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Angelic Devotion Ch1


Kanami
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Kieru sighed loudly as she looked out the window. She didn't enjoy being stuck in this dull boring room which reaked of medicine. A part of her was regretting staying behind in Crestia, how was she to have known that the army would be this boring..... and smelly. It wasn't so noticeable in here but every soldier she passed smelled like they hadn't ever bathed in their entire life. To top it all of they all were rude, bossy and gloomy. She'd tried to liven the place up by setting of fire crackers in the dining hall and nearly gotten her beheaded for it. "Stupid hairy old men" she muttered angrily.

She jumped off the bed and ran over to the door for the eight time that hour, and found it was still locked. According to the lieutenant that had locked her in the medic room the key was still in the lock and any injured soldier would be able to open the door from the outside. At first she planned to run out as soon as someone came, but it'd been nearly half a day since she'd been locked in here and she hadn't eaten anything for a whole 6 hours! It didn't help that she could hear men cheering in the distance, probably drunk smelly men and their foul tasting water. Training had apparently ended an hour ago, and another peaceful day had passed without the Granf's showing head or tail. Kiery caught herself wishing Granford would invade already, and quickly shook her head as if doing so would clear her mind.

She didn't want Granford to attack, this fort wasn't very big, and was very poorly maintained. It was obvious to the eyes of even the newest recruits that this place hadn't been used in years. She recalled the map she'd been shown when she first arrived. Sleeping quarters, Dining hall, toilets, armory, and the Medic's building she'd been locked in. which was surrounded by a cracked vine strewn wall in all four directions. Nevermind all the buildings inside the fort were made of rotting wood. She looked at ceiling again and wrinkled her nose, she definitely didn't want to sleep here on a rainy night.

Sighing again, she walked over to the window and looked out at the sky which was tinted orange. A few more hours before sun down. She'd hoped to take a look around Elrest, the nearby township today, but it wouldn't be any fun going this late. They'd all be packing up and heading home by the time she made it there. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a gold coin, frowning at the small circle before putting it away. She didn't know why it was so valuable, it didn't look nice at all and couldn't figure out why people would want to trade tasty food for ugly round bits of metal. Shrugging her shoulders she scampered back over to the beds and jumped on one of the beds which creaked loudly under her weight. She raised her head and glared at the bed, "Kieru isn't that heavy" she said finally giving up her sanity as she started a conversation with the bed.

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"Look, I keep telling you the expedition needs more money. We've already come upon a large area that seems to have been use-"

The man cut her off. "But have you found anything?"

"I-W-Well, no not yet. But I'm sure it'd be in the interests of the academy to continue exploration."

The man paused for a moment. He clasped his hands together, focusing on his next words. She sat, not sure how much longer she could take. "You'll be given 3 weeks, and 5000 more gold. You'll be given a supervisor that will report directly to me each day. Should you find anything within that time, we can re-discuss our contract later."

Naomi shook her head and stood. She turned to leave, glad to be out of here. Walking down the corridor, she waited back in the lobby, looking out the window. Of course the duke in charge would have the fanciest building, but it looked almost as if the others were starved. "Idiot. Revolts happen these ways." She sighed. Why the academy had stopped exploration when they were so close was beyond her. Actually, she knew why. A little satanic sacrifice, and suddenly everyone's in a tizzy. They had come upon a young girl and something that seemed not quite human. But they had to keep digging. If only for her. The carriage would be along in the morning to get her, but she regret not having the foresight to have it come sooner. She was NOT going to spend the night here. How far was it to the nearest town?

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Arc was sick of the drunken craze going on at the fort.

He spoke to the man next to him. "Granford's army is well-trained. Do you think we'll be successful?"

The man next to him turned to Arc and hiccuped. "*Hic* 'O course m'lad! You must remain faithful *Hic*!"

Drunken fool, thought Arc. But instead, he said "Yes, faith is good."

Arc felt like going for a walk, he knew no one would care. It wasn't like the fort was well-maintained. But all the old men around were replusive. Arc needed a break. He proceeded to head to the medic's Building.

Perhaps theres someone sane or sober there, he thought.

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Shuffling through the halls of the fort, Shizunai fingered the hilt of his sword, thinking quietly to himself. Not much happening today. He liked Crestia very much, liked it's tradition, it's kind people, it's peaceful lifestyle. But it wasn't quite home. Not like Izuna. Violent to be there, horrible for women, a cutthroat society, but there was a sublime beauty to it. Besides it was home. He cursed himself a fool for deserting. He could've easily expressed disapproval and they would've exiled him, the worst punishment they could give him. Or so he thought. Not only was he a stranger to everyone, he now had Izu bounty hunters after him. Hopefully they'd leave innocents alone. Of course they would. They do believe in honor.

Opening the door to a room, Shizunai sat on the floor and entered the lotus position, focusing his chi and clearing his mind. Meditation was an important ritual in Izu, for both priests and warriors. Meditation would relax the body and mind, and most importantly, increase his spirit, good for when he used his chi in battle.

While he was preparing to meditate, he heard a little girl argue with a bed. He headed towards her, a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"What is a child like you doing here? Are you the daughter of a soldier here? Are you lost? If so, I swear by my ancestors I shall escort you back."

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Bullet leaned against the wall outside the fortress. It was dull work, being a guard. Nothing ever happened. He sighed. He hoped that Granford attacked soon, so he would have the opportunity to strike back at them for the deaths of his comrades. He fingered the broadsword at his back uncomfortably. It wasn't his style to carry a weapon around, especially not an obvious one like that. But the other guards had insisted.

Eventually, he went inside. Laying his sword on the floor, Bullet began throwing rocks at the gate.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here after all...

