And now, we move on to the conversation between Hildegard, Greil, and Traysek... With what was offered to the tarnished woman, will the other two be able to keep their word...? What's to come of the new mercenaries and what's Rey been up to...? Find out now!
Chapter 62
Unexpected Alliances...
Hildegard's camp, Command tent...
"Now... about the alliance..." Greil started, before being cut off by the Elden Lord.
"I already said; My army doesn't have to obey anyone, No new Tarnished for any of you, I want the actual ruler of this place to do every step, and I mean every single step and paper, and finally, no future leverage."
"I... I see..." Greil slowly nodded.
"However... I'm ready to offer all of you three favors, Nothing more." Hildegard added, "You can ask whatever you want."
Greil nodded, "That's a generous offer, and in exchange, the Dark Army is ready to offer you manpower and more lands that surround those you're in."
Hildegard raised an eyebrow, not ready for that.
"All that we ask is that you aid us in the war and that you let us discuss those favors before coming to for ask them." Greil stated, getting a nod from Hildegard.
"I'll see that someone acts as head of my troops," Hildegard said as Greil nodded.
Traysek waved her off, "Nothing for me for now," until he thought about something, frowning at himself," Actually...There just might be...We live in a very toxic forest full of exotic plants...I've already been told that some of my alchemy "methods" are too outdated to mess with them...I'm in the market for an alchemist that can, would you happen to know where I could get one from...?"
"That would count as a favor..." Hildegard warned.
"I see..." He answered, thinking about it, "Then nevermind, I'm sure I find one if don't know someone else who does, just thought you had expertise there..." shrugging afterward.
"I do have some basic knowledge, but I'm not a master at it." she stated, "Unlike those that I brought back to life..."
"Necromancy, right..." The Redguard nodded, "I know a thing or two myself there, but for old cultural reasons, I don't depend on it...Still, the others may have an idea later for your skill there..."
"So you can fully resurrect a living being without any problem?" Hildegard asked.
"I never said I was a master at it. I said I knew a few things," Traysek answered. "For example, I can permanently resurrect a corpse, even vastly powerful ones. But retrieving their dead souls...? Not exactly there yet. " He admitted, "Now my twin on the other hand...? She's above and beyond me in those dark arts, she probably could..."
"An advice... don't you dare ever say that there's someone who can resurrect the dead the same way as me... you may end up in a tight position... those pathetic mortal ways are beneath what I'm able to do..." narrowing her eyes.
"I know only what I know and seen what I've only seen, I'm not doubting you at all," Traysek said waving his hands, "Your method's probably better, we've yet to see it is all,"
"Well, I take that we're done here." Greil stated before looking toward Traysek, "Let's head back to the castle, I'm sure that you have some things that you wish to talk about."
"Yeah, I do, and after that, I have to meet up with the mercenaries I had Rela pay off," The Redguard yawned, standing up stretching, "They should be waiting there too..."
"Let us be off then," Greil then turned toward Hildegard, "I hope that our forces would have a fruitful relation."
"That remains to be seen..." Hildegard replied as Greil exited the tent.
The Redguard turned to her, "I'll see you soon~" being the next to head out of the tent.
Once out, Greil got on his dragon and sighed, "This... could have ended badly. While we have her aid, asking that we don't give her forces orders will be a problem."
Traysek shook his head, using the whistle to summon his Wyvern, "Greil...You know as well I do, that's not going to sit well with Gronik and the others... Especially the former...And he's still traumatized from the Daedra of the past...An undead force like that...Untamed? That's going to make that worse... If were you, I'd keep your options open...You never know..." in a low tone.
"There's still the fact that standing next to her was like being near a god of the dead... no soul, immune to holy and death magic, divine energy... it would be a disaster if they turn on us..." Greil took a deep breath, "While we can use one of those favors to bind them... I feel like it can bite us back in a bad way..."
"Mostly likely it will, I won't deny that she's certainly powerful...That aura from her is a dense one, for whatever the dark army and birds of prey need, she'll probably come through...But only those three times," Traysek sighed deeply, "But from all that back there, I know it won't last, one wrong thing is all that it'll take, which is why I'm telling you to keep other options open..." He advised.
"Receiving the representative needs to be done with the corresponding attitude and all... I doubt that it would be overbearing... but overlooking that possibility would be a mistake." Greil stated, "I think that tomorrow will be the beginning of the Ice season... which means that it will be tougher to move resources... with all the snow and possible attack from bandits."
Traysek's wyvern landed, prompting him to climb it, "That sounds like Winter...in that case, it's a good thing I've got heavier clothing... let's head to the castle, you're gonna wanna know this..."
"Very well." Greil nodded as both Dragonkins flew toward the castle.
Ur's Castle...
The faux and main frontlines had all met up there, Erik, Sylla, Yuriana, and Zephyr, were waiting around out in the courtyard when they spotted the dragons of both Greil and Traysek approaching.
"There they are, wondered when they were going to show up..." The Nord commented, as they landed in the courtyard, the soldiers leaving a clearing.
"They were faster than expected." Sylla stated, "You have no idea how long that sort of talk can take..."
Yuriana nodded, shouldering her hammer, "We should probably head in then, the others are already here from Lucien's call..."
"I take that things went well enough..." Sylla said as she approached Traysek.
He nodded with a smile, "Yeah, we got something arranged, although how long it'll last...? Hard to tell..."
"Sounds like it wasn't that easy, huh?" Sylla sweatdropped.
"Not exactly, I have to make due on something I agreed on, and soon..." Traysek informed "Prim and the document I need are both in Feoh...Thank the gods I have teleportation magic, this would've been frustrating otherwise..." Watching the rest walk up to them, "And you guys all look like hell, they gave you all that much of a fight huh?"
"You don't know the half of that...They couldn't even feel pain, didn't matter if you took a limb or not...They still kept coming," Erik shuddered, his armor barely hanging on.
Yuriana sighed, "I smashed both legs on one and she kept trying to fight...Remained emotionless at that...That...That was scary..."
"I bet it was...By the nine, now I feel bad for leaving you guys with all that," The Redguard whistled, "Still if they're gone, that means you guys still did well enough..."
Greil approached him and said, "You don't have to do anything. She said that she doesn't want you to be connected in any way to her independence."
"Then contact Prim. My hands are officially washed," Traysek shrugged, with an uncaring expression, "The least I did was make it possible...Lay the groundwork as they say, I have other matters to attend to anyway..."
"You mean meeting with the mercenaries?" Greil asked.
"After this meeting, yeah...I dropped over 5 million and thousands worth in gems, I'm certain they want a word..." The Redguard smirked, getting the others to whistle.
"Damn, is there any left...?" Erik asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Plenty...I gave them one out of five chests on the ship, plus we still have money back home as well, we're good," Traysek waved off, "Given what we use gems for, we've got plenty of those...It wasn't hard at all dropping that,"
"Well, I have to contact two Deathbringers to escort the former minister to Feoh to face judgment, and have Udemi watch for anyone who'd try to free him," Greil stated.
"That's good, spares us the trouble of hearing his prattling..." The Redguard chuckled, "Anyway, we have to get inside, I take it the others made it here...?"
"They were here before us, we're just now getting here after checking the battlefields, they should be in the lobby now..." Yuriana informed.
"Alright, then let's go..." Traysek breathed, as they all walked in...
Inside, in a meeting room Olga, Gronik, Regis, and a Holy Knight officer were waiting.
Traysek and Greil walked in, the former taking a seat from Gronik and sighing, "Sorry we're late. That went on longer than expected."
"As long as everything went well..." Gronik sighed, "Now, there are a few points concerning Ur that must be discussed; firstly, the few nobles who stayed and barricaded themselves in their domains, must be dealt with. Secondly, the arrest of two drug dealers who are in hiding. They destroyed a lot of lives and are to be taken in, no matter how they plead for their lives. And third, how to deal with our current situation concerning the knights who surrendered."
