Ulfhild didn't believe in legends. As a child she might have believed in the famous tales like those of queen Brigade the maiden of the morning star and her legion or of the famous king Lir and his legendary blade twilight. But she had served in Zodiac for too long to be so wide eyed and gullible.

She had seen many of the new so called legends fail to prove themselves to be nothing like the stories that had been inspired by them in the slightest. The legendary valiant Scorpio prove to be nothing more than a zealous mad man who cared more about killing than about the Empire, Nimue the kind and wise in legend was nothing more than a vain mad woman believing herself deserving of godhood over reality and would have almost destroyed the entire universe to do it.

Dia be good she was also technically a legend of sorts, at least when Zodiac had still been in everyone's favor and when to attain a high rank within it was seen by many as a mark excellence upon you and not the unending source shame and hatred as it was now.

They spoke of her as the young Leo who came from the ancient and accomplished noble house of Freya. In the stories, her clean songs of honour and chivery, not the brutal and bloody affairs for survival which she barely slogged through.

It was why she never believed in the legends of the Black Raven, also known as Conall Ghealach the bastard younger brother of the Emperor and rumoured greatest swordsman alive in the whole world. Oh, she recognised him as a decent warrior and general, but the pedestal that many held him could not be correct.

She staggered back gasping for air from the sharp pain in her gut that felt like her stomach had collapsed in on itself. Unable to properly coordinate herself, Ulfhild collided into the Virgo or as she was to be simply called now Siân.

In front of them, her sister, Prince Balor, Alaric and Mor both charged the Black Raven upon the deck of their vessel.

The Black Raven stood his ground keeping all four of them back with lazy gestures and a facial expression of one carrying out a boring menial task that you weren't even putting ten percent of an effort into it.

Ulfihild gasped in pain as she arose alongside Siân. Both women winced from their bruises from the legends blows, even if all of them were using wooden equivalents for their weapons.

"He doesn't hold back much does he." Siân stated. Once upon a time Ulfihild would have given anything to see the old vain Virgo of past humbled, but after everything that they had gone through, she was not so cruel. After all, the elf had to permanently wear a half mask of iron on one side of her face to hide the burn wounds left by Ishtar Ddraig.

"He is holding back." two voices said in unison and Ulfihild felt her skin crawl as she turned to face the Black Raven's twin children Lug and Brig.

The androgynous pair were unnerving to interact with. They did everything together and were genuinely difficult to tell apart, Ulfihild was sure that they acted this way to intentionally creep people out.

The crewmen who had gathered around to witness this spectacle and the pained exhausted grunting of the other combatants as they continuously tried and failed to land a blow upon their foe who still proved himself their better with ease was extremely entertaining to them.

"Damn sadists." Ulfihild whispered as they cheered when the former Taurus, Mor took a blow to the face that laid him out.

"Remember to coordinate with each other. Team work is the only way to survive," the Black Raven stated as lazily parried a blow. "Also, the four of you can join us."

"We hope that you impress us, Zodiacs." the twins said before unfolding their Fae wings and blasting into the air at their father.

"Once more into the fray," Siân said with a smile and the both of them charged.

Prince Balor was manifesting solid orbs of ice and hurtling at the Black Raven, who in turn would easily side step them whilst saying. "An impressive use of your magic, my nephew. Though I would advise increasing your versatility. A battle can be worn by more than just blunt tools."

"You sound just like Cathbad!" Balor roared as he charged his uncle with his wooden staff. He thrust the weapon but rather than striking flesh, it went through the Black Raven's body like he was a holographic imagine, flickering with golden light.

"That is because he is right." the Black Raven opened his palm a bolt of golden lightning struck Balor and sent the young prince hurtling across the deck.

" He uses light energy!? " she almost felt her eyes bulge out of her skull sharing a similar sentiment to many others on the deck.

The man for as long as they fought against him for the past week had not used his magic but for it to be light, one of the three pillars of reality, the hardest forms of energy to master.

"But we can't back away now." she thought as she swung her sword, but it was roughly parried and Ulfihild flinched as his glancing parry almost made it feel like her joints would explode from the pain.

She overcome the pain and tried to strike at him as he casually grabbed Alaric and flicked the once Gemini ten meters into the air. Her attack was noted and he span so fast that Ulfihild could not see him as smacked her to the ground.

The twins were more successful against their father, they were the only ones who acted in unison and they didn't stick around in one position as they swung their rapiers at him, which he of course parried.