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Kieru gave out a short cry before rolling off the other side of the bed. Someone had snuck up on her and was trying to abduct her! How she'd not noticed the man earlier was something she couldn't understand, why couldn't the bed be nice enough to tell her that there was a scary looking creature behind her?

"Kieru doesn't have any money, go away kitty-man!" she said glaring the mans face before shifting her attention to the sword at the mans waist.

"Kieru is important, you're not allowed to take her away to your dark stinky cave."

The man clearly wanted to say something but she wouldn't let him, she wouldn't listen. She'd read books about evil sorcerers who could take away ones will by opening their mouth, and she wasn't about to let that happen to herself.

"Kieru not going to listen, Kieru's really really smart and won't listen to evil kitty monsters that try to gobble her up!"

She could tell that the monster was surprised, or at least thinking things over, still glaring at the man she felt relieved that she'd seen through the kitty monsters plan, she wouldn't be abducted that easily.

"Kieru is really really super strong, and has really really sharp teeth and bite kitty-mans hand off if you grab her!" She yelled frantically looking around for a weapon, finally realizing that the door was ajar. Shifting her attention back and forth between the door and the kitty monster she made sure she wasn't in any danger of being grabbed before making up her mind. She thought the masked man had said something but didn't quite hear what the words were.

"Scary lieutenant man!" she said pointing behind the kitty monster before darting towards the entrance. She didn't know if she'd been able to buy herself any time, but what mattered at present was that she got away.

Just as she approached the door, she tripped on her own feet sending her flying through the air and then flat on her face. Sensing someone nearby she forced her mind to think, settling on something one of sisters had taught her. "Help! Rape!!!" she shouted as loudly as she could. Hoping that someone would come she braced herself for the mans attack.

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"What? No no. Nothing like that. It's just I didn't expect a child in this fortress," Shizunai said, taken aback by the girl. He wasn't too worried though. He had joined the Crestians a week ago or so. They knew him to be a quiet man of valor and honor. Besides, it was only a little girl. Kitty man though? That was new.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm one of the soldiers here. I just came in here to meditate see? How come you're here though? I didn't think they'd let children in here.

Besides, I'm not even a kitty man. This is a kitsune mask."

Edited by Yoshimitsu
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It was indeed a beautiful day, as Cy found himself in the village around Fort Talgusta. There was a rather calm atmosphere, as villagers spoke with their neighbors, while mercenaries spoke with merchants, and soldiers lounged about. The buildings seemed less weird now, after the initial shock. Still, they looked... Wrong, somehow. Well, he would have to get used to it, at least, until he finished his travels. But getting money was more important, right now. Stretching his arms over his head, the Menol wandered around, until he got directions from a child-Another oddity. Why was he out playing, and not in school?- and walked up to the fort itself, mentally taking notes on the structure while entering. What use this information could be, when he got back!

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Beautiful, wonderful, splendid! The creaky and rotting wooden fort of Talgusta was a wondrous splendor of new experiences for ace spy and amazing practitioner of magic, Hubert! Ah, the dozens of ways in which he could assail and single-handily take this broken-down little fort on his own. In fact, if it had actually been his mission he would have done so, but he was oh-so-cruelly bound to a set of parameters he had signed to get this unique experience. But, ah, they were so worth it just from seeing these outside walls alone. Almost enough to forget those little rules for just a second, give in to that loud voice that was always screaming, burn it all! But no, that would cut his trip oh so short, and there were always new things to see, to experience, and to possibly burn. For the practical reasons behind them naturally.

But alas, his time investigating the rot of the walls was to be cut short. If Hubert tarried any longer he might miss meeting the dear Commander--or whatever such term these unenlightened oafs used to indicate their leaders. And if Hubert didn't meet the man, why, he would never be able to offer his very rare and excellent set of skills that all related to setting things on fire. With a small amount of literacy to help that all along. Where these oafs even literate? It struck Hubert that he might have to explain what reading and writing were to them. Well, he was an excellent teacher! This year alone had seen fewer injuries than the past two combined!

Well, no use in standing still anymore. Hubert shook himself free of the various unsavory pieces of the wall that had fallen upon him and began circling back to that gate he had avoided n favor of checking elsewhere. It seemed he would have to deal with these primitive feebs after all, and if they were anything like the slumkid savages of home, they would be unwashed, rude, ugly, and a hundred other various descriptions that Hubert didn't have the mind to soil his thoughts with any further.

Hubert walked closer, flashing the sign of greeting he had often seen the slumkind show each other on his rare trips to their hovels.

"Hey! What's that insult for?" the guard who Hubert was showing the symbol to yelled.

"Insult? No insult, a sign. Bah, I thought you lesser-kin would understand each other." Hubert hung his head and his hand as he mentally tacked that the signs between the sadsack savages was no continental. Ah, that should be an exciting new tome for him to write once he had finished his spying!

"Lesser-kin? Now that is an insult!" the guard yelled again.

"But you are what you are yes? Very well, how much of these, coins? Will you take to stop being so annoying?" The lessers had a tendency to really like the shiny coins that Hubert had been given as part of his mission. He had no idea why, there were plenty of other shiny things. Like that dammed desert, but that was another line of useless thought. No, much better to focus on these plebs and their desire to stuff the small misshapen discs in their pouches and such.

"Ha!" the slightly bigger other guard laughed. "How much do you got?"

"I don't see how that is relevant."

"Well, it's uh, rel-e-aunt? to us!"

"Well, here, three, do you know how many three is?" The intelligence of these less-kin was atrocious! They couldn't even say relevant correctly. Ah, a fond title for another tome. The Relevant Intellect of the Non-Magical Savages.

"I know how much three is," the guard took the two coins Hubert handed him and waved him inside.