The officer looked at him and said, "If there's anything that must be done, I'll take the entire responsibility... after all, controlled or not, what we did wasn't honorable..."
The Redguard nodded, "Okay, good to know...We'll track down the nobles if we get their family names. Who are the drug dealers?"
"They are talking about the Mortadella brothers." the officer said, looking at Traysek, "I met them once and even tried to arrest them, but they had a holy authorization... it caused quite the troubles... it was also the last thing I remembered before..."
"You were brainwashed, Right..." Traysek answered, "Okay...So they've got holy support... I'm not surprised there; there are many people who use that as an advantage here." Thinking on something for a minute, "Well, knowing how Drug peddlers are...They usually have a favorite kind of Clientele...Who are their top buyers...? We could start there..."
"Unfortunately... I don't know..." the knight sighed, "Maybe some brothels and slavers..."
"Wait," Regis thought of something, "I remember something that the Bernadus brothers told me the last time that I visited... about a couple of shady merchants selling to a heiress."
"Interesting...Didn't think they went to nobility for clients..." The Redguard thought, "Is there a name for this Heiress and do you know why, Regis?"
"I believe that her name is Aria... as for the reason why, I can't say. I'm not the kind of person who fishes for things like that." Regis replied.
"I see...Well, I'm sure if I ask Swain, he'll give me the full-on detail there, consider it looked into..." Traysek nodded, "As for our Holy Knight friends here, I'd say cut most a break, those that were under that mind control anyway... I guarantee a lot didn't even know they were stationed there...Saw the confusion on our way out...No point in hurting mind-controlled people..."
"We can't also turn a blind eye to the will of the people." Greil pointed, "I'm sure that you'd want them to be forgiven, but a lot of the citizens don't see it the way you do. But don't worry, I'll make sure that they repay their debts and stay alive."
"Of course, too much hurt from them has been done, but I do agree most of them should work that off, if possible..." The Redguard concurred, "Now then...For the scary news..." he then sighed deeply, "Before we could move to capture Stannos, a strange guy was waiting for us...And thanks to Klein's info on him, I now know that the high inquisitor had a hand in this..A guy called: Azrael the mad dog...anyone here know of him...?" with an eyebrow raised.
"Not directly, but I know someone who faced him and barely survived..." Gronik sighed, "That... monster is out of our reach... he may be lacking in normal intelligence, but when it comes to fighting... ,becomes the smartest one around...".
"A fighting genius huh? I can see that, even the shouts that would normally turn people to paste, did nothing to him...Made my Nightingale sword and diamond spear look like dull butter knives when they cut him, able to absorb my magic too..." Traysek sighed, "The only reason I survived that fight...was because he was called off somewhere, but regardless, he's active and dangerous...Just wanted to give a heads-up, we may end up fighting him soon...hopefully not too soon though..."
"That's the kind of headache that takes time to deal with." Olga shook her head.
"On top of our other headaches, that's gonna be one entirely in its own league..." The Redguard concurred, "For now, my men and I will look into the other two cases when we get back to the manor... First thing's first, I have my own meeting to attend to..." standing up, "Unless there was something else to discuss?"
"No... I don't think that there's something to be said..." Greil replied, looking around.
"Alright then, I'll bid you all a good day," the Redguard smiled, bowing. And also, Greil, make sure you let Master G here know about the terms of that new ally, yeah...?"
"Yes... of course..." Greil sighed, knowing how it might end.
Traysek made his way to the door, "I'll let you know if we get any developments with the current issues..." waving back, leaving the council room.
Rela appeared next to him and said, "Something new?"
The Redguard smiled, "And I was just about to come to you...Yeah, there is, and I'll have to speak to Swain to get more info there...For now, I'm off to find those captains..."
"They're waiting for you in the living room of the castle," Rela stated.
Are they...? Good~ let's not keep them waiting then," Traysek concurred, "Hoping they're in a friendlier mood..."
"If that one doesn't stop with his jokes on him charming Recorder... I don't need to explain what's going to happen to him, do I?" Rela retorted, no even caring about them.
The Redguard's face contorted to a cringe, "Oooh...One of them is already making jokes like that...? Okay then...Yeah, just point him out, and I'll set him straight after we meet up... Because Dargo doesn't play with that shit..."
"I wonder how many seconds he would stand before falling dead," Rela stated with a monotone voice, "Especially since you know how scary he can be when angry."
Traysek breathed out, "It's more than that...I've seen what he'll do to someone on our first job together, I can still hear that bandit screaming sometimes..." shuddering at the thought.
"Well, I think that he said that he was an heir of some sort, or maybe not." Rela shrugged.
"Is he now...? Interesting, I wonder to what family..." The Dragonborn thought on, "Well, either way...I'll find out soon enough," as they reached the living area, finding the four captains chilling at the bar, along with his own guys mingling with the members there, 'Hmm, looks like the others are talking to them too...'
Inigo who was with the captains at the bar, laughing about something, spotted the duo approaching them, "Ah, here he is~" motioning his head towards them, "My friends! We've been here waiting for a while, these lovely gentlemen wanted a word,"
"Thanks, Inigo," Traysek smiled, "I'll take it from here, thanks for keeping them warm," with a chuckle, as the four captains stood up, "Hello there~ You must be the captains, I take it you've received my gift, well?"
The bald captain walked up first, "That's right, and you must be the boss they mentioned, offering a handshake, "The name's Cedrick Syder, leader of Storm Eagles, it's nice to meet you!" with a bright grin finally.
"Likewise Cedrick," The Redguard grinned back, "Got quite the grip too...wow...You must train quite often,"
"Figured me out huh? Sharp and strong, I like it," Cedrick commented.
The next leader walked up and offered his hand, "Greetings~ I'm Anton Dobrescu, leader of the rampaging lions and soon-to be heir to the Dobrescu family, it's a pleasure to meet you,"
"The pleasure's all mine, it's nice meeting you as well, Anton," Traysek smiled, shaking the hand of the blonde, "And an Heir you say...? Those are big shoes to fill,"
"They are, especially with a big name like this one...The pressure's real," Anton chuckled, "My family is quite well-known in trading, we often handle exotic or even imported goods from other lands...As long as it's not people, we're in business,"
The Redguard nodded, "See to it that it stays that way, and we'll never have problems there, Anton,"
"Of course," He agreed, stepping out of the way, as the ronin leader walked up next...
For a moment, he stared at the Dragonborn with a fixed focused expression, giving a bow soon after with a hand extended, "I am Takegawa Korehiro, it's honor,"
"I can say the same, I was wondering why I was seeing samurai here," Traysek smiled, "If I had to guess, you're stationed at Rad, correct?"
"That would be correct, although we'll take work at the Geofu and thorn provinces from time to time, that's how I met them all," Korehiro answered, nodding his head towards the other three.
"I see...Must have quite the contracts in your belt then, I'm impressed~" The Nightingale complimented.
The ronin leader gave another bow, as the final leader walked up to him, seemingly checking him out like the last, raising an eyebrow with a smirk, offering a handshake.
"And I am Giaoz Gurieli, leader of the Mantis Corps, though... Because my name is hard to pronounce, I'm often called Gauis, either one works... it's finally nice to meet this boss face to face," Giaoz complimented.
"And it's finally nice to meet the captains that helped out my girls with Beasley's capture, I'll try to keep that in mind, Gauis," Traysek ensured, shaking his hand, "So, now that I know your names...I'm Traysek, leader of the Nightgale Syndicate, and I'm pleased to have met you all, thank you for looking out for them," with a smile, "That said, since we're all acquainted now, what all did you want to speak about...?"
"We were hoping to speak to you in private, have an arrangement to work out with you, should you be interested..." Anton, commented.
The Redguard thought on that, "Sure, but where at...?"
