The Neutral State of Cambridge.
A moderately sized city that was situated near the Holy Capital of Flugell, and thus was well within the borders of the Licsuhianist Clergy. However, as its name suggests, it is considered a neutral local where magus who don’t subscribe to the dominating religion, Fae ambassadors, and Church officials congregate as needed. While many of the bureaucratic processes that take place are for the most part superficial, they nonetheless play a vital role in maintaining a non-violent status quo between the varying factions.
Soon, however, that would be the least of this city’s worries.
Cambridge was surrounded by forested hills on all sides, save for the flat main road that led to the city’s front gate. On the hills to the west, hidden within the trees,
sat a peculiar man dressed in militaristic grab. He wore a mask that completely hid his face, along with crimson goggles. Stationed along with him was a squadron of Belua warriors of various races; they seemed starved for combat and some of them were fiddling with their weapons and claws. Directly next to the human mercenary sat three other Belua. Given their bearing, they were likely the leaders of the squad.
One was a feline Belua who’s feral appearance held characteristics of a Panther with blue fur. He wore armored cloth and carried a pair of twin blades, giving him the appearance of a seasoned veteran.The next was a large and intimidating insectoid Belua whose carapace looked more like golden armor. He had five scarlet eyes in total: Two on his face, and three beady, soulless ones situated on his forehead in a triangle pattern. He had four, powerful arms on his top part, with two of them holding a large sword and polearm weapon. The other two probably made use of the large bow he had on his back. The multiple wings that were at rest were covered in golden scales.
The final Belua was one the man was already quite familiar with.
A large reptilian man covered head to toe with crimson scales. His eyes were practically glowing with a vermilion hue, almost as if embers were flowing out of them. He was the first to speak to the merc.
”This is the place, boyo.” He said. From where they were situated they could overlook the entire city.
”The monkey noble resides in that ritzy residential district. Ya remember the plan, yeah? The kids behind us will dick around the town and stir up a ruckus, whilst the four of us will use the opening to break into his mansion. He said, pointing to the feline and insectoid Belua sitting beside them.
We’ll have a nice little chat on the subject of our ‘contract’. As promised, you’ll be compensated: provided you hold up your end of the deal?”“
All crystal clear, Mister Kinnich sir.” The mercenary replied with a thumbs-up. It was actually a lie. Keith was not actually that sure as to why they were targeting this noble in this neutral city of Cambridge. But he wasn’t one to fuss over the details, unless he was the one leading the operation. “
Also, can I get an autograph from that guy?” Keith pointed his thumb at the insectoid Belua. “
I’m pretty sure his kind won me a contest a couple decades ago.”
Kinnich and the feline Belua shot Keith a look, then turned to the insectoid Belua.
”Dharna, you got clues what the hell he’s talking about?” The insect warrior, named Dharna, clicked his serrated jaw and gave a wave of dismissal. Kinnich shook his head.
”You’re an odd ape, do you know that? Never the matter, lets saddle on up fellas. ”With a wave of his hand, the squad that was sitting behind them jumped forward, all of them racing down the hill. Their warcries began to drown the vicinity as they broke through the town walls and began their assault. Soon afterward, screams and sounds of fighting could be heard.
Kinnich then motioned for the four of them to make their move.
”Don’t fall behind; You get caught, that’s all on you boyo.” He said with a sneer. The three Belua leaders then raced off toward the residential district, covering the distance between it and the forested hill with alarming speed.
Keith followed the three Beluas and although he was behind them most of the time, he was deft and nimble. Attempts by the town guards to block him were futile, for the mercenary utilized leaps and slides to bypass them to keep up with Kinnich and his crew. “
I’d fight the other animal guys if I were yooouuuu!” Keith yelled at Cambridge’s defense forces as he left them in the dust.
The feline warrior looked back at Keith, seemingly impressed with his footwork.
”The ‘uman’s pretty quick on his feet, I’ll give him that.” He said, clawing a guard cleanly in half as they attempted to approach him.
Dharna flew low, his wing buzzing spreading scales that caused the knights to become delirious and nauseated. They were easy targets for his bowwork, having arrows stuck right between their eyes.
”I thought the brats were supposed to be distracting most of the law enforcement.” He said.
”They are.” Kinnich answered him.