"Yes, you do." Ah, poor lesser-kin. So dumb! Now as Hubert took his steps inside the fascinating fort, his thoughts turned to where the alpha male would be.

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Fort Talgusta was old, musty, poorly built. It would never stand up to a proper assault. In many ways, it mirrored the men who manned the walls here. Ivan found most of them to be intolerable; idiots who spent more time drinking than training, men who were painfully overconfident in their abilities, men who had never been in a real battle before and likely wouldn't survive their first one. Of course, none of this was much trouble to Ivan. It wasn't his problem if the fort fell, or even if all of Crestia fell. He'd be content so long as someone was paying him, and right now he was getting paid to stand around this fort and pretend he'd actually defend it if the Granfs ever actually showed up, which was a pretty good deal in his opinion.

At the present moment, Ivan sat relaxed in the dining hall. He'd leaned back on his chair, propped his feet up on the table, pulled a cap down over his eyes (the man he'd stolen it from didn't mind, seeing as he was currently passed out drunk across the room), and fallen asleep. Of course, it became very difficult to take a nap once some sort of ruckus started over in the infirmary. Ivan heard someone scream something about rape--sounded like the crazy girl they'd locked up a while ago--and decided it deserved investigation, if only to make the noise stop so he could get back to his nap. Ivan got up and took a look into the source of the commotion.

It looked like the foreigner was terrorizing the little girl. Ivan knew this guy, it was hard to miss him with that silly fox mask he wore. Truth be told, he wasn't surprised that the Izu was behind this. That little girl definitely bugged him, but it still made him sick to think of this weirdo from the north trying to rape her.

"Hey, cut that shit out!" Ivan shouted at him. "I know how women are treated back in your country, but you need to realize that you're not at home anymore, foxman. Out here in the real world, we treat women like people, not objects, crazy as that might seem to you--and if that's not enough, she's just a little kid! Seriously, you're fucking disgusting. Besides, I'm trying to take a nap, and it's damn hard to get any sleep with all this racket in here. Not going to lie, I wouldn't mind an excuse to run you through, so don't give me one."

Ivan turned and left the scene before the foreigner could do anything about his remarks. He didn't want to cause trouble if he didn't have to, so hopefully the guy would take the hint and back off. If not, well, Ivan would be coming back with his sword out and a few friends behind him. Until he found a need to do that, though, he intended to get back to his nap. He settled back into his chair in the dining hall, pulled the cap back down over his eyes, and slowly began to doze off. Soon, his thoughts turned back to memories of the last job he'd worked before signing up here......

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"See what you did kid? Now people think I'm trying to put moves on you. Although he is right, going to my country would be quite bad for you. I would not advise it at all.

Anyway, like I said, are you lost? By my honor as a samurai, I shall escort you back to your parents, or if you have none, I will take you to a church here. This is no place for children," Shizunai said, annoyance tinged in his voice.

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Naomi tapped her foot impatiently. Waiting all day with nowhere to go wasn't her style. And with dusk starting to fall, she couldn't very well start walking to town. The director's secretary came over. "General Selvano has given you some extra tools. You can go pick them up in the armory basement. He has also said that you're welcome to stay the night in the barracks, and that your supervisor will be along at dawn. Here," Handing her a large bag of gold and stack of papers, "Are you wages and contract for the rest of the expedition."

"Hmph." Naomi took the items, slipping them into her bags. Filthy brutes. Looks like she was going to have to stay awake all night. At least the incompetent General was giving her some tools. A measly budget like this could hardly afford enough water and rice for the two weeks.

Walking past some soldiers, she noticed several men passed out drunk and gambling at the various tables. She was glad she had remembered to bring her knives. She walked over to the cook, taking a bowl of soup. Well, if you could call it soup. More like water mixed with potatoes and saw dust. Great, no food, sleep, and an annoying idiot of a supervisor. She flung her head down on the table, hoping the beds were at least clean, and that she could find an empty one.

{{OOC: Yeah, I named the General guy. I kinda had to. >_>}}

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"Do you have everything you need?" He turned towards the woman asking him the question - an older woman, brunette, with smile lines etched deep into her face. She would have been attractive, when she was younger, and were he not in the position he found himself. Carefully considering the question, he gazed around at the supplies he had prepared for his journey. They were unassuming things, items that any noble would carry with him on a trip to another lord's manor - but hidden within those items were the tools of his trade - knives, lockpicks, a small vial of a poison he'd rather not think about. Laterite smiled as he closed the saddlebag of the horse he had chosen from the stables, putting his hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Mary, don't worry so much about me. I wouldn't forget something I'd need for this trip." His words didn't seem to dissuade her, not that he was surprised. Even if their relationship was little more than a ruse, he, too, couldn't help but feel a connection to the woman playing his mother. "This won't be a difficult journey - Lord Schmidt is hardly a few day's ride from your - forgive me, our - home, and, even if he is a cruel and insufferable bastard of a man, he wouldn't jeopardize his political power by endangering or failing to impress the young son of the noble Defauxs," he said, finishing with a grin.

"He's right, you know." A man stepped into the stable, a tall blond, broad-shouldered and strong, the only sign of his age the graying edges of his hair. "And it's a good plan. Schmidt has always been an idiot, I've no idea why his family hasn't been removed, but this could be the evidence that does it. And even if it isn't, if Lat can get a look at what there is within the stone walls... Well, that'll be enough to make a siege possible."

