feet.
She was also becoming, really, strong for her build.
Sebastian: And Irina…?
The ursine was still on the ground in the distance sprawled like a starfish, seemingly unable to get up from the ground.
Nearl: I hit her with my shield.
Sebastian: Margaret... Your shield blows are not "less dangerous" than your mace blows.
In front of so many people, including Amiya whom she respected, Nearl resumed her usual aloof behavior. The giant walked towards the ursine the two other fighters behind him and once he arrived near her.
Irina: I am... Still conscious...
She was breathing heavily but appeared to be in good condition.
Irina: Damn... I feel like... I'm fighting Patriot.
Sebastian: I think it was a compliment.
He said tapping his favorite kuranta on the shoulder, (Although he would never admit it to others) and-
Swiatla: Why is it HER your favorite...
Sebastian: 'You are not a kuranta. Don't sound jealous like that. And I got my reasons.'
He gave his hand to Irina and lifted her up while the small group, now very tired despite the early hour, headed towards the benches, while the giant headed towards the vending machines.
Sebastian: Water for everyone?
Irina: Milk for me.
Everyone turned towards her. The giant said nothing as he operated the vending machine.
Nearl/Amiya: it doesn't make your breasts grow…
Irina jumped as the giant was wheezing his lungs out a bit farther away.
Irina: I just like the taste!
Nearl: We're women... It's easy to know that you're thinking about that.
Amiya: Then I know that you often look at mine, and I doubt that you like women.
Nearl: Sometimes you just have to accept that you're unlucky...
Amiya: It's true, they could stop growing tomorrow, and I would be content with that... We have to know how to manage with the hand that life gives us.
She said, looking down and taking her breasts in her hands.
Nearl was surprised at this display of maturity on Amiya's part.
Sebastian: Yknow some men like em flat.
He said as he inserted coins into the vending machine, before turning back and continuing to speak totally unphazed.
Sebastian: Or tomboyish.
She knew she fitted in that last category. But still as the giant turned back to the vending machine, the three women looked down, and thought in doubt.
Mainly about his tastes.
The giant turned around with bottles of water and one of milk in his hands as the small group went to sit on a bench.
Amiya: it's good to have a change of pace…
She said, already seeming at peace and invigorated, the miracle of youth...
Irina: I'm really not up to it...
Sebastian: That's not true.
Nearl: I agree. You focus too much on finishing an assault quickly, brutally and forcefully. However, when you come across someone who is used to fighting in a more defensive way, like me, you tire yourself out for nothing and make mistakes.
Sebastian: The way you use your abilities has changed whether you like it or not, but you can learn to overcome that.
The ursine looked at the two older fighters, before putting her fist in the palm of his hand and leaning forward.
Irina: Thank you, Shishou!
The giant deflated like a balloon, before giving the ursine a little slap on the back of the head.
Sebastian: Don't you want to be serious, FOR TWO seconds?
He sighed and took a sip of water as the kuranta looked at the two.
Nearl: I don't know what I'm going to do over the next few days...
She said referring to her upcoming solitude. Training, while fighting, every morning had become a real habit for her.
Amiya: Are you sure it's going to be okay doktah?
The giant sighed. It was a question he had heard far too much in recent days. Since he announced that he would leave Rhodes Island.
As a scout. Identify the path to Kazimierz, report passages blocked or opened by recent catastrophes, potential dangers.
But above all, and unofficially, to treat himself to a sort of vacation and mainly to isolate himself. Stay with himself a little. Will born from the evening he had spent with W. A little isolation would do him good.
However, a few days in the wastelands solo was not seen as a vacation by many, in fact, was seen as suicide.
Sebastian: Don't worry, I'm a big boy.
Amiya: I know... And even though you taught me how to survive it, the main lesson about the wastelands is that they are dangerous.
Sebastian: It's going to be fine. For you too. I decided that operations would be kept to a strict minimum, Irina is there to take care of Misha, Saria and Silence for Ifrit. My rounds at the hospital and consultations were taken by others, and even so, I'm taking a radio so that i can be contacted.
He sighed again, regaining his composure.
Sebastian: Seriously, this is getting ridiculous...
Nearl: We like you. It's normal to worry.
Sebastian: I know Margaret…
Amiya: And doktah, you still haven't appointed a second in command...
He lowered his head. He knew that this gesture had great meaning. And that it was something he should have done a long time ago.
Sebastian: I thought about it last night. I will make my decision.
He finished his bottle of water quickly and looked at the time confirming his suspicions.
Sebastian: I'll have to go...
Seeing him leave so quickly, the ursine frowned.
Irina: Where is he going?
Amiya: The chapel…
The giant got up from his bench heading towards the exit Specter who had been next to him a few moments before doing the same.
He knew he would never have a clear answer. That the answers he sought in these places would always be found deep within himself. But this time, he wasn't even directed to those answers. His mind was in so much chaos that he could never calm down and think.
Thoughts about the darkness of his soul, thoughts about the anger and hatred that inhabited him and ate away at him like poison, which he couldn't help but spit out like bile. Thoughts about his willingness to change, for the better.
Swiatla: You would rather pray to a god whose existence you are not sure of rather than one you know is real…
The voice echoing against his soul returned to him as he left the chapel.
Sebastian: 'What's the point of faith if it becomes a certainty...?'
Swiatla: Tch… So witty…
Sebastian: 'You... Are jealous.'
He was dismayed to his core as he walked through the halls of Rhode Island, his hands in his pockets, which was quite unlike him.
Swiatla: I am a goddess. I'm above that sort of thing.
He headed towards the safe zone.
Swiatla: Your mind is foggy.
Sebastian: 'I just need a vacation.'
Swiatla: I believe in you.
Sebastian: Like everyone else... That doesn't mean you're right...
The giant stopped for a moment realizing that he had just spoken out loud. Looking around to see if anyone had heard him, he finally arrived in front of a desk. One he had never visited before.
He knocked softly on the metal door.
Dobermann: Come in.
Pressing the button right next to it, the door slid open, revealing a view of Dobermann's office. Nothing personal, every element was in its place to the millimeter. If maybe it wasn't for a frame on the desk that was aimed at her.
She looked up from what she was writing on her desk to the doctor. Beautiful chocolate eyes widening very slightly before stopping what she was doing, the giant even being able to see in her gestures the hesitation to get up, which the army had etched in her blood.
Dobermann: Doctor?
Sebastian: At ease, Dobermann.
He said, being familiar with her. Just as he was with W in a sense (before the whole tongue salad affair), naturally, because of his time as a mercenary. But he remained a soldier deep inside, just like Dobermann.
Dobermann: You should have called call me into your office.
Sebastian: It's not necessary. I won't be long to leave.
He came and sat down in the seat opposite the perro's desk, normally used by terrified operators and recruits.
Dobermann: Did you want to see me about something?
She wasn't really reassured either. It was not usual for her to receive people in her office, and the first time she received the giant there.
Sebastian: Yes. I wanted to be quick about this. I will appoint you as my second in command.
Doberman jumped.
And not just the giant, everyone could have seen her, the perro with a stick up her ass, jumping in her chair as if she were a young girl who had just been yelled at. Her little brown eyebrows, constantly furrowed, rose.
Dobermann: Sorry?
He hadn't said that he would like her to become his second, or that he is proposing it to her. No, he said he will appoint her.
Dobermann: I- I'm not sure that's a good idea doctor, I mean, it's an honor but-
She was almost starting to panic and lose her breath as she spoke. Looking down and breaking eye contact.
After all, the doctor was officially the second highest in the branch's chain of command, and more realistically, he was the first.
This meant that it would be immediately on the command line for all operators.
Sebastian: No. You are the ideal person for this role. You are an excellent fighter which commands the respect of your peer, you are intelligent, you are more than competent in all strategic aspects, you know our role as the operational branch of Rhode Island, our mission. But you also know almost every operator. All that and you are experienced. I will appoint you as my second in command, as it would not make sense to appoint anyone else.
The perro took a moment to breathe. Not expecting such an avalanche of compliments from the doctor. But above all she felt embarrassed. To obtain such a promotion... She would have thought that a dozen other individuals would have been better placed than her for this.
Dobermann: I… Thank you. It's an honor, doctor.
Sebastian: Don't worry, you're up to the task. I know it.
He said with a smile.
Sebastian: I'll have to go. Rhode Island will be rolling again in a few hours and I still haven't packed my things.
He stood up from the seat, Dobermann doing the same out of respect.
Sebastian: And don't worry Dobermann, your pay increase will arrive next month.
He said half laughing. While the perro, for once, had a smile on her lips.
Dobermann: Valentina… I never told you my name did I?
Sebastian: Congratulations, Valentina.
He saluted, out of respect. Calling upon the part of her she tried to hide a bit. But she smiled, and saluted back.
He left that office, as quickly as he had arrived there. Dobermann, falling back into her chair, feeling herself struck by a train of surprise, looked at the small frame on her desk.
The frame in which her Colonel stripes were located. Only physical memories of most of her life. When she came to Rhode Island, it was only to receive pay and treatment. But like everything in her life, like when she was young and thinking about the independence of her country, like when she joined the army, she became passionate, invested, much more than many would have done, much more than perhaps she should have, or what her usual cold facade would have suggested.
And even though she had invested herself in Rhode Island, in each person she fought alongside, but also in the recruits she trained, in the end she always told herself that she didn't belong here. That she would no longer throw herself wholeheartedly into a cause, for fear of being hurt, as she had been before.
But no. This time, she knew it would be for good.
The place where she could fight with all her might.
Dobermann was smiling.
Silverash was on the upper deck of Rhode Island. Taking advantage of the temperature, which was a little more bearable than that of the desert where Rhodes Island had remained for a good part of the time, but above all, she waited.
She.
A fact he was reminded of by how difficult it had become to cross her arms, and how her shirts were suddenly much tighter.
Only three more days until the cure for her problem... Hopefully.
She would kill that little bastard the first chance she got. Traumatic memories rose to the surface in the feline's psyche. Those of these sisters excited at the idea of having a big sister, forcing her to wear all kinds of women's outfits...
She now absolutely loathed bras. Having to retort to other means to keep her goods constrained in her straining shirts.
She cursed Aak every time she went to pee and stood there before realizing something was missing.