”These are knights that defend noble districts. They wouldn’t concern themselves with the riffraff that happens over at the commoners’ sect.” This didn’t seem to slow down Kinnich in the slightest, however, as any that tried to get close to him were instantly set aflame. Kinnich was running as normal, but the streets began to be lined with the charred remains of those who approached.
The four criminals were having no trouble tearing through the city streets, and were nearing the noble section where their target mansion was. Until -
A squad of knights barred the way forward for the brigands. At the front of the group stood the presumed leader.
She was a young woman with long silver hair that was tied in a ponytail. She wore combat garb and she held a large magitech rifle in her hands. ”That’s far enough, you filthy animals.” She said with venom.
”If you want something to hunt, go back to the wilderness you came from and chase some hares.” The knights that stood behind her brandished their weapons and reloaded their guns.
”Oho! How confident the monkeys are with their little guns. Kinnich spat, unfazed by her insults.
”Dharna, Talaf, I believe we’ve got some time - let’s have a little fun with this~ “ ”This scaly freak seems to be the one in charge. I’ll handle him, the rest of you handle his circus troupe.” At her order, the knight coordinated themselves as they surrounded their three targets. Talaf licked his lips and snarled, while Dharna hissed as he readied his weapons.
“Take them!” One of the knights exclaimed. Six of them rushed the two Belua, whilst two attacked Keith. Perhaps because he appeared to be the only one who was human, they felt that he was less of a threat. One gunman shot at him whilst the other attempted to flank him with a large axe.
“
If I’d known this place had guns, I’d have brought my entire armory.” Keith released a long sigh before brandishing a sword to block the gunshot. Only, he was far too late to actually block the shot. Blood flowed freely from a freshly-made hole in his body, but the mercenary did not seem fazed at all. “
Aww, man! I was supposed to look cool and all!”
Keith whined as he stepped back to evade the large axe vertically swung at him and retaliated by slicing off the arms of the knight with one slash. Brandishing his other sword, Keith hurled the blade at the gun knight like a throwing knife before closing in for the kill. “
You guys doing okay? Still alive?” The mercenary asked his Belua allies aloud as he swung his blade at the gun knight.
”Right as rain.” Talaf mused. Wielding a sword in one hand, and wielding the other with his…tail? Indeed, the feline warrior had wrapped around the handle his tail. While this seemed like an unorthodox method of weapon wielding, the knights found it nigh impossible to find an opening. In his free hand he sliced any to ribbons using his claws; To the garrison, it felt as if they were fighting a woodchipper. There was that, and the numerous currents of lightning that surrounded him; His foe were either sliced to ribbons or electrocuted.
Dharna, on the other hand, had all of his foe flailing on the ground, as if they were gasping for air. Dark veins appeared all over their bodies and their pupils began to dilate, others were fortunate to have been bifurcated before they had the chance to suffer. This was caused by the poisonous scales emitted from Dharna’s wings; They buzzed with a horrid hymn as the last of his foes expired.
That just left Kinnich along with the now alone captain, who’s poker face had vanished and was replaced with a desperate frustration. She let loose shot after shot, but the bullets all incinerated before they even touched Kinnich’s scales.
”W-Who the hell are you monsters?!” She exclaimed.
”You’re just animals!” ”Animals are we?” Kinnich asked calmly. He began walking toward the captain. This caused her to panic, unloading her entire magazine unto the man. Of course it did nothing, and by the time she realized she needed to reload, Kinnich had punched her onto a rock wall. A singed fist mark could be seen on her stomach, and she was coughing up blood. Her magical firearm lay far away from them both. Not having lost consciousness at this point, her eyes filled with fear as Kinnch strolled closer to her.
”W-Wait…””Kinnich, you always play with your food. We DO have a job to see to.” Talaf said.
The captain’s eyes widened even more when hearing that name.
”Kinnich, The Sun Beast?” Using what little strength she had left, she attempted to scurry away on all fours. It was futile, as Kinnich grabbed her by her head and hoisted her up into the air.
”I…I remember some of the Paladins talking about you. They said you were an S-rank criminal and had a flee on sight order that only excluded the Apostles!” ”My reputation precedes me.” He said, bring her to eye level with him.