Lat. For some reason, the nickname still didn't sit right with him. This wasn't supposed to happen - getting attached, actually being a son to these people. They were nice, he had known that even before the plan had been hatched - but this was just supposed to be a shallow relationship, not one that could actually resemble a family. Alfred was right, though - if Schmidt couldn't be disenfranchised based on his cruelty, then he could possibly be deposed by force. With what looked to be war brewing on the horizon, the last thing Crestia needed was a noble that could share sympathies with their likely enemies, if only to be treated well if his land was taken.

For now, though, he had to get out of the house, to start his mission. And that meant it was time to say his farewells. He packed up the rest of his things, wrapped a cloak around his form, and climbed into the saddle.

"Mary, Alfred," he said with a nod, resisting the urge to call them 'Mother' and 'Father,' "I'll be leaving now. Once I've retrieved enough information - both on Lord Schmidt, and his manor - I'll return, and we can bring the evidence to light. Until then..." He stopped, unsure of what else he could say. They simply nodded, bid their farewells, and watched him ride off, already anxious to see his return.

~-~

He muttered to himself at the table, looking over his now worthless notes. There was no way he would be able to get any of the nobles to look at this, not with war literally staring Crestia in the face. All this evidence, carefully gathered - painfully detailed sketches of the manor, transcripts of conversations quoted directly from memory, even a ledger showing the wanton spending of his house against the peasants who starved outside his very doors! - useless! It almost caused him to smash his fist against the table, but that could awaken Ivan, and, seeing the mood he was in after he returned from his little walk, he supposed that wouldn't be a very good idea. So he stuck to muttering, putting his papers away with a sigh, and trying his best to not look out of place.

With the help of his cloak, hiding his admittedly worn-in suit, he blended in fairly well, the saber at his side helping the illusion that he was little more than another mercenary. It wasn't that far from the truth, really, but he was more than just a sellsword, no offense to his companions.

He just wasn't sure how much more.

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Kieru glared at the masked man, now that someone was around she had calm down enough to notice that the man was indeed wearing a mask. As the man who'd arrived started shouting she propped herself up, and scampered a short distance away from both men before turning to look at each of them.

Ivan: "She's just a kid!"

Frowning at the mans words, before puffing her cheeks up in irritation. The man with a kitty mask was creepy, but the blonde haired man had no manners at all. Any thoughts of thanking the man leaving her mind. She started glaring at the man before he turned and started heading back to the tavern. Looking at the masked man again she eyed him suspiciously before tottering after the blonde(Ivan) who seemed to not notice, or simply not care. As Ivan re-entered the dining hall, Kieru paused. Last time she had been here people got angry at her for no reason. All she did was try to liven up the place. If anything they should have praised and thanked her.

She took a deep breath before walking into the dining hall, ready if anyone attacked her on sight. She waited a few seconds before breathing again, a few eyed her suspiciously, but most seemed to be sleeping or drunk. The foul stench of cheap alcohol stung her nose and she quickly covered it with a piece of cloth she called her handkerchief. She looked around to give the blonde headed man, but the only decent looking person around was a man muttering to himself, clearly not in the best of moods.

Deciding that she wouldn't have any luck finding the man no she decided she'd get her food and eat outside. Carefully recovering her nose as she walked over to counter where a grouchy looking woman stood with a ladle and pot. Fortunately she wasn't the attendant that had been there earlier that day and she a scoop of slosh was dumped in a cracked bowl and given to her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, there was a strand of hair in her soup, but she knew complaining wouldn't do any good. Sighing loudly she headed for the exit, maybe she'd be better off running away? It wasn't too late to run to switch sides and side with Granford.

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"...what a brat..." Shizunai muttered, entering the lotus position, preparing the meditation again. His mind empty and his eyes closed, he hummed and chanted, feeling a warm glow in his body. A glow in his soul. A glow of his chi strengthening.

He would have to ask about that girl.

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Bullet was annoyed to see the little girl walking around the fortress. It wasn't like the guards to let a kid like that wander around unchecked and unguarded. He sighed. She was gonna get hurt eventually.

"Hey, kid. Wait up."

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At the very bottom of Fort Talgusta were the holding cells. It had the typical accommodations of such a place, covered with a layer of dust and a sheet of cobwebs. Various rusted chains and antiquated torture devices were shewn across the ground, cover with years of old blood. The cells hadn't been used much, not with the situation as it was. Today was different.

"Stupid whore! Do you have any idea of how much trouble you've caused?"

An imposing figure stood tall in the empty dungeon. Dressed up to the neck in cold steel armor, the man started with disgust at the person on the floor. Really, it was a bit too much against a bound-up and unarmed prisoner. But he was a bit of sadist. He had taken off his helmet just to fully indulge himself in his art. He raised his blood-soaked gauntlets and gave another punch to the person, making her collapse to the ground. Stubbornly, the person struggled to stand up again.

"He he, maybe you oughta hire better guards. Last ones didn't even get to beg for mercy 'fore I showed them their insides!"

The woman's arms were bound in a wooden plank, latched up with multiple locks. On her leg was a ball and chain, heavy enough that even at full strength she could not hope to move. Once again, the knight smacked her down with the gauntlets covered in her own blood. Every time she fell and smacked into that hard concrete floor, it felt she was slowing letting herself down into a comfy leather pillow. Every time she smacked it was like a sledgehammer wanted her to give a nice, big wet kiss. In spite of that, she got back up every time any way.

"It's not enough we kill a criminal like you! You're going to suffer in your time here, rest assured!" The knight gave the woman one last, hard strike, making her crash into the ground. Try as she might, she couldn't find the strength to get up. Her constant taunting of her assailant had been reduced to heavy breaths and groans of pain. Unsatisfied with merely beating the woman down, the knight resorted to violently kicking her in the gut, until she was pinned against the wall. He then grabbed her up by the chin, bringing her close enough so he could talk to her face-to-face.