She thanked Kjeragandr when she heard the sound of helicopter blades tearing her from her dark memories. The Rhode Island aircraft approached quickly, and began to descend onto the flight deck before landing with all the gentleness of experienced Rhode Island pilots.
Silverash faced the opening of the cargo hold and took a deep breath, as the ramp began to slowly descend, revealing the person behind it. A mature woman. Whose features and gaze were sharper than the wind blades of Kjerag or any weapon that was on Rhode Island.
The caprinae's steel gaze broke instantly when it landed on Silverash, and the ramp had not even completely descended when she found herself right in front of her, grabbing her shoulders, rushing forward. at a phenomenal speed to grab them.
Degenbrecher: By the gods! Mr. Enciodas, is that you?! But what happened?! Who did this to you?! I swear to you that-
Silverash: Degen please calm down!
The bodyguard froze for a moment, before letting go of her mistress and pulling herself together, in the space of an instant standing up straight as a rod, and her gaze cold again. Regaining control of herself and her emotions.
Degenbrecher: What is happening to you is unusual.
Silverash: Needless to say…
She raised her arm to rub her temples, an incomparable fatigue of the soul inhabiting her eyes, her reaction exacerbated when she had to come to terms with the two melons she had on her chest.
Silverash: I was caught- Caught in an experiment gone wrong... I'll have a cure for my condition in a few days. Do not worry.
Degenbrecher: Can I eliminate the person responsible once your treatment is complete?
Her gaze was still cold.
Silverash: I don't think that's a good idea... It would inevitably end up being traced back to us.
Degenbrecher: It's been… A long time? That you are in this disposition?
Silverash: Too much. A long time. A few days.
Degenbrecher: I'm sorry, ma'- sir.
If looks could kill, Silverash's would have caused genocide.
Degenbrecher: Are your sisters okay?
Silverash: Ecstatic to have another sister…
She said with hatred on her face...
She had to try on so many outfits, amid a barrage of photos...
Silverash: Ah, I forgot, it goes without saying that your mission here will also extend to my personal protection as well as that of my sisters.
Degenbrecher: Of course. Where is the person I should be training? I can't wait to meet her.
Silverash: With the doctor probably... How are the men in Kjerag?
Degenbrecher: Tensions with the other clans decrease after the mafioso incursion. But spies and assassins are still on the prowl. It will take time for us to rebuild our strength and be taken seriously again. But many of our men can't wait to have you in charge. The Tschäggättä are patient, however. Their training has more than paid off.
This was the doctor who had handled as personally as he could a clandestine operation, Silverash's elite troops. And when he did something, Sebastian never did it half-heartedly.
Silverash: And... Gnosis?
The feline asked, looking away for a quarter of a second, her tail wagging slightly.
The caprinae said to herself that it was completely normal that he was so interested in his childhood friend...
Degenbrecher: He's fine. He runs the company with a sure hand.
Silverash: Well... Fine... We can go then.
The feline raised her wrist and did a quick rotation with it, activating her monitor.
Silverash: PRTS, where is the doctor?
PRTS: The Doctor is currently in the landing bay.
Degenbrecher: What a strange little object...
The feline raised an eyebrow as she turned away from her bodyguard to begin walking straight towards the inner corridors of Rhode Island.
Silverash: More utilitarian than anything else.
The two moved through elevators and hallways, the caprinae standing in a perfect blind spot behind Silverash, hand on her blade, eyes darting around for the slightest danger, spotting the slightest weakness in every people and every place.
Silverash: You will be provided quarters near ours. I saw to this personally.
Degenbrecher: If possible, I would like them to be as close as possible to your Mr. Enciodas. Your safety is the priority.
Silverash: No need. I know how to defend myself.
The feline laughed lightly.
Silverash: Even Ensia and Anya learn to fight. And they are doing much better than I expected...
She said with a slight laugh. She was aware that Dobermann had adapted the training of the two to be much more permissive, at least at the beginning, but the two had shown themselves to be gifted and their training had resumed a normal course... Well, even if the cardio and muscular side had missed a little for Anya…
Degenbrecher: Combat is etched in the blood of your lineage.
So what would it be like when the doctor provided an heir to said lineage...
Should he involve the caprinae in this matter? Probably not... Even though she was entirely dedicated to the orders of Silverash, she also had immense affection for her sisters.
The two got out of the elevator and after a few steps in silence found themselves in the huge room which allowed people to disembark and embark from Rhodes Island. The cool air of the wastelands rushed into the cruiser. The very light rain lifting the smell of petrichor into the air.
The least thing you could notice though was that it was a little crowded. While it was early in the morning. A few glances were turned towards the two tall women who had just entered the room. Looks deserved by the fact that few recognized the black knight, others who were still not used to seeing Silverash in his new form, and others still because the two women were immense Silverash having still kept his size of man.
Sensing her incomprehension, the feline spoke softly.
Silverash: The doctor is a well-liked person in Rhode Island.
The caprinae wondered what he looked like, and like a miracle, the operators parted like a biblical sea.
Leaving a view of the doctor who was crouching down moments ago, adding something into a large black backpack. He put it on one shoulder and stood up to his full height chatting with Nearl. Of course she recognized the other champion of the major, but when the giant's gaze met hers she froze.
She recognized those eyes. And this blade that he proudly displayed on his belt. Steel black as night, the only thing captivating about it was the strip of orange fabric that was stuck to the handle. On the battlefield the latter attracted the eye and twirled like a dancer around whom death was raining.
1088 Northwest of Leithania
That day, the air tasted like death.
Like many days during the wars.
After the great rebellion in Ursus led by the legendary Patriot himself, Ursus quickly turned to a new scapegoat, a new war, a new way to divert the people's attention.
Then the Ursine armies set out towards Leithania. Having the idea of stopping the other greatest power in its tracks.
It was October if she remembered correctly.
She was already considered one of the best when she was in Leithania, so of course she was deployed to the front lines, appointed by the twin empresses themselves.
The Leithanians had repelled Ursus' troops in counter-offensive after counter-offensive.
It was only a matter of time before she fell to the spearhead of Ursus' army, the Third Army. The devils.
Led by Ursus' greatest champion, Yuri, the Red Right Hand of the Emperor. Turning the battlefield to his advantage.
A duel was then proposed between the two champions. To stop the needless bloodshed, as was done at Kazimierz.
Degenbrecher found herself facing Yuri on the battlefield. The armored man didn't utter a single word, his blade gripped tightly in his hand.
The blood flowed along the steel of the armor, revealing the black metal which seemed to dance under the rays of the sun which had bathed the battlefield, due to its damask construction.
Both were covered in the blood of hundreds of soldiers.
For the gods of the battlefields were born from seas of blood.
Her uniform was torn in many places, her blood and that of her enemies showing here and there, she took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her swordbreakers.
He threw himself at her with dazzling savagery. It was a beast, on three legs, the fourth used to handle the blade that could cut it in two.
Degenbrecher resisted as long as she could. But it was a tornado that she faced, a veritable cataclysm of steel that howled with rage and struck in all directions, alternating blows with swords, fists, claws and horns.
In the mixture of earth and blood he no longer had a human figure.
She held on as long as she could. Using every technique, every low blow, every hope she glimpsed one after the other.
For her, it was the fight of her life, the ultimate confrontation. For him, it was letting off steam on a meat punching bag.
One of her drops of sweat fell into her eyes, the acidity of it blinding her for a moment.
For a moment... For a blink of an eye.
They should have been equal, one against the other.
Brute strength, speed, reflexes, resistance.
They SHOULD have been on equal terms.
And yet it wasn't. For of all the skills that the Leithanian warrior could conjure, she found herself dominated on a terrain on which no human being could venture further than the colossus.
Savagery.
No one in this world could have become more animal than this man. Because it was a talent he had been honing for millions of years. A fragment of his soul.
Who he really was.
She blinked and found herself cut from shoulder to hip by the blade of the colossus.
The pain, the incomprehension paralyzed her for a minute.
Because it was the first time that she had received such a serious injury in her entire life.
But this was war, not a friendly duel.
She pulled herself together and, driven by despair, struck the giant's helmet with all her might with her bladebreaker.
The black iridium fractured, letting the giant take a step back. Degenbrecher was unable to follow up with another attack. Her blood flowing despite everything.
The giant looked at her. The fracture in his helmet revealing the monster's left eye.
A jewel, an emerald. She had seen the color of that eye and would never forget it. Even when it suddenly changed to become red like blood. With a cry of rage the colossus returned to the attack, slashing his blade rather clumsily towards the caprinae.
For once she had the advantage, she used the technique that had won her so many fights. She blocked the attack with one of her blades, and struck the giant's sword with the other in a vice.
She could have broken a mountain.
But Purgatory was designed to cut through stars.
The sword flew out of the giant's grip and crashed into the ground a few steps away, the metal of the blade glowing orange from the intense energy it had just absorbed.
It hadn't broken.
This was the first time Degenbrecher saw this.
The demon grabbed her by the skull, digging its claws into the skin of her skull making her bleed even more, before lifting her up to smash her to the ground.
He retrieved his weapon by raising his hand, it flying directly into the palm of his hand. The final blow would come as they looked into each other's eyes.
Yuri: Pitiful.
His eyes held nothing but hatred.
He raised his blade and thrust the tip into the caprinae's heart. It stops with a final death rattle.
Or at least she should have stopped for one last time. If his heart had indeed been on the left.
But in a great act of irony of which the universe had the secret, she was born with the same affliction as the giant. Possessing the heart on the right. What he, too blinded by his anger, by his hatred, was incapable of noticing.
The battle should have stopped when the caprinae reached the ground. As in Kazimierz. By an official victory of Ursus and a retreat on the part of the Leithanian forces.
But instead she witnessed a bloodbath. This man no longer contained honor.
The Leithanian forces were massacred. Until the last one. Even though they had surrendered.
Blood flowed, turning the earth into mud. To the point of staining the ground. Degenbrecher could only hear, because she refused to listen, and see because she refused to watch such a massacre.
The only thing she could feel was the heat of the blood in which she was bathed. Hers, that of the men and women of the army she led, all mixed into a single liquid that should never have been.
There was no man under that helmet.
Their eyes met and for a moment there was dead silence in the hangar. Because they had looked at each other for far too long for that to be normal. The giant recognized this look. The one of the people who recognized him. Then his hand rested on his blade. Ready to grab it at any moment.
