Southern Region of the Deadlands, Heretic’s Outpost: 936, August 12th, Sunday, 1:00 PM.
Inside a large military tent, placed at the center of a wall of sandbags and rubble—protecting the perimeter from the environment. Ninigi sat in the ground on top of a small mattress, keeping his legs crossed with both of his palms pressed together—keeping the tip of his fingers close to the mouth as his eyes remained closed.
The knight breathed calmly through his nose, his back kept straight and his head slightly lowered. Emerging from the entrance of the tent—followed by a faint trail of crimson fog, was the leader of the Heretic unit—Sebastian. The man approached Ninigi from behind, making sure to emit as little noise as possible. He took his shotgun from its holster, and aimed it directly at the knight’s head.
“I’m glad to see you back,” Ninig said—keeping his closed as he continued with his meditation.
“Are you?” Sebastian replied. “You know who I work for.”
“I do, are you ready to talk?”
The room went quite for a few long seconds, with only the calm whistling wind from the Deadlands filling the silent gap. Sebastian suddenly lowered his weapon, his face lighting up with a friendly smile as he holstered back his shotgun. He proceeded to sit next to Ninigi, staring at the man’s face with a curious expression.
“So, are you trying to sleep?” he said. “Haha, I wouldn’t recommend it at this hour!”
Ninigi huffed a chuckled as the man’s words reached his ears, returning the major’s friendly approach. “I am meditating,” the knight explained. “It’s an ancient tradition some humans practice to relax the mind and body. I found it quite interesting, and decided to learn it myself.”
“Sounds boring,” the major offered an honest reply—like an infant who speaks his mind without a second thought.
Ninigi laughed, finishing his mediation by opening his eyes. “I assume you are ready to talk?”
Offering a positive reply to the knight, Sebastian stood up from the ground to approach a small box built from heavy steel, pulling its door open to reveal a collection of canned foods and drinks inside—taking a pair of cans branded ‘BitterEnd,’ one of the most popular beers in Heildin. The major sat back down next to Ninigi, popping both cans open before handing one to the knight.
“This is… quite the scent…” Ninigi said as the muscles in his face contracted, pulling away slightly from the drink.
“You can smell it?” Sebastian replied before taking a sip. “Haha, sorry but this is all we have.”
“No water, or tea?”
“Nuh uh, if we are going to be fighting in the Deadlands…” the major took another sip. “Might as well do it while having fun, right?”
Falling silent for a couple of seconds, watching Sebastian as he enjoyed his drink, Ninigi took a quick sip of the ‘BitterEnd’ before addressing his reasoning for the visit—coughing loudly at the bitter taste of the beer.
“Major Sebastian Lionheart.”
“Sebastian is fine,” the major said—chuckling before taking another sip of his drink.
“Sebastian… why do you work for Cerberus?”
“What do you mean? We are fighting the specters, no?”
“Yes, but you know who your leader is.”
“Well, he might not be the most virtuous guy out there, but he still fights for a good cause.”
Ninigi shook his head slightly, keeping a calm expression. “That’s not what I mean,” he explained. “He was responsible for the incident at your village, and yet you still choose to follow him.”
Another round of silence filled the room as Sebastian finished his drink, gently placing the can next to him. “It’s just the way things turned out,” he replied—breaking the silence. “I understand what happened that day… he explained everything to me the moment we met. Even if he started it all… he still saved my daughter’s life, and her safety is all I care about.”
“Claire Lionheart, was it?” Ninigi said with a smile. “I met her near my home once. I’ve never seen such bravery from a human before, you must be really proud, if not scared for her life.”
A laugh escaped the major at hearing the knight’s words, which filled his heart with pride towards his daughter. “Yeah… she always dreamed of seeing a knight with her own two eyes, nothing but a hopeless idea at the time. It was the only thing she used to talk about.” Sebastian glanced at Ninigi. “Thank you, for fulfilling that dream of hers… and for protecting her when she needed it.”
“There is nothing to thank me for,” Ninigi nodded. “It is my duty as a gladean knight, and my oath to always keep.”
“To answer your question better,” Sebastian said. “Sovereign is the only person that can make things right for me and my family… as you know, I am a specter.”
“You made a deal with him to save your daughter, I assume?”
