S2:CH3

Morticia looked at Kindred in full alert. She saw what he did the night before. And he knew by hell, that he should not be trusted. Kindred however, knew this, but was too guilty. A situation as complicated as this would take a lot of time to explain. And they knew that as long as the rangers and the clan were inside Karthus, that time was running out.

As they were enjoying their afternoon lunch, a sudden thump was heard by the door. The Black Valkyrie Regiment who were all sitting by the terrace upstairs looked at the door, and got their weapons set. The Straznicy Regiment went to the door to hold it. And the Red Blood Regiment came in to hold it as well. Another thump came, and this one was even more powerful. The door was almost opened.

"What in the Goddesses' name is going on?" asked Sir Uri, the owner of the Tavern, who just saw his lovely door getting trashed by someone outside.

Or something...

Suddenly, with a strong impact, the door burst open, sending the Ravenians back to the hallway. Kindred got to his knees and then stood up to meet this creature that just saw. He was then taken aback by the abomination on his sight.

It was a tall dark figure that had a wingspan the size of 10 meters with a height approximately 12 meters. The beak, as sharp as a sword, with its eyes as dark as the void of the sky. It was ominous, and its presence made the others in the room shiver in fear. Then, without speaking, it let go of something, before quickly flying off. As Kindred and the others looked to see what it left, there they saw...

A burned garment of Queen Dah'di...

Kindred then looked at Morticia, who then looked away from him. He knew that this situation wouldn't have been more complicated if it wasn't for this.

"We're out of time." Kindred said, looking at the cloth. His eyes looked at Oliver who nodded silently. Gold however, exhaled, letting out a kind of smoke out of his helm. Then, Anno replied...

"We just got here. We haven't even established out peaceful intent yet." Said Anno, who was especially interested in the Holy Knights that stared at them, the first time they got to this new kingdom. Kindred thought of this deeply. And as he looked at Anno, he said...

"We have no other choice."

The regiments all moved towards the castle, but they had to tread lightly. As any sign of drastic action would make them look more like mercenaries than actual allies of the kingdom. The Straznicy, and Black Valkyrie Regiment seemed to be very organized, but being part of the common folk, the Red Blood Regiment almost made it confusing for their comrades to distinguish themselves from the peasantry. The only divider from them was the fact that they were wearing red. And as for the Town Watch, it was clear that they only wish to get back to Ravena.

When they arrived, their generals dismissed their men to let them have their break on the Karthusian grounds. As the Generals would soon get inside, they would be met with a young lady dressed in a black robe.

"Greetings there milady." Kindred said, but was elbowed slightly by the Straznicy General Alvin. a slight "Oof!" sound was heard from the Red General, which made the lady chuckle a bit. Then, they bowed. But Kindred seemed to refuse a bit when he only greeted her in a respectful, yet informal way - bowing his head without following with his body.

"Kindred, what are you doing?" Whispered Duke Adrien, who was also bowing to Kindred. General Pekka would see this and bow respectfully, but chuckling at Kindred's unrespectful act. 

"Oh, I forgot. Well hello there your majesty!" Kindred then sarcastiacally bowed all his way, which made the lady laugh even more. "We seek thine help through thy kingdom of Ravena." He followed.

The lady laughed, and said "Come with me then men, I'll be pleasured to hear what you have to say."

As the noble then went off to go downstairs, the generals looked at Kindred with their eyes widened, a bit in annoyance, a bit in dissapointment, and a bit in fear of what could happen.

"I hope you know what you're doing Kindred." Duke Adrien of the Black Valkyrie said. He knew that if Kindred was to continue this act, their reputation could cost them the chance to ask for help in Ravena.

"I know her type." Kindred then replied to him, which made the other generals look at him with even more shock.

"Do not dare tell me that you are-" General Alvin of the Straznicy Guard said. But he was interrupted with Kindred saying "Yes."

"Do you even know by hell who she is? She is the Queen! Cousin of Dah'di, and current wife of King Magrin - the current king of this land we're currently standin on!" Duke Adrien whispered almost loudly. Kindred's eyebrow lifted, then smirked a bit.

"That makes it even better..." He joked.

"Kindred!" The two generals almost shouted in unison. While General Pekka, chuckled a bit.

"Men, you are to be called downstairs." A middle aged woman suddenly called them. And as they followed her, the 4 Generals would often bicker about what approach they would give to the Queen.

They talked about how the Clan of Aeryth stormed Ravena, how they got to their situation, and how big of an impact it was for the Royal Ranger Regiment to turn the tides of battle.

"I see. I'll have to talk about this with the King. However, if we are to take back Ravena, we would then be flying under one banner." She then said.

Kindred's eyes looked at her in curiosity, and intrigue. But the Black Valkyrie and the Straznicy Regiment looked ready for anything.

"You will now have to fly under our banner. The Kingdom of Karthus." She followed.

"Aye." General Alvin said.

"Aye." General Adrien followed.

"Aye." General Pekka stated.

Kindred stood still for a bit. Looked at the floor, then said...

"If it means a better future for the masses. Aye."

As they would head off, reforms would then be made. The Straznicy Guard was reformed to become the Golden Eagle Guard, in which their general would then be replaced with Sir Gadreel, one of the best men to protect the Royal Family. Duke Adrien would then retire to be more of a politician, which gave way for General Kyle to be the new head of the regiment. These new generals would then pave the way for the new actions that would then take place.

---

Back in Ravena, many reforms have been taking place. The economy is being taken care of. New policies have been implemented. However, some issues had to be resolved.

Andrew looked as, he saw the persecution of many Ravenians who were loyal to the Queen Dah'di. The Clan of Aeryth was making sure that there were no survivors from the Royal Family. It was just logical then...

They killed our people, we kill them now...

Andrew continued to walk through the rows of dead bodies, belonging to different nobilities. Men, women, and even children weren't spared. He then arrived at an execution court just in front of the palace. There he saw a fully armored man with covered in green steel plating, and an ominous helm. 

"Harling. How was the trip?"

His Lieutenant came in still wearing a shackle on the left side of his arm. With a help from Andrew, they got him out very quickly. And as they went to walk around, they saw a familiar face. When they looked at it very carefully, it was the mother who they saw during the battle. But now, she was in shackles. She then was being pulled by the Clan's forces, and was now being forced to head to the execution court. When she saw the men in green, her eyes widened as she saw them as her final hope. She suddenly dashed towards them, and with all her strength, pulled herself towards Andrew and Harling. She then whispered loudly...

"Please, she's.... in.... the castle. Servant's.... quarter...."

She then was suddenly pulled and dragged by the shapeshifters. Her head, placed, on a platform, and he scream erupted, as the executioner stared at her, then at Andrew and Harling. The Brute then lifted his axe slowly.

"Harling. You know what to do."

As the mother screamed as loud as she could, Harling calmly walked on the crowd of shapeshifters in the castle ground. Andrew then followed suit, but The Brute's eyes was locked into his. As they got to the castle hall, they proceeded to the servant's quarter downstairs. And as they went to the bedroom, there they looked for a baby. And as they found her, she was in a basket hidden in the corner. Andrew then said...

"There you are."

As Andrew lifted the basket up, they turned around to head outside. But then, The Brute was there by the door. They stopped a bit in their surprise, but continued walking slowly. As they walked along the servant's hall, the brute walked by to follow them.

"Harling. Take her to Vontur. Don't turn back." Andrew said.

"But-" Harling replied. But he was interrupted by Andrew saying...

"There's no time to argue. That's an order soldier."

Then, he pulled out his dagger, and tried to stab the brute on the chest. But the small knife was just too small to do any sort of damage. This made the brute stare at the colonel, and quickly grab him by the neck. He then saw Harling running away, and threw Andrew to a wall. But Andrew wouldn't back down from a fight, so he took out his bow and fired some arrows at him. But the brute's armor was just too powerful for the young lad's arrows to handle. This would then make the brute go to Andrew and grab him again, and throw him to the ceiling, making him unconscious. The brute then pulled out his axe, raised it, and looked at Andrew.

His time has come...

Harling was now running away from the Kingdom's guards on horseback, as clan soldiers chased after him, with the baby on his chest. He dodged several arrows flying towards him, as he sped away. During the chase, an arrow then hit the back of his shoulder. He grunted in pain, but he continued on. As the months would pass in going to Vontur, he would slowly lose blood. But his skills in combat prepared him for the wilderness.

As he got to the Republic, it was different from what he had seen before. Tradesmen were using the Gem system, and are also using contracts for exchange. Academies sprawled into the different parts of the capital, Soldiers had little to no armor, yet were armed with crossbows. As the walls were made up of cobblestone. It was obvious that this republic has seen few wars, yet achieved so much. And as he arrived at the tavern of Cornelia, a representative of House Valkyrie, many people were surprised to see a man in green, with blood all over his clothes. But just outside, on horseback, he then saw another officer of the rangers. His name was Nathaniel.

"Ravena, isn't ours anymore..."