S3:CH11

The cold winds of Northern Selyria grazed through the hull of the mothership. Everyone could feel the intensity of it as they were moving closer and closer to their destination - North Castle. General Nath, of the Committee of State Security watched as he was in the front of the airship. He was inside the pilothouse, where 2 people were in charge of handling a wheel. It was a wheel that steered multiple sails on the ship. It was a marvel of engineering for some, but the wheel was not the actual turner of the ship. It was just a wheel that lifted signals from below, so that several men could turn the sails towards each direction. Luckily for those men at the bottom of the airship however, there was not a lot of movement needed, as they were steady in their direction towards the kingdom.

Nath heard a click from a door. It was Yudma and John Lark - both specialists. They were responsible for getting the gate destroyed, and getting the pyromancers to the airship. Although it wasn’t perfect, and many civilians were caught in the crossfire, then again, what operation is truly perfect? Even the Red Blood Regiment’s assaults often resulted in innocent shifters being killed, and you would not even believe what The Black Valkyrie’s ‘mistakes’ are. So then, it was settled. Whether or not the operation was truly perfect, the important part was that it was accomplished.

“You both did well, Yudma and John Lark.” he said, looking at them both. Yudma and John saluted, and he saluted back, giving them permission to dismiss themselves. Behind the two men however, was a familiar face. It was Valheim.

Outside of the pilot’s room was Vlademir. He was a CSS Member, if you could call it that. Specifically, he was a member of The Steel Vanguard. He was sitting near his wyvern, caressing its neck as it slept peacefully, while he watched his fellow steel knights from the distance. He remembered the days when it was just an armored unit that specialized in heavy assaults. He remembered when there were no politics involved, and all that mattered was the protection of Vontur. He looked closely as his comrades cheered and drank. The warm yellow lights from multiple gas lamps lit the knights in steel armor. To him, it was something new. Well, everyone from The Steel Vanguard, and even The CSS themselves thought that everything about this ship was new. They were used with the light of the green mana nullifiers, like Vontur. Oil lamps were a product of Hreinngar, something like The Bloodworths would sell to the primitive north. Everything seemed foreign to him about this airship, but he supposed that he reflected that feeling with this mission. Vontur has never made it this far. It was always the same wars with Hreinngar in Old Haven and the Vonturian Forest. Only when the shifter conflict started when they saw that Hreinngar stopped their operations there. Snakes, he thought. Unlike them, Vontur actually helped The Ravenians get their country back. Hreinngar did nothing but sit on their walls and drink their ale, and…

He sighed. Thinking about why Hreinngar is not a good nation is unproductive. He had to focus on what was happening now. He stood up to see what the commotion was about. He could tell that the mechanics of the other airships were beginning to be quite annoyed at the steel soldiers. But he knew his comrades. They were as vicious as they were serious. They wouldn’t be drinking and partying without a proper reason. He got to the group of men and saw what they were cheering about. As he got to the center, more and more men gave way to him. When he got to the middle, he could see his commander, Lecarius, holding a glass canister with something green inside. When his commander saw him, he immediately beamed a smile and grabbed him.

“Finally!” Lecarius said, smiling at his comrade. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“You’re out of line, commander.” Nath said, not even elaborating further. Lecarius didn’t speak, as he only kept looking at Vlademir’s burning corpse. He gave a quick sigh, and only signaled his men to move out. They took their wyverns and moved away. Nath knew that letting The Steel Vanguard go would give them a harder time, but he drew the line between making Vontur proud, and blindly killing innocents. At least, that’s what he believed. He still knew deep down inside what he did in Karthus.

But then again, would one immoral choice make a difference if it was for Vontur?

—--

“Absolutely not!” A man shouted as he stood up from his chair. He was a blonde man with pale white skin and green eyes. His purple robe covered his body, as he pointed at his daughter who was at the far end of the table.

“Why?” His daughter said, still sitting. “Why don’t you wish me to be the heir to the throne of this Dukedom?”

“The first Dukedom of Vetra was Duke Herald III. He was not a Bloodworth like us, but our great grandfathers made sure that we took power.” her father answered. “Since then, we have kept the tradition. Without tradition, we will become weak, Artoria.”

“Tradition? What good is tradition if you cannot even stand for your own daughter?” Artoria said, as her own daughter came to pour wine into their cups. She was a young fair-skinned adult. Perhaps 18 years old to say the least. Some could argue that this young lady is just a fancy noble from afar. But this assumption is mostly due to her white hair, unlike her family’s blonde hair. Despite this, she still made sure to obey her mother. She was the only one to teach her the ways of power in Hreinngar. “I did my part in making sure that I married a Magrin in Karthus. To have a child with him. To make sure that she grows up to become Lady Euryale Magrin. You don’t even remember her birth date.”

“You do not get it. And you never will.” Artoria’s father said, before he drank his wine. He gave a quick sigh as he wiped his mouth with a tablecloth. “In order for The Great Duke Tywin, of House Bloodworth, to keep the peace of this dukedom, I had to ensure that the traditions are kept sacred to our people.

“I don’t understand.”

“YOU ARE A WOMAN!” Tywin finally shouted. He gave time to compose himself after he sunk deep into his chair. “And you will never inherit my throne. At least not the throne of Vetra. We have a reputation to uphold in Hreinngar. I will not let you stain that.”

Artoria glared as she simply looked at Euryale.

“Then if I cannot be the heir to Vetra. I will be the heir to Karthus.” she said.

The duke scoffed. “You also love power. I’m proud of you, my daughter.” He said, as he finished the last sip from his cup. “But if only you’d have been my son.”

“I wouldn’t wish to be that. A man who only uses their children as pawns, yet you don’t even know your granddaughter's age.”

“Bah.” Tywin let out an expression, followed by someone arriving. He had dark skin and white hair. And his eyes glowed bright neon green. The Duke smiled at this and looked at Euryale.

“Sir. The Clan of Morheim has fallen.” the white haired man said.

“Cristoph. Glad to see you here.” Tywin said as he stood up to pat his shoulder. “I seem to always forget this but… when was the last time you came here, my… favorite knight?”

“18 years ago, milord.” Cristoph replied.

The duke chuckled, and looked at Euryale. He walked closer to her with a devious smirk. “Princess Euryale Magrin, eh?” he said, before looking at her eyes and caressing her hair. “Happy 18th birthday.”

Arrtoria violently pulled Euryale as she stormed off the castle. Cristoph was left there, with his heart beating fast. “Milord…”

“Not a word, Cris.” Tywin interrupted, before walking back to his throne room. “A good man must comfort his wife. You ought to take care of your property.”

—--

“No. It appears we have succeeded.” Dawn replied. When asked how, the head of the University said that the mouse had been suffering from cancer and insomnia. And when the mouse had been injected with the serum, all those ailments disