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Haru squirmed as Blu devoured their bodies with his duster. The heat of flames kissing the fabric of the jacket leaving off the scent of burning leather, however, and thankfully, that act had saved them both from being engulfed by the inferno caused by the idiocy of firing a weapon in such flammable gas. One could never be too prepared and Blu had danced with fire plenty of times before this. Northern leather was strong, kept you warm as the snow was a regular there, but it was fireproof. Though as Blu released his grasp, Haru’s eyes widened with alarm as she was face to face with his right hand, which was nothing more than a bloody husk. Though unfazed by this, Blu had a serious injury.

“Morgan, your hand!”

“Yeah, I know.” He growled as he shouldered his coat and looked up to examine where Black had been blasted off to. It was just them now, be it they blew her into atoms or she retreated, thank the gods it was all but over now. “Think we got her?” He tore off a piece of the hem of his shirt and wrapped it tightly around his wound. It’d do for now, but if he didn’t get to a healer soon, that was that. Dwarves were exceptional in making prosthetics as well, so there was that. A replacement would be needed at some point if he was going to go another round with the wicked woman known as Black.

Either it was for lighting a stove or for a lonely night during the rainy times, Blu was already considering getting something with a bit of flash as obviously, he was a fan of ending a conflict on a bang. Though he had good times with that hand. His days of writing detailed reports were as good as done. Prosthetics were great for the simplest of tasks. But most veterans with them had the handwriting of a disabled toddler. Oh well, he shrugged. At least he was still kicking, be it barely.

Haru shook her head and sighed, “Stupid man.”. With her help, she put his arm over her shoulder and guided him away from the blast site and towards the exit path.

“Yeah. I know.” He mumbled with weakness resting on his tired face.

“Stay with me, Morgan. We’re getting out of here.” She was limping all the while trying to guide someone almost twice her size. This wasn’t something she cared to do while sustaining such injuries, but the man had just saved her life after all. Now It was time to abandon ship and find a way out of this place. If they by some chance killed Black, then mission accomplished. If not, they’d have to fight another day. Either way, the moment they left those mines she was going to throw the hardest punch she could muster to make sure the entrance caved in nice and good. If she wasn’t dead, then Haru could take the next best course of action and trap her down here with her many victims.

Blu, though doing his best to keep stress off of Haru, was fading in and out. Between his injuries from earlier and now missing an entire hand, the man had too reached his limit. What would he tell the survivors when just the two of them exited the mines? Empty-handed and alone, they both pushed their way upward, occasionally stopping for a brief breather. After some time passed, they could see light and hear the chirping of birds freely soaring the sky above. They were nearing the entrance. They had survived this brief encounter with the literal devil.

“Look lively!” A soldier shouted as he stood behind a massive wall of shields and spears blocking off the mouth of the mine.

“Stand down.” Blu returned weakly but loud enough for the men and women to lower their defenses and assist them out of the tomb. It astounded Blu at how quickly reinforcements had arrived. Not just a division or another squad, but an army waited for them. Hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers ready to charge into the fray to avenge all those who fell to the monster. Cavalrymen rushed by on horseback as a firing squad prepped their rifles and chatted about what they heard had happened down there. The shouts and commands of officers echoed as feet marched, shaking the very ground under Blu and Haru’s tired feet. This was the first time in over fifty years that the Solis military deployed a major force. Green as green could be, mind you. But a force that would even make the most seasoned general smirk with glee and school girl giddiness.

“Morgan Blu, I presume.” An older gentleman wearing a thick suit of blue armor with gold trailing the trim walked up to Blu and his companion with a stern look on his wrinkled face. Unlike the many soldiers around him, this man seemed to be the only form of veteran Blu could make out. Of course he was. This was after all Anthony Greythorne, the famous leader of the Greythorne Guild that Haru and Po belonged to and the so-called liberator of the Solis people. He had heard but only stories about the man.

During the great war, he was known as a warlord to the Northern Armies. But that was far from the truth. He was a peacekeeper, a man of the people, one who rejected the crown so that he could stay on the field of battle to face what evils threatened Solis. “I politely ask you to let this one go, Haru. Do not trouble yourself with this rogue marine he will be just fine. They have walked away with worse.”

Blu frowned, “Got a problem with me, pal?”. As the two glared at one another, an elven healer rushed over to the duo and examined their wounds without greetings or words. As she brushed Blu’s stump to deduct the amount of damage, the blast had caused, he retracted it and nudged her out of the way with his shoulder.

“Not in the slightest, Morgan. Not in the slightest.” The sarcastic twat continued, “Now unhand my fighter so I can take a proper look at her.” Blu looked over to Haru and she gave him a faint smile, letting him know she’d be fine. He rolled his eyes and let go of her arm. Haru bowed her head with a ‘my lord’ and joined him at his side.