Of course Degenbrecher too was on the verge of drawing her two-handed sword. Strong in the fact that her bladebreakers would be useless. Nearl looked at the two, understanding that there was something fishy going on. So she decided to intervene, to calm things down.
By acting like the fangirl she was.
Nearl: You are the dark knight...?
The caprinae's gaze turned to Nearl, who for the first time in front of everyone had stars in his eyes.
Degenbrecher: Yes. You are Margaret Nearl.
Leithania was another phase of her life. Which went back a long way. The caprinae calmed down and began to smile slightly.
Degenbrecher: I like your style.
The giant laughed very lightly as he saw the hairs on the kuranta's tail stiffen, as did her ears.
Sebastian: I had to find you a partner while I'm not here.
He also calmed down, dropping his blade and instead crossing his arms, a smile on his lips. The kuranta looked at the giant, her face regaining a calmer expression. But for those who knew the young woman, she was definitely filled with joy.
Nearl: It's not even my birthday yet...
Sebastian: I know it's in three weeks. But consider this a... Preview. If you will.
Some were discussing that if this was just a taste, then what was his real birthday in store. After all the gossip concerning the giant and Nearl rained down due to their undeniable proximity.
Sebastian: Which reminds me... That I have something else in stock. Nian?!
The young woman got up from the box she was sitting on, starting to drag another, very heavy one towards the two. A big smile on her lips.
The giant gestured to the young woman to open it, kneeling on the ground. And curious, Nearl did so. Revealing armor stuffed into the crate.
It was hers… Or at least one that was exactly similar to his. If it wasn't for...
At the top right of the breastplate that she took in her hands.
There was an insigna. Two chevrons. Inverted.
Not really understanding, she turned her gaze towards the giant who confirmed her fears showing her a box which contained a golden pin with the same symbol. And it was only then that she understood.
Sebastian: Congratulations on your promotion to Elite Two.
Nearl: Me...?
Ace who was a few meters away began to laugh lightly.
Ace: Believe us kid, you've got what it takes.
Some were surprised. Others started to applaud but Nearl smiled gently.
Nearl: Thank you.
The giant nodded.
Amiya: For all that it matters, I too want to congratulate you Miss Nearl.
Sebastian: Now that that's settled I can go.
He looked around at his operators, of course there was Ace, Amiya, Nearl. But many others, W who looked at him in his corner with a smile, Blaze, Silence, Rosa, Exusiai, Mostima, Siege, Ch'en.
Everyone had come to see him when he was leaving, as if he was going to the slaughterhouse, which made him laugh slightly inside. He felt like someone was missing though.
But on the other hand it warmed his heart to see all these people he loved worrying about him.
Sebastian: I'll meet you all in Kazimierz. Act fine kids.
A few smiles here and there at his words, as he headed towards the exit.
He didn't like goodbyes, so he didn't consider them as such. And preferred to slip away without a word.
He walked to the end of the bay ramp, and jumped the remaining meter to place both feet in the wet earth. He walked a few dozen meters, before taking one last look at Rhodes Island who was retracting the ramp, ready to leave.
It was April 4. And Sebastian was alone for the first time in this world.
He looked west, feeling a breeze calling to him.
And yet he felt good.
He tightened the straps of his bag and took a moment to take a deep breath of fresh air.
Kal'tsit was typing on her keyboard, her face as expressionless as usual, taking a few sips of her coffee here and there. Until the door to her office opened.
Warfarin: Kal?
Kal'tsit: What do you want, Warfarin?
The vampire approached her colleague who did not raise an eye from her monitor. Herdf face clearly showed all his worry.
Warfarin: Are you… okay? Kal, you've barely left your office for three days.
Kal'tsit: I'm fine. Something else ?
Warfarin: The doctor just left... If you're interested...
Kal'tsit: Hm.
Warfarin: …
There was dead silence. The sarkaz sighed. It was not Kal'tsit's habit to be so cold towards her.
Warfarin: Is that all? You didn't come to see him go after all-
Kal'tsit: I have nothing to do with this man.
The cold faded slightly. The ice melted by the venom.
Warfarin: Kal you can't say you don't share anything with him-
Kal'tsit: I can. And that's what I do.
She looked down from her screen for a moment. Clenching her fist.
Kal'tsit: Nothing ever happened between the two of us...
To say that hatred inhabited Kal'tsit... Would have been a great understatement. But Warfarin had been friends with her since Babel. She could see that something had changed.
It was no longer this explosive, red, emotional hatred.
Instead it was black, visceral, gnawing. Like acid lined deep within her.
Warfarin knew that before, Kal'tsit had this deep love for the doctor. That little spark of passion. Which now seemed to have been extinguished forever.
Warfarin: Something happened... Is that it?
Kal'tsit: Nothing.
She turned in her chair to look at Warfarin.
Kal'tsit: He is of no importance to me. If you're worried about him, just run after him like everyone else.
She put the clues together in her head.
Warfarin: Oh…
She was jealous. Beyond anything reasonable or simple. Which meant that to hurt her that much, she must have received a big blow.
Warfarin: You saw him with someone else, didn't you?
Kal'tsit: Get the hell out of my office Warfarin. It's an order.
The sarkaz lowered her gaze. Feeling hurt, slowly making her way towards the feline's office door.
Warfarin: I'm your friend Kal. And I always will be. Don't chase me away because of this.
Without a sound, the sarkaz left the office leaving the feline alone. With her misfortune.
She leaned forward, placing her face on the palms of her hands, and began to cry silently.
Hate. Her hatred towards him hurt her. And she suffered from it.
But even if she could, she wouldn't have gotten rid of it.
It had now been a few hours since the giant started walking. And at the rate he was going he was already a day ahead of Rhodes Island, notably after he was able to cross the Cornelia Mountains.
Too steep to be crossed by a land cruiser, but perfect for climbing. So as he walked alone with his thoughts he passed through a wood, a voice broke into his mind.
Swiatla: So you have decided to start this journey.
Sebastian: I think I need it.
Swiatla: I don't think I can keep you company very often... My strength is still not enough to keep you company all the time.
Sebastian: It doesn't matter.
He stopped for a moment and looked at the white-clad figure in the shadow of a tree.
Sebastian: If you left me alone for a bit, would it really be so bad?
He said with a slight mocking smile, while she started to sulk slightly.
Swiatla: Why did I choose an idiot like you as my champion?
He continued his walk, laughing under his breath before leaving the woods to look at a large plain. But what caught his eye was a herd of wild horses grazing.
Taking a quick second to watch a spectacle of nature, the giant placed one knee on the ground taking advantage of the shade offered by the edge of the wood, then quickly his two emeralds landed on one of the animals.
A magnificent white mare, but above all, colossal, much larger than all the other horses in the herd. And on top of all that seemed to have a real shitty character, pushing the other creatures, and stealing from them the same grass that they were all grazing on.
Sebastian: I like her already.
He only put down his bag and his sword remaining in his military uniform before approaching the animals.
Swiatla: Don't tell me you're going to do what I think?
He approached closer and closer, the animals even after having never seen a man did not flee even though they had clearly spotted the two meter colossus.
Apart from the famous colossal mare, none of the other animals seemed to react to his presence; the latter approached him. And immediately he could see some intelligence behind the beast's eyes.
He raised his arm as if to touch her, and she came ever closer.
Sebastian: Hey there…
The mare began to rear, and raised her hooves as if to reduce the giant to a pulp. And that was most likely the intention behind it... The doctor dodged at the last minute by jumping to his left, but quickly the mare skimmed the ground with her neck and head to jostle the giant and give him a blow.
Taking advantage of this opportunity he jumped and grabbed the mare's mane before ending up on her back.
Sebastian: You won't get me like that, big girl!
The rodeo began and Sebastian was immediately plunged into childhood.
His grandmother owned a horse ranch far to the north. This is where he had spent most of his childhood holidays. Enjoying the plains, the frozen rivers and the company of these magnificent creatures.
Of course, being a huge idiot, he had improvised as a cowboy more than once.
So he had gained a lot of experience with this sort of thing.
The mare reared, neighing one last time before settling down quietly.
Sebastian: Are you giving up already?
She exhaled, like a sigh. Allowing himself to be defeated. He had a big shit-eating grin on his face.
Sebastian: We're going to go a long way together... what do you think, big girl?
The animal moved its head, as if to look at the giant, their eyes meeting again.
He had always assumed that animals were more intelligent than they were given credit for.
But this one seemed a little too intelligent even.
She exhaled again before looking straight ahead.
Sebastian: Shit, I need to get my bag.
His mount broke into a trot before he even made the slightest sign.
Sebastian: Ouch ouch ouch! Gentle for fuck sake, we don't even have a sadle yet !
Damn, either this animal was a real beast or it was strong enough to take its weight on its spine.
Swiatla: I should have rethought my choices…
She said with a sigh hearing her paladin sound like a drunken moron riding the first horse he saw.
Dusk was creeping in, while Sebastian was still on his horse.
Sebastian: We'll stop soon.
He followed a sort of path in the middle of another forest. The song of birds and animals lulled his ears as the sun and its last rays illuminated the giant. For a moment he froze, the mount's ears stiffening.
Sebastian: I'll take care of it.
From the back of his mount he disappeared in an instant, and a few moments later another figure appeared dressed in a brown cape and a bow on her back. She followed the tracks left by the animal and knelt down to observe them.
?: They are shallower... Did he suddenly lose weight?
The giant grabbed the person by the neck, threatening them with his knife at the throat before-
Sebastian: Meteor… Sorry I didn't recognize you.
He moved his knife away from the woman's throat, then she gently removed her hood.
Meteor: I think I noticed…
She seemed almost feverish. It must be said that they were in a particular disposition... The giant had clung to a tree branch to hide and had hung by his legs to attack by surprise, finding himself upside down. His expertise in jungle combat proving useful again.
The two looked into each other's eyes, having the same color.
Sebastian: Why were you following me?
Meteor: I heard you were leaving for Kazimierz, so I figured I'd go with you. Take a little trip home.
She relaxed, placing a hand on her hip.
Meteor: And then I already made this trip in the opposite direction. A little expertise will help, right?
Confident in herself, it was a smile that appeared on her lips, not having taken her eyes off the giant for a long time.