“I did, if he regains his powers then I could go back to normal, but if he were to die before that…” a nervous chuckle left the major’s lips. “Thank you for not killing him when you could…” the man’s eyebrows furrowed as his eyes gleamed with worry.
Ninigi observed the man’s expression with a calm gaze and replied, “I’m sure most people would call me a coward, but my promise to gladea and this world was to protect it from the specters.” The knight said. “I couldn’t bring myself to harm someone who resembles what I’m supposed to defend, even if I can’t forgive his past actions.” Ninigi tilted his head upwards to look at the tent’s roof. “However, as things become more difficult for him, the guarantee that he will remain in control diminishes. I am sure you are aware of that too.”
Pressing his lips before replying, Sebastian offered his answer to the knight. “I do, but my loyalty belongs to my friend.” he stated. “If things come to push, I will support him against the knights.”
Standing back on his feet, Ninigi nodded and offered his reply to the major. “King will answer for his actions, and I thank you for saving the people in Paradise. It is unfortunately a place I’m unable to access myself.”
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“So is Sovereign,” Sebastian chuckled. “But I understand why you two won’t work together… you both want that statue after all.” Despite his innocent tone, the major hinted at both men’s ambitions with little apprehension—patiently waiting for Ninigi’s reply.
“Specter pursues the powers behind it,” the knight claimed. “I only care about what’s within, but we can’t have it both ways.” Keeping his arms to the sides, Ninigi placed both hands on his thighs before bowing to Sebastian. “Thank you for your hospitality, Sebastian. I wish you and your friends a pleasant afternoon.”
Standing back from the ground, Sebastian nodded while waving goodbye with a smile. “Haha! Come back anytime, maybe you can finish your beer next time!”
“Guh!” the knight recoiled at the thought.
Gladean Empire, Emperor’s Palace: 936, August 12th, Sunday, 1:30 PM.
Claire observed the party from the massive garden outside, having positioned herself in a somewhat desolated area—only patrolled by some of the emperor’s guards. She had one knee on the dirt while looking through the scope of her black and crimson rifle—fusing Juno&Jupiter together to form a new firearm. She looked through one of the windows, keeping a watchful eye on the young emperor assisting his own party.
“What’s the movement in your area, Scott?”
“The target isn’t moving, but I think he knows I’m here… Lady Euthemia has left the into the gardens as well.”
“Remain calm and report any strange behavior,” the lieutenant suggested. “If it gets too dangerous rely on the patrols, keep yourself at a distance and ensure the safety of the emperor. Copy?”
“Copy!”
“Eric, can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” the noble replied. “Not much movement in the cellar, but these are definitely not guests looking for wine.”
“Do not engage on your own, if you have to let them pass do it.” Claire warned him. “Report to Scott if they leave the area, he knows what to do. Got it?”
“Got it!”
“Tori, are you there? Report.”
“I’m here, lieutenant!” the young medic replied immediately. “This is a large garden…”
“Any news?”
“Yes! I… I think I saw lady Euthemia leaving the party. She is on my side of the garden, should I do something?”
“Lady Euthemia…” Claire repeated with a whisper, planning thee young medic’s next move. “Keep a close eye on her, but don’t get too close. Keep track on who she talks to and what she does, understood?”
“Understood!”
“Gaspard,” the lieutenant moved on to the last member of the group. She waited a long second for a response, which she didn’t receive. “Gaspard, can you hear me?” silence reign during the call, prompting Claire to call out one more time. “Gaspard, is something wrong? Respond.”
Receiving no answer while fearing the worst, Claire opted to report the missing butler to her team while carrying the mission. Knowing the dangers of neglecting their targets, Bloodhound decided to continue as planned—keeping a close eye on King’s knights, Euthemia and most importantly, Loki.
Inside the party, the black-haired knight opened his eyes to gaze at the tall ceiling of the palace—leaning back on his chair with both hands behind his back. Taking a quick look around the room, Loki’s eyes settled in a dark-skinned man observing the party from the second floor—fainting ignorance as he hid behind a group of guests. Moving his eyes lower towards the floor he resided in; the knight settled his gaze on a bearded man sitting by himself on a table at the other side of the lobby.
“Where is the girl?” Loki wondered with a whisper, his face contracting into a frown. He exhaled from his mouth with a sigh of boredom, lifting himself up from the chair.
