Chapter 405 - Cadria VI

Though the others were a little skeptical, given her lack of explanation, Claire removed Krail from the driver’s seat and took over his spot in front. There wasn’t enough time to ramble. The guards would soon be in earshot, and the plan would fall apart if it were overheard.

Sylvia remained on her head throughout and even cast a bubble inside of her armour when she heard a whispered request. The magical construct in question lasted for all of five minutes; Claire absorbed the mana that comprised it as her countrymen closed in.

“G’dftern’n,” said the reverse centaur in question. His lips sputtered as the words bubbled up from his throat, resulting in a whinnying distortion reminiscent of someone from the nation’s westernmost reaches. “Wtru’ere f’r?”

“I’m here to claim one of the seven positions,” she said.

Though she had practiced it inside the bubble, she still found it difficult to believe that the voice was her own. She had somewhat transformed her vocal chords, bringing them a teensy bit closer to the size that they were in her draconic form. The resulting voice was just deep enough to seem androgynous, perhaps even slightly male leaning with the gruff growls she added.

“Th’war, eh?” The man glanced at the band on his wrist. “Whtsa warrur ‘iq nedacarrge fr?”

“Some friends of mine happen to be coming along for the ride. They’ll be watching my duels.”

“Issee.” The reverse centaur paused for a moment. “Ann cntrabnd ‘r mrchndse?”

“None,” said Claire. “We’ve got some luggage, but that’s about it.”

“‘Itie.” The guard glanced at his wrist band one more time. “Yrfre t’go.”

He started walking over to the next carriage, completely oblivious that he wasn’t told the whole truth. And in all likelihood, he would have gone the rest of his life none the wiser had the fox on Claire’s head not lost the battle against her laughter.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Sylvia fell off her seat and rolled back and forth as she laughed aloud. Claire immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The guard turned back around with a cocked brow. His face was warped first in confusion and then in suspicion.

“Wzzofnny?”

“Nothing,” said Claire. “My pet is just being silly.”

Again, the man checked his wristband, and again, there was no reaction. Still, he remained suspicious, especially when the fox started beating a front paw against the carriage as would a person.

“Mgnna’ve t’chek yr crgo,” he said. He walked right up to the rear flap and threw it open. He didn’t say much at first, but his eyes glimmered as he surveyed the people inside. “Whch sd ‘d y’say yr fgtn ‘ngen?”

Claire sighed. The ruse was up. “Vel’khan’s.”

A murmur rippled through their surroundings as the man twisted his lips into a grin.

“Thtso?” He flexed his fingers one at a time as he lowered his hand to the blade his waist. “Th’mgna ‘ve t’test’ya.”

Wordlessly, Claire descended from the driver’s seat and faced the guard. While he lowered his hips and bent his knees, she remained in a perfectly neutral stance.

“Come.”

The man-horse took the invitation with a grin. He kicked off the ground, kicking up a cloud of fresh autumn leaves as he dashed across the cobblestone road. He kept his blade sheathed for the better part of his advance, drawing it only as he entered his striking range. With such a technique, most fighters would have opted to use the edge, but even if a warmongering idiot, the guard was well aware of his position. He led with the flat of his blade and aimed for the leg to ensure a non-fatal strike.

Alas, his consideration was irrelevant. Claire grabbed him by the face and slammed him into the ground before he could complete the swing. She seized his wrists before he could start flailing, spun him onto his back, and rendered him immobile.

Proper form and technique would have made the motion into a perfect, harmless suppression, but Claire had none of those things. She twisted his arm loose from his shoulders instead and bent his elbows in all the wrong ways. Were he anything but a career soldier, he surely would have been screaming in pain, but with his history as it was, all the man did was laugh.

“Nobbd,” he said. His body twisted itself back into place once Claire released him. “Y’cn tak da’xprsslne.”

Nodding, Claire returned to the driver’s seat and lightly flicked the reins. She hadn’t the faintest clue as to how she was meant to order the turberi into the express lane, so she solved that particular problem with a set of vectors instead. She redirected their feet when they walked, completely nonchalant, even as another group of guards ran over.

They likely wouldn’t have cared too much for the commotion, but their accented companion explained the situation with a smirk. And soon, the number of challengers itching for a taste of Vel’khan grew from one to three to an unfathomable number. It was not only the guards, but also the patrols and civilians that proceeded to join the fray.

The crowd cheered and jeered as fists, weapons, and bodies flew all over. No one seemed to care too much as to exactly who was winning; people rooted as frequently for the nameless knight as they did the challengers who approached her.

“I almost dare not ask,” said Arciel, “but is this meant to be a regular occurance? I recall that there was a similar event during our first night in Estau.”

“You get used to it,” said Allegra. “We’re a bit of a rowdy bunch.”