He decided to come down from the tree and speak like a normal human instead of a bat, landing fluidly on his feet before putting his knife behind his back at his belt.
Sebastian: Well this will give me some company.
Another exhale from the mount who had turned back to look at the two a few meters away.
Sebastian: Human company!
Meteor: It's…
Sebastian: I found her.
Meteor: A beautiful mount.
The creature raised its head as if in pride.
Sebastian: Clever too.
Meteor: The sun will soon set…
Sebastian: Yeah. I was about to pack up for the night.
Meteor: Then let's go. We should find a slightly clearer place.
Indeed the vegetation was too dense to be able to settle comfortably
They began to walk, the giant beckoning the mare to move forward.
The giant took a moment to look at the kuranta. She carried her bow, a quiver, and her cape, but seemed beyond lacking in any equipment other than what she carried on base operations.
Sebastian: Are you traveling light?
She stretched her arms, revealing her face beneath her cloak, before bringing her hands together to rest them behind her head. That little smile on your lips.
Meteor: A bad habit I know. You seem to be packing on the other side.
The show she put on and the little smile told him that she seemed to have returned to that little game of charm that they had gotten into when they first met. Which surprised him given that she had withdrawn after learning of their age difference.
Perhaps the idea had passed him by.
The giant looked at his bag, which must surely be the size and weight of a Durin.
Sebastian: Hm. As you said. Habits.
They walked together for a while longer, the kuranta's steps showing all the ease she had in moving through the woods which made the giant smile.
Sebastian: You didn't take a tent.
Which was a simple remark with nothing behind it…
The woman turned around with a big smile.
Meteor: You'll just have to make room for me in yours.
Transformed into something completely different.
The giant was frozen inside but didn't let anything show, taken aback by how direct the kuranta was.
It was also at this moment that he noticed the small mole under his right eye.
Charming.
Sebastian: I'm taking up space.
He said with a small smile.
Meteor: We'll see that tonight.
It was a good day.
The mare began to neigh a little further away, drawing the two's gaze to a small clearing. The two travelers then set to work, the giant putting down his bag and starting to set up the tent, while the kuranta began to gather wood to make a campfire. The sun set little by little, obscuring the surroundings.
The mare remained near the camp, grazing on fresh grass. Meteor set fire to the wood with a stone and his knife after only a few tries, again demonstrating his experience.
Seeing that their camp was almost ready but slightly lacking in this little charm, the giant got up having finished setting up the tent, then headed towards a dead tree with a fairly wide trunk. He tore off a piece of the trunk with his bare hand and carried it straight towards the camp, placing it near the fire to make a bench.
He leaned against the trunk, sitting on the ground, Meteor quickly joining him and sitting on the trunk.
Meteor: You'd think you've been doing this your whole life.
It was true. How many times had he pursued a target to the ends of the earth, how many times had he stationed himself in the bush with his unit, or how many nights had he spent outside during his Spetsnaz entrance exam.
Sebastian: I act on instinct.
She could notice that every act he did seemed to have been practiced hundreds of times, to the point where it was disconcerting. His whole body exuded ease. Like that uniform he moved in. A military uniform, in the colors of Rhode Island. The uniform from which Ace's and Rhodes' standard had been modeled. Even if the security branch wasn't really invested in wearing a real uniform...
Meteor: Hmm.
The flames began to grow a little.
Meteor: I didn't take the time to hunt.
The giant turned towards his enormous bag. Rummaging through it before pulling out a cardboard box, which he placed between him and Meteor before starting to rummage through it again. The intrigued Kuranta grabs the box.
Meteor: Victorian rations?
Sebastian: One of the best things they took from Gaul. What dish do you want?
Meteor: Hmmm… Lamb stew. Does that suit you?
Sebastian: Yeah, that leaves me with the calamari.
The two began to open the box and eat their meal, under the crackling of the wood fire, and under the darkness covering the sky.
Sebastian: I was wondering, how did you meet Margaret?
The usual passion that covered Meteor's face was absent for a moment, seeming to be covered with bitterness.
Meteor: I am a good hunter. I have always been. Enough so that even though my village was two days from Kawarielki, her parents heard about me.
She leaned forward, watching the mixture in the can of her dish boil gently.
Meteor: I became their game supplier for years. At first it was for the big money they offered me. And soon other noble houses began offering more. But I stayed with them. They were incredible people. I remember when her mother was pregnant. This idiot was completely unconscious wanting to follow me on hunts while she was heavily pregnant.
She took a deep breath, to avoid getting overwhelmed by emotions. Then looked the giant in the eyes as he had just removed their dishes from the fire to prevent them from burning.
Meteor: They wanted me to be Margaret's godmother.
Sebastian: Did you accept?
Meteor: Of course. But quickly after Maria's birth I contracted oripathy. I came to see them one last time. I came close to arrest. So I ran away. And I finished my race in Kazdel.
Sebastian: You traveled halfway around the world to find yourself in a war zone.
He said with a slight laugh.
Meteor: There wasn't yet a civil war back then but yeah... I'm not very lucky. It was a phenomenal surprise when we met again in Rhodes. It was at the mess halls, I was coming back from an operation, the followers had just been recruited and I saw her.
While she took her canned food cold enough to eat, as well as cuttlery that the giant gave her, she finished recounting her memories.
Meteor: She's her mother's copy. So when I saw her I rushed towards her to take her in my arms.
The giant changed position, extending one of his legs.
Sebastian: This world seems absurdly small at times.
The flames crackled again as their dishes quickly disappeared.
Meteor: Why did you want to travel alone to Kazimierz?
The giant remained motionless. Knowing full well that this question was going to come up at some point. And now he had to be honest.
Sebastian: I'm upset? I guess. I found a file that contained a bunch of operations that I conducted in Babel.
She didn't know the true depth of it. But everyone had heard the rumors about his most terrible deeds. Especially since she was already there in Babel.
At that time, deaths were frequent. Too frequent. The only thing that hung over Babel was the shadow of death and misery.
Sebastian: I can't stay near the others. After everything I've done. I had trouble looking them in the eye. A little time. A little excursion. Far from everyone. It will do me good.
The kuranta couldn't find the words. After all Sebastian was not the type of man to often confide his doubts and thoughts.
Meteor: You could put it more simply that you need a vacation.
The giant laughed heartily, looking at the older woman out of the corner of his eye.
Sebastian: I've spent every second since December thinking about Rhodes Island in the back of my mind. To what I could and should do… Yeah I think I need a vacation.
Meteor: It's almost Obsidian Festival season. I went to the very first one you know? You have to do it at least once in your life.
He really wanted to joke about her age. But he refused, thinking about the fact that he was an old man in a young person's body.
Sebastian: The only thing that bothers me is leaving my daughters behind. Ifrit it's still okay. But Misha doesn't have another parental figure like Iffy.
Meteor: I almost forgot that Mister is a Dad.
Sebastian: In my old age it's normal to have children.
He said, stroking his beard, lazing for a moment like an old sage.
A slight laugh escaped the kuranta's lips. Sweet comic melody that lulled the giant's ears.
Truth be told, the reason she came back to the giant, curious again was right there. Frightened by his age, it was the boundless maturity he demonstrated with his children that reassured her. And that made Sebastian fall back into her good graces.
That...
And something else.
Sebastian: And you another reason behind this trip?
Meteor looked at the flames.
Meteor: I want to see Kazimierz again. Like I always did. Not through a window. With my own eyes. Feeling its grass on my back, the wind on my face.
The two looked into each other's eyes. The woman began to smile seductively again.
Meteor: And the company is rather pleasant.
Sebastian: Is it.
The sound of the mare lying down in the grass shook them from their tension.
Meteor: She's not very wild...
Sebastian: She still has a bad temper.
The animal quickly looked at the giant before looking ahead.
Meteor: Did you find a name for her?
Sebastian: Not yet.
He thought for a few moments of the name of the mare he was riding, and after a good moment of hesitation he decided not to make a stupid joke by giving her the name of a person he knew.
He was a responsible and mature adult.
Meteor: Don't even think about calling her Margaret.
Sebastian: Me? Never in life... Mind giving me a hand?
Meteor: Erda?
An exhalation.
Sebastian: I think she has a say. Arion?
Another one.
Meteor: Epona.
Again.
Sebastian: Grani?
Neihter.
Meteor: Don't you want to come up with a normal name?
Sebastian: It would be up to me to say that! Llamrei.
This time it was a neighing sound from the mare, as she got up enthusiastically.
Sebastian: There you go. I think she likes that.
Meteor: Where does this name come from?
Sebastian: It was a queen's mare in an old book I read.
The most basic excuse he found every time to be able to explain what he extracted from his memories. In another situation he would have remained evasive, saying it was the name of a friend's mare. But in this world, he was perhaps the one who knew his past the least.
Meteor: Oh I see... But she actually seems to like it.
Sebastian: No, to find her a sadle...
Meteor: We can probably find one for him in the next village we visit.
Sebastian: I hope so.
He started to yawn before putting his hand over his mouth.
Sebastian: Now... that doesn't look like me.
Meteor: Go to sleep. I need to bless my arrows.
Sebastian: You do that often?
Meteor: Every night I spend outside. Kazimierzan ritual.
Her voice was low with a slight smile.
Meteor: I'll join you... Don't worry.
The giant smiled slightly, before getting up, taking his bag before leaving it at the foot of the tent. Preferring to bring it closer in case an animal gets the idea to rummage in it during the night. Then disappearing into the tent, lying down.
The kuranta began her ritual, taking the arrows out of her quiver, before placing them in the flames. Cut from branches of golden willows and cockatrix feathers, they did not burn. Then she began her prayer to the goddess of Kazimierz.
But this time she felt something different. Deep inside herself.
She was used to reconnecting with the earth. With the world. This inexplicable feeling of warmth in the heart when thinking of one's environment and one's native land. To bathe in the sound of the wind caressing the trees, and enjoy the song of the waterways, struck by the rhythm of the crackling of the fire.
But no, it was a disagreement. Something was wrong.
She felt her connection to nature stronger than ever, what was just an instinct before, turning into a real sensation. Of feeling the wind through each tree, as if they became extensions of herself, of knowing just where each little living thing in these woods was.
Her arrows, which were already a weapon that she had always wielded with grace and ease, were now a true extension of herself. So much so that she could feel the heat of the flames, through these simple munitions.
