Our mad dash to the Palace faces a great deal of 'almost' difficulties. At times our bird-hunting band runs into soldiers of the Samnian garrison, who try their best to resist our advance before being mauled by the resurgent militia emboldened by the Eagle's retreat, or by Avernian troops sweeping the town. It’s a bloodbath, but at least without that bird it’s mostly a bloodbath for the people who deserve it. I can muster no sympathy for those on the side of the King.

I’m too busy running after all.

I have no idea what that bird might be capable of, but knowing Steel it likely isn't doing anything pleasant, and I'd rather it die now before it can surprise me any further... Presuming it can die at all…

"It has to be able to die. It knows how to fear."

Like that King, come to think of it. Like the former High King of Avernia, come to think of it... Hopefully whatever Republic my brother ends up making here is nothing like our Convention of Humanity. Killing kingdoms is hard work, I’d prefer not to replace it with something just as bad. Katarina tilts her head at my little comment, probably wondering what Avernian nonsense I’m spouting... She’s a grown-up too, isn't she? Yet I can't even begin to imagine her worried about the fate of the world, the political situation of La'an, or much of anything really. She looks too impervious to be even mildly concerned by such things, and far too eager about simply doing as she likes. She really is more of a cat than a bear.

By the time I've finished running laps inside my own head our little avian execution regiment has made its way to the palace walls, which might have been difficult to scale over if there wasn't a giant eagle shaped hole in them. The monster must have retreated into the palace proper, and was perfectly willing to make its own entrance to it... Well, at least we know where it'll be.

As we wander through the hole in the wall we notice Samnian soldiers around us... Surrendering. These are especially well-dressed troops, and skew slightly older- This is the King's honor guard! The ones who accompanied him and his retinue yesterday. And here they are, throwing down their muskets and raising their hands. It’s probably their best move, we would have carved them into meat otherwise. But it’s always a nice surprise, seeing people actually taking the best move.

There’s hardly time to take prisoners though, and they are smart enough to surrender. Maybe I can spare them from Steel's sacrifices today. After all, I’m already murdering his monster today. I almost shout for the men to run away, before realizing they won't be able to me. So I point vaguely in the direction of 'not here' and hope that they understand my meaning. Mercifully they seem to, and they all start running, some throwing off their medal-adorned uniform jackets as they go. Hopefully they’ll be okay. Hopefully they won't make anyone else not okay.

I look to Katarina, I can't imagine she’s happy with me letting potential morsels run off into the distance. To my surprise she looks utterly ambivalent. One of her Greenjackets steals some medals from an abandoned jacket, but apart from that they have utterly no reaction to my mercy... It distresses me that the priests that make the most sense to me are those of the goddess of death.

No time to dwell on that now though, sympathetic oddballs or not, we’re hunting down a bird together. I draw my sword and charge into the palace, not bothering to give a speech to people who won’t be able to understand me anyway. Katarina and her Greenjackets follow, eager to begin the hunt again, speech or no.

We make our way through shattered and collapsed hallways, following a trail of devastation to where the bird is hiding. We find crushed servants and guards in our path. Seems the defender of the Samnian Monarchy can’t spare any consideration for Samnia's people, willing to kill loyal servants out of sheer convenience. Disgusting. I will burn this entire institution until not even ash remains.

The beast has made its way to the throne room of the palace, limping and covered in dust from the masonry it had crushed on its way there. The King of Samnia meets it there, with a woman I must assume is the Queen, two children I assume must be his... And a sword. He looks displeased, sneering at that bird. He doesn’t even glance at us.

"Is this all a sacrifice is worth? You pathetic creature, how dare you fail to protect my throne!?"

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The bird makes a mournful cry... It’s bleeding. It looks pathetic, injured like this. It’s weak... It feels almost wrong killing it-

"Well fine, two sacrifices then. One for the traitors and one for the Avernians!"

The King plunged his sword right into one of the children, the eldest-looking one, a boy. A boy of only nine. I catch the briefest glimpse of the Queen looking away, covering her daughter's eyes...

The Steel Eagle's bones reform before our eyes, its skin and sinew knit themselves back together... A sacrifice by the royal family, that's what that Steel Priest said. Our gods are truly sick and twisted puppetmasters.