"The old room that Beasley was held in, it should be nice enough since our boys cleaned it up in there," Cendrick informed, "I can understand if you're against this too..."
"Not at all~ I just got done ensuring another deal went through, I can take the time for this unless something else comes up of course, But on one condition," Traysek paused, pointing his thumb at Rela, "She has to come too, Rela's my second to this company, and she'll need to be there for the finer details..."
Gauis nodded with a smile, "That's no problem at all, we'll take our seconds with us as well,"
"Alright, then it's settled, lead the way~" The Dragonborn ushered.
Rela simply stared at them while they showed them the way.
However that didn't go unnoticed by the Redguard, cutting an eye at her, "Is something wrong, Rela...?" he whispered to her.
"Someone is watching us..." Rela replied, "And it's not the master..."
"Strange..." Traysek commented, "Is there a way to track who...?" in a low tone.
Rela stayed silent for a moment before saying, "No... it's well protected..."
"Hmm...As long as they don't cause any problems, We don't have a reason to worry..." The Redguard said, "Still, remain vigilant, anything can happen..."
Rela only nodded at that.
They finally arrived at much cleaner royal chambers, finding burgandy lavish furniture with a small table between them and a dancer's pole, all of them going to the furniture and had a seat.
"It looks nice in here...There's a faint smell of blood, but still clean enough," The Redguard complimented, "Beasley had it good for a while it seems...this sofa is to die for," he joked, earning chuckles in the room.
"Tell us about, the black dogs stationed here learned that the hard way," Anton commented, "I can't tell you how good it felt cleaning them out..."
"I bet it did," Traysek said with a nod, "But if you guys hate him that much, why even work with him at all...? Meeting all of you now, you don't strike me as the force-it type,"
They all sighed, knowing this was coming...
Cedrick took a deep breath, "We're not and the only reason we even agreed to work with them in the first place, was because Volt had promised that he'd help our companies prosper again, and should today's battle go in their favor, and our "Mission" successful, we would've joined up with him as subsidiaries," he admitted, "However, not only did they pay us a measly 10,000 for our entire companies, but withheld the other half for "after" the job was done...Then we find out that the minister had his assets frozen, and knowing what they were doing to the girls in here...Added an even sicker taste to that..." gritting his teeth...
Anton sadly nodded his head, "Honestly, we were just looking for a way out...Most of us at that time wanted to ring their necks, but we would've been laid off should we set foot up there, and because our companies were falling apart, we begrudgingly turned a blind-eye...But then, your second here shows up with an offer we did not expect...Despite being foreign gold and all...Even better that it is, there was no question then..."
The Redguard had a perplexed expression on his face, sighing by rubbing his eyes, "You know...I get it, you guys are in a bad way, and any job matter how dirty, is food on the table...I understand that completely..." looking up at them after, "However, some things, broke or not...Are not worth that money...I don't fault you...any of you...for doing what you had to do there...We all gotta eat, take care of our people, make sure they eat...money for armor, weapons, goods, you name it...That's why I didn't want Rela, killing any of you..." he finalized, "We've been in that position ourselves, taking any job...Can't judge you for it, but now I'm certain you understand it's not worth it anymore, right?"
"Indeed we do," Gaioz answered, "Which brings the next discussion at hand," with a smirk, "Since we no longer intend to work with Volt or any of his conspirators, and we know you run a syndicate, we thought to extend that offer to you..."
Traysek had a look of surprise on his face, "Oh...? In what way...?" raising an eyebrow.
"Well for starters, you'd gain access to our forts without restriction, and our vendors would be accessible to you, not only that, but then because beneficiary, you'd get some control of our men, not enough to override our orders, no, but in terms of jobs or combat, they are at your becking call," Anton explained, making him a nod for a bit...
"I...I see..." The Redguard thought on with a furrowed brow, taking a deep breath, "Okay, understand that if this was my world and my rules, I would accept this without a second thought...However, since I'm under another, her master being my boss," nodding his head towards Rela, "That's something we're going to have to take up to him with...It's not that I think the offer's bad...Quite good actually...However, he may take that as a powerplay should I go through with this without him meeting you yet..."
"Who's your boss...?" Cedrick asked with a hard frown.
"Lord Swain..." He answered without missing a beat, putting shocked expressions on their faces...
"T-the raven king himself...?" Anton asked with a nervous shiver, "By the goddess, then that would make you-"
"Birds of prey..." The ronin put together, thinking on something, "In that case, then yeah, that would be considered power play no matte how you look at that..."
"I can why you were hesitant then...The king of ravens is not to be crossed," Gaioz agreed, as the others nodded, concurring with him.
Traysek nodded with gritted teeth, "Yeah...you can get me into some trouble here, but...should he deem you all good, we'll definitely get that started...I warn you though, he's got a way to see who you really are...lying to him is useless, do not try..."
"Duly noted..." Cedrick said in a cold sweat.
"Luckily for us, contacting him is easy, however, I'm not sure if he's still busy over in Ken or not, and I'd hate to intrude on something if he is," The Redguard admitted.
"The master is trying to fight politically for the power in Ken, since the mess with Celestine is pretty bad..." Rela pointed, "But I can see if he can allow himself a bit of time to come here."
Traysek nodded, "See if you can, if not, a call will do,"
Rela nodded before closing her eyes.
The other four mercs had confused expressions, wondering what was going on...
"Something happened with the goddess...?" Anton asked, concerned.
"Yeah, something like that..." Traysek said, facepalming, "You'll know once he comes here or calls, but I can't divulge that at the moment...Still..." going into thought, 'Every day...I wonder if I made the right call NOT killing him when I had the chance...feels like all it did was come back and bite us...'
When Rela opened her eyes, they were bright red, "I see that the four men that I wanted to speak with are here as well" Swain's voice sounded from her.
The four captains were surprised by the sudden change in voice, as Traysek gave a slight bow.
"Lord Swain~ thank you for coming," The Redguard smiled, "How are things over there...?"
"Calling it 'Bad' would be putting it, as an optimistic position" Swain sighed, "Not only did they hire the best lawyer, but they also called in for the Duke of Fontaine to be the judge... and he isn't the type to be swayed with anything when it comes to trials..."
The Redguard sighed deeply with a facepalm, "I see...Goddammit...And how's Celestine taking all this...?"
"The trial has yet to begin, which gives us more time to gather evidence that Celestine should stay as the Goddess Reborn, but finding a good lawyer to fight the one they got would be difficult..." Swain shook his head, "As for Celestine... she's on house arrest... thankfully, I had some of my people look after her..."
"Ok good, at least there's a light at the end of that tunnel, glad she's being taken care of during this," Traysek sighed in relief, "Hope you find someone soon...Anyway," nodding his head towards the captains, "They had an offer for me, but I told them to take up with you first, and seeing as you had things to discuss with them, the timing couldn't be any better,"
Cedrick gave a bow, "Greetings lord Swain, I've heard many things about you during our time out there, it's finally nice to speak to you..."
"I heard a lot about you... as well as your career as a Holy Knight." Swain replied, "I wasn't that surprised when I heard that you wanted to leave at that time."
The eagle captain slowly nodded, "Yeah, I will never again call those "men" my brothers...Can't after that..."
"I take that you had for quite some time before that, right," Swain asked
"For a time, yes..." Cedrick sighed, "I had a love for the holy army, but that was before I learned how deep their corruption ran... I had a taste of it when I saw how they treated survivors...I'll never forget it..." eyes dark and low, as if he was reliving something...
"That was... the brightest side," Swain stated, "Trust me, that was nothing compared to the real thing..."
The bald captain shook his head, "At that point...I wasn't willing to see the worst, I was done..." Taking a breath, "And so were they...I snapped after that, couldn't help it..."
"I don't think anyone could blame you for that..." Traysek commented, "But he's right, that's light compared to what they actually do..."