Her eyes widened, not understanding this torrent of emotion and new sensations that seized her.
A certain panic, a worry, born of incomprehension invades his thoughts, panicking her mind. But something calms her down.
A hand resting on her back. Slender fingers, reaching for her as if she were made of glass, as if she would shatter with the slightest breeze. And yet an immense heat invades her being. Not the kind of warmth of a summer sun, but that of a gentle spring morning, the warmth of a fireplace in the middle of a snowstorm.
The raging sea that was Meteor's thoughts calmed instantly.
She felt like she felt her mother's hand on her back.
Once calm returned to her mind, Meteor couldn't help but wonder whose hand that was.
She whipped her head around to look at her back, but there was nothing there. Instead she could only see petals on the ground. Frowning, she grabbed one of these petals to look at it more closely.
A flower petal, coming from a golden willow. The kuranta thought about the date but said to herself that it was impossible. There were no willows this far from Kazimierz, and they hadn't flowered yet anyway.
This left only one explanation remaining. And she didn't even want to think about it.
Meteor: Great mother…
Her gaze, as if by instinct, shifted to another place. The giant's backpack. Something was definitely wrong. During this moment when her connection with nature had reached its peak she felt that all strength or vitality seemed to want to move away from this bag. As if what he was carrying was cursed.
Intrigued, she approached, discreetly, and opened the one. Under a layer of cloth and a zipper, she could see something that reflected the light of the campfire. She grabbed the object and took it out of the backpack, then setting her eyes on an object that startled her.
It was a helmet. She had difficulty seeing it clearly because of the blackness of the metal from which it was made, and the appearance of it, seeming to dance like waves, the horns on this helmet were undoubtedly those of a demon.
The helmet itself had belonged to a demon. His entire body shivered from contact with the cursed metal. His entire being repulsed by the simple object, because of all the blood it had been covered in over the years.
*click*
She was not familiar with sanktah weapons. But she had watched enough movies to recognize the sound of a recoiling firing pin.
Her eyes moved to the giant in the tent. Seeing him lying down, his eyes open and uncertain resting on the kuranta.
A second of tension set in. Then the kuranta spoke, a smile on her lips.
Meteor: You can relax.
She popped the helmet in her hands to turn the face and present it to the giant.
Meteor: I remember telling Ace that you were Yuri. This idiot never believed me.
The giant exhaled a deep breath, releasing the hammer of his revolver slowly, calming down. Each time he felt like he was playing Russian roulette when it was revealed that he was simply the reason why Terra's greatest power had rolled over the others and allowed a vile nation to gain strength. on all lands.
Since he arrived in this world he had made bad choices after bad choices.
Sebastian: I need it. For the major. That'll give me cover.
Meteor: I would have suspected that. You don't walk around with a ton of steel on your back for fun.
The giant blew his nose in amusement. Slightly admiring that the kuranta managed to calm the situation.
Curious, the woman took the helmet and put it on, looking at the giant, through the holes provided for breathing and sight. After a few moments she pulled it out taking a deep breath, her horse ears bouncing upwards after being flattened.
Meteor: By the great mother, it stinks in there!
The giant laughed very lightly, relaxing slightly.
Meteor: You can't see anything with it... Then it crushes your ears!
Sebastian: It's made to be worn by someone who only has one pair. Plus all the holes are perfectly aligned with my eyes.
Meteor: Heavy armor, very little for me anyway.
Sebastian: It's more reserved for nags like me.
Another second of silence where Meteor put the helmet down.
Meteor: Do you... Want to talk about it?
Sebastian: I don't have much to say. On this subject. The good memory came back to me and I found the armor.
Meteor: Good. No further big discussions. I'm dead tired.
She began to smile softly before getting on her hands and knees, starting to move slowly into the tent. Advancing with the grace of a feline in the intimacy and darkness of this place.
Sebastian: how tired are you exactly?
He said, getting up on his elbows but remaining on his back, their eyes locking. A smile also appears on his lips. That smile could have spread from ear to ear when she started crawling straight over him. Close enough that he could feel her warmth. The kuranta's hand touching his chest before slowly moving up to his head, just like her until their faces were only a few centimeters apart.
The facial expression Meteor had on her face was a perfect imitation of the one Liskarm could get on Franka's face when the two were alone.
Just when he was thinking he was going to have a hell of a night, Meteor flicked him in the nose.
Meteor: Too much to do anything else.
She said before letting herself roll over to lie down right next to Sebastian, who bit his cheek, blue balled as can be.
The giant sighed, regaining his composure.
Meteor: What. Disappointed ? I'm not easy to get.
Sebastian: That sounds like a challenge.
He resumed his smile.
Sebastian: I like it.
The time to retreat had already come, leaving only her on the battlefield. Still standing, a broken rifle in her hands as her only weapon. She was alone, her helmet was heavy. Slowly, the young girl raised her head looking at the other side of no man's land being the only one in this trench. However, the bombings, both allies and enemies, did not stop. She collapsed in the trench. Clasping hands.
She had never believed in any superior being. But devoid of all direction in the middle of the dust. She couldn't help but pray, ask, beg.
Amiya: Please... Please... If there's anyone up there... Talk to me. Tell me something, what should I do. Anything.
The voice that escaped his lips was not hers, just as this body was not hers.
There was a meager second of lull in the bombing. And her ears did not ring. Instead, she heard the groans and cries of pain of dying men, in the mud of the battlefield.
But still alive.
It was the one thing she ever needed to hear. She stood up, abandoning her helmet, it being too heavy. And ran onto the battlefield.
Amiya jumped with a cry, waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare that wasn't hers. Memories that weren't hers.
It was rather early in the night, but the young woman told herself that for once she could get a long night's sleep.
She sat on the edge of her bed, sweat beading on her skin.
Especially since these nights were rare. It had been some time now that her nights were often punctuated by nightmares. But they were the same all the time.
The war. Wars, plural actually.
Endless wars, fought with swords, others with firearms, some at the ends of the stars.
But always, and again the same thing. Destruction, blood, death.
The cautus took a moment to look at her hands, surprised not to see any calouses there given the frequency of her training, but she began to smile, happy to keep her skin beautiful and soft.
She knew her body was changing after all. She got up and walked to the bathroom in her quarters.
As CEO she would have had the right to the very best quarters, but instead she decided on a smaller place more suited to one person. Thus her quarters consisted of a living room and kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom attached to the latter.
Turning on the light and being slightly dazzled, the cautus looked at herself in the mirror, azure eyes looking back at her.
She knew that at her age it was normal to be self-conscious about herself and her body.
Dressed only in her underwear, she took a moment to examine herself, her long hair down and loose for once. She admired herself from every angle. Not knowing why, she felt, changed, different from so little time ago.
Was it growth?
It was the question she asked herself the most. But she would have expected it to come a few years ago, since her first period. Not so suddenly.
Taking out her scale, she stood on it to see that she had gained weight. Normally she would have blamed the cafeteria or her growth. But not for having gained more than ten kilograms. (I will not make translations in burger)
She continued to look at herself in the mirror, attentive to her appearance; however, she did not seem to have gained weight. In fact, she felt better than ever. As if each of her limbs were constantly lighter and she tired less quickly.
Getting off her scale she raised her leg as if preparing for a kick, watching her curves take shape. Obviously she didn't have those of a woman at the moment, but she had the impression that her features had become more refined.
Returning to a normal position. She placed her hands on the sink, looking at herself in the mirror.
That's the part she couldn't understand. Which was exactly what was happening to her body.
The rest. She knew perfectly well the why and the how.
Amiya closed her eyes, beginning to concentrate.
She thought of Lungmen again. In the battle against Skullshatterer. She had walked away. She had been incapable.
She had been weak. A vile burden. And after that, instead of trying to improve, she collapsed like a sandcastle on herself after.
Rage rose within her.
She hadn't been strong enough to protect the person who mattered most to her in the world.
She thought of her weakness, of her enemies, of the fact that they now roamed freely in Rhode Island, the paradise for the infected that she had fought and cried and bled for. She thought about all the bastards here just to collect a damn paycheck. Not caring about the infected. She thought of Kazdel again. What she would have thought would be her new home, after the cursed hell that was RIM Billiton, a dream that was shattered because of Theresis. This son of a bitch, barely good at leading a squad on a real battlefield. Who had manipulated, threatened, cheated to have her mother murdered. Her mother... A term far too nice for another cursed demon, having found nothing better than to leave the responsibility of an entire nation and an entire people on the shoulders of a little girl. She hated this world and its inhabitants.
An empirical circle of anger invaded her mind.
She thought about all her fights and everyone she hated, imagining how to kill them with her own hands.
Amiya's grip was so strong that she could have cracked the ceramic of the basin if it weren't for a hint of self-control deep within herself.
She opened her eyes and confirmed what she was thinking by looking in the mirror.
Her irises had changed color. Having become red as blood. Her skin had darkened to an almost gray hue, with some of her visible veins being practically black. Infernal heat had broken out in her bathroom, to the point where the water left over from her last shower had dried up.
Rage. She felt the violence invade her.
Hate, disgust, blood. She could have screamed, with sadness, with anger. Abandoning her mind to be nothing more than a beast.
But that wasn't who she was.
She was not a beast. And she would never allow herself to truly feel that anger.
The cautus calmed her breathing. Seeing her body return to normal.
The fate that had been forced upon her. That of inheriting the power of all the previous kings of the sarkaz, and their memories.
She looked above her head. Surprised not to see it appear.
The new power that now coursed through her veins, was that of the disowned king.
She looked at her hair.
Should she change her style?
Three days had passed since Sebastian left for Kazimierz, accompanied by Meteor, the two riding the tireless Llamrei through the Ursus territories.
Rhode Island used to roam territories that had not been claimed by any country. But it had been two days since they left Res Nullius to venture into hostile territory.
So far they had not encountered any squads of the Infected Patrol or the Imperial Guard. Which was Meteor's greatest fear, but was only a detail to the giant. Just like the terrain they had crossed. The two nature experts had no difficulty in covering a record distance, not even delayed by mountains, rivers, dense forests or crevasses.
The two riders were rather surprised the first time they encountered a ravine and the mare bit the giant on his clothes to pull him down, the kuranta accompanying him. So that in the end the mare could jump about fifteen meters before lying down to wait on the other side.