”D-Do you want money? We ca- Urk!” She was cut off mid-sentence as his hands were on her throat.
”If I want money, I will simply take it. Which is partly why I’m here. Principle’s got more to do with it though. My feline friend does have a point, however, so I’ll leave you here for now.” He said, thrusting her onto the metal fence. Using his intense fire magic, Kinnich began to melt some of the steel beams of the fence to where it binded her limbs. She screamed in pain as the heat cooked the flesh around her arms and legs.
”Goodness. Just what are you planning, scoundrel?” Talaf said.
”That will be revealed later.” Kinnich responded, looking toward the mansion on the hill.
”For now, let’s continue onward. It’s bad manners to keep the affluent waiting.”He turned to Keith, who still seemed to be engaging a lone soldier. Although, his morale had long since vanished.
”You all good over there, boyo?” He said to Keith.
After jamming his sword into the torso of his final opponent, Keith kicked away the lifeless corpse before responding. “
Still a hundred percent, boss lizard!” The mercenary then realized he actually had been wounded and looked down to check the bullet hole he recently acquired. It was still bleeding, but not to the same degree as earlier. “
Err, make that ninety-eight percent!”
Joining Kinnich and the others, Keith bore witness to the silver-haired woman whose limbs had steel bars from the gate grafted into them. She continued to scream, but Keith was only curious. “
Whoa. Leaving a little welcoming gift, are we?”
”Somethin’ like that.” Kinnich responded flatly.
”I certainly plan on using her for something, but we’ll worry about that later. Come along now.” Kinnich quickly made his way toward the mansion, nimbly running on and hopping off the sides of buildings and rooftops. Talaf and Dharna followed behind him, catching up with little effort. Just before Keith followed, he’d hear the battered and burned captain call out to him with bated breath.
”He-Hey! You there, masked rogue! You’re human, aren’t you? W-Why are you siding with those…beasts? How can you stomach watching your own kind get slaughtered in such ways?!”“
Honey, I’ve done things worse than what these guys have been doing. Okay, that’s not exactly true. Melting steel to stick them to your flesh is pretty hardcore.” Keith replied, indulging the captain’s question. “
And besides, the only side I’m on…” The mercenary then fished out a small pouch from one of the corpses and shook it to make the coins inside jingle. “
...is this.”
“
Look on the bright side! If you survive this, you’ll know how to talk to me next time.” Those were Keith’s final words before following his Belua allies.
The captain’s eyes widened in horror and disgust at Keith’s answer.
”Godless vermin!” She exclaimed with what little ferver she had left.
”I pray that crimson monster spills your intestines on the floor while he burns whatever money you came here to collect. Trash like you never prospers in the end: You won’t be the ones who are laughing at the end!” After coughing up a bit of blood, the silver haired knight had finally lost consciousness. With that Keith would then make his way to catch up with Kinnich and co.
--
On the inside of the mansion, there was a lavish bedroom that also appeared to host guests and pleasurable company. In it sat a very nervous man. Given his bearing and the way he addressed the other personnel around him, he was likely the master of the house.
He wore a dark-colored, brownish suit with decorated buttons, and a long trench coat of darker hue over it. He was tapping his cane with his index finger rapidly, further signifying his discomfort.
”I’d like to know just what the hell’s going on!” The man snapped.
”First there’s some report of rogue beastmen attacking the commoner district. Then, not a moment later, suddenly my domain is being hit?” He looked at the staff he had around him, all looking as nervous as he was. He appeared to be waiting for someone to answer.
”Is it that Liesel brat? Has she finally made a move against the Paradigm?” He said.
“Marquis Aulbach, that’s highly unlikely” One finally said. “None of the opposing nobles would dare do anything as brazen as hire a band of renegade beastmen to wreak havoc on the citizenry. Especially not ones this barbaric!”
”Then who else would have reason to attack?! This assault was too coordinated to have been a random act of terrorism!” He leaned back in his chair, losing his energy from the mere situation.
”Have my wife and daughter been evacuated safely?” “Yes, milord, they’ve already been escorted out of the city.” Another guard said.
”Good. Dammit all, the others will see this as a sign of weakness and cut all ties with me. I can’t afford that! --
Overlooking the mansion, the four assailants had found their target. Kinnich turned to Keith.