"You can not simply hit and run against every opponent." he said as both twins unleashed bolts of lightning against their father but the electrons were held in mid air by an invisible force and sent flying into their casters who were instantly floored.

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"Enough sanctimonious preaching!" Balor bellowed as he flying with the titanic upper torso of a ice golem floating behind him with its great sword raised high.

His uncle leaped forward with his own wooden sword in swing and the impact of giant ice golem and wood shook the the ship hard enough that the one hundred thousand ton vessel almost tipped over. The force of the blows left the ice knight shattered and the prince went sailing down upon the deck so hard that he dented it.

Ulfihild was seriously considered pulling out her Alpha-Spell, though she wondered what the ultimate expression of the Black Raven's power would look like in comparison to her's.

"This was a good training session, though I must once again state that your teamwork is lacking." the Black Raven spoke without so much as a drop of sweat on him.

"Damn it old man!" the prince shouted in between his haggard pained breathing. " Didn't I tell you to stop toying with us, you bastard!"

The Prince's rushed his uncle once more and with what could best be described as contemptuous ease the Black Raven parried the Prince's wooden spear with such force that the young Prince went staggering back granting and panting in pain as his hands trembled perhaps from the force imparted by the blow.

"Are you sure about that nephew?" the Fae man asked his nephew.

"Yes!" the young Prince roared in anger before rushing forward at his uncle like an enraged bull thirsting for blood.

"He is completely insane." Ulfihild thought and she could see from their faces that the other Zodiac's thought the same.

As he got closer he took a wide swing at his uncle, a swing lacking any skill or grace but being the final last attempt from a beaten, exhausted and desperate foe, but it wasn't enough to match his uncle.

The Black Raven back stepped allowing the young prince who had put too much of his strength into the swing to fall right down at his feet, exhausted and unable to continue.

"A valiant display nephew. But if I may give you a piece of advice in the field, as my second in command and thus leader of the others, focus on saving them in rough battle rather making a solo doomed heroic death. Now rest now, all of you, and we shall continue this afternoon." the Black Raven said before turning and leaving them all crumpled to the deck in a pool of their own sweat.

"Damn it, a whole week and we haven't so much as touched him." Ulfhild cursed wanting desperately to pay him back for her the pained existence that he had cursed upon her.

"Try never being able to touch him your entire life." Lug who rested besides her keeping his same monotone voice even when in pain and exhausted.

"A pity for us all." Brig added.

That was when the tenth absent member of their warband appeared. An old elf with a thick beard that had lost its red luster for a white coat and wrinkles that seemed to have their own wrinkles told her that he must be very old. He wore a simple black robe with red stars upon it, which left her suspecting that he must be a Wizard of sorts.

She didn't quite know who he was as he seemed to act as some kind of butler for prince Balor. The Black Raven didn't invite him get rocked in these spars, Infact the legend of the empire showed this elf a lot more respect and deference than even the Prince himself.

"All things considered, all of you lasted twenty four seconds more against him than last time." the old elf said sympathetically as he walked to the downed Balor and helped him to his feet.

"Twenty four seconds isn't good enough, Cathbad. " Balor gnashed his teeth in frustration. "We have to do better.... I have defeat him."

"Don't be melodramatic. Your father and uncle had to learn through their loses as you will do soon. Now let's go draw you a bath." Cathbad the elf said whilst supporting the uncoordinated prince. " And the rest of you help your comrades to the sickbay."

XXXXXXX

"Dia be good, what did you children do to deserve this?" the old doctor said with a heavy sigh as he looked at the rest of them upon their beds still groaning and moaning in the infirmary with the exception of the prince who had been taken to his own private chambers to rest.

"The prince, damn him..." Siân grunted in such pain that tears rolled out of her eyes that for the first time. "... He wanted the Black Raven's best and that's what we got... And I don't know about you but I curse him for it."

" That was not father's best, if it was..." Lug began speaking with an almost animalistic grin whilst keeping his usual monotone voice and his twin sister finished his words "....we would be all dead in seconds."

Ulfihild shivered at just how these two after being beaten so badly that she could see their Fae flesh bruised a deeper shade of blue would be so cheerful when talking about how their father could have killed them all.

"I would be careful with complaining so much Siân. This is our one ticket to regaining our old lives." Alaric said and his former Zodiac rival scoffed.