"But you do realize that you'd be working with the Dark Army, don't you," Swain asked
Cedrick nodded, "That's fine by me, And given the fact that not only did yours not butcher everyone in sight, but are also helping those that were under that mind control... There's no question on who to choose," with a smile, "Plus, we might get some decent contracts again, be able to do some good for a change, so it's a win-win,"
"We'll see about that, won't we?" Swain stated.
The Redguard nodded in agreement, "Trust me, he's already working me to the bone there, you'll be in for quite a hurdle,"
"But I do plan on paying you your salary," Swain turned to him with a smirk, "About 150,000 gold each month."
The eagle leader was surprised by that, as were the rest, "I...I see, well then, you'll have no complaints out of me...None at all,"
"I'll let Niall see which jobs you can take." Swain said, "Knowing him, he'd have some of the most grueling ones." joking a little.
Cedrick gave a hearty laugh, "Let's hope so! the boys could use a challenge!"
"Now..." Swain turned toward Anton, "The heir of the baron family that bears the name of Dobrescu, losing the count title after siding against the dukedoms of Fontaine and Keefrorr... it will be a very long way to recover all that has been lost."
Traysek raised an eyebrow, "Your family used to hold a county...?"
"Yeah we did, until my father got greedy," Anton sighed, shaking his head, "He had wanted more land for more business, so when false rumors started flying around against the dukes of Keefrorr and Fontaine, he tried to seize that as an opportunity... And once it backfired, we lost our right to our county, We could keep our business going, sure, but the same power we had over the county was diminished...and I don't see it coming back anytime soon with how he did all of that..." sighing after.
"Not to mention that getting on Neuvillette's bad side is ill advised... Especially if we consider how advanced the dukedom of Fontaine is." Swain sighed.
The lion leader sighed, "Believe me, it wasn't the smartest decision he's made, he even knew that detail and still went with it...to say that my relationship with my father is strained, would be an understatement right now..." eyes in cold stare, "Thanks to that, my mother and sisters had to take over the family businesses to keep it going...But like me, didn't want anything else to do with him, heard he's in Ken somewhere after he left our household...Haven't gone looking for him either," he shrugged.
"Well, Fontaine is very secretive about their machines and how it's done." Swain stated, "They even managed to block my sight..."
"That...Is both impressive and frightening at the same, Father should've never made enemies out of them, especially knowing how they felt against Dong Zhou..." Anton informed, "I hope they don't have any bad terms with me, the rest of us did not support that decision..."
"You'd better hope... because both Neuvillette and the lady of the Keefrorr dukedom are known for how cold-hearted they can be." Swain replied.
The lion leader nodded slowly, "Yeah, trust me, I know of their ruthlessness... if they actually took offense to this...We'd lose more than just a right over a county..." nervously chuckled, "As for why I'm no longer a holy knight... I... used to have an older brother who was also one... He was a mission away from becoming an officer and had gone to that very mission..." Taking a deep sigh "Apparently, a nearby village was sending enemy soldiers to attack Geofu, so he was tasked to investigate with his squad..." a scowl taking his features, "However when they returned, all they brought back was his broken sword and a lopped off arm... They told me that the enemy had overwhelmed them all and that they had no choice but to get away... Those were all they could bring back of him... At the time, I believed them, as did my family...But because something felt off to me, I investigated that village and had gotten a much different story... According to the locals around, my brother and his squad never made it there, but saw them head further south... I tried to inquire further from the holy army, and got no help and a threat to quit prying...after that, I couldn't trust them anymore, so I resigned...And I still don't know what really happened to him..."
"Do you want to know what happened?" Swain asked, "Or are you afraid of the answer..."
At first, Anton looked unsure, thinking on it for a moment, until he took a deep breath, opening his eyes, steeled and ready, "At this point, Lord Swain...The fact that we don't know hurts us way more than knowing...If you know, no matter how terrifying the truth is...We'll get some closure there...If not for me, for the rest of my family...They at least deserve to know..."
"He was betrayed and stabbed in the back." Swain answered, "However, he is still alive... just worried that you might be next if he tries to contact you. He barely survived the blood loss and is currently living in a small village in the west, waiting for the war to end."
He blinked twice in shock, not believing what he heard, "Allister's...Alive...? By the gods of this world...This whole time...We thought he was truly dead..." tears building up, "I'm...More than happy he's alive...But...Why...? Why did they betray him then...?"
"Maybe because he was secretly in love with a Dark Elf." Swain answered, "The others captured her and asked him to kill her, when he refused, they stabbed him in the back and cut off his arm... as for the woman, she somehow managed to escape and took him with her."
Hearing that put a perplexed expression on the lion leader's face, "I see..." wiping his tears away, "It was over a dark elf woman...I remember him telling me the day before he left that he had found someone out there...That smile he had that day was the brightest...She must've been very beautiful for him to go that length..." taking a deep breath, "So that's why they were so hesitant telling us...Okay...Then that solidifies my decision to leave them...I don't care what she is...If he's happy with her, then I'm happy he found someone to be happy with...and that's enough for me..." getting some approving nods from the captains, including Traysek, "Thank you, My lord...I...won't go seeking for him now...I know his old squad is still looking for him, and I don't disturb his peace...but if there's anything you need from me...Consider me there..."
"I can see if the Duke of Fran would allow you to get control of a county in the Duchy of Fran." Swain replied with a sigh, "But, there are some conditions for that..."
"Oh...? And what are the conditions...?" Anton asked, curious.
"Firstly, to never contact or invite your father in the domain. Secondly, to never support the church. And thirdly, whatever business you desire to invest into in the future, you need to contact me first." Swain listed, "Understand?"
"I Accept all terms, without a doubt...and You'll get a list soon of what we all import and ship all over the kingdoms," The lion leader smiled, "You may find more than a few things useful..."
"I'm sure of it." Swain stated before adding, "Also, while the Duke of Fran is someone with a flower on his head... the people surrounding him aren't, do be careful with them."
Anton nodded, "Thank you for the warning, I'll keep that in mind,"
Swain then turned to the Ronin, "Takigawa Korehiro, former samurai who had to flee Rad..."
The Ronin was silent for a moment, raising an eyebrow, "That's quite impressive...I didn't even mention that to you... but you are correct, lord Swain...That was home, once...Then the power struggles got bad...They still think I'm the reason..."
"Not being of a noble family is quite troublesome when dealing with these sorts of troubles," Swain said.
Korehiro sighed, "And it's too easy to be branded a criminal, especially if they thought you were undeserving in their eyes, and that's how the clan felt about me...Once my master was betrayed and murdered, them pointing the finger at me was too easy to them...And if they didn't accuse me for having a hand in it, They believed I failed...Which I might as well have...It was best to leave at the time..."
"Indeed," Swain nodded, "Otherwise you'd be the next to fall."
"Correct, but...Despite that little setback, our company still went without a problem, just in other territories...That's how I met them," The Ronin admitted, nodding his head toward the other captains "They've been more than generous in letting us work with them... Only one time I've regretted it, it was during the recent battle, working with those scum...But we needed it because contracts went dry..."
"Considering that the Black Dogs were the first ones to bend a knee at that time, it helped them get all the important contracts." Swain sighed, "Leaving less than the scraps for the rest of the mercenaries who refused to bend a knee..."
"Yeah and the right friends...Ones that cause problems, especially in Rad," Korehiro sighed deeply, "Given what his "New" goals are now...There is no doubt many of them have joined him in it...Even for their own benefit... As for our contract with them, that ended in this very room..."
"I can't set you up in Rad, as they aren't as easy to approach as the rest, but I can see what I can do." Swain stated.
The ronin waved him down casually, "We won't ask much there, just need somewhere more...stable for us to go, we've been nomadic for the most part..."
"I'll try with an old friend," Swain replied, "But I don't promise anything."
"We await either result," Korehiro agreed with a bow.