”There boy, inside that mansion, that’s where the Marquis lies. We’ll need to find him, which will be the easy part. You can kill whoever you want, but the lord of the house will need to be left alive. For a time.” He said ominously.
The group had remained undetected after arriving at their target, not that it really mattered up to this point.
”Keith, was it? Would you like the honors?” He pointed to a window that appeared to be on the third floor of the mansion.
”As a token of good faith, you will be the one to start the charge. Go ahead and cut loose.”“
Aww, I’m touched.” Keith placed a hand on his chest in appreciation before brandishing his two swords. “
Cutting loose now, boss!”
The mercenary then ran up a tall tree that reached the window of the third floor. Running across the branch nearest to the window, Keith leapt and crashed through the glass, sending bits and shards all over the place. The mercenary rolled to an upright position, pointing his swords at the people present.
“
Where’s the Marquis?!” Keith demanded from the people in the room. “
I want to sell him some prime real estate over a cup of coffee!”
The personnel in the room all looked at the masked man in shock as he crashed through the window, while Marquis Aulbach jumped out of his chair.
“Who the hell are you?!” One of the men exclaimed.
“Milord, you must flee!” Another one said.
”Y-You! Did that brat Liesel send you?!” Aulbach finally uttered out. Before he could hear his answer, two of the men grabbed him and promptly escorted him out of the room.
“We’ll hold him off, take the Marquis and flee!” Said a guard. The other five present pulled out sorcerous firearms and blades, some had magic circles appear around their hands. “Prepare to die, craven wretch!”
Keith would then find himself being assaulted by gunfire, slashes, and blasts of various elements as they attempted to defend their lord. Whether this would actually be effective or not remained to be seen however.
“
Five against one, huh? I like these odds!” Keith flourished his blades before responding to the attacks.
What followed was a chaotic battle that pretty much destroyed the room. The two belligerent parties did heavy damage to each other. However, only one of the parties could take the punishment and outlasted the other. Gunshots, explosions, slashes and screams echoed out of the room for several minutes before it all went silent.
Keith emerged from the destroyed room with corpses of the guards inside, looking like a corpse himself and even holding his detached arm with the remaining one. “
Get back here, Marquis! You and I have a score to settle!” The mercenary limped forward as he placed his detached arm on its stump to begin the reattaching process.
The Marquis scrambled through the halls of his mansion, guards in tow. He was made even more nervous due to the screams he heard.
”That man, is he dead?” He said with bated breath.
“Nevermind that now, just keep moving!” Said one of his escorts.
Just as they were heading through the halls, a large squall of wind completely shattered one of the nearby walls. The gust was golden in hue, and one of Aulbach’s guards was unfortunate enough to have breathed it in. He was on the ground, choking with dark veins appearing on his neck before they even realized it.
“Shit!” The surviving guard exclaimed. “This way!” He led Aulbach down another corridor. Keith would likely be drawn to the Marquis by the sounds of destruction.
And indeed he was drawn, the mangled Keith blocked the corridor that the Marquis and his remaining guard was heading down to and cutting off the latter’s escape. Looking barely alive, he pointed his burnt hand at the target. “
Surrender now, or risk looking like me!”
Aulbach and his lone guard looked in disbelief at the appearance of their assailant, his mangled body causing them to recoil.
”Who are you, who sent you?” The marquis said in a panic
“My lord, get back! He must be an augmented human, or a malfested!” Shouted his guardian. Drawing his sword he immediately charged at the cadaver-esque Keith. “You must flee my lord!”
Looking every which way, Aulbach attempted to dart down another hallway while his lone guard engaged the brigand, hoping for an easy fell given his foe’s current state.
“
I’m the monument to all your sins!” Keith yelled in reply to the fleeing Marquis. The mercenary, despite being badly-wounded, moved deftly to the side to evade the guard’s sword thrust. He then grabbed hold of the guard’s hands that wielded the sword before spinning around until the guard, himself, was stabbed by his own sword through the torso.
This little distraction managed to buy the Marquis time to escape Keith, but the latter was sure that he couldn’t escape Kinnich.