“It’s like everyone is as reckless and silly as Claire,” said Sylvia.

“It really does drive home that we’re in Cadria now,” said Krail. “But it still seems a little strange. What happened to the grudge that gave rise to the war? It almost feels like it doesn't exist.”

“Here, it doesn't,” said Allegra. “It's only the Pollux march where enough people lost their close relations to care. And even then, you'd probably find a bunch like this.”

“Was this why you said that we’d be okay?” asked Chloe.

The rabbit nodded. “I’m not sure how you see this war in Vel’khan, but to our people, the war is a cause for celebration. They’re happy that she’s strong. It means that the battles will only be all the more worth watching. The ones who tried to attack Vel’khan, claiming righteous vengeance, were only doing it for glory.”

“It is truly a struggle to understand their thought process. It defies all common sense, and it appears that even self preservation is entirely forgone.”

“Battlecrazed,” said Lana. “Like my crew.”

“Oh yeah. I almost forgot you pirates were like that,” said Jules.

“Only some,” said Lana. “Unlike Cadrians.”

Allegra smiled wistfully. “I know it’s odd, but it helps us survive.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised anyone lives this far north,” said Jules. “The magic here is so damn thick that it’s choking the shit out of me.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The party continued to chat idly as Claire worked her way through the crowd. It took the better part of an hour, but she eventually beat down the rest of her challengers. The whole thing grew out of proportion. One of the military commanders happened to spot the brawl and threw his soldiers into the mix. One of them managed to stall for a solid five seconds, but recognizing the importance of a more dominant display, Claire tugged at his leg with a vector and rammed her fist into his face.

When they were finally allowed to continue on their way, it was to a bout of cheers. Some of the locals even threw gifts her way. Fistfuls of loose change, baskets of fruit, and other miscellaneous goods found their way into the carriage, with one observer even handing her a full metal spear alongside a piece of paper that marked his forge’s address.

For a second, it looked like everything had finally calmed down, but news of the brawl had long spread to the city. There were even more challengers waiting on the other side of the gate, itching to test the Vel’khanese guests.

Again, Claire dealt with them in turn, and again, the brawl birthed a festive mood. The fighting lasted for about three hours in total, with even some of the local colosseum’s fighters announcing their names and joining the fray.

The hours of sweat and blood were certainly troublesome, but so too did they prove worth their while. One of the city’s high-end establishments extended an offer to let them stay free of charge. Dinner was included as well—the chef threw a melange of luxury ingredients together to prepare a meal that even Claire was happy to indulge in, though she had to take it back to the room to keep her face hidden.

She briefly stood by the windowsill and carefully checked her surroundings before doing away with her disguise and climbing atop the roof.

The city, which had been bustling throughout the day, was much quieter at night. If not for the taverns, the red light district, and the local Kryddartown, it would have been almost deathly silent. Even the skies were basically empty. The occasional patrol passed by, but the soldiers in question were a lot less attentive than they were during the day. In relative times of peace, they were ordered to forgo any artifacts that provided them with night vision in order to facilitate the skill’s development. Such finicky tools were easily destroyed in battle, and one could never be prepared enough to continue one’s mission without.

Thanks to that, she was able to enjoy her meal in the quiet of the night. The delicious steak she ordered practically melted into her mouth and flirted with her tongue, teasing it with nearly twenty different seasonings and spices. It still didn’t match Amereth’s cooking, but it was good enough to serve even those born with silver spoons in hand.

“I thought you were avoiding me,” she said, as her solitude was broken.

“Not exactly.” A large branch grew from the building and carried Allegra onto the roof. “But sorting through my emotions was a little harder than I’d expected.” She walked across the rooftop and sat right next to her pupil. There still seemed to be a bit of hesitation in her steps, but she powered through with a smile.

She didn’t continue immediately. Instead, she nursed the drink in her hands—a large mug of undiluted vekratt.

“I’m glad you’re safe. I always knew you would be. You’re his daughter, and as I looked back, I realised that it should have been obvious. He always had a plan. He always knew exactly what would happen. But I couldn’t help but worry.”

Claire nodded.

“I’m sorry,” said Allegra.

“Don’t be. I’m over it already.”

“You might be. I’m not.” The rabbit raised her mug to her lips and, after a moment’s hesitation, drained the rest of her drink in a single breath. It didn’t seem wise. There was enough of the drink to replace half her blood with alcohol. “You were like a daughter to me, Claire. But I chose to let you die. If I was there for you more, if I just did a better job of raising you, then none of this would have happened.”

Claire shook her head. “It was Father’s fault. He planned everything.”

“Yes, but I could’ve gone with you. Or at least, I could’ve found you. If I did, I might’ve been able to stop you before you had to bloody your hands like this. I could’ve stopped Tornatus from happening.”