"Do you have any idea of how many friends of mine you've killed? Huh? You damned bandits have no appreciation for--" The knight was interrupted by a bloody spit into the face. The knight backed up reactively, and the woman seized the chance. She swung the wooden binds around her hands and smacked the knight's exposed head. Using the sudden burst of adrenaline, she continued the onslaught, bringing down the wooden plank on the knight's face with almost child-like joy. She bashed his face rhythmically at first, then as fast as she could possibly manage, fully intent on making him just as bloody and broken as she was. The knight made several attempts at bashing her away, succeeding at times, but she would just pounce back on whenever she was knocked off. Finally having enough, the woman pressed the binds around the neck of the knight, suffocating him or breaking his neck, either way was good for her.

"That's it! Enough!" A new figure had entered the cell, looking completely different from the animals in the cage. Dressed in formal wear and adorning an impressive array of medals, the new figure entered the cage and attempted to detach the two from each other. The woman recognized who it was right away.

"Oh, ha ha! This is rich! The noble I held up for ransom a month ago!" The woman laughed through her bloody mouth, and willingly backed off from the knight, who was more angered at himself than anything. The woman snidely addressed the noble, apparently a high ranking officer now. "Anything I can do for you, 'sir'? Maybe I can take a finger and mail it back to your oh-so-worried family! It worked so well last time!"

"Enough of that. Raider Beatrice, we have history, yes, but I trust we can go beyond that." The officer nervously touched his hair, which had not yet grown back yet.

"What you goin' on about, 'sir'? You wanna be friends now? Going price is two thou' and I'll think about not collecting your thumbs," Beatrice replied, mockingly. She knew that she was in full control of the situation in front of her, as dire as it was.

"Y-you collect thumbs?" The officer nervously stammered out.

"Yea, it's my favorite hobby, next to countin' my coins and dental care." Beatrice threw out two teeth that she was carrying in her palms. The knight touched his mouth, just realizing his mouth has a slightly larger air inlet.

"Enough. Raider Beatrice, you've killed dozens of our soldiers and injured even more. You've halted the transport of essential supplies to the war front. You are an infamous ransomer of men of high positions. And yet, in spite of that, the Crestian army offers you a proposal."

"I think I can guess how this goes." Beatrice spat out some blood that was accumulated in her mouth, her face almost forming into a grin.

"We are willing to grant you a full pardon for all of your allotted crimes in exchange for servitude in the army until the end of hostilities."

"Hehe, I knew it. Now--"

"Wait a minute, sir!" The knight injected, his speech noticeably impeded by the gap in his teeth. "You can't possibly be considering this... this rat for the army, can you? This is preposterous! She's killed so many of us! Stole from our stores! And not only that, she'll betray us at the first chance!"

The officer stood there without words for a while, as if deep in thought. When he did finally speak, there was a certainty and finality in his words. "True, but she's killed and stolen an equal amount from the other side as well. I would rather her be under jurisdiction rather than that of our enemy. Sorry to say so, soldier, but she had proven to be more capable then you have."

"You guys done yappin'? Like I was trying to say, I want this in writing! I know how you nobles work, and I ain't settling for nothin' less! And listen here! Contracts a year only! You want more, you pay me!"

"...fine. We can do business along those terms. Come, soldier, we'll get to the infirmary." The officer walked out with the injured knight slung over his shoulder.

"Bye byeee~" Beatrice mockingly teased the two while they filed out. The knight turned around in an attempt to attack her, but was stopped by the officer. They exited, being watched by Beatrice's wide grin.

That worked better than expected. I could get caught more often. Beatrice thought smugly to herself.

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Kieru looked up, she'd been plodding back towards to the infirmary with her mind on where she'd sleep tonight. She was getting sick of sleeping alone in the infirmary, it was such a big room, and she was the only one in it all night. And the loneliness was getting to her, last night she thought that there was a bandaged man breathing heavily on the bed beside hers, only to find it empty when she looked up.

Looking at the man who had called her she nearly dropped her soup. It another one of those burly half naked mercenary types, the types who'd threatened to beat her up earlier in the dining hall that day, the type that looked menacing, and perhaps worst of all the type that smelled liked they'd never bathed. "Kieru sorry, she was just getting food for her puppy, nothing bad promise" she lied forcing a smile. "Puppy is so sad and hungry, so very very hungry, so Kieru needs to go now okay? For poor puppy, not because I don't want to talk to smelly man" she finished covering her mouth with one hand noticing she'd probably said too much. "I mean nice man, nice friendly, big, scary, stupi- Don't hurt me!" She yelled at the man, tossing her bowl of soup at the mans face before running back towards the infirmary with a grin plastered on her face. It was a pity she didn't have time to look if it had hit it's target but the important thing right now was to get away.

She somehow made it to the infirmary slamming the door behind her. "Kieru's smarter, and faster, and bester then you hairy apes" she taunted facing the closed door. Once she'd calmed down again, she noticed she still hadn't eaten anything and was regretting throwing her soup away. She could probably head back for more, but wasn't willing to go back outside, not with that scary man out there. She jumped on the nearest bed and started humming to herself. Some tune she didn't really recognize but something she'd heard the sisters singing before. It wasn't long before she had to stop as she heard someone approaching the door. Most likely the man who'd taken her soup. Deciding she best hide she moved to hide under the bed when she noticed the creepy masked catman sitting down staring at her. Or at least facing her. She couldn't really tell.

"Hello Mr Creepy cat person?" she asked nervously waving her hand, hoping that she wouldn't get a response.