The monster turns to face us once again, now reinvigorated and far less pathetic. I had pitied this horrible beast, and now it's eager to kill me again. I will not make that mistake again. I charge, determined to slash it to pieces myself now that it has nowhere to run. I will make it bleed again. Katarina follows, and then overtakes me, jumping higher than any human is capable of with her halberd raised. The beast screams right at her, and for a moment I am stunned in shock, wondering if I’m about to watch Katarina die.

The scream is enough to destabilize the ceiling, collapsing part of the building upon the Greenjackets, forcing them to retreat. Katarina's flesh tears, but only in places, and while her halberd is snapped in half by the sheer power of the scream, Katarina simply uses her teeth when she lands. And with her teeth, she bites the bird's throat. It tries to scream again, but it barely manages a sad whine, Katarina has ripped the bird's vocal cords. She doesn't even eat them, spitting them in the face of the bird, causing it to recoil. It’s honestly stunning... I almost don't notice that Katarina's wounds aren't bleeding.

I also almost don't notice that the Greenjackets are now on the other side of a pile of rubble, desperately trying to dig through to us. Katarina and I are now alone in the throne room with the bird. It immediately lunges at a now-landed Katarina, eager to take a bite out of her.

I rush to her defense, putting my sword in the bird’s mouth to wedge its mouth open. It works just long enough for Katarina to get out of the way before my sword cracks and shatters in its mouth. Which leaves me completely unarmed. I throw a fallen piece of ceiling at the monster, only for it, myself, and Katarina to go flying into the rubble as the bird buffets us back with its wings. Katarina hits first, I can hear the thud of her heavy body hitting the broken masonry. I know it’s my turn next... And I’m a lot squishier than her, and a lot less likely to survive it.

Only, I don't hit broken masonry. I hit Katarina, who had pounced from where she landed to break my fall. It’s still enough to hurt, it’s still more than enough to disorient me... But I’m alive. Alive in the same place as Katarina, and the bird can eat us both with a single bite. It strikes... And Katarina screams right in its face.

My ears feel wet. I can't hear anything but a loud ringing. I feel tears forming in my eyes... And the bird is stopped in its tracks, recoiling in abject horror. I always knew Katarina's screams were lethal. Had she been aiming that right at me, I likely would no longer have a head at all. Katarina gently puts me aside, saying something I probably couldn't understand even if I could hear it, and then charges the bird head-on while it’s recovering. It tries to simply collapse atop her, to force its entire giant weight upon Katarina... But she manages to hold her ground, arms above her head, nails digging into the beast's skin. I can see it bleeding... I can see Katarina wavering.

Maybe there are weights even she can't lift.

I try to get to my feet, but every time I move my head the entire world rolls down a hill, and I feel horribly nauseous. It’s hopeless, I’m hopeless. All I can do is watch this bird bleed, and watch Katarina die.

I feel vibrations from behind me, and foolishly turn my head to face them. Once the world stops trying to kill my stomach I see the rubble has been blasted to pieces by grenades, and a familiar face is leading Avernian troops into the throne room, forming them up in rows. She’s saved me again. Lazierte has saved me again. Her troops pour shot upon the creature, which recoils from Katarina. When it tries to regain its bearings and attack, the 505th pelt it with grenades... And it does not dodge them. In a final act of stupid loyalty, it wraps its wings around the Royal Family, shielding them from the blasts with its body.

The explosions tear it apart, a husk of broken bones and burned feathers is all that remains of the monster of Steel. Nothing worth eating for Katarina's sake. Not that she seems to care, her attention is entirely on me. She bounds over to check up on me, doing her best Xena impression to see if I’m okay. I’m not, but I'm starting to regain my bearings. Noises are starting to exist again.

I can hear the footfalls of Avernian boots as Lazierte's troops secure the room, I can hear the troops reloading, and even hear some of them cheer. I can hear Katarina babble in a language I don't know as she holds me with a shocking gentleness.

And I can hear the Samnian King continue to be an odious little man. "... Alright then, I think this might be a good time to renegotiate."