"Now... the last one," Swain turned to the mantis leader, "Someone who has quite the history with the High Inquisitor and the Obsidian Table."
Giaoz was silent for a moment, as all eyes focused on him, either out of Concern or distrust, it was hard to tell, making him sigh, "That was rather quick, but I expected that...Yeah, I indeed have a past with them, I used to be an obsidian knight...Served under Inquisitor Cantilia for the longest, much like the others...I believed in her cause...until I saw that..." Narrowing his eyes.
"You're talking about the experiments, are you not...?" Swain asked.
The mantis's leader's eye went dark and low, "Yeah...That and more..." taking off his eyepatch, revealing his eye, "I was even one of them...despite being against that procedure..."
The Redguard cringed, "Gods, your eye man...!"
"Trying to force magic on humans to level the field, that's what they say... but I'm sure that there's another reason why the church does that." Swain sighed
His eye was black where the whites were supposed to be, with a green iris with strange veins going around them, closing the eyepatch back up, "There is...They're trying to create ultimate soldiers, ones who defeat both human and monster enemies alike without fear of pain or death...And they've taken measures to make that happen... Especially given Marpesia's views on war itself..."
"While the High Inquisitor is right on some points, she's wrong on others..." Swain pointed out, "War isn't the answer, it's just a messy way to reach the answer..."
Giaoz nodded in agreement, "And when you consider who all she keeps in her circle, the Doctor, Horak, and many others, that mess is catastrophic at best...Horrifying at worst... Knowing all that and how...Disposable we are to them, There was no reason to keep serving them...Luckily for me, many in the obsidian table shared that sentiment, most of those are with the Mantis Corps now..."
"With Lorel escaping, you can count that we have yet to see what their plan is, and how it will be done." Swain stated, "More so now... especially since Princess Prim thinks of leaving the alliance..."
The mantis leader frowned upon that name, "Lorel huh...? So that old bastard's kicking I see...Guess he finally crawled out of that house he's been hiding in...Didn't think we'd be dealing with him as well...He could make things harder and given our new...Sword-defender, I bet those old fears are starting to come back..." with a chuckle.
"He did..." Swain sighed tiredly, "Thanks to the help of an idiot..."
The mantis leader sighed deeply, "Oh wonderful...I can't wait to meet the jackass that caused that old codger to come back to the surface,"
"Trust me, it's as frustrating to deal with him as you think..." Traysek groaned in annoyance.
"More so since he's about to be officially recognized by the church as an official commander..." Swain added, "And no matter what Celestine said, she was shunned by everyone..."
"That...Was something they'd been planning for a while, in order for the high inquisitor's plans to take off, they needed to remove her...My guess, she saw something she wasn't meant to see and they took that as enough...As for this new.."Commander" I think I've heard a few things about him, but not enough to really care, should be interesting to run into him,"
"He tends to stick out, for some reason, he's out to outdo me..." Traysek admitted, embarrassed, "I got that vibe when he first got Fort Hroka..."
"Oh ugh...He's that shitty place...?" Anton cringed, "And you a say he's a commander that's trying to outdo you...? How in that ran-down rat's nest...?"
"If he gets into the Obsidian Table, he can get the right help to restore that fort to its former splendor..." Swain answered, "And once he sees that he can do it with the right help, his confidence will rise to the heavens..."
Giaoz was once again silent for a second with the others, turning his head to them, and getting nods of agreement, "I see...Well then, that's even more of a reason to go under your sword-defender here...Of course, My men and I will also pitch in...Especially if he's got that gunning for him, whatever you need on the obsidian table, will be provided to you along with our services, Lord Swain..." bowing his head.
"Well, I wanted you to be members of the Birds of Prey's own military power under my orders, but if you want to refuse..." Swain then went in deep thought.
Traysek sighed deeply, nodding, "I appreciate that...I do...But I'd take that deal if I were you...We'll have members soon either way...But it's better to have your own thing, never know what could go wrong..." he advised.
"Oh...? In that case, that might be even better," The mantis leader thought on, "We'd still be allies...But we'd have that in our name too...Very well, we'll do that instead..." with a smile.
"Very well, I'll see that you get what you need once this mess is cleared." Swain stated, "In the meantime, feel free to ask the other members of the Birds of Prey for something if you need any. Now then..."
After that, Rela's eyes became normal, "Why are you all staring at me?" she asked, noticing the looks she was getting.
The Redguard chuckled, "That's because, for the last few minutes, they heard your master's voice coming from you...They're not used to that, yet..."
"Hmmmmm... I see..." Rela nodded.
"With that outta the way..." Traysek started with, "Welcome to the birds of prey, guys~ Normally, there would be more here to welcome you, unfortunately, they're busy with their work at the moment..."
"That's understood, we know how reputed you all are...So it's natural most of them are not here..." Cedrick nodded in agreement, "But since we're working together now If you need recruits for your syndicate, we can probably help you there...Lots of military often try to make the cut with us and while some don't make it...We keep in contact with them, I know they'll be happy to join up with you...Especially since you won two cities over..."
"Sounds like a plan, but do know, we'll have to interview them...gotta know what's in their head and heart first before letting them in, I'm sure you can understand..." The Redguard inquired.
The lion leader nodded, "We do, and on my end since my father had a deal with Dong Zhou, we've got a few shipments from him...One being of weapons with ashes of war...although we don't know what's on them with certainty, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for..."
"I hope so, those last battles did numbers on my crystal spear...If you have a worthy replacement until it's repaired, I'm willing to check out what you have..." Traysek agreed.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the shadows.
"I bear news from the general; a lot of knights were captured," Udemi stated.
The Dragonborn frowned, "That's...good and all, but they were already doing that, is there something special with these holy knights...?"
"You know them..." Udemi replied before going through the shadows again.
Traysek frowned deeper, "I know them, wha-" until he thought about, a large headache coming when he realized, going into a massive groan, "Ooooooooh...Oh no...He's here...? Why?!"
The other captains looked confused at first, until the eagle Captain raised an eyebrow, "You know him...?"
"You remember that commander that got Celestine shunned...? That's him..." The Redguard sighed, "And he's the last person I wanna see right now...But I get the feeling, if Greil knows, then he's gone there...So I have to go either way..."
"Mind if we tag along then...?" Anton asked, "Since we're gonna be dealing with him anyway, it'll be good to see what he at least looks like..."
Giaoz nodded in agreement, "I'll go too, Besides, I want to see exactly why the obsidian table is gushing over him..."
"I shall attend as well," Korohiro nodded his head, "Because another ronin I know, mentioned him once over a drink...I wonder if it's the same one..."
"Knock yourselves out, just be ready for whatever you see," Traysek sighed, standing up and stretching, "Let's go Rela, and if he annoys me enough today, you have my permission to toss him out of the nearest window,"
"After impaling him?" Rela asked, tilting her head.
Everyone was rendered silent at that with sweat drops...
"Impale him where exactly...?" Anton asked nervously.
Traysek nodded as nervous, "Good question...Uh...No where lethal and for the gods everywhere...NOT THERE!"
"Don't worry, there are a lot of points in the human body that are painful but not lethal," Rela assured with an empty stare, "I just want him to scream at the top of his lungs before throwing him from the top window... it's not that bad, is it..."
The Dragonborn waved her down, "Not at all, in fact after what he did, it'd be what the doctor just ordered..." being the first out of the room.
At the Golden Tankard...
Reynold, who was drinking and eating without care in the world, was now being held up against a wall by monster forces along with his men...
"What gives?! Can we not eat in peace?! What did we do now?" The commander shouted.
The Kletzkrieg who was in the command of the soldiers stayed silent and only glared at the knights.
Rey glared back,."There's going to be a day, when none of you will be bullying us like this, I promise you..."
"Speaking as if they're the victims of this war..." one of the soldiers mumbled with venom.
Then after that, he could hear voices approaching the tavern...