“Po? How is she?”

Anthony sighed and shook his head, “She left this world right before the surviving unit exited the mines. I’m sorry, young one. I know you two were close. We’ll send her off properly when we return home. It’s the very least we can do for her.”

Haru’s head lowered in defeat and Blu could make out a few tears running down her cheeks. He had failed to follow through with her request from the start. He couldn’t keep the little witch safe and so Haru, who was like an older sister to the girl, had many dreadful days ahead of her. After a few more exchanges, Anthony placed his hand on her shoulder. No more words were swapped between them but the two looked at one another with such sadness Blu could only let go of Anthony’s rude behavior towards him as the feeling of gloom overtook the entire camp like an opposing invading force on the newly formed army. Not just Po, but dozens of men and women had just died. For what? He wondered this as he stared at the two under his wide brim hat with his icy blue gaze.

“We’re going to have to cauterize this, master bounty hunter. Please come this way.” The elf jumped in front of his view with a pout and grabbed his only other hand, pulling him towards a medical tent just a few steps from where they stood. With a yelp of protest, he was forced to follow her.

As Blu sat there on one of the many beds the healer got to work, he could only reflect on what just happened and how useless he was during it all. It just showed him how weak he was becoming. Be it rusty skills or old age, he was tiring of this lifestyle. “Ugh!” He complained with pain as the Elven healer ran her hand across a gash on his shoulder, sealing it to the best of her ability. Weakness just leaving the body, as they say.

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Blu’s eyes shifted to the young elf whose bright emerald eyes were oh so focused on doing her job. She reminded him of someone from a long time ago. The same person who led him to this lifestyle. Eve.

How many years had it been now? Five? Ten maybe? He couldn’t recall the last time he saw her and her wonderful family. But he shook this off as he knew he was beyond recognition now. While elves aged at an extremely slow rate, humans, however, did not. Ten years would have been nothing for her nor her brothers and sisters. They most likely all looked the same and once a smooth-faced boy now an older gentleman with greying hair, crow’s feet, and a battle-painted expression with scars to go along with-it Blu knew if they passed one another on the streets, she would not recognize him. He only hoped she and her family were okay. He left them on a grim note. But made a promise that every coin he collected would go back to thank them for saving his life and taking care of him after, well, a story for another time, he supposed.

“So, care to explain to me why one of my mages just died and my best fighter can barely stand, let alone make any sense of this all? Soma assured me you’d have this handled. I’ve already read the reports. But I want to hear it from your mouth, Northerner.” Anthony entered the tent and crossed his arms, his faint yellow irises glaring down at Blu as the elf continued to look after his wounds.

“Got any tobacco in that shiny tin can of yours, Grey?” Blu needed a smoke. Some form of relief after all of this would be a godsend. Hell, even a bottle of rum would service this moment, something he hadn’t touched since his marine days. Anything to numb this dread he was experiencing. But Anthony shook his head, rejecting that little dream of Blu’s and motioned him to get on with it. Blu leaned forward and groaned with pain, “You’ve heard the stories about my target?”

Anthony nodded as he shoved a medical crate over with his foot and took a seat on top of it to join Blu, “Soma already debriefed me on that. But please carry on.”

“He’s a crafty little turtle.”

“Turtle?”

Blu dismissed this comment with a wave of his only hand and chuckled, “Pardon just a habit.”.

“If this is some kind of joke to you, I will gladly send you to the hangman. Twenty-six people are dead this day. Possibly more. The stories are true about this one. The social skills of a dead mule, it would seem. I proclaimed once my girls were introverts. But you take the cake, Morgan Blu.” Anthony shrugged.

With another chuckle, Blu nodded, “To think you guys tried to recruit me at one point.”

“That was before I knew about your very colorful military background. You served under Division 503, yes? Ocean Stalkers, they called you.”

“That’d be the one, yes.”

“Then you knew my sister very well. She trained much of your unit before the Siege of Umbra Island. I had a garrison stationed there right before the Pirates decided it was free real-estate.” Anthony rested his chin on his now cuffed hands as they tightly squeezed one another as if battling for dominance.

Before Blu could reply Anthony continued, “Listen here, Morgan. I want to make one thing very clear if you hadn’t noticed already. I dislike you. If not for your bravery in the iron mines today, I would have cut you down myself for your absolute failure in capturing that mad woman. Still, Haru defends you just as Soma did in his office earlier. The one you call turtle is but a rarity of words that greeted my ears as his greed is rather unmatched when it comes to the lives of the living. Count yourself a lucky one.”