"Don't be so delusional, even if we defeat and capture the two Avalonian royals, there is no way that people will fully forget or forgive us. It's a fool's hope."

"But it is hope none the less."

"Now you starting to sound like Libra." Siân paused after she said that name and a melancholic atmosphere settled on the former Zodiacs.

The Zodiac of justice should have been amongst them, but the old man had to be a big damn hero and offer himself as one of the lambs for slaughter in order to satisfy the publics anger.

"I miss him." Ulfihild spoke, remembering the Fae who had mentored her.

"Don't we all." Mor said in a deep voice surprising everyone. The former Taurus had always been a lone figure who didn't speak much, infact over her ten years as a member of Zodiac, Ulfihild had only heard speak three times.

"Don't see the point of all this training. I can fight good." Mor continued.

"At least we did valiantly." Alaric said trying to sound hopeful.

Siân scoffed. "Considering how easily he was taking us, we all know that we didn't accomplish anything other than being injured some more here today."

" But we did better than yesterday, you know this. I mean we actually forced him to relay on his magic to beat us for the first time." Alaric argued and Siân chuckled, as if Alaric's words were the biggest joke that she had ever heard.

"Maybe we did, but not everyone did as well as you want to believe." as she said that her eyes fell upon Ulfhild and the old Leo of Zodiac remembered why she had never gotten along with the woman.

"And who would that be!?" Juno like everyone in the room had picked up the intent of her words and she barked at the woman.

Ulfihild was none the less surprised, her sister idolised Zodiac and almost treated it like a religion. The idea that Juno the aid of Nimue would be yelling at the Zodiac of beauty, Virgo, was damn near unbelievable.

"Temper, temper little assistant, you did, valiantly. It's such a pity then that your sister fought like a one armed cripple, I mean she is not one anymore, so what's her excuse!?" the amount of venom loaded into her voice was so much that Ulfhild was sure that even a moon dragon itself would die from it.

Ulfhild turn subconsciously to the silver metal arm that had replaced her long lost flesh limb. A prototype one of a kind courtesy of the Emperor and it made her miserable. She had expected the thing to feel like a real arm but it was cold and felt alien, every sensation from it felt wrong and after an two hours of heavy use, it would begin to ache and she would be forced to take it off.

Though she could fight, it was not as well as before and as a proud warrior, to have the ability to sword fight returned to her arm, but for it to be so greatly diminished was painful. Sometimes she wished that she was never able to use it again and not see her diminishment.

She opened her mouth to tell off Siân but Juno had already leaped off her bed to assult the elf. But Siân was a former Zodiac, she easily grabbed Juno in midair and before she could act medical personnel jumped in separating the two who could only throw insults at each other.

"Try that again and I will rip your head off of your body, understand?!" roared Siân as she was held down by multiple people while Juno was being forced back to her bed.

"Well then do it Rassexon, do it. If you ever insult my sister again I will remodel the other side of your damn face!"

The insults and fruitless struggling continued until finally the old head doctor shouted, " Silence!"

A cold silence fell upon everyone present and the kind old healer looked to them with a face of cold anger. " Be silent, what are you children. If you two or anyone else does not behave themselves, I will personally ask general Ghealach to up your training and when it is over and he has beaten you lot into piles of pained meat, I will make your stays here such living hells that you will beg to die, understood? "

Silent fearful nods followed and after a few seconds the old doctor turned and left the room. Had the threat not been uttered, there would have been a return to the arguing, but no one wanted more of the Black Raven's beating and a vindictive doctor to deal with soon after.

It didn't take long for someone to become an antagonistic force amongst them. Thankfully the doctor and nurses were long gone and they would not get in any trouble when inevitably fists started flying.

The twins turned from their beds and their eyes fell squarely on Juno. They said nothing and simply looked at her with silent emotionless faces. It made everyones skin crawl and Juno looked unsure on what to do.

"Can my sister help you with anything." Ulfihild would repay Juno for her defense.

"She fought him." started Brig.

"She knows him." continued Lug.

"Who?" Ulfihild asked.

"The Prince." now Brig spoke with a smile.

"The Slayer of Nimue." Lug matched her face and Ulfihild dreaded just how much longer she had to be with these people.

"Why do you care ?" Juno asked with face contorted into a visage of hate which highlighted her facial scar.

"Because he intresents us. We want to know if he loves up to it all." they both spoke at once, brimming with excitement and Ulfihild remembered what she hated more than legends, their fanboys.