The marquis continued his frantic run through his home, shouting profanities at his state of affairs. Just as he was about to turn another corner, a large burst of flame destroyed a wall in front of him. The heat was so intense that it completely melted everything in its wake, and it caused Aulbach to stumble back with a yelp. Kinnich slowly emerged from the opening, appearing to have materialized from the fire itself. His arms were folded and he carried himself with a relaxed, almost cordial demeanor.
”It’s good to see you again, Marquis Aulbach.” He began.
”I apologies for the damages done to your home, and the casualties that have accompanied it.” ”Kinnich?!” Said the lord in utter disbelief and terror.
”Y-You betray me?!” "After I’ve had time to re-evaluate our current arrangement, I’ve decided that I no longer benefit from working with you." Kinnich replied with a scoff.
"I’ve also come to take everything you’re worth in exchange for the time I’ve given you.""How can you say that? That mission at the plant was bot-" Kinnich had a hand around the man’s throat before he could finish his sentence. The next moment he was lifted off the ground, gasping for air.
"Keith, my boy, his currency and valuables should be down in the cellar. That will be your payment, be a sport and grab it would ya?" He said.
"This ape and I have matters to discuss."Keith saluted at the order. “
With extreme pleasure, sir!” The mercenary then skipped away to the cellar, eager to see the riches that the Marquis hid down there. He also grabbed small, but valuable, items on the way there. A little side income to the main payout.
--
Keith would find himself taking a flight of old looking stairs down a winding corridor.
After a few minutes, reaching the bottom, his sight would be pelted by the countless flickers of gold. Jewelry, gemstones, precious metals, and equipment as far as the eye could see all contained in this aged cellar. Keith would no doubt be quite satisfied with the ‘payment’ he received; The Aulbach house was indeed quite affluent.
The merc would also hear the pained screams of the marquis coming from above, along with the crackling of intense flames. Keith may have started to feel that eventually Kinnich would set the whole damn place on fire…
“
Uh oh, looks like this place ain’t gonna be here for long. I may have to leave pretty soon…” Keith remarked, but the eyes behind his goggles still sparkled after the sight of House Aulbach’s wealth. “
...but not before I take this. And this. And that. And this. And a little bit of that. And some of this.” The mercenary began taking all the valuables he could fit in his pockets. “
Ah, perfect! A sack with which I can put my well-earned ‘reward’.”
The cloth sack was quickly full of loot from the treasury and after he gained considerable weight from the treasure he took, Keith figured it was time to rendezvous with the gang… well away from this… compromised building.
As Keith filled his sack and lined his pockets, he would hear footsteps coming from the stairs, heavy footsteps. They were accompanied by an insectoid crackle; Dharna seemed to have followed Keith down to the treasure hall.
”I see you’ve wasted no time in gathering all of these trinkets.” He scoffed.
”We forgot to mention that there’s something that we’ll need to take with us that should be here. Something more important.” After looking around for a bit,
Keith noticed a box filled with peculiar multicolored orbs. ”Ah, there we are.” Dharna said. He motioned for Keith to grab them.
”According to Kinnich, those are new experimental magical objects, I believe they are called aima? I do not pay much mind to the silly tinkering of those humans. Go ahead and grab them, we are about done here and we should make haste.”More screams echoed throughout the halls, and the heat around the pair began to intensify. They wouldn’t have much longer.
“
Sure thing, Beedrill!” Keith duly grabbed the box and got a bit curious. “
Aima, huh? As in, ‘Aima blow you and everything you love to kingdom come’?” The mercenary picked up one of the blue-and-gold orbs and examined it closer. He wondered if it was more useful in the field, or in the market. “
Pretty little things. Do you mind if I take one for myself?”
“
Anyway, is it me or is it getting hot in here?”
Dharna made another clicking sound with his serrated jaws.
”I would presume so… I honestly don’t care if you take a few, but I would suggest confirming with Kinnich first.” He said, looking up at the floor above them. He led Keith back upstairs, where they would both see that the walls and parts of the ceiling were set aflame. There was irregular rumbling that accompanied it, signifying that the structural integrity of the mansion was about to give. Dharna walked through it all without a care in the world, although Keith was the one who had the least to worry about. The insect Belua simply knocked away any debris that came crashing their way.
--
After they made their way back to Kinnich, the pair would overhear the last bits of the conversation he was having with Marquis Aulbach.
