The Huntress observed the Hero who had accused her with uncaring eyes. Everything she had heard about the Order to this point hadn't painted the best picture of them. Jet and his friends went out of their way to keep their activities hidden from the group, and Felix was willing to let her, a confessed murderer, go to prevent Order Agents from entering Pran. Such actions don't paint them people the common man wanted around, nor ones that were actively making life better for others. And, though she did not wished to admit it, it did cause her to form an unflattering image of those under the Order's banner. But, just as she did with the Mamono, she would withhold judgment until actually meeting a member of the Order.
The fact Hero currently pointing a massive engraved broadsword at her matched her negative image to the letter made her feel a mixture of proud vindication and acute disappointment.
An eyebrow perked up underneath her hat as she turned to glance at the Guard Captain to her right, "Would I be correct to assume you knew of this, Felix? Because if so, then know that I consider this a breach of my confidence as far as our prior conversation is concerned."
Felix, hand pressed to his temple, looked at the ground while shaking his head. He muttered something about a "Dammed Zealot" before turning to the Huntress with a shrug, "Don't put this on me. They only told me some of their people would be coming. Didn't give any specifics."
"Then would I be correct in assuming you had dealings with this criminal, Guard Captain Felix?" Valarie shoots an accusing glare at the armored man, the two Inquisitors behind her trotting their way forward.
With another shrug, Felix places both arms behind his head, "Not at all, Ms. Holden. I just a simple conversation with the accused to get a confession. Nothing more, nothing less." A smug smirk creases his lips as the cat on his shoulder lets out a short yawn. It seems to satisfy the Order members, as the Inquisitors back off while the Hero turns her attention back to the Huntress.
The Huntress nods to the man before turning her attention back to the armed Hero. Just as she's about to speak, the young boy calls to her with a his light voice, "Valarie, what are you doing?! We're only supposed to come here and investigate the situation!"
"And we have, Spencer," Valarie answered without turning to look at the young boy, "We have managed to not only uncover the culprit behind the occurrences, but we have confirmation from the perpetrator herself."
"Well...yes, but they never said to arrest anyone!"
"It was clearly implied. You don't seriously believe that they would want us to let someone who flouts the laws of the Order roam free, did you?"
Sputters and half finished words come out of Spencer's mouth as he tries to refute the woman's words. He consistently turns to the Inquisitors who seem content to ignore his pleas for help. Instead their eyes continue to shift between the female Hero and the Huntress with clear interest.
The Huntress quietly scoffed at the answer Valarie gave to Spencer. The way she selectively interpreted orders started to remind her of a certain Organization from her past. Hopefully, the number similarities between the two would remain low. For both their sakes.
"If I may," the Huntress started, "what precisely am I being charged with? I deserve to know what laws I have broken, correct?"
Valarie's face contorted with rage, her grip on her blade tightening as she spoke, "Watch your tongue, cur! To speak to a Holy Agent in such a way will only add to your sentence!"
Rolling eyes hidden beneath her hat, the Huntress replied, "Well I am unaware of the principles laid out by the Order. Perhaps you could enlighten me to what they are, so I may repent for my insolence?" It took great effort to resist the urge to lace her words with as much sarcasm as possible.
With an audible huff, Valarie let her sword drop to her side, "Fine. Putting you in chains will only bear fruit if you know what you should regret."
She drove the point of her broadsword into the earth then wrapped her hands around its hilt as she spoke, "You stand accused of two crimes against the Order. The first is the murder of six people. According to the report, they were possibly associated with a criminal element within the town of Pran. However, that doesn't change the fact that you murdered six people in broad daylight."
The Huntress didn't like that conclusion, but she could understand it. The guards, and by extension the Order, stood to gain more from capturing the gang members alive rather than dead. Her actions had both cost them possible valuable information and likely put the Vipers on higher alert, thus making them ore difficult to track. She nodded to the Hero and waved for her to move on.
"And the second," Valarie straightened her back, "is the removal of a Pack of Werewolves that were spotted in the area without proper permission."
The clearing in front of the city was silent as the Heroine's words registered in the Huntress' mind. Her eyes blinked three times over the course of two minutes as she gathered her senses. Felix seemed to be fiddling with his sword, but he kept both eyes on the two women as they stared each other down. Spencer swallowed nervously while the two Inquisitors eased their horses forward a bit.
The Huntress finally responded while holding a up a hand, "I beg your pardon, but could you elaborate on the second accusation?"
"You attacked and defeated a Pack of Mamono without getting permission from an Agent of the Order first. It is an affront to Her Holiness for those not blessed by her Chosen to fight the Mamono. It is truly very simple." Valarie rolled her eyes as if everyone should intrinsically understand everything she just said.
"You...," the Huntress began slowly, "...you are arresting me...for the crime of...defeating the Mamono?"