“Awh you gonna suck my dick after this or something? I don’t like you either, ya old fart. But to make a long story short, if you were down there you wouldn’t have such a big ego that’s for sure. You ever seen a little girl cut down another person like they were nothing more than butter after being left out on a mid-summer’s day? Or an entire group at once? Yeah, me either. Whatever the fuck those cultists were trying to do, they succeeded and nothing could have prepared us for that.” Blu buzzed with displeasure as he continued to lock eyes with old man Greythorne.

Anthony adjusted himself, excusing Blu’s garbage words and replied, “My next question is how then? Hm?”. The old world soldier rubbed his forehead and continued, “Let’s put aside our differences for a moment and get behind the science of things because judging from what I’ve heard no magic in this world or the after can reanimate the dead and giving them god killing abilities like the ones this woman, this beast known as Black, was oh so unfortunately gifted upon her short exit of this world.”

“Your guess is as good as my own. When we got there, she was already dead... or eh? Undead. However, you’d want to view that. You know the training they put me through. What we were all put through on Umbra. For a single girl to go toe to toe with me and win, not to mention guardsman and two of your best, well old-timer I’d say we’re in a pretty fucked up situation now aren’t we.”

Before Anthony could counter with a rebuttal, a soldier entered the tent with a fearful look on his face, “Master Greythorne. We’ve found something that may interest you. Please come this way.”. Anthony looked to Blu as if to say we’re not done here and got up, leaving the tent. As the man stepped out, his golden cape was sent into a light flutter while he walked alongside the man that requested his presence. As the two stopped at their destination, Anthony could only tilt his head in confusion as a team of soldiers exited the mouth of the mines carrying a young woman on a stretcher.

“Who might this be?” He asked as he rubbed the whiskers on his chin with interest.

“She doesn’t match the description of anyone that was deployed here, sire.”

“Any wounds? Weapons we should be worried about? Details, appreciated.” Anthony walked around the group examining the head from toe. She was completely nude and with not a single scratch on her snow-white being. Her hair, long and black, but silky like that of shimmering Elven silk with red kissing the tips of each end. A rather beautiful young lady, he thought. Was this Black? The one who had killed his mage? As he watched her sleep, Haru joined Anthony’s side once more after getting herself looked at and examined her with him.

“I’m not sure who this is.” She whispered as she got down on one knee and placed her hand over the girl’s forehead, “But no, this is not her if you’re curious. Though the resemblance is close. Disturbingly close, in fact. Where did you say you found her, soldier?”

The man saluted and quickly replied, “Ma’am! A chamber not too far off from where you and the bounty hunter encountered the beast. They sealed it off pretty tightly, but nothing our boys couldn’t handle. We were searching for survivors, heard a strange cry from behind the wall. So, we took the liberty-“

“That will be all, Lieutenant.” Anthony dismissed the man as he and the others set the girl down and saluted, walking back to their commanding officers to report their findings. With a long sigh, Anthony tapped the hilt of his sheathed sword and argued with himself. To be safe, should he behead this woman here and now? Unsheathing it, he lifted it with anger in his eyes. No chances were taken. No more deaths today. None but her’s.

“Wait, Master!” Haru quarreled as the girl opened her eyes. Shiny cherry orbs met the gaze of Greythorne and in return, he lowered his weapon. That look on her face. Not that of a murderer or some demonic creature like the one they desperately hunted. But that of a confused and scared child. This was not Black, his agreement sided with that of Haru’s. Even if it were, there was no way she’d be able to fake an expression of that magnitude. Innocents and that of proper confusion were all he saw, and as much as he wanted to kill her then and now, he sheathed his weapon and turned around to face away from her.

“Get this one back to guild headquarters.” He ordered.

“Sire?” Haru looked up at Anthony as he walked away.

“And for the love of Solis, find her some damned clothes. The last thing our boys in iron need to see is a young woman flashing her disrobed figure around the camp.”

“Black?” The girl mumbled as her eyes darted from one face to another.

Anthony peeked over his shoulder with narrow eyes.

“Huh? What was that?” Haru asked as she leaned her head down to make out the girl’s words more clearly.

“Where am I? Who are you, people? Where’s Black? Did Papa-“

Haru looked up at Anthony as he continued to gaze down at the two over his shoulder, “What is your name, girl?” Anthony was now facing them once more than he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword once more. Perhaps a beheading would indeed happen. She was coming too and seemed dangerously confused. However.

“My name?”

“Yes, that’s what he asked, little one. Can you tell us your name?” Haru chimed in with almost a motherly tone.

“My name is...” She slightly lifted her head up and as she did so most of the surrounding soldiers took a step back in fear for their lives. “My name is Aura.”