”...Poor little ape~” He sneered.
”Me, the Church, and your pretentious little alliance! You’ve enemies on all sides!” “P…leas..e s-stop…this…” Aulbach was able to barely get out, his breath bated by the rising heat and panic of the situation.
“C…an’t brea..the…””Enough of your damn whining. Your life is now mine, but don’t be too sore about it, your friends will be joining you.” He retorted, holsting the man up on his back
”I’ve decided there’s use for you yet. Oh! There you boys are, was afraid you got cooked!” He joked at Dharna and Keith.
”Come, we join Talaf.”Keith would feel himself begging air into the air and out of the mansion by Dharna, where Kinnich jumped with such force he gave off the illusion of flight with the Marquis on his back. As they cleared the mansion, the building collapsed with a loud tumbling roar as it was engulfed in scarlet embers. The smoke chimney could be seen from the cityside below, and sirens from the other side of the city were still going off. The fighting seemed to have died down. The merc would now find himself on a rooftop along with his three cohorts.
”Talaf! How did the little ones do?” Kinnich asked his feline comrade.
”They performed admirably.” Talaf said.
”We had some losses, unfortunately, but they were honourable losses.” He looked off at the destroyed mansion for a moment, then looked at the unconscious marquis.
”It seems things went well on your ends as well?””Aye boyo.” Kinnich said.
”You left Aulbach alive?” He said inquisitively.
”That means death would’ve been his better option. Always scheming, you damn reptilian!” He said almost with a laugh.
Kinnich made a huff that spewed soot from his nostrils, as his form of response.
”I believe Keith had a question for you, Kinnich.” Dharna interjected.
“
Oh, it’s nothing too important.” Keith held up the box of Aima he was tasked to retrieve. “
Just curious as to what these things are. And if I can, y’know, have one. Pretty please?” The mercenary attempted to look at Kinnich with puppy-dog eyes, but his mask and goggles got in the way of all that.
Kinnich looked at Keith for a moment, curiosity worn on his face. He then chuckled with a low hiss.
”I suppose I can part with a few, boyo. Consider it part of your payment.” Kinnich said. Walking over to the masked merc, he held out his clawed hand.
”However, I believe it’s time for you to provide what you promised, Mr. North.” As part of their agreement after Kinnich initially attacked him, Keith promised to give him a sample of the substance he obtained from the strange cult of zealots. Referred to as…some kind of nectar…
“
Ah, right. That.” Keith handed the Aima box to Dharna before patting down the pockets of his outfit for the substance. “
Now where did I– Oh, right!”
Keith crouched down and removed his right shoe. Hidden between the soles and the rest of the shoe was a tightly-corked glass vial that was filled with a dark-purple… darkness within, almost touching the cork. After putting his shoe back on, Keith held up the vial and hovered it right above Kinnich’s open palm. “
Remember, this stuff is real dangerous. Don’t eat it, don’t sniff it… I mean, I guess you can do that if you’re real wild. Keep it in a glass container when not in use. If it spills out… err, throw someone on top of it and then leave the area as fast as you can.”
“
...Let me guess, that’s exactly what you’re going to do, aren’t you?” Keith finished before dropping the vial onto Kinnich’s hand.
”Somethin’ like that, boyo.” Kinnich mused.
”Follow along, we’re about to leave.”Backtracking, Kinnich led the group back to where he had left the poor captain hanging on the gate. She seemed to have passed out due to the pain. Walking in front of her, he held her head up by the chin and held the vial up, which now had its cork removed. Not bothering to shake her awake, he squeezed her mouth open so as to administer the solution to the woman. After emptying its contents, he discarded it to the side, causing the glass to shatter.
The three Belua looked curiously, observing what effects would come from the strange concoction. The woman’s skin immediately began to turn pale, and she began to convulse violently. Making various choking sounds, her voice began to sound unnatural and distorted, along with violent veins beginning to appear all over her face and exposed flesh. After a few minutes, her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she went limp. Kinnich made a squint, then huffed a smoke plume.
”Perhaps the little brat was worthless after all?” He inquired.
”Was she not strong enough to trigger any meaningful effects?””We should leave.” Talaf said.