"Yes."
"The Mamono...who you are at war with...and pose a threat to the entirety of humanity?"
"Without explicit permission from the Order."
The Huntress was speechless. She stared at the girl with eyes wide in shock and confusion.
Then they narrowed in exasperation.
"I see," a sigh left her lips right after those two words. She turned her back on the gathered Order Agents and started walking towards the city gate, "Thank you for wasting my time. May you have a safe trip back to wherever it is you came from."
Felix placed a hand over his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing.
Spencer stared after the Huntress with his mouth hanging open.
The two Inquisitors were ready to spur their horses after the Huntress.
But Valarie was the first to act on her impulses.
"You DARE turn your back on a Chosen Of God! You will PAY for your insolence!" her blade was back in her hands as she charged towards the Huntress. She was deaf to Spencer's call to stop as her anger took over. She could see nothing save the black clothed woman's back as she jumped into the air with her sword raised high above her head.
She swung her sword as she fell...right into the Huntress' oncoming fist.
----------------------------------------
Spencer thought he had prepared for this.
When the Order had come to Valarie and him with the mission, he immediately went to work.
He went to the item shop and bought a good amount of health, antidote, and mana potions.
He went to the blacksmith and had Valarie's sword put to the grindstone and polished.
He went to his former Master for a short tutoring session and a reminder of the basics of magic.
He learned the names of the Inquisitors that would be joining them, Hector and Mars.
He brought enough gold to pay for their trip to and from their destination.
He bought enough food to feed them for a week if it came to it
He wasted no expense preparing for every possible outcome of this mission.
Yet the one thing he couldn't prepare for, the one variable that he couldn't account for no matter how much he tried, was how Valarie would react when they got to their destination. He couldn't control her haughty and confident personality. He couldn't control her fanatical dedication to the Order.
And he certainly couldn't control her fall as the stranger's blow launched her backward.
"Wha...what?" Spencer's voice barely rose above a whisper as his friend hit the ground with a thud. His head shot from Valarie as she laid on the earth in shock, to the stranger as she rolled her shoulder with an audible cracking of bone. Valarie's greatsword had fallen from her grasp and laid on the ground by the stranger's feet.
His stunned silence extended until his friend managed to get to her knees. He cleared his head with a shake before dismounting his horse. Gripping his staff in both hands he ran to his friend as she caught her breath, "Valarie! Are you ok?!"
The Heroine pushed herself to her feet, wide eyes looking down at her stomach. She turned to Spencer, his soft cheeks wrinkled in worry over her condition. Her mouth moved but no words came out as her brain tried to recall what happened. Then her blue eyes turned to the stranger and everything came rushing back.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Her hands tightened into fists as her anger returned then intensified as the heretic knelt next to her blade. Placing a hand on its hilt she effortlessly lifted it, moving it back and forth in her grip.
"Fine craftsmanship," the cur's examination of her Holy Blade made her body shake with righteous anger, "evenly weighted, well sharpened, and I believe these markings are runes of some kind?"
The stranger nodded before giving the sword a few test swings with one hand. The way she lazily wielded the weapon made Spencer's jaw open wider in awe, while Valarie teeth ground against each other in anger, "Get back, Spencer."
"What? But you're injured!" Spencer placed a worried hand on her shoulder, "You need to rest!"
"It's nothing," she shook his hand off, stomping her way to the black clothed woman. A red glow expanded around her body. It started at her palms and the balls of her feet, crawled its way up her arms and legs, and stopped around her thighs and shoulders.
Spencer's hands gripped his staff as his eyes moved from his rage filled friend to the object of her ire. The stranger, looking less worried and more amused, planted the sword in the ground. She took no stance whatsoever, which only inflamed Valarie's passionate anger.
"You cur," Valarie's hair whipped behind her as she got closer to her opponent, "You struck a Hero of the Order. A Chosen of God herself. You placed your unworthy hands on a holy sword blessed by her angels. It is clear you must be taught your own place in this world before you are to answer for your crimes."
She stopped halfway to the heretic and bent her knees while pushing her right leg back. Her boot dug into the ground beneath while her face remained focused on her target, "I shall be the one to educate you. And by the end of this day, you will be begging for God's forgiveness!"
Valarie shot forward, fist aimed at the heretic's face. Her opponent ducked the blow while sending a white gloved fist towards her temple. Her Mana shrouded legs and arms lessened the feeling of whiplash, as she planted her feet into the ground to both stop her movement and slide her head to the right to dodge the blow. She kicked out with her right leg, which was stopped by the heretic grabbing it between her arm and body. With a small leap she sent her left leg towards the enemy's head, rolling with the fall as the opponent let her right leg go to block the attack.