"And he's in here...?" A rough voice asked.
"According to the locals, that's where most them gathered up at..." A familiar voice sounded, making him narrow his eyes as the door opened, with four of the mercenary captains walking in, followed by Rela and Traysek.
The Redguard saw him and the headache came back, making him facepalm, "By the nine, she wasn't kidding..." walking up to the guards crowding him, "Excuse us...We're here for him..."
"You're the guy General Greil spoke about?" the Kletzkrieg asked, "He ordered us to leave him to you if you want."
"I'll take him off your hands, it seems he's been annoying most of you..." Traysek sighed deeply, "This won't take long at all," as they cleared the way, "Let him turn around..."
The guards eased up, allowing them to turn around, Rey and Marquel widening their eyes...
"Hello, appears we're back in this situation again,. What the hell are you doing here.?
Rey clicked his tongue, "Of course, you'd come...They sent you here...They ALWAYS send you! What? was Greil too busy?"
"Nah, he just couldnt be bothered and I don't blame him...Dealing with you is taxing on ones soul..." The Redguard retorted with, "So judging from the fact you've been here, I'm going to assume you've been celebrating...why? now that's beyond even me," with a shrug.
"Just wait until the others get their hands on you, you'll be singing a different tune!" Marquel stated, glaring at the Redguard.
"IF" Marquel, "IF" they do...I'm not giving it to them that easily," The Redguard smirked, "That said, have you met my new friends...?"
Giaoz narrowed his eye on the pair, mostly on Marquel, "Hey...I remember you, you're the Fervious brat, ain't ya...? And what do you mean by "We?" I take it you've been blooded in, Yes...?" in a chilling tone.
"If it isn't the Butcher of Thorn," Marquel smirked, "Heard that you were killed for treason. But I was right about something; traitors always stick together."
The mantis leader laughed, "Oh you know that much, and you're taking that tone...? That's funny, but that didn't answer the question, have you... been blooded in the obsidian table... Yes or no...?" looking at him dead eyes with a smirk.
"Not yet, but it's not that far, y'know?" Marquel replied, "My little job for them is nearly done, and they'll make me one of them, as well as give me the rights to get my family's lands and power. Still, it's not like you can fail my job since you don't know it."
"It's not that far...? You either are or you're not, and judging from the fact that you're still hanging out with these losers, I doubt that's coming anytime soon..." Giaoz sighed, shaking his head, "Don't tell me, you've convinced this man here that you're a member..." getting silence as the answer, "By the goddess...You've been riding on them that hard huh? oh, that's hilarious!"
Traysek frowned, "Wait, so he's not a member...?"
"Not quite. He's what you'd call..."A prospect" trying to get in, even though this isn't the first time he's tried to get in, that's what he's not telling you," the mantis leader pointed out. This would be his seventh time..."
A series of snickers were heard from other mercs and monster forces there...
"You failed six times?!" Traysek laughed outloud, "Hahahahahaha! Oh buddy...you're even sadder than he is!" nodding his head towards Reynold.
"I never said that I was a member, you know?" Marquel pointed with a smug smirk, "As for why I didn't get in... let's just say that I got my targets killed because they wouldn't stop crying and begging to let go, so, I ended up silencing them for good."
Giaoz chuckled, "And why would Marpesia waste time on someone who can't follow simple orders...?" he asked with a smug grin, "Following orders is the rudimentary part of joining, kid and seeing as you've disobeyed that, six times in a row...Why would she accept you now...?"
"Not only that, but you just admitted to out-of-war murder to a SWORD-DEFENDER, you gotta be stupid if not mentally slow..." Cedrick sighed, shaking his head.
Marquel laughed at that, "Trying to twist my words to your liking, how typical. I was charged to bring in criminals, traitors, deserters... do you really think that I'd admit something to the likes of you?" he chuckled before adding, "Just kill me already, I know that you want to do it, and it would be a relief for me."
Traysek waved him down, "You can relax, Femboy, we're not here for that today...In fact, we're just here to kick you guys out..."
"How are you going to do that when you haven't even conquered the city?!" Rey interjected, "You're just blowing hot air at this point, you still have to deal with Stannos...And he's not going to give in to you so easily...!"
The entire room went silent for a second until a roar of laughter from everyone else came bursting out...
Anton wiped a tear away, "Is...Is no one going to tell him...?"
"While you were playing with those small needles of yours, we took out all key figures," Rela stated.
At that, Rey, Marquel, and the rest of the holy knights had horrified expressions...
"W-what...? No...No your bluffing!" Rey denied, "There were supposed to be mudslides and an all-out attack, you're even supposed to be here three days ahead of now... there's no way...it's too quiet!"
Traysek chuckled, "Oh~ Mudslides? All out attacks in three days? Where'd you get that from? A fake ass plan?" going into a laughing fit, making Rey's eyes go wider than dinner plates.
"Fake...Plans...?" He uttered, "You...! That's why you left those there! You knew I'd read it!" gritting his teeth.
"And that you'd take it back to your holy mook brethren here, all too easy~" The Redguard grinned, "Guess that's why you figured you didn't have to do much this time, eh? Should've checked on your holy knight buddies..."
"I guess that he was busy harassing other people to do that," Rela said.
Rey furrowed his brow, "Harassing people...?" until his eyes went wide with realization, "How...How do you know about that...?"
"What? The fact that you were trying smear Regis's name to gain favor with Obsidian table...?" Traysek asked, fluttering his eyelashes, "We have our ways, let's just say that..."
"Dammit..." The young commander growled, "So this whole time, you've been plotting on us from the start..."
"That's not all either, I'm afraid I have a bit more bad news..." The Redguard informed, "You remember those two dark elves you ran to...?"
Reynold narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, I do...The blonde Taevro and the other, Fenak, what of them...?"
"One of them is here," Rela stated.
"The hell are you talking about...? I don't see them anywhere here!" Rey pointed out, "Has all that time before in solitude fried your brains...?"
Traysek chuckled, "Actually she's correct one of them is here..." snapping his fingers, taking that form once again putting every holy knight in complete shock, "Surprise!~ Taevro never existed," twirling around.
"This...This can't be real...So if you were that elf, then the other guy was-" the young commander slowly put together.
"General Greil himself~," The blonde elf smiled, before reverting back to the Redguard, "And you're lucky they weren't real, otherwise you and your Femboy would've been in even deeper shit from how "tough" you guys were acting,"
Giaoz whistled, "That...Now that is just diabolical!" chuckling afterward.
"How?! We saw you both leave the city!" Rey yelled, feeling his anger build up.
"Did you...? Or were they shadows that made you believe it...?" Traysek grinned, "Regardless, you'll never know the method we used..."
"So you manipulated us from the start, huh?" Marquel sighed, narrowing his eyes "Scums to the end, right?"
Traysek gave him a smug grin, "It takes scum to know scum, right Marquel?" grinning wider, "Typical cry bullies...Everything is always fun and games when the victim doesn't swing back until he or she finally does, then suddenly... they're the villain, they're the bad guys, They're scum, They're heretics... Honestly...at this point, it's getting pretty... pathetic..." in a low whispering tone.
"We fight in the name of the goddess reborn and in the name of peace." Marquel said, "And what about you? You fight only to get fat pockets, you don't really care about these people! I'm 100% sure that you're the kind who always asks for remuneration in exchange for something not even caring if it ruins them!"
"Isn't that the basics of marketing?" Rela asked confusedly, "Without exchange... the economy would be stagnant..."
The Redguard chuckled, "Wrong wording, but the intent was correct..." narrowing his eyes, "And back to you...That's a little hypocritical don't you think...? By that logic alone, shouldn't your family be the most guilty in that comparison?"
"Like you know anything about my family..." Marquel venomously stated.