The mornings were punctuated with meteorological, geological and climatic surveys, communications directed straight towards Rhodes Island and the order of the catastrophe messengers to prevent the slightest risk of being surprised by those.
The days were occupied by the journey to the country of the knights. But it was on the morning of the third day that the first problem arose.
Their journey had started from the wastelands south of Ursus beyond the famous Dyatlov mountain range, Sebastian had insisted on crossing them. So they did, the lands of Ursus were certainly dangerous for defenders of the infected cause like them, but nevertheless these regions were deserted by population but much easier to cross.
They were almost deserted.
As the mare advanced in the middle of a wooded path, her two riders well installed, Sebastian's nose sensed something. Tension filled his muscles, and his veins, the mare noticed first, her ears raising on her head to try to spot something, the kuranta feeling second the tension emanating from the giant.
Meteor: Seb? What's wrong ?
Sebastian: I'm smelling blood...
Llamrei stopped, the giant leaping from his back into the light woods. The kuranta did the same, rushing much less than the giant. Following his senses the doctor progressed ever further through the forest, his senses quickly picking up something else, crying, words in Ursus coming from a young girl.
He arrived at the foot of a tree where he could see a body leaning against it. A young girl, not even eighteen years old, in farmers' clothes. A fresh, bloody wound on her chest. He heard her heart stop beating. Another young girl held the dead woman in her arms. And judging by their similar appearances, they must have been sisters.
Meteor arrived near the giant, making a little rustling unlike the colossus, the young ursine turned towards them and fell backwards, her eyes panicked, her hands raised in front of her to protect herself
Girl: (Yells in ursus)
Meteor: Doc... I don't understand a word she's saying.
The giant, as a gesture of goodwill, took down his weapon and threw it a good meter behind him before dropping to one knee. Before speaking to the girl in Ursus, as gently as was conceivable.
Sebastian: Show him your lesions please.
Nodding, Meteor rolled up her sleeves, showing the oripathy lesions on her upper arms. The giant speaking again. Followed by the young girl who, even though she seemed initially shocked, kept her calm. He seemed to be asking her for directions.
Then he got up, taking a few steps to grab his sword before returning to Llamrei.
Meteor: What's going on?
Sebastian: Her village was attacked by the infected patrol. It's a little further to the northwest.
Meteor seemed hesitant to leave the girl behind, but when her eyes moved to Sebastian, she startled.
His face looked different from usual. She could tell he was preparing for a fight inside of himself. But she would have expected to see hatred, anger. Instead she could only see willpower and pride.
Standing so straight and serious, the only thing she seemed to see was a lion.
He looked at his reflection in his blade, just a few weeks ago, he would have said to himself that he had to slay these monsters. But this was no longer the man he was today, it was no longer the man he wanted to be.
So instead, he told himself that he had to help the survivors, whatever it cost him.
Arriving near Llamrei, Sebastian placed his bag on the ground.
Sebastian: Head over there. I'll catch up with you.
Not doubting the giant for a single second, Meteor climbed on the mare's back, being helped by the colossus, her size not allowing her to climb on her own. Then she held on tight, expecting what was going to happen.
Meteor: What are you going to do?
Sebastian: Help these poor people. But I need to change first.
The kuranta nodded, clinging to the horse's mane, praying not to be thrown off her mount due to the lack of a saddle.
Meteor: Ready to gallop a little?
The mare started to neigh before storming off.
The giant opened his bag. Facing his past, and his future.
The Rhodes Island Botanical Garden was a permanently peaceful place, courtesy of all its occupants who perfectly understood the nature and purpose of this almost sacred place. It was something that touched Skadi.
It was a long way from the ocean floor, or the Mariana deep, the place where she and her friends used to play. But the peace of this place touched her. Even if it was a little dry, she told herself before using her humidifier.
As the heat of the sun warmed her skin through the openings of her pants, a small being caught the gaze of the seasoned hunter. Her blood-red eyes fixed on a butterfly that was fluttering in the air.
She thought there were no insects in the greenhouse. He may have slipped through a half-open window.
The aegir didn't know anything about butterflies, but this one was pretty. The latter resting on the tip of her boot.
She was leaning against a wall, sitting on the ground in the grass, with her legs stretched out.
Ishar-mia: This being is primitive.
Skadi: Shut up.
Ishar-mia: Fragile. So much so that too strong a breeze, a stone swept by the wind, the slightest animal, could have crushed it. Yet. It's standing there.
Skadi: Here we go again.
Ishar-mia: It took so much for this being to be there, at that moment. So many steps in a plan that should have been chaos. Is this destiny? The conductor so that the cacophony of the world transforms into a true symphony? The great whole which grants an infinity of instruments of when, where, why, The reason that mortals give for these infinite probabilities to combine to give this moment. Or a simple fragile animal decides to land there, before our eyes.
Skadi: My eyes.
She replied with animosity towards the voice.
Ishar-mia: However, it is also through these orbits that I perceive the world.
Skadi: If you don't like it, find another body.
Ishar-mia: I think... I would like it.
The aegir fell silent, more than intrigued by the last words of the beast in her mind.
Ishar-mia: I am destined to destroy this world. But we will lose so much by simply destroying everything. War changes minds and people. We will never be able to absorb everything that living beings have thought. By only practicing war, we will only learn war.
Skadi: That sounds like pacifism.
Ishar-mia: Make fun of me, whale, you don't have the intelligence to understand me.
Skadi: I don't need intelligence to understand that you behave like the girls in the first row at school after their first philosophy lesson.
Ishar-mia: Tch. At least he makes conversation well.
Skadi: Who?
Ishar-mia: The doctor. I am not merely staying silent to you during the night, I'm busy. We debate, we fight.
Skadi: Glad you're making friends.
Ishar-mia: The day we emerge from the deepest abysses, the day of the high tide. He will be your only hope.
The aegir clenched her fists tightly. She didn't trust this man. If man was the right term.
Meteor: Come on! Faster !
The mare galloped along a dirt path, at the speed of a racehorse, but didn't seem to want to exhaust herself in the slightest. Llamrei carried her rider further and further, Meteor doing her best to hang on. The woods gradually cleared up to reveal a column of smoke rising into the air.
The mare began to neigh, the kuranta noticing what she was pointing to, two men from the infected patrol advancing down the path. The kuranta drew her bow, taking advantage of the little stability and confidence she had, to shoot an arrow, the rope having been pulled at full strength towards one of the soldiers, the golden willow wood being more than enough to pass through the skull of the first and stick in the one of the second.
A stream was approaching and obviously the mare did not seem ready to find a place where it narrowed, understanding this, the kuranta once again held on tightly as Llamrei again made a gigantic leap the village was finally in sight.
Three quarters of the houses were on fire and the smell of burning corpses also rose in the air. Some villagers were trying to fight against the anti-infected patrol.
Meteor: Come on, let's give them a distraction.
The mare left in a fury, remaining calm enough for Meteor to shoot her arrows with stability, the mount circling the village while the archer's shots found the soldiers of the infected patrol harassing them, leaving the shadow of a chance for the village warriors.
But Meteor quickly ran out of ammunition. Her quiver now empty. And with so much numerical disadvantage she couldn't go and collect her arrows from the bodies.
Meteor: Go Llamrei! We have to wait for Sebastian to come back-
A movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention, a gigantic figure burst from the woods right next to her, heading straight for the kuranta. But it wasn't the doctor, no. A gas mask, a gray and red uniform, he was an imperial striker. A high ranking one at that.
He flew like a cannonball towards the kuranta, grabbing her throat with her hand before finishing his course in the village, among the enemy troops, lifting the kuranta high in the air before slamming her against the wall of one of the few houses that had survived. She let out a howl of pain, her bow falling heavily to the ground.
IS: I got you whore !
The Ursus soldiers began to surround the few remaining resistants. And her too. The highest ranking officer walking straight towards her.
Commander: It's a shame. We can't even have a little fun with her, that bitch is another infected.
There was a slight silence.
There was always this little second of silence during conversations. But now, it was as if the entire region had decided not to make the slightest noise for a moment.
Except for a sound, which the soldiers and seasoned fighters could recognize. That of an armor that moved.
Full metal armor was almost considered an antique in Terra, the infected patrol was not equipped with it.
Then they all turned their gaze towards the edge of the wood where the noise was coming from.
They all froze, soldiers and villagers alike. Because before them stood a ghost, a legendary ghost. He approached the Ursus troops, marching, the sound of his armor echoing through the air.
The commander of the infected patrol began to salute. Before him stood after all the man who was the highest ranking in the entire Imperial army, apart from the Emperor himself of course. Some were still in doubt, or too afraid to move. Two young-looking soldiers whispered to each other before one of them took out his phone to start filming.
Commander: Grand Marshal! It is an honor !
The commander was frozen in salute, his eyes not daring to meet the armored colossus.
When he was just a simple soldier, he had served under his command during the campaigns against Yen. And he will never forget the presence, the invisible pressure he gave off.
The giant stopped a meter from the commander facing him, in the middle of the soldiers.
Sebastian: Leave them alone.
His voice was hoarse and low, distorted by the helmet.
The commander was trembling. The mere presence of the giant in front of him was unbearable. Painful, deep in his soul, as if the inside of his body was burning with his mere presence.
Commander: Sorry...?
Sebastian: Leave these people alone. Run away. And don't come back.
It was another flash of surprise among all present. The years of Ursian propaganda being enough to make them forget that he was a true defender of the infected cause.
It was too much for the commander. This man couldn't be the real Yuri, it wasn't possible that after years he would suddenly reappear to defend a simple hamlet.
Commander: You are not the real one... This is not possible... To arms! He's an impostor!
He tried to take a step back, time to draw his weapon to bring it down on the giant. His hand had just touched the hilt of the sword, when it fell to the ground, cut clean. Blood flowing down Purgatory.
Still in the adrenaline of the first attacks, the soldiers did not change their minds. The striker, surely the strongest member of their group, grabbed his harpoon and came to hit the giant with it. The giant nevertheless perceived it. A side step, a rotation of the torso, accompanied by that of his heels. The blade tightly gripped in his hands. The striker lost his head, and the giant continued his tornado, slicing weapons and heads of soldiers all around him as the edge of his blade sliced the air.
They all fell to the ground, dead.
He had offered them a gentle death. Sweeter than they deserved.