”The Paradigm will make a response once they hear the news. We’ll need to stay ahead of them if we’re to use them.””Hmm, scum.” Kinnich said. He spat a bit of lava at the woman’s body, which melted some of the flesh on the side of her cheek. The fact that she still didn’t respond signified that she was indeed deceased. Motioning for Keith to follow, the four assailants promptly made their way out of the city. It didn’t take them long to clear the forested hills they were stationed at before. While moving, Kinnich turned to address the masked man once again.
”You know, I have to admit you performed well for an ape.” He said with a bit of snark.
”And I’ve never met a magus that had the regenerative capabilities that you have. I wonder if that's sage-level alchemy, or perhaps some sort of high spirit provides you with that boon?” He laughed hardily.
”Since we’re technically partners now, I suppose proper introductions are in order. What’s your full name?”“
That’ll be Keith North to you, my good lizard friend! But out in the field, I’m known as The Red Strike.” The mercenary happily replied. “
And you’re not the only one curious about my sweet, slick respawn abilities but I’ll tell you right now: I have no clue how it works either.” A lie, but uttered by Keith with the utmost confidence.
“
Also, I can’t believe you just used that one vial on that gate girl. I thought you’d get some mages to study the stuff for yourself or something.” Keith remarked. “
But eh, it’s your property so you can do whatever you want with it. Another vial, however, is gonna need another payout.”
“
But besides that, what do we do now, boss?”
”The Red Strike, huh?” Kinnich responded, curiously.
”The Sun Beast and the Red Strike. I suppose it must be fate crafted by the Six.” He snarled to himself, oddly reprehensibly.
”Then I suppose it’s my turn. Kinnich du Valeniquen.” He said, pointing a thumb at himself.
”It used to be a name that carried pride and honor. Now, it’s one that carries fear and bile. It’s all relative though, haha!” His introduction at first held a rather introspective bitterness to it, but then it was quickly drowned out by grandstanding.
”The kitten over there is named Talaf Aleasifa, the fly is known as Dharna Kadava. I only keep them around because they look pretty.” ”To hell with you, scaly freak.” Talaf said in protest.
”A face like yours has no room to talk.” ”I wonder how’d you feel if this fly gouged a hole in your stomach and turned it into a ration bag.” Dharna added.
”Lovely little dolls aren’t they?” Kinnich said, chuckling
”As for what’s next, gonna get this cock to wake up and tell more about his little alliance. They’re planning something big, and I’d like to hear more about it. He said, pointing toward the marquis on his back.
”You’re free to go back to your other masters if you’d like. Of course, perhaps you’d like to go find this fool’s wife and daughter. Not that we need them, but they might make good leverage. ‘Course, this Paradigm might hunt them down anyway.”The little back-and-forth between the Beluas amused Keith. It appeared that Kinnich had some baggage regarding his last name, but the human mercenary could not care less about it. “
Well, if you say so. I’ll head back for now since I do believe my employers need me for stuff. Still, I’ll keep a lookout for the guy’s wife and kid and let you know if I find anything.”
“
Been nice working with you, Sir Kinnich du Valeniquen.” Keith made an exaggerated bow. “
Hope we get a chance to work together again~”
The Belua marauders looked on as Keith swiftly went off back to his original employers, having with him some of the aima he was ordered to steal for them.
”Odd fellow, that one.” Talaf said.
”He is quite useful, at the very least.” Dharna added.
”Certainly useful, but more than just odd.” Kinnich chimed in.
”I don’t sense any mana in that man’s body whatsoever. He doesn’t carry the scent of a corpse either, but he doesn’t die easily. His existence is rather out of place here. We’ll worry about that later, though. There is more work to be done.” They charged off on the path at alarming speed, soon the city couldn’t even be seen in the distance. To their side however, some of the other Belua fighters they sent to the city began coming up to converge with them. They were made up of the ones that survived the initial attack and managed to escape. As far as Kinnich was concerned, they were the only ones working keeping around anyway. The ones that did die were supposed to…
--
The woman Kinnich left to die was still lifeless, stuck on the gate she was bound to. However, unbeknownst to them, a large spider-like appendage had fiercely sprouted from her back. After flailing around for a brief moment, it trashed as it began to tear through the steel of the fence. The woman then began to rouse, and with elongated teeth, made an eerie shriek.