Lion leader smirked, "He doesn't, but I might know a few things..." getting his attention, "The only reason I know about your family's businesses, is because mine and yours have competed with prices for years now... While we sell and ship goods for an affordable price, yours will rob your customers blind, noble and common man alike..."
Traysek whistled, shaking his head, "And this is the guy you chose to lay in bed with, Rey..."
"Better than laying up you! Why should I trust you or the birds of prey after how you tricked us?!" Reynold snarled.
"Because we're stronger?" Rela asked, "That's how things are viewed by humans, is it not? You oppress others and then force them to follow your rules and reality while denying their past... I doubt that you even know anything about the three swords of the Dark Elves, the three heroes who protected the lands of the Dark Elves 1500 years ago."
Rey thought on that with a frown, "Three heroes..." What are you even talking about? I haven't heard such a thing, not even from Esteban himself..."
"That...that was the point, Reynold...You don't know shit like you claim you do..." Traysek facepalmed, "Nor does your femboy, who still thinks he's got me figured out...It'd be funny if it wasn't so insulting..."
"Let's keep it simple then, can either of you say one correct sentence in the old language of the Dark Elves?" Rela asked them.
Rey tried to think of something but in truth...He didn't know a damn thing about their language...
"I...Uh..." Turning to Marquel, "Do you know anything in their language...?"
"I don't see why I should know a heretical language," Marquel replied.
"Yeah, but that's not exactly beating the dumbass allegations, is it?" Anton smirked
Korohiro raised an eyebrow, "I mean how can you expect them to know when they don't even know how to speak the Common Rad tongue right" earning some chuckles, "Seriously you should hear it from them, it sounds like mumble garbage..."
Traysek shook his head, "And that alone sums everything up...For a group of uppity knights, claiming that they know their enemy...You don't know their culture, their language or their history...You really don't know your enemy at all...Do you...? Have we been fighting dunce caps the entire time?"
"Like you know something!" Marquel snapped.
The Redguard laughed, "You're absolutely right, Marky...! I don't know everything, but even then, I know more than you...!" with a smirk "I know their loyalties, their combat rituals, how their magic work, how their aging works and the fact they don't prefer to steal or stab in the back, something you've done yourself, commander... forty times in fact," making the patrons and waitresses gasp and whisper amongst each other.
Rey sarcastically applauded, "Yeah yeah yeah, you're sooooo much smarter than us, just say it already and stop putting on airs!"
"And he has actual victories to talk about." Rela added, "Victories that would be impossible for someone like you..."
Rey narrowed his eyes into a glare, "I just want you to know, I know what you implied there...And I hate you for it...How long are you people going to crucify me over that mission report?!"
"Until we run out of nails," The Redguard sighed, "Which won't be any time soon given your attitude..." picking out his ear lazily.
"Those "Loses" were your fault!" The young commander growled.
Traysek shook, "Just two of the recent ones were...Those other times...? That had nothing to do with me,"
"Like you sending that elf woman into a tree...? That wasn't your fault either?" Rey spat back, "How's that going by the way...? I'd figured you'd still be looking for that elven cannonball over screwing with us!"
"No...No that was on me, and that's already been handled," The Dragonborn answered, "I'm still awaiting the repercussions there...Just like you've got some coming to you..."
"Stab time?" Rela asked stars in her eyes.
Rey blinked twice, a small sweat bead going down his face, "Wh-what does she mean by that...?"
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough..." Traysek smiled, "And just a little more, Rela, I'm getting there..." turning back to them, "Now, the only other reason, I've come here, is because Regis wants you to stop smearing his name all over the city, he doesn't appreciate that...And as far as I'm concerned none of us do..." A stone glare revealed itself, "You will stop...Or else..."
"Or else what...? You so much as touch me or have her touch me... and I'll have your position revoked!" Rey threatened, "I mean it!"
"You're not even a member of the Holy Army since you weren't approved of," Rela pointed, "You're just a stupid mercenary who got caught."
The young commander felt that in his soul, taking a calming breath, "I...I was taken under master Claudia...I've been one for years...and in a minute that's going to change soon too..."
"So I've heard..." Traysek sighed, shaking his head, "That said, are you going to stop with the smearing, yes or no...?"
"Since you brought it out like that...NO!" Rey said with a narrowed-eyed stare, getting applause from his men.
"You tell him, sir, we don't answer to heretics!" A knight chimed in with.
Another knight clapped even harder, "You hear that? That's the sound of us not caring!"
"I bet that you're waiting for us to bow our heads to you, huh?" Marquel crossed his arms, "But the words of heretics are null to true believers such as us."
Traysek took a deep breath, chuckling, "What a pity...But I was hoping that was your answer... Quite tickled by it actually...Personally, watching Rela stab idiots is the best we're gonna get compared to a live show at a concert" turning to Rela, "Rela~ I believe now it's stabby-stabby time~...I think I'm done talking to them...And for the wait time, you get two for one today~" throwing two thumbs up.
Rey began to sweat profusely, "No no no...Hey! I mean it, you'll lose the shack you're held up in...! Don't do it!"
"Empty threats..." Rela gave them a dead stare, slowly walking toward the two.
Rey started backing away, turning to the monster forces, "Can... Can I at least have my sword back...?"
"I doubt that's gonna help you here, kid..." Cedrick sighed, shaking his head.
Rela took out her Emei Piercers and spun them, "You know, there are various painful points in the sides of a human being, and piercing them can end up being quite painful for days..."
Rey gulped, nodding slowly, "Ah...I see," turning to Traysek and the other forces, "Please! at least let us defend ourselves!"
The Redguard sighed, "Again...Knowing your skill, we don't get how that's gonna help you...But," with a smirk, "Because I am a fair sport and all~ I'll ask these lovely patrons and waitresses what they think..." turning to the rest of the crowd, "Good day everyone~ Before my second here turns them into her personal pin-cushion, does anyone in here think these maggots should at least defend themselves...?"
"Like hell they deserve it!" someone shouted as more joined in.
"Useless knights! You didn't do a damn thing!" Another patron chimed in.
"Broke bums, you didn't even have the decency to pay, why should you be allowed that mercy?!" A waitress screamed this time.
"Fuck them! toss em out!" The bartender shouted next, as angry clamoring took over the bar for a moment.
Rey understanding the situation, went pale, gulping loudly "N-no...Wait...Why...?"
Traysek giggled at this, "Whelp...Looks like the crowd has spoken... such a shame...And who would I be if I went back on it...?" turning his head to Rela, "Okay, Now you can take out the trash..."
Before that they could move another muscle, Rela was behind them, needles stabbed at the two knights' side, beneath the ribs.
"AAAAUGGGGGHHHH!" Rey yelled in a high-pitched scream.
Marquel also screamed louder as he held the wounded place.
She dashed back, stabbing them again, in the other side of their bodies.
"Arrgh! What the hell are those?!" Rey shouted, groaning in pain as he went down on his knee.
Anton winced with the others, "Ooooh...That looked painful the first time around...I'm...I'm actually glad we didn't fight..." getting agreeing nods from the other captains.
Rela then caught them by the back of their necks and spun a handful of times before throwing them through the wall, she then turned to the other knights, "Who's next?"
"Forget this, I'm outta here!" One of the knights spoke, making a dash for the exit.
"Same here! I don't want THAT done to me!" Another knight agreed.
"Run!"
And just like that, the rest of Rey's knights all fled out of the tavern, scattering...
Traysek whistled with an approving nod, "Nice throw! Those needles of yours are deadly," he complimented, until he thought about it, "Though I'm worried, we'll have to pay for the wall damage..." with a sweat drop.
"Send the bill to Regis," Rela said casually.
The Redguard blinked twice at that, shrugging after that "Eh, I'm sure that's fine...Small price to pay, but I think he got the message...HOPEFULLY..." Turning to the captains, "So...Now that you've met him, you see why Swain catches headaches now, don't you?"
Cedrick sighed deeply, "Headache" is too nice of a word for that guy..."