As his sword sliced through the heads, he could see the reflection of the souls of those he had killed. Butchers. Murderers. Thieves. Rapists.
Monsters.
But could he, after all his abuses, look down on them?
Sebastian: Surrender... Last chance.
He was covered in blood.
Sebastian: I beg of you... Surrender.
Their entire organs were liquefied with terror. He could even see one peeing himself. But all suffered on this coming battlefield. They felt like cornered animals, their souls burning at the mere gaze of this armored lion. He offered them pity. But in the face of pain they were no more than the beasts they were deep within themselves.
When one of the patrolmen fired a crossbow bolt, aiming straight at his neck protected only by the mail, their fates were sealed. The crossbow bolt was deflected, redirected towards the skull of a soldier, killing him instantly.
The dance of blood began. Severed head. Pierced hearts. Crushed skulls.
The giant bit his tongue. He wanted them all to surrender. His mind battling, screaming to give them quick deaths.
It was a real massacre.
All the soldiers on the patrol were normal soldiers. Barely trained. Modestly equipped.
Their blood stained the ground as the giant stopped moving. All his enemies are now dead,
There was only one young man left on the ground, crawling in the pool of blood. The one who started filming on his phone.
The giant pointed his blade, the edge at the soldier's neck.
He could see the harm he had done. Throwing stones and empty bottles over the walls of infected slums when he was a child, murders and acts of pyromania from village to village. Even towards those who weren't harboring infected.
But the giant, beyond evil, looked into the eyes of the young man. He must have been barely eighteen years old.
Just that like that girl.
He still could redeem himself. Or at least that's what he wanted to believe. Because after all how could he believe in his redemption if he did not believe in that of others.
Sebastian: Run away. Run away and never come back.
The soldier remained frozen.
Sebastian: Run!
It didn't take long for the young man to get up and run, leaving his weapon behind to escape into the woods.
The crackling of the flames, the blood beading from his armor and his blade to fall into puddles on the ground, the crying of the children.
These were the only sounds that could be heard.
Meteor, having regained her strength, got up. Definitely not used to hand-to-hand combat, she had been rather shaken. She took back her bow and hung it behind her back to walk towards the giant, placing a hand on his armored shoulder. Noticing that he was frozen.
Meteor: Se-Yuri...
Sebastian: They knew they didn't stand a chance.
She looked at the bodies on the ground for a moment.
Meteor: For them, it was courage...
He sighed under his helmet before sheathing his sword.
Sebastian: Let's help them clean up this mess.
The colossus approached the circle of villagers, seeing an older man with a wise and sad look. Like that of a leader, so he began to speak to him in Ursus. The old man remained motionless, searching for words. Not being able to get over the idea that a legend had just saved them.
Then he gently removed his helmet, placing it at his feet. A reassuring smile on his lips.
If his armor inspired an inherent fear in all human beings. His face was reassuring to everyone. The sinister side that he usually had did not show itself this time as if by a miracle. The village elder regained his calm, beginning to thank the giant.
The giant placed a hand on the old man's shoulder, careful that his claws did not hurt him, then the old man stood up just like the giant. The first began to speak to the villagers who began to slowly get up to move towards the wounded and their dead.
Meteor firmly put her hood back on and took a few steps looking a little at the destruction around her. Before her gaze turns to two bodies. A mother who was stabbed in the back with a spear. Curled up over her child who had died from the same spear. She froze, filled with sadness and misery, before clasping her hands and beginning to speak in Kazimierzan.
Meteor(Kazimierzan): Oh great mother. Take care of these children who should have been yours. And lead them to the island of the willows and apple trees.
The giant looked up, seeing the sky begin to cry. The rain began to gradually extinguish the fires and wash the earth of all the blood with which it was stained.
Sebastian: I'll treat the injured. See what you can do on your side.
Meteor: I'll get my arrows then I'll help dig the graves.
Thus began the work, to sweep away the misery a little further. The giant helped heal and clear the ruined houses, searching for survivors, drawing on his medical experience. Meteor helped dig the graves, and stayed a little with the children to reassure them. Make them understand that the world hadn't ended yet. The mother she had wanted to be years ago was taking over. Even Llamrei helped, deciding to part with her rough-hewn bear character and showing ever more intelligence. Draped in ropes, she helped clear away the largest debris and move what would have required the strength of around twenty men.
When they finished, the sun was beginning to disappear in the distance. The mass grave of the patrol's corpses was burning a little further away in the forest. Leaving the flames to take care of the bodies, the bodies of the villagers having been buried. Tombstones made of planks. The village elder said a few words. Sobs rising in the twilight air. Sebastian was on his knees, his sword stuck in the ground like a cross. His elbows resting on the hilt of the weapon, his hands clasped in prayer.
Meteor looked at him, knowing full well that he was praying to the god of Sankta. But she began to pray to the great mother. Hoping that the souls of these poor people find rest. Whatever. Wherever they were.
The village elder approached the doctor again once the latter had got back to his feet.
Elder: Thank you very much red hand. Given the state of the village, we can't give you much... But take what you think's just. We owe you our life after all.
Sebastian: A few apples for my mare and something to saddle her will suffice.
The eldest looked at the beast which was a little further away, the proud animal letting itself be petted by the village children.
Elder: This animal is huge... But it's doable.
He said with a slight smile as he finished his sentence.
Elder: Stay here as long as you like.
Sebastian: Thank you for your hospitality. But me and my friend will get back on the road as soon as possible.
The old man nodded.
Elder: May the path be favorable to you, and the heavens thank you for your generosity.
Sebastian: Farewell.
The giant came towards the kuranta while the village elder began to gather his people to carry out the giant's requests, the kuranta waiting on a tree stump, watching the children who had resumed their games. Misery not staining innocence.
Sebastian: Are you okay?
Meteor: I'll be fine.
She let out a sigh.
Meteor: I almost forgot what we were fighting for.
Sebastian: I'm sorry I brought you into this.
The kuranta turned towards the giant, a look almost like anger on her face.
Meteor: Stop. If I had to do it again I would. And you Know it.
He crossed his arms, watching the children play.
Sebastian: We're going to have the infected patrol on our backs from now on.
Meteor: Do armies scare you?
He began to smile gently.
Sebastian: No. I'm warning you, that's all.
Meteor: I'm a big girl.
The sound of approaching hooves captured their attention. Llamrei arriving with a saddle that seemed to be made expressly, but nonetheless durable, with her head held high she seemed almost proud.
Sebastian: To a good thing done..
Meteor: Magnificent.
Sebastian: Maybe I should have asked for you to be shod too.
He said to himself thinking it would be more comfortable for the road. But the mare did not seem to agree, immediately leaning forward, then exhaling, staring at the giant.
Sebastian: Okay okay no horseshoes I understand.
The kuranta laughed lightly.
Sebastian: Come on, let's get back on our way. We will stop at nightfall. Then I can't wait to take off this armor.
Meteor: I thought it was comfortable?
Sebastian: It sure was. But it burns me.
The giant approached the mare, placing his bag on the saddle, before putting his foot in the stirrup and mounting, finally settling comfortably on the mount. Meteor approached and stood frozen next to the beast. Under the gaze of Sebastian and the mare.
Meteor: I'm still too small.
The giant burst out laughing before extending his hand to the kuranta to pull her onto the saddle, placing her in front of him. The kuranta began to blush, sandwiched between the gigantic stature of the man behind her and the horse equivalent.
Normally he would have left her behind. But thanks to his armor, there would be no friction or contact that would have occurred normally. The giant leaned ever so slightly to the side, extending his hand to caress his mare's neck.
Sebastian: Now that we're equipped, how would you like a little gallop?
He had his answer, because he had barely grabbed the reins when the mare stormed off. Amused, Meteor squealed in delight with the wind in her hair as Sebastian did his best to keep calm, noticing that the mare was probably shattering any speed record with nearly three hundred kilograms on her back. Not to mention the fact that she didn't seem to have the slightest difficulty or feel the slightest fatigue, even after galloping for an hour.
After all, she had finally found a rider suited to her.
The giant signaled his mount to slow down and after a few minutes they finally stopped. Stopping at the edge of a stream, Meteor took a moment to catch his breath before descending, nearly falling.
Sebastian: Well, big girl, what will it be like if we have to go racing...
The mare began to neigh, tapping her hooves on the ground, seeming to be at the height of excitement.
Meteor: Wow, now I'm sure we'll reach Kazimierz before Rhodes.
Sebastian: If we continue at this pace we'll be there tomorrow night.
The mare whined and reared, tapping her hooves.
Meteor: I think she likes the idea. It's a hell of a mount.
She said, reaching out to pet the mare's head, the animal lowering its head slightly to appreciate the kindness.
Sebastian: What do you want, I have a gift for attracting all extraordinary people to me.
He said stroking the side of his mount, until it suddenly turned to kick the giant, which made him fall to the ground, but protected by his armor. Llamrei exhaled, like a laugh, while it was Meteor's turn to burst out laughing too.
Sebastian: You bitch...
He slowly stood up on his two legs, Meteor deciding to be the one to remove the saddle and take care of their mount tonight, the giant taking care of the camp. Their evening passed without any further incident. Another ration being opened that evening for dinner. The giant sharing his fear that they would have to hunt and gather given that their reserve was now dry.
Sebastian removed his armor and cleaned it as Meteor blessed her arrows again, Llamrei already lying near their tent.
Meteor: What a day.
Sebastian: You can tell... Your arrows don't burn?
Meteor: Cocquatrix feathers are fireproof. And they are carved from branches of golden willows. These trees are the manifestation of the great mother on Terra.
Sebastian: I didn't think proselytizing was your thing.
Meteor: It's hard not to believe sometimes...
She began to smile with pride, before grabbing one of the arrows to give it to the giant.
Meteor: go ahead. Break it.
The giant raised an eyebrow before grabbing what was essentially a stick, to begin trying to break it with his hands. Then quickly he used his arms, shoulders and back.
He used ALL his strength. But the arrow didn't even bent a millimeter. He gave up, catching his breath before handing the arrow to the kuranta.
Sebastian: Well you win.
The woman began to laugh very lightly.
Meteor: The goddess chooses who can make something of the willow wood, and what they do with it.
Sebastian: Okay... that's pretty cool, I'm not going to lie. I'll let you continue... I need to get some shut-eye.