The Heroine hit the ground on her hands and sent out a sweeping kick that her foe jumped back to dodge. She pushed herself to her feet, a smile creeping over her face as the heretic rubbed the side of her head. It was replaced by a frown when the heretic charged at her. The kick she sent when her opponent got in range was dodged with a forward dash. She moved her arms to block a blow to the chest only to get a knee to the stomach. A retaliatory right hook was blocked and countered with a punch to her now open chest and an uppercut to the jaw. A stumble leads into an uncertain right hook that manages to drive her opponent back.
She regained her footing, ignored the blood dripping from her nose, and dashed in with a two feints to the left and right before following up with a kick that managed to connect with the heretic's stomach. Her opponent passed by her blade as she skid backward. Valarie rushed forward and grabbed the two handed blade's familiar pommel. Her attempt to yank it from the dirt below was thwarted by an oncoming kick from the heretic. She brought her arm up to block but was still sent flying away from her weapon. Her Mana kept her steady as she scowled in anger at her enemy, before charging forward to continue the fight.
"You are certainly skilled," the heretic managed to say while blocking a knee to the gut and dodging a headbutt, "And your use of Mana to support your body is an interesting method of attack. However, you are still lacking in terms of experience and common sense."
"You dare mock me, heretic?!" Valarie shouted as she ducked under a high kick and jumped the following sweep, "If you have time to speak, then you have time to fight!"
"You said you planned to 'teach me my place', correct?" the heretic ignored Valarie's reply, "Then, allow me to reciprocate. The first thing that requires adjustment is your attire."
Valarie, rage building at the way the heretic spoke as they fought, sent a high heal kick careening towards her opponent's head...which was swiftly caught by a white gloved hand.
There was a short pause before the heretic lifted the firmly gripped ankle until the Heroine's skirt flipped up. Valarie's expression changed from red with anger, to crimson with embarrassment as her pink, stripped underwear were revealed for all to see. Felix burst into laughter at the sight, following it up with a high pitched whistle at the reveal. Spencer had his eyes covered, his face the same shade of crimson as Valarie's, while he babbled something about not seeing anything. Only the two inquisitors seemed calm at the flash of a Hero's undergarments.
"N-n-NOOO!" Valarie's girlish shriek was followed by her shoving her hands onto the front and back hems of her skirt...which left her face completely unguarded. The stranger pulled the Heroine forward and gave her a hard straight across her jaw.
"This outcome is the tamest in terms of what can happen when you wear a short skirt into combat," she let the Hero's ankle go, her free hand shooting to the young woman's hair. She grabbed a clump of the blonde locks hard enough to make the Hero scream in pain. She lifted the girl up while pulling a fist back, "Then there is your hair. It can easily be used to do this."
Four hard punches followed. One to the gut that drove the air from her lungs. Another to her left kidney that made her teeth grit. A third to the solar plexus, drawing bile up into her throat. And the last to the center of her face just as the heretic released the grip on her hair. She heard something on her face crack as the fist impacted her face and she fell to the earth.
Valarie coughed up globs of blood as she pushed herself up by her elbows. She couldn't understand what was happening. Her Mana was meant to lessen the pain of any blows to her body. How did those attacks have so much force behind them? She grit her teeth while rising to her feet, turning to face her opponent. The Mana shrouding her body seemed to flicker in the light as she placed a hand on her broken nose. With a muffled shout she forced the bone back into place, "Do not lecture me! This battle is far from over, and your cockiness will be your downfall!"
"I highly doubt that," the heretic said as she wiped any blood from her gloves, "However, you are correct in that this fight has just begun. And there are far more lessons for you to learn before it is over."
Valarie spat a glob of blood and phlegm into the grass in response. She got into a fighting stance, ready to continue the battle, until a small, blue robed form came darting between her and the heretic.
"That is enough!" Spencer shouted as he stood facing Valarie, arms held out to his sides. His flat black eyes stared down her piercing blue ones as he yelled out, "Val! You're injured and your Mana is running low. If you keep fighting you'll collapse long before she does!"
Valarie ignored Spencer's words, moving to step past the shorter boy, "Move aside, Spencer."
"I won't!" the outburst gave Valarie pause. Her eyes went wide in shock at her long time friend's sudden assertiveness as he moved to block her path, "You're being unreasonable! Don't let your emotions rule your decisions. We all need to take a step back, start over, and try to solve this rationally."
"Spencer, she is criminal," Valarie pointed over the boys shoulder accusingly, "A heretic. She's confessed to the crimes herself."
"Even so, we are not here to judge her for it. We were only sent to investigate. No more. No less. It's the Inquisitor's job to decide whether we take her in or not."
Spencer let his arms drop along with the tension in Valarie's body. He pushed forward to not lose this chance, "We don't even know the full story yet, Val. The fact that she decided to come out here and turn herself in is extremely admirable. She at least deserves the chance to speak for herself. If we resort to violence, we are spitting on the courage this woman has shown here today. Please, Val."