"I'll add to that, especially that second of his," The lion leader shook his head.
Korohiro took a breath, "Do we really have to say...? His actions spoke for themselves..."
"And that's about to join the obsidian table...Seems like they're getting desperate if they gotta depend on that..." Giaoz finally added in, "Yeah, it was a good time we joined up with you guys, I know that's not a problem, now, but I suspect later he'll become an actual threat..."
The Redguard waved down, "Don't worry, if that EVER becomes an issue, I know who to call on that...she'll be more than happy to..." before thinking on something, "That said, my second also tells me, that one of you had something to say about Recorder...?"
Giaoz, Korohiro, and Cedrick turned to Anton who slowly nodded...
"Yeah, it was me, but it wasn't meant to be taken too seriously, but I will admit, she's kinda cute..." The lion leader admitted, "Why? is she your woman...?"
"We used to date, but no," Traysek answered, "You gotta be careful where and WHO you say that around, she's with somebody else...And believe me, despite being the cool and quiet one, he's crazy about her, trust me on that,"
"How "Crazy" are we talking here...?" Anton asked, worried, "And did you say he's the quiet type...?"
The Dragonborn took a breath, "So crazy that the last guy who looked at Recorder like she was lunch, is now in frozen pieces all over the geofu path..."
Anton was sweating heavily, "Oh...Oh he's crazy like that...? What uh...what's his profession or ex-profession...?" with a nervous smile.
"He was one of the top fighters in the Kletzkrieg. Was about to become a Deathbringer, but decided to leave with a really tough test." Rela replied.
Anton blinked twice, gulping, "Kletzkrieg...? And...You say he was almost a Deathbringer...?"
"Yeah, his draw speed is also over the top, and while I can react to it, if barely...The second you touch your weapon, you're in pieces, literally..." Traysek explained, "My advice? Keep him cool and there won't be any problems...You do not wanna be in the same boat as that commander she just stabbed..."
"I...I see, I'll keep that in mind..." The lion leader uttered out, wiping the sweat away.
"To give you a way to understand how fast he is, know that Recorder's sword drawing is considered a snail's pace compared to his," Rela added.
The mantis nodded, "And from what we saw from that... If you mess with this guy, Anton, don't look anywhere near our direction..."
"Yeah...I remember how fast she was...And even then I could barely see that blade...Okay, yeah, I won't make comments like that again..." The lion captain concurred.
"Thank you...That's all I ask..." The Redguard sighed, "That said, I think we're done here...Let's get back to the others, shall we?" to Rela.
"Sure," Rela nodded.
"As for you guys," Traysek began, turning around to them, "Once I warp us all back to Ur's castle, We're gonna see what else to do, before heading home to our manor, I'm sure the men and are tired and hungry if they haven't eaten already...I'm sure your guys are just as tired,"
"They are or at least mine is," Giaoz agreed, "Our fort is near Thorn, so yeah, it was a long travel...We'll make our way back,"
Cedrick chuckled, "Not really for us, our fort's close to Ur, we were practically right there, we might as stick around and see what needs helping,"
Anton nodded, "Our fort's near Geofu, it wasn't too bad, I do have a bit of business here to conduct, and then I'll head back with my guys,"
Korehiro thought about this, "We'll go to Geofu, our hideout's there and the last thing we need right now is to get seen by lone shadows,"
"Good call...I hear they're not exactly nice to run into..." The Redguard agreed, before snapping his fingers and opening a portal, "After you gentlemen~" motioning to the portal.
"Ah, so that's what you meant by "warp" Clever~" The eagle leader complimented, as he went in first before the others followed suit.
Rela thought about something, "What are the chances that princess does really leave the Seven Kingdoms Alliance?"
"Depends which princess you mean...If it's Prim, we already know what side she's on," Traysek started with, "But if it's Alicia...It'll be hard to tell, but one thing's for certain... Niall got himself a whole project there..."
Rela sighed as she said, "Maybe you know her thoughts... but not the men who serve as soldiers..."
"She's well aware of that, trust me..." The Redguard assured, "It may not seem like it, but Prim's got that worked out... besides, it holds advantage for her to remain as a shield princess, despite her being a B.O.P member... And in time, Alicia may come around or she may not...That remains to be seen,"
"Don't be so sure..." Rela replied, "A human can change in one day..."
Traysek nodded in agreement, "That's true. She could one day do it, but that could also be said about anyone else...Sometimes, we don't know the hands we're dealt with and what a person, monster or human would do... So far, she's remained loyal to the B.O.P, but that's because things are going in our favor...We'll see once things start going the opposite way for us...That's when the test of loyalty truly shows itself..."
Rela only stayed silent, still thinking about it.
Traysek thought on that for a second, "...You don't trust her, do you...?"
"She's serving her own needs for power," Rela stated, "Of course, she isn't trustworthy."
The Dragonborn wondered about that, coming to terms with it, "You know...That's a good point, much like Hildegard, she wants something out of this as well...So I understand the distrust...and the possibility of betrayal is there...looming in fact..." With a sweat drop, "But at the same time, I respect the independent nature with it...To be fair, we were no different when we were in the city...We're on their side, sure, but we were working for ourselves too, even now in a way," he shrugged, "For example. When we get back, our payments from Gronik's waiting, doubled by the defense battle too..." heading towards the portal.
"So you're going to ask for the payment now?" Rela asked.
"It's on the to-do list... we do need to start opening trades with nearby villages since we'll be getting recruits soon, and since Erdora's getting a lot of shipments and traders hitting it often, that'll be a good place to start," Traysek explained with a nod.
"And how will you recruit people?" Rela tilted her head, "You can't hide everything about the activities that'll be done."
"I can't, no, and to be honest, it's not a life for everyone, I don't expect a bunch of people to come crawling on their knees, but one, two, possibly three people interested in joining would be enough... Considering current career choices, I figured this would be a better alternative..." The redguard pointed out.
"I already know three people who would join you without hesitation," Rela stated.
The Redguard hummed on that, "If it's the three we're both thinking of, I don't know about that...Maybe Dargo and Zephyr, but that third one, I'm not sure he's quit his position or not...I'd have to find out there, but if he's willing, it'll be nice to have a medic there just incase yuri can't do it..."
"It wouldn't hurt asking," Rela pointed.
"I suppose not," Traysek concurred with a nod, Anyway...Let's get going, the portal will go out soon... After you," motioning her in.
Rela nodded and walked through the portal.
Once he was the only one left, he turned around and gave everyone a last bow before going through the portal himself, closing behind him...
Fort Blackstone...
A black dog slammed his hand on a table which had a map of Eostia, and various chess pieces, surrounded by various people.
"If Volt ever hears of this-!" he snapped, ready to threaten them until a sword went through him from behind, shocking him.
After falling on the table, it was revealed that it was Marpesia that killed him.
"Now we can speak freely," Marpesia said, looking at the others.
"Well, that's a relief." Lorel, who was sitting on a chair, joked as he got up, walking to the table.
"We are all on the same side, High Inquisitor." Esdeath pointed, grinning.
"So, what IS the real plan?" Lorel asked.
"War," Marpesia answered, "The natural state of our species..." she then picked the dead dog from the table before letting him fall on the ground, "And yet these... monsters flee from it." she slammed her bloody sword on the table, "They're cowards, we must be brave for them."
"We cannot hope to trigger war everywhere," Gideon said, walking toward the table and looking at the map.
"We can..." Marpesia countered, "If we recruit our enemies to the cause."
the rest of the individuals got closer to the table as the door slammed.
To be continued...
And with that Dark ending, this concludes the Arc...While the battle may be over, solving Ur's problems is just beginning...And for many of you wondering, No...This isn't the end for Rey, but he will hurt for quite a while... Stay tuned for the next chapter, it will be behind this one, if not today, then the next day... Peace be with you all :)