A few months had passed, and Armand was in front of his star fort with a group of black reiter mercenaries. Before him were several members of the Order of Hermes. They brought a large wagon with them, covered in a thick tarp that was tied down with rune-engraved chains.

"It looks like they're being cautious like I am. Still, I wish they sent more people I met before. I only recognize some of the lower-ranking members," Armand thought before speaking. "Greetings, scholars of the Order of Hermes. For those who have not met me, I am Lord Armand Concord, ruler of these lands. I remember our prior agreement and my promise to aid you."

The leader of the group nodded. He wore long white robes and carried a caduceus.

"I am Master Werner. We have come here for the dissection. I trust that you have prepared a space?"

Armand nodded.

"Yes, I have," he said. "But before we start, could you give me some details about the monster you killed?"

His eyes fixed on the wagon.

"Including how you managed to kill it?"

Master Werner looked at his subordinates. Looks of apprehension crossed their faces. Many of them fidgeted or shook. Then, Werner turned back to Armand.

"We do not usually reveal the secrets of our order to outsiders, even powerful outsiders," he said.

"I understand," Armand replied. "And I will not ask you to reveal any major secrets. However, my safety and the safety of my men are at risk here. If this monster is not as dead as you think, and it awakens, I need to know how to stop it."

He then placed a hand on his chest in a dramatic gesture.

"While I know more about monsters than most people, my knowledge is not unlimited. For the sake of protecting those under me, I must have at least some knowledge."

Master Werner hesitated. He opened his mouth to speak before closing it again.

"Lord Armand, how do we know that we can trust you with this knowledge?" the Order of Hermes member asked.

"If you did not know that you can trust me," Armand let out a sigh. "You were a fool for coming to me for help in the first place. Either that or you are desperate almost beyond belief."

Master Werner gritted his teeth so hard that there was an audible crunch. For a moment, Armand worried that they were cracked.

"I am no fool," the Order of Hermes member said. "And I did not come all the way here to be insulted."

Armand held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Please, Master Werner, I meant no offense. I am merely concerned about safety. I reiterate that I am not asking for any major secrets of your order. I just want to know what to do if the monster you caught gets loose. Sure, you can understand that a lord has a responsibility to his people, just as you have to your order?"

Master Werner grimaced. A scoff escaped his mouth.

"I suppose you are correct. If safety is truly your concern, I can assure you that we have taken all necessary precautions. There is no need for you to pry further into this," he said.

Armand nodded. However, there was a skeptical look in his eyes.

"You say that, but I have enough experience with monsters to know how dangerous they can be," the Concord lord pointed out. "The safety of my people is on the line. At the bare minimum, you should tell me what monster you are dissecting. That could inform me of everything I need to know."

Master Werner hesitated for a moment. However, temptation was clear in his eyes. Armand suppressed a smile.

"By telling me what sort of monster the Order of Hermes killed, he has a chance to learn what I know. And without giving much information himself. The bait has been set, but will he take it?" the boy thought.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be too much to tell you what we killed," Master Werner nodded. "Just send your men a bit further away."

Armand gestured and his black reiters moved out of earshot. Though they stayed within pistol shot.

"They are as far away as it is safe for them to be. Please forgive my paranoia. Politics in Foldzar are harsh," Armand said.

"I will forgive it," Master Werner stated.

Then, a wide smile crossed his face. The master's eyes opened, and he practically beamed with pride.

"Now, Lord Armand, I am not certain if you will believe what I'm going to tell you. The Order of Hermes killed a truly dangerous monster," he said.

"Try me," Armand replied.

"Very well. You see, we..."

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Master Werner leaned in close to Armand and whispered.

"...killed a strigoi."

Armand blinked in shock. It took him a moment to process what Master Werner just said.

"You...killed a strigoi?" the lord asked.

"Yes, we did," Master Werner answered. "Drove a stake through the bloody thing's heart. Now, we're going to dissect it to find out just what makes it tick."

Armand forced his nervousness down.

"Are you certain it's dead?" he questioned. "Based on my knowledge, stakes to the heart just paralyze strigoi. They don't outright kill them."

Apprehension flashed through Master Werner's eyes. He looked back at the carriage before turning to Armand.

"Are you certain? Where did you learn of this?" he asked.

"I killed a strigoi myself," the boy spoke before thinking. "One of the tasks given to me by the very strigoi who turned me. Their kind gets along with each other about as well as humans do."

Master Werner shivered.

"What happens to strigoi after they are killed?" he asked.

"Their body reverts to its true age. For newly-turned strigoi, it means little. But for the elders of their kind, it could turn into a skeleton or dust," Armand answered.

Master Werner shook his head.

"That is unacceptable. I cannot kill this thing and deprive the Order of a dissection," he said. "We will simply have to dissect the strigoi while it is still alive."