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It was amazing that anyone could manage to sleep in such a loud hall, yet Ivan was not the only one who managed. A tall red-headed man sprawled on the long bench beside the table where Ivan and Laterite now sat, snoring loudly, an arm dangling and dragging on the floor. They no doubt took no notice of him, it being a very common sight to see Andra sleeping..well, anywhere. They once found him sleeping in a tree, after all. Oblivious to the sounds and noises around him, Andra slept and dreamed.

~~

It was a perfect night for the operation. The entire sky was blanketed in clouds, and it was but a half moon. He wouldn't show up against the dark sky, but the bandits' fires would be a beacon. All he had to do was find them and report back to the others, and they could move in.

Even so, Andra took his time. A lot of people didn't quite like the idea of someone with a great big spear flying around wherever he wanted on a great big lizard. This was a rare opportunity to fly with impunity, and it was one he intended to savour. While he missed being able to see the majestic landscape spread out beneath him, he could at least enjoy the cool night air and the rush of wind against his face, ruffling his hair and cloak.

The bandits had made camp on the shore of a lake. And a river, in fact, because they'd camped by the river mouth. Not a bad place for a camp like that, really. They had fresh water from the river, and also somewhere handy to dump their refuse where it would be carried away. Of course, it worked in Andra's favour as well. He steered Rakka over the lake, using the warm air drifting up from the surface to maintain their altitude. There were...looking down at the bandit camp, he counted...hm, roughly five to a fire, so...bit more than was expected. Still, better to overestimate than underestimate. Besides, maybe he could bargain for a higher paycheck. Whistling a cheery tune, he pulled on the reins and they started flying back to their camp.

Before long he saw the two small fires that were lit for his landing area. He absolutely refused to take off at night unless he knew that he'd have a safe place to land upon returning. A light twitch of the reins had Rakka swooping down to the landing area, her great wingbeats raising clouds of dust as they landed. He slid off, gave her a pat on the neck, and took her to get some food."

"Mr. Lachesis! What news do you have of the bandits?"

Andra glanced over his shoulder at the captain of the local guard. He wasn't young, by any means - probably used to be a soldier, a long time ago, until he became so old that he was forced to retire. Becoming a town guard was common for people like him. In this case, though, his experience wasn't helping. He was used to forming up in lines and fighting in fields against soldiers who also formed up in lines, before the ran screaming at each other. These bandits didn't fight like that. They were smarter. They used the forest to hide and struck quickly at merchants and isolated farmsteads, bringing the local magistrate to near-tears in his inability to stop them. Desperate, they had to hire outside help. That was where Andra and his companions came in.

They made a living off of violence, but they were no different than most soldiers, in the end. The only difference was a certain...flexibility of employment. Of course, the way it usually flexed was unemployment, but at least they got to pick who they wanted to fight for and against. Most soldiers can't say they have that. It was something to hold onto, at least.

Right, the captain had asked a question. No sense in repeating himself, though. "Bring your sergeants to your big tent over there, and get my friends. I need to take care of my girl here." He winked and patted Rakka's neck again. The wyvern looked at him and grunted happily.

"Uh, right. Once you have finished...that...please report to the debriefing tent." The captain saluted and marched off. Andra sighed. So formal. But it was how he knew to do things, and hey, if it made him feel better, all the power to him.

With Rakka fed, watered and tied to a post, Andra walked into the tent for the last meeting before the operation itself would begin. Waving at Ivan and Laterite, he pulled out a map and unrolled it. It was fairly accurate, surprisingly, and would do his purposes just fine.

"Their camp is right up here." He pointed to the lake and river mouth. "It was dark, so I couldn't get a great look, but judging by how many fires they had, I'd guess around twenty."

Edited by SuperFush
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The inside of the fort was a contradiction of excitement and repulsion and Hubert was ecstatic for it. For what was enjoyment without misery to balance it out hm? The hustle and beat of those walking around, the disgusting scents and smells of the unwashed barbarians, the fervor of life, the squalor of hopelessness in the eyes of some. Ah, to live, to feel, to be alive to see all this! Such a rush, such an intoxication, ah, the thrills outside of those boring old labs. Not but the most powerful could afford anything resembling the ebb of things in front of Hubert's eyes. So much, so much!

Hubert crosses his arms back and began swaying back in forth. The sounds, the beats of life drummed to his ears which led his feet to march to their beats. Left, right, turn, swaying back and forth, feeling the beat of life march through him. And Hubert stopped before a building, ah! This was it! This is where his swaying had led him. Though the stink was far worse than any other place he had been to before thrice over, trusting in his body to make its way had always worked before.

Hubert pressed open the door-and fell to the ground as the smell wafting from inside punched him square in his refined nose. He gripped his body ever-so tightly and rocked back in forth in fear of that petulant stench. Were all these savages as dead in the body as they were in mind? How else could they stand such repulsion! Ah! Hubert picked himself right up at the very thought of the lesser-kin's inferiority. He couldn't let himself be beaten, not by such a puny trial as this!

Steeling himself--mainly by covering his nose--Hubert pressed on again into the building. The smell returned, but Hubert's brilliant preparation blunted the effects of the horror. With a confident stride, Hubert walked inside the.... eatery. This is where his body rhythm had led him? To food? While he hadn't eaten in quite some time, he really had no choice! What was he supposed to eat? The vile meals that the lesser-kin passed off as food? No, he would not stand for such barbarianism! He just had to ration his few remaining meals from the cafeteria from home some more. This war couldn't last that long after all.

But now was not such a time for food, despite the circumstances. Now, was a time to find where Hubert could best put his services as spy and flaming magery to the test! Yes, surely the boss of the less-kin would situate himself in here along with so many others. Hubert had read about how easily the simpletons would use physical strength as a test of leadership. Ha, fools! Intelligence would stand the test of time, as if the glory of Tolmaeus, and in particular Hubert being part of them, weren't evidence enough! Hubert looked around the crowd. Yes, surely what passed for the leader would be revealed to him soon!