He climbed down and began to crawl into the tent, the kuranta joining him quite quickly, there was a second calm. From their breathing, then the giant glanced at the kuranta who had her eyes wide open. Definitely not ready to sleep.
Sebastian: You don't look particularly tired this night...
He had a smile on his lips, but she didn't. Not seeming to react to the invitation to their little game.
Meteor: Sorry, I don't feel like doing our thing.
Sebastian: It's okay..
His smile faded.
Meteor: It's the kids.
Sebastian: You seemed close to them despite not speaking ursian.
Meteor: Love has no language.
She said looking at him for a scant second, smiling that smile that was constantly on her face, before disappearing again, making the giant understand that she was unhappy.
Meteor: When I left, me and my husband were trying to have some.
He was surprised to hear that.
Sebastian: Were you married?
Meteor: Technically I still am... I'm not officially divorced.
She let out a sigh. Knowing she had said too much not to speak.
Meteor: My husband was the chief of my village. It was he who requested my exile following my infection.
She squeezed her hands.
Meteor: I know he was right... I didn't want to leave... Without treatment it would have been only a matter of time before I died and infected others.
She looked away towards him for a moment, to see that he had turned his head towards her, his two emerald eyes fixed on her, full of compassion. If she were a young girl she would have blushed so much that she would shine in the tent, but she was no longer.
Meteor: It was in Rhodes that I learned why. I am sterile.
The giant felt a pain in his heart.
Sebastian: Sorry.
Meteor: There's nothing you can do about it.
She had never told Nearl. She had never told Ace or Gryph, in fact she had never told anyone. She remembered Kal'tsit's cold expression when she announced her test results.
Bringing out her pain, showing it, was enough to reopen the kuranta's wounds. Her breathing quickened, her eyes moistening. Then she looked at the giant.
Meteor: Sorry I like playing with you like that, but I can't, I can't-
He began to smile gently. Not responding with words. Instead he moved to the side, one of his long arms moving straight towards the kuranta, to hold her against him.
She froze, bathed in immense heat, and the sweet smell of ashes and musk from the giant. A glimpse of shame, a few thoughts of her husband covering her, especially after telling her whole story.
Sebastian: It doesn't matter. I'm here for you, not our thing.
She pressed her head against the giant's chest, sobbing silently, as one of his powerful hands caressed her back.
Two women were sitting at rhe Honey Moon, because even though the giant wasn't there, Sora enjoyed manning the counter. For the happiness of the operators who could have a drink despite the fact that the doctor was not there.
Among them were Nearl and Degenbrecher, the two blonde women chatting happily. It wasn't surprising that the two got along so well, with their shared past, their almost aloof personalities at first but also many of their deeper tastes.
Degenbrecher: Your technique today was more than correct. But the way you build momentum with your warhammer isn't ideal, or at least you need to work on your grip.
Nearl: That's right, you threw it out of my hands too easily.
Degenbrecher had a large glass of wine. Sora's eyes widened when she filled her glass and waited for her to tell her to stop. Nearl had taken a sweet mead, deciding to let herself roll under the table without Sebastian.
Degenbrecher: This armor on the other hand... I don't know what it's made of but it's tougher than a cruiser.
The kuranta laughed lightly.
Nearl: I know. And then I never get hot when I wear it so it becomes difficult to take it off at the end of the day.
When she spent a moment inside, she thought that the clothes she was wearing beneath the steel had been woven by the giant. There she was a little hot.
Nearl: The doctor is a master blacksmith.
Degenbrecher: Apparently. He seems to have more than one string to his bow.
A seemingly innocent statement which was in reality one of the caprinae's many attempts to gather information on the enemy she considered to be the most dangerous she had ever had to face.
Nearl: That's-
Midnight: Sora! Turn up the sound on the TV!
Silence reigned over the bar as everyone began to watch TV. Before freezing, their eyes landing on a familiar presenter during a special flash.
Jill: It is important to remember that the Ursus government has still not produced any press release regarding this incident.
Everyone was frozen. What was shown on the TV was a frozen image from the video of a massacre. In the center of the image. A colossus in armor with a bloody sword.
Everyone recognized the living armor. Coming from storybooks as much as the stories we told to children to scare them.
Jill: But many external sources, although without proof, would like to claim that it is indeed Yuri of Ursus who was seen on the border south of Ursus.
A map appeared on the TV, a large red dot showing where the attack had taken place.
Elysium: Damn but it's right next to where we are-
Sora: Shut up!
Jill: What seems most surprising, however, is that despite his known allegiances, he would have fought against Ursian troops in order to defend a group of infected. Once again, no communication from the empire on this subject.
Everyone in the bar was stunned. Except for Rosa, who frowned, she looked away, seeing Nearl sigh.
Patriot: You seem. Pensive.
The cautus was in front of a campfire, the large wendigo coming to settle near her. She looked at her troops, the yetis, who were encamped all around Chernobog's control tower. The noises that escaped were laughter, but mostly coughing.
Frostnova: We haven't raided in months. Nor any other operation. Our stocks of medicines are running low. Even though we are short-staffed now...
Patriot: It was their right. To leave.
Frostnova: I know but... I don't feel anymore. The same as before in terms of what we do.
He does not say anything. But she knew that he was perhaps gripped by even more doubts than she was.
Yeti: Chiefs come see this right away! Both !
A yeti came running, stopping for a few seconds to take a breath. More than intrigued, the father and his daughter walked to a place in the camps, where several soldiers were gathered in dead silence. But there were already Crownslayer, Mephisto and Faust who didn't give them more than a glance.
A tampered TV connected to a generator was the center of attention. The reunion troops watching the same special flash as the Rhodes Island members as ironically as that may be. The silence, the surprise, the shock not allowing them to utter the slightest word.
Talulah squeezed as hard as she could, her two hands doing the same for once.
Kirsten Wright closed her apartment door, twisting the lock twice, before abruptly dropping her purse in the entryway and kicking off her shoes.
Many would have expected her to live in a mansion. After all she was one of the richest people in all of Terra, but the truth was that Kirsten lived in an ordinary two-room apartment. She walked over to her fridge, opening it, grabbing a can of beer before closing it again. She slumped on her sofa, her hand dancing under her clothes to unhook her bra which she threw in a corner of her apartment, before putting her feet on the table.
She let out a big sigh.
Kirsten loved her job, that was for sure. But she remained a human woman in the end.
She turned on her TV, opening her beer to take a sip, quickly flipping through the news channels before freezing.
Kirsten: This idiot loves showmanship way too much.
She said in exasperation, looking at her phone to see a text from the giant. She was supposed to make a big announcement for Rhine Labs to the public tonight, but the giant had told her not to because the attention might be stolen from her.
Kirsten: You could have said straight up that it was you.
In Lungmen, in Ch'en's apartment, two women stood in front of the TV. As they sat on the couch, enjoying their dinner which consisted of instant noodles, the latter cooling while they were frozen in front of the news.
Fumizuki: Dumbass !
?: Are you sure?
The caprinae lowered her head. Intimidated by the empress's tone. She never had anything other than this maternal aura on her face and in her voice.
Messenger: Absolutely certain my lady. Our agents in the imperial court of Ursus have had confirmation from the emperor himself.
The rather elderly caprinae was in her nightgown. So she was glad that the messenger was a woman. Because despite her age she still had a charm that would turn heads.
?: Understood. Go. I need to tell my sister.
Without another word, the messenger got up and left quickly. The Empress sighed, grabbing hold of her long white clothes to avoid stepping on them as she stood up, before walking straight towards a door which she opened, immediately being hit by the fresh city air and wind.
The empress walked along the walkway separating the two towers, not even sparing a glance at Zwillingstürme. She arrived at the door on the other turn, not bothering to knock before opening it. Immediately her gaze fell on her sister, draped in a simple black satin short nightie, who was removing her makeup before going to bed. Seeing her counterpart's reflection in her dressing table mirror, she turned around, intrigued.
?: Lise?
Liselotte: Hildegard, there is a problem.
It only took one night for the whole of Terra to know.
A few hours to elicit the same reactions everywhere. Shock and fear.
Every court, every palace, every political intrigue, shaken.
The Doctor's awakening in Chernobog had precipitated a new age, where heroes and legends rose from their graves and from the mire.
The dices of destiny had been turned upside down.
In the following days, news channels around the world had almost only one thing on their lips. Yuri of Ursus rides across his land, liberating gulags, saving villages and exterminating the infected patrol at every step. Every morning he and Meteor received panicked calls from operators telling them to be careful, before having to lie about their coordinates to make it seem like they were far away.
They should have taken weeks because of all the stops the two riders made to save the widow and the orphan, but thanks to Llamrei who was tireless to the point of breaking the laws of biology, they only needed five little ones. days to reach the border between Kazimierz and Ursus, their final afternoon slowed by the fact that Llamrei could not gallop up a mountain.
More for her riders than anything else...
But as dusk crept up, the two began to see the end of the mountain pass. Sebastian giving Meteor a little tap to wake her up, the woman coming about totally excited. The gray of the rocks was slowly replaced by the view she had missed so much.
The mare climbed again and again, before arriving at the top of the mountain range which separated the two countries.
They had finally arrived in Kazimierz.
They were almost dazzled by the sun, but surprisingly Llamrei stopped to let them enjoy the view. A strong wind blew, bringing Meteor the smell of home, then quickly a cloud of golden flower petals began to fly everywhere around them, before leaving as quickly as they had arrived.
Meteor: The goddess herself bids us greeting us... Welcome to Kazimierz.
The giant said nothing. A single tear falling from his eye.
From the heights, the landscape they had was immense, the sun in front of them was setting on the horizon, bathing the lands in a golden light. And what lands, low mountain ranges ran through the country, offering large wooded valleys and rivers, ending in lakes and plains as punctuation.
He was amazed. And quickly felt arms wrap around his back.
Swiatla: Welcome home...
Sebastian: Thank you.
A/N: And that's a wrap people! Sorry for how late this chapter is. Inspiration was a bitch, and I worked a bit on my 40K and skyrim stories. I hope you're all okay, and that you all still enjoy this book. (Very special guest in next chapter btw)
By the way, let me know by commenting which operator or npcs you're excited to see in the story or to see more of! (maybe i'll do some fanservice)
Have a blast readers, until next time.