The knight’s sudden movement triggered Scott and Tormod’s instincts, their hearts pumping with adrenaline as anxiety set in their minds. The young Bloodhound sniper rapidly walked away from his position, breaking into a staff only zone where he picked up his rifle from inside a briefcase. Detective Tormod in the other hand, safeguarded his bubble pipe inside his vest—keeping his glare fixed on the knight as he too stood up from his chair.
“I’m bored already, let’s end this farse.” Loki said with a nonchalant tone—stretching his shoulders and arms. “Uh?” the knight reacted in surprise at a strange red blinking light from outside, prompting him to look through the window.
At a distance in the massive garden outside the palace, Claire kept a looked into the party through the scope of her spectral rifle—keeping a watchful eye on both Loki and the emperor from her position. She kept her finger steady on the trigger, inhaling through her nose exhaling from the mouth.
One corner on Loki’s lips slowly curved into a smug grin, his eyes dilated at the sight of the black-haired woman keeping her firearm trained on his head. “So… you saw me first huh.”
Unconcerned by the clear warning from the lieutenant, Loki turned around to look in the direction of his target. The emperor was seated in a golden throne placed in a distant corner—where he observed the party with his most trusted guests. He was protected by a wall of guards, with the pair of gold dressed officers next to him.
Breaking into a rapid sprint, fast enough raise the dust from the floor. Loki rushed in the emperor’s direction as a trail of azure light followed behind him—reaching the guards protecting the man in the split of a second.
“Now!” one of the golden dressed guards next to the emperor shouted to his companion—rushing in to intercept the approaching knight.
Loki put a sudden halt to his charge to stop in front of the wall of guards, giving them no time to react as he elbowed one of them to the side—continuing with a spinning kick against the head of another. The golden guard rushing him removed the helmet from his face, revealing Ninigi’s young student—Maulik, underneath.
“I won’t let you through!” he roared—launching a furious punch against his target.
Loki slapped the hybrid’s attack away with his palm—causing Maulik to stumble—and proceeded to launch a powerful kick against his chest, which sent him sliding on the floor.
“You won’t get past me!” the other guard claimed as she removed her helmet as well—revealing Ninigi’s second student—Gal Freyre. “Hya!”
The redhead reacted by leaping at the knight with a spinning wheel attack, bringing the heel of her foot down against her opponent’s head. Loki caught the girl’s kick in midair however, stopping her heel with his palm, and flinging her away with a throw—causing her to land on her back next to Maulik.
“Ouch!”
“Stay behind us!” Maulik stood back up, looking at the emperor from over his shoulder—the young man looked shocked and quivered, nodding at the hybrid.
“That was unexpected…” Loki said with a frown, but chuckled at the sudden ambush regardless. “Still, not bad at all. Maybe I’ll take my time with the party after all.”
Hearing a banging noise from a distance, the knight tilted his head to the right while crossing his left arm into the right shoulder—catching a crimson bullet inside his hand. Hissing steam begin to pour out from his palm, forcing him to drop the projectile. Loki looked at his hand with curious eyes, noticing the burn caused by the bullet—healed immediately by his pathway with faint particles of azure light.
“Heh, that actually hurt a bit.”
Another banging sound reached the knight’s ears, forcing him to step aside and away from the trajectory of a second projectile—watching as the bullet ignited on the floor near his feet. Looking up at the second floor, Loki fixed his eyes on Bloodhound’s sniper—who loaded another round in the chamber.
“I’ll do what I can…” Scott said to himself—closing one eye to look through the scope of his rifle.
“Try to fight on us instead!” Maulik roared as he stepped in front of the knight—pressing his fingers together to take a fighting stance similar to Ninigi’s. “I won’t let you beat me again.”
Gal followed right after, lipping next to the hybrid with a confident smile—practicing a few kicks in the air. “Gigi trusted us with you!” the enthusiastically claim. “And I will be the one to put you down this time!”
“I’m not really one for these type of parties…” Tormod’s voice spoke from behind Loki—prompting the knight to back from over his shoulder. “But a job is a job, I guess.” The detective said while taking a fighting stance, both fists raised like a boxer. “You are surrounded and outnumbered, surrender.”
Brimming with excitement, Loki laughed quietly before cracking the joints of his neck—keeping his arms relaxed on each side. “This is actually better than I was hoping for,” he whispered. “Come at me then! Let’s have some fun.”
END OF CHAPTER