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Laterite couldn't really do much right now. Both his comrades were asleep, both were a bit testy when they woke up, and there was nothing occurring within the tavern that he could do. A broken dartboard lay on one of the tables - had it been in good repair, he would have taken to throwing, but he doubted it would be any entertainment. This fort was an awful place, really - it reminded him of his childhood, something he'd rather not look back upon if he could help it. If it weren't for the pay, he wouldn't have even agreed to this job - but the trio was talked about enough to make more than standard mercenary fare, one of two things that had ultimately won him over to come here. The other reason was his comrades - if he hadn't come with them, the only thing left for him to do was to go home, and... he would rather not, for now. He still had some thinking to do about what was waiting for him there - if that thinking occurred while he was cutting down bandits or enemy soldiers, so be it.

~-~

Finally. While Andra and Rakka had all the fun dancing with the moon and clouds, Ivan and Laterite had been forced to move with the militia, making painful small talk while they waited for their airborne companions to find their targets, as well as their way back to the ground. He wouldn't admit it, but he was a tad bit envious of Andra, for his ability to safely rise above the treetops, to see the sky from among the clouds, rather than from the cold ground, like so many others. The stars had always held a certain level of mysticism to him (as well as to many others, obviously), but to work with someone, even to meet someone, who could so often join them in their movements... Enough thought, there was a job to do, and words that needed to be said.

"Twenty? Aha. Ivan, Andra, you two are already aware, but, for the noble captain and his officers here - I'm not exactly a man of violence, or at least not obvious violence. For now, it will half to be all of you against the twenty of them." He looked at the map again silently, studying the terrain near the river's mouth. If the forest broke there...

"I trust that you gentlemen can handle that. I'll be out doing some of my work while you do yours. I'd suggest getting a move on - a mass of armored men and a wyvern can only stay concealed for so long, after all."

With that, he left the tent, pulling his cloak around himself as a brace against the cold night.

It was almost time for his work to begin, underneath the mystical light of the stars.

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Upon seeing the girl clearly trying to get a way from him, Bullet decided against pursuit. Just as well, probably. He had seen what had happened to that other man. He instead took up throwing rocks at a nearby gate, trying to see if he could cause a commotion. Commotions were always good.

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"Alright, ears open. First things first, armor off. I'd recommend that you just toss it aside for good, really. Dead weight, the stuff is," Ivan said.

The militia were, naturally, flabbergasted--they were used to fighting in armor, valued the additional protection that it provided, and saw no good reason to remove it. They even said as much in protest to Ivan's request.

"Right, armor stops swords. It also slows you down, reflects moonlight, and makes more noise than a bunch of drunken bandits who've just finished a raid. These bastards are smart, do you think you've got any chance of catching them while you're walking around in those tin cans? Armor's probably a big reason that you've had so much trouble with them, though ironically, the fact that you've been using it up til now will be helpful tonight--the bandits will have grown used to hearing you guys clanking around before you get anywhere near them, they won't be listening for normal footsteps or movements anymore."

"......I too am uneasy about this, but we hired these men to help us do what we could not accomplish on our own, and his reasoning is sound. If we do not listen to him, then what are we paying him for?" the captain said. The soldiers grumbled a good bit, but reluctantly complied once their captain agreed with the mercenary.

"Good. Next thing."

Ivan indicated the bandit camp on the map, then moved a finger across the river and lake bordering the camp.

"Nestling in between two bodies of water has its advantages. We're going to abuse its disadvantages. They've hemmed themselves in on two sides, making it that much easier to corner them. Since they'll quickly find that they can't escape through the forest, odds are that they'll try and get across the river or swim into the lake. Andra, that's where you come in. Once they're out of the trees, they'll be soaked, panicked, swimming, and fully exposed from above. Easy pickings for you and Rakka. Questions? No? Good. Come on."

Ivan left the tent, waited a moment for the soldiers to gather, then led them on a trek around the lake, bringing them around to the forest side of the enemy camp. He had to remind them numerous times not to march and not to gather into an organized formation, but it was hopeless. These men were made for the battlefield, not for silent night operations. That was alright, though. Ivan would just have to bring the bandits to them. Once they drew near enough to see the smoke rising from the bandits' fires, Ivan ordered them to stop. The captain spread his men out into a line, ensuring that they would cover all the ground between the river and lake, while Ivan stopped and gave his weapons one last check.

"Captain, lay low here, tell your men to stay still and quiet. Wait five minutes, then I want you to come charging in full-force. Tell your men to run full-speed, shouting, swords banging on trees, the whole nine yards. We need to scare them into retreating as quickly as possible--the sooner they stop fighting and start running, the better off we'll be," Ivan said.

With that, he bounded off into the trees, moving towards the bandit camp. Unlike the soldiers he'd left behind, he'd fought in many a guerrilla war before, and he knew the tricks of the trade. He had no problems keeping his approach hidden from the unsuspecting bandits--he could even hear them singing loudly as he approached. Merrymaking when they knew the local guard was out hunting for them? These guys must've really been spoiled by the militia's incompetence and failure thus far, Ivan thought. This would be even easier than he expected.

One of the bandits finished a particularly rousing chorus, then lifted a mug of ale to his lips for a long drought--when the mug fell back down, an arrow was sticking out of the man's eye. He fell over lifelessly as his friends jumped and shouted in surprise. They dropped their cups and drew their weapons, all thoughts of drinking and making merry eradicated from their minds. The men looked nervously towards the dark line of trees on the edge of their encampment, searching for the unseen assailant. A second arrow flew from the trees, embedding its point into a bandit's chest--he screamed and fell, but this time, his companions caught the direction from which it had come. Ivan stepped out from behind a cluster of bushes, allowing the firelight to reveal his position. He wore a surprised and frightened look on his face, as if he hadn't expected the bandits to find him, and had realized that he was now in quite a bit of trouble.