Valarie's eyes shifted to the heretic behind him, over to the Inquisitors who had yet to move, and then back to Spencer. She felt her heartbeat slow as the adrenaline pumping through her body began to waver. The layer of Mana across her skin flickered then disappeared entirely as she let out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes to regain her composure while shaking her head, "Fine. I will stand down...for now."
Spencer let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Valarie walked away. His arms fell to his sides, feeling like lead as the tension left his body.
"Impressive," from behind him came a voice that sounded much older and wiser than he was, "Being able to calm someone like that is no easy feat."
"Oh, well, thank you," Spencer suddenly felt bashful at the praise. He gripped his staff with both hands before turning to look the owner of the voice in the face, "To be honest, I didn't think that it...would've...worked..."
Spencer felt his words fail him as he laid his eyes upon the woman Valarie had been fighting. He hadn't been able to get a good look at her during the battle, so he was unable to tell what her Mana looked like. He wouldn't admit it, but the person they were sent to find had piqued his curiosity. Even the more senior Heroes would have trouble taking on an entire werewolf pack. Let alone come out of the fight complete unmonsterized. To do that, someone's Mana would either have to be incredible strong, or had a high enough resistance to avoid being transformed.
But as he gazed upon the absolute black hole of Mana that stood in front of him, he realized the truth.
The emotions that welled up inside him at the vision were enough to make a grown man faint.
And Spencer was far from a grown man.
His consciousness was gone long before he started falling towards the ground.
----------------------------------------
The Huntress had three responses to the young boy fainting the moment he met her eyes.
The first was, "I should've known this would happen."
The second was, "Of course this would happen the moment everything calmed down."
And the third was, "I need to help him!"
She chose to act on the last one.
She dashed forward, slipping her arms under the young man's back as he fell. He was surprisingly light as he fell into her arms with nary a sound. She eyed the soft skin on his face before looking up at the four pairs of footsteps headed towards her. The first to reach her was Valarie, anger and worry written plain as day on her face. She had recovered her blade and wasted no time grabbing its pommel as she approached the Huntress, "Cur! What have you done to Spencer!?"
The two Inquisitors had dismounted and were making their way over to them. The Huntress' eyes narrowed in suspicion before she flatly answered the Hero, "Made him faint, But know that it was in no way intentional."
"I don't know, lass," the Guard Captain said while staring at the unconscious Spencer, "I know of a few ways to make someone accidentally fall out, but I didn't see you do any of 'em. Care to elaborate?"
The Inquisitors walked over to the growing group, stopping at Valarie's left to complete the half circle gathered around the Huntress. Her eyes roamed the faces of those around her, starting at Felix, ending at one the Inquisitors, before looping back to Felix. All of them had their questioning eyes and expressions firmly locked on her.
Her eyes turned to the boy in her arms. He couldn't have been more than sixteen at best. Though he hadn't gotten involved until the fight was well underway, he had made a fiery tempered, anger filled Heroine back down with his words alone. Not to mention how he had stood up for her, a total stranger that he knew was a confessed criminal, while his comrades had either condemned her to death or did nothing at all. He was a brave, selfless little boy, the exact opposite of her image of the Order.
And that was enough to convince her to give them...no.
To give him a chance.
"Inquisitors," she turned her eyes to the two black cloaked agents, "If you wish to know why this boy fainted when he saw me, then answer this: What is the true reason behind you're coming here?"
The Inquisitors were silent for a few minutes as everyone's attention turned to them. Valarie soon scoffed, "You forget your place, heretic. You're speaking to members of the Order's most trusted. What makes you believe they will-"
"We came for you," came the chilling, female voice from the leftmost Inquisitor. When Valarie made to interrupt, a hand from the one right next to her fell on her shoulder. She stiffened for a moment before turning her head to the ground with a scowl.
The female Inquisitor continued, "The Order is interested in inducting you into our cause. A great boon to both yourself and our superiors."
"You would gain a great deal of resources and influence. Not to mention a home far from the frontier unlike this one," this voice, rough and male, came from the Inquisitor who stood right next to Valarie. He seemed unfazed by the death glare Felix shout his way.
The Huntress nodded at the two's confession while keeping her expression neutral, "I see. Was my battle with Valarie a test of my abilities?"
"No," the male Inquisitor shook his head, "While it was greatly informative to watch you battle Ms. Holden, we have a...different test in mind for you. If you were to come with us."
"Not only will you be acquitted of your crimes, but you'll be paid handsomely for helping the War Effort. Now, tell us why Spencer has fainted. What is it about you that made this happen?" the female Inquisitor could barely contain the obvious excitement in her voice.
The Huntress narrowed her eyes at the two Order Agents. The sun had reached its zenith by the time she finally said, "It's because of what he saw within me. That I have no Mana."