“I doubt that.” Claire finally turned away from her meal and faced the rabbit with an icy cold stare. “Pollux deserved it. They all deserved it.”

“I know that isn’t how you feel, Claire.”

“It was how I felt in the moment.”

“But it’s not how you feel anymore. You’re kinder than that. I know it. Your father knows it. That’s why he hasn—”

“What do you know?” Claire shot her a glare. “Pollux killed one of my best friends. Purely for the joy of it.”

Allegra winced.

“What else was there to do? I had to pay him back.”

“Claire.”

“I did it becau—”

“Claire.” The voice was more stern, paired with a pained but disappointed look.

“What?”

“Just be honest.”

“I am being hone—”

“Claire. You’ll feel better after. Trust me.”

The lyrkress took a breath. “You don’t understand.”

“I do.”

“No you do—”

“There was a time when I wanted to completely wipe out the thorae,” she said, quietly. “There was a boy I liked, when I was still just an ordinary village girl. He was one of the local magistrate’s sons, a muscle-headed, testosterone-fueled idiot obsessed with all the usual things.” She looked over the horizon. “I became a mage so I could follow him into battle, and together, we fought on the northern lines. Before I knew it, he had become one of the army’s commanders, and I became his second. We were pretty well known for punching above our weight class. But that was also why we got in over our heads. We blindly followed the higher ups’ orders and tried to attack one of the enemy units, but they overpowered us. And he let himself get caught so I could get away.”

She tried to take another swig from her mug, but realising that it was empty, she threw it off the side of the roof and ordered a branch to bring it into the kitchen.

“The next time I saw him was on the front lines again. They brought him along as a prisoner when they launched an attack on our northernmost fort. They strapped him to a wheel and paraded him around. Before they attacked, they goaded us by torturing him. They tore his body apart, piece by piece. They tore out his eyes and ate his organs in front of us. If I was as strong as you were, when you attacked Pollux, I would’ve done the same thing. Hell, I still tried.”

She stopped for a moment to take a breath.

“I spent years in the north, cooped up in a room, researching my spells. I came up with something nasty. It was a rotting spell that would only infect throae, and on my command, it would start to eat them from the inside, killing them over the course of a day. I wanted them to suffer as he had, and I only became a magus because I was obsessed with making the theory into a reality. I figured it out before your father ended the war. I started testing it on them. I attacked one of their villages by myself and started killing indiscriminately. I thought I’d love their screams, but they only made me feel empty. It turned out, I hated the taste of revenge.”

“Well, I don’t,” said Claire.

Allegra stared at her briefly before bringing her hand to her face in the most obviously fake display of disbelief that she could have possibly managed. “I didn’t know you wanted to be just like Virillius.”

“I don’t.”

“He… your father never quite let go of his brother’s shadow. Revenge is one of the few things he cares for. He’s obsessed with it. He revels in it. And a brief mention of his brother was all he needed to ignite the spark again.”

Claire didn’t say anything.

“I won’t stop you from becoming just like him, if that’s really what you want.”

The rabbit twisted her lips into a smile while Claire warped hers into a frown.

“I’m going to bed.” Handing her plate to one of Allegra’s branches, she stood up from her seat and returned to the balcony, not saying a word even as she slammed the window shut with far too much force.

Allegra watched her go with a chuckle, a faint smile that remained on her lips, even as she descended from the roof and tottered onto the streets. Though her steps were unsteady, they were not unguided. She made a series of specific turns before winding up in an alley on the edge of town.

Her collaborator had long been waiting. Present for once in his real body, the white moose had his arms crossed and his back against a wall. His eyes were closed and his ears were folded, but he remained well aware of her presence. Despite his apparent indolence, he kicked over a small box with just enough force for it to bounce off the wall beside her and position itself to her rear.

It was in just the right position, at just the right height, that she could be comfortably seated without so much as taking half a step.

“Well?” The moose, Constantius Augustus, opened his eyes, returned his ears to their usual positions, and twisted his lips into a smirk. “Trust me now?”

Allegra didn’t answer. She ground her molars together while her front teeth dug into her lips.

“Oh, come on. Don’t give me that look. Everything’s played out exactly how I said it would, hasn’t it? It wouldn’t kill you to let down your guard just a bit.” Constantius sighed. “Look. I’m not saying we’ve got to be butt buddies, but the jackpot is on the table and it’s ours the moment you sign on.”

Allegra slowly shook her head. “I won’t fall for your lies.”

“I’m not lying.” The demonic, jester-like smile vanished from his face in favour of a solemn frown. His eyes were earnest, but she found it too difficult to trust him, not with the way his brother and his niece were capable of manipulating their outward emotions. “Listen to me, Allegra. It’s as much for my brother as it is for our country. It’s our only choice.”