Ivan immediately turned and ran, pursued by roughly a dozen and a half mostly drunken bandits. The thieves shouted battle cries, threats, and promises of dismemberment at Ivan as they pursued him--that is, until they heard a chorus of war cries that dwarfed their own numbers, not more than twenty or thirty yards ahead of them. Ivan kept running and joined the ranks of the now-charging militia, then turned, drew his saber, and ran along with them. The bandits' attitudes turned from boisterous and confident to shocked and terrified in the blink of an eye, and soon Ivan was the one chasing them, with fifty plus soldiers running not far behind him.

The mercenary put on a burst of speed and caught up to the closest bandit, knocking him down with a swift blow to the back of the head. He had just enough time to hit the ground and roll over onto his back before Ivan rammed a saber into his chest. Ivan planted a boot next to the blade and pulled it out, watching as the life quickly drained from the bandit's face, a look of utter shock still etched into his features. The soldiers were swarming around Ivan now, some catching bandits up ahead, though many got away. In past years, Ivan would've kept on running and likely taken down another two or three without much trouble, but his body was well past its prime. Instead, he was forced to stop and catch his breath for a minute, before jogging behind the soldiers to the edge of the lake.

Around half of the bandits were dead now--the ones that were larger or particularly drunk had been run down by the most fleet-footed of the militia. The rest of the ruffians were spreading out into the waters, some trying to swim across the lake, others trying to make it across the river (and finding that the current was quick to dump them into the lake anyways). The soldiers stopped at the edge of the waters, well aware that they didn't need to pursue their enemy any further. Ivan stepped up beside them, raised his longbow, and began to pick off the bandits from the shore. He couldn't get them all, but as he glanced to the sky, he knew that he wouldn't need to.

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The militia huddled inwards in the damp night air, not used to working in conditions like this. Just like their captain, they liked their battles well-lit and simple. Andra, Ivan and Laterite rarely had such luxuries, so they had to make do with what they could get.

It was a pretty routine plan, though, one they'd used before. When men like that are presented with both overwhelming force and viable escape options, they don't stop to think much about the possibility of a trap And very few people in this part of the country - hell, in pretty much all of the country - ever looked up when in the middle of a fight.

Andra tightened the last few straps on Rakka's saddle and swung up. He wouldn't need his armour tonight either - while it didn't shine like those of the militia men, it still was rather heavy, and speed would be more useful for this operation anyways. He grabbed his spear from the weapon rack that had been helpfully provided and, after squeezing his knees slightly, rider and wyvern took to the sky once more. He wouldn't have long to wait. It takes him longer to prepare for combat than infantrymen, since Rakka had to be roused and prepped for flight, so the main contingent had gone on ahead. He still reached his station first, and began making long circles above the water's surface, once again using the thermals to keep altitude without Rakka needing to work hard.

The first scream pierced the night. Dark shapes ran across the ground away from the dots of light that were campfires. The shapes suddenly stopped, and, almost as one, turned and fled another group of dark shapes. The bandits fled the more sober and prepared militia and, left with just one option, frantically swam into the lake.

"Let's go, Rakka." Andr whispered to his mount and, together, they dove.

A bandit who had swam a fair distance away from the shore turned and, treading water, looked back at the melee on land. He didn't see the dark shape streaking down behind him, nor did he see the spear that pierced his neck, killing him instantly. Other bandits, who were still facing away from shore, began to panic more at the sudden assault from an unknown foe. They thrashed in the water, hitting each other, as Andra and Rakka swooped up and down, dealing swift blows to bandits that tried to escape. Later, he thought that there were probably more bandits that drowned that night than there were that fell to his blade. They were dead all the same though. Eventually, the water was still once more, the only sign of the violence left was dark shapes floating lifeless on the surface, drifting slowly back to shore. Andra and Rakka flew back ahead of them and landed not feet away from Ivan.

"Not a bad little fight. Looks like your plan went off as excellently as usual.'"

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A man, soaked from the lake, a look of terror etched on his face, lay gasping at the water's edge. All nineteen of his brothers were likely dead, tricked by the militia and the demons they hired to hunt them down - but he had been smarter than them, and had a bigger lung capacity, staying underwater far longer than the others could ever hope to. It would likely be several minutes before they realized they were short one bandit corpse - in that time, he would have regained his breath and fled, to who knows where. Perhaps he'd go to Tolmaeus, start a new gang of thieves and brigands there, where it was almost legal to do so. Anything would be better than staying he- what was that? He grabbed his sword, standing quickly, scanning the darkness, eyes wide with fear.

"Drop the weapon. And don't bleed on the suit."

The man turned towards where the voice came from - and promptly did as he was told, flinging the sword to the side as his hands rushed up to his throat, seeking futilely to close the lethal wound that the well-to-do man had just inflicted with a wicked dagger. He feebly tried to approach the man, to get him in a dead man's grip before he expired, but he couldn't keep up with the slender man's movements, and soon his lifeless body lay stretched out on the cold grass, hands reaching for his killer.

Laterite smirked. "And that should conclude my business for the night," he said aloud, knowing that the only pair of human ears nearby wouldn't hear anything he had to say. "I suppose I should go see how the others did."

After cleaning the dagger using the lake and the bandit's shirt, he pulled his cloak tighter around himself, and made his way back to the likely victorious party, to let them know the runaway had been dealt with, perhaps before they even realized he was gone.

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