Elsewhere, Eris stood in the courtyard of a star fort with a group of hussars and bandits before her. The men were presenting 10 captives with black masks on, who were on their knees before the noblewoman. It would have been an intimidating sight if Eris was taller than any of them. However, she was still 13.

"You are certain that these people work for Robespierre?" Eris asked.

"Yes, My Lady," one of the hussars answered. "We caught them conspiring against another lord."

The girl nodded.

"Excellent work, then," she said. "Provided, of course, that I can verify your claims."

Eris walked over to the captives. She looked over them before choosing the person she thought was the weakest. The girl yanked off that woman's mask, revealing her terrified face.

"Where am I? Who...who are you? Why are you doing this?" the woman begged.

"You are in my fortress. I am a noblewoman. And I am doing this because you are working with a rebel and traitor," Eris said. "Now, I will be the one asking the questions. Answer truthfully, and I will allow you to live."

Internally, the Hapsburg girl was smirking.

"A lie, of course. The moment these people were captured, their fate was sealed. Even if they don't work for Robespierre, I cannot allow them to live. Capturing and releasing them could drive these subhumans into Robespierre's arms."

The woman nodded rapidly.

"Okay, whatever you want, I'll tell you," she said. "Just let me live and don't torture me."

"Folding right away. It seems she's weaker than I thought," Eris pondered before speaking. "Very well. First question, do you serve Robespierre?"

"I work under him, but I serve the council."

Eris blinked, a hint of shock flowing through her. However, the girl kept her pokerface up.

"The council? What's that?" she asked.

"The revolutionary council. They are the leaders of our movement," the woman answered.

Eris narrowed her eyes.

"I thought Robespierre was your leader," she said.

"He is the first among equals of the council," the woman replied. "They follow him for his ideals and charisma. But everything he does is with their approval."

Eris grimaced.

"I had never heard of this council before. Did it form because of something Armand, me, or Brutus did after Armand turned back time, or was it always there?" she thought before speaking. "How long has this council existed."

"Since the start. I know that Robespierre's its face, but he joined it, not the other way around," the woman said.

Eris grimaced.

"Even if I kill Robespierre, it looks like my struggle won't end. I'll have to wipe out this whole council if I want to crush this rebellion. So be it. I've already spilled a lot of blood. What's a little more?"

She pulled out a dagger and played with it. The woman shivered. Eris kept her expression cold.

"How many people are in this council?" Eris asked.

"12, not counting Robespierre," the woman answered. "And all of them are dedicated to our cause. Unlike me, they are all willing to die for it."

In response, Eris narrowed her eyes.

"And where is their base?" she questioned.

"We don't have one base. We travel around, using wherever we can find as our base," the woman said.

Eris entered deep contemplation.

"This could be lying. But whether she is or isn't, I'll have the other captives confirm it. I should have paid more attention to Robespierre the last time around. I might know enough to tell if she's telling the truth if I had."

Then, she shrugged.

"Oh, well, I'll just have to learn more about this now. Since this woman was so forthcoming with information, I will spare her torture. That should encourage the others. But then again...perhaps I should give her one last test?"

Eris looked the woman right in the eyes.

"One last question for you," the Hapsburg spoke. "If you answer it, I will let you go."

"To the afterlife."

The woman nodded.

"Yes, yes, anything. I'll tell you anything," she said.

Eris gave her a wide and sadistic grin.

"Good. Here's the question: what does the council and Robespierre intend to do to the lords who treat the commoners well? For example, Lord Armand, who made it a point to free his serfs and is a rising star of the anti-serfdom movement," the noble questioned.

The woman looked incredibly relieved.

"They intend to make them part of our government when the king is overthrown," she said.

"Alright," Eris turned to her men. "Take this liar to the torture chamber."

A look of complete and utter panic crossed the woman's face. Two hussars grabbed her shoulders and yanked her up.

"No! No! I was telling the truth! Honest!" she begged.

"I know for a fact that this is not the intention of Robespierre. Perhaps they differ from the council, but I'm sure your torture will reveal much. Even if what it reveals is that you were lying," Eris replied.

The woman struggled in the arms of the hussars, but she was no match for the trained soldiers. Sheer terror struck her eyes as she gazed at Eris' pitiless face.

"I was telling the truth! The council told me that..."

"Shut her up," Eris ordered. "I don't want to hear one more word out of her before she's tortured."

One of the hussars smacked the woman's face, knocking a tooth out. The captive started quietly sobbing as she was dragged away to the torture chamber.

Eris turned away from her to the other captives. The Hapsburg's eyes were cold as ice.

"I know none of you saw that, but I am certain that you all heard that," she said. "I know more than you think, and you will tell me everything you know. And if we have any more liars..."

Looking over her shoulder, Eris smirked at the person she didn't even see as human being dragged to the torture chamber.

"...you know what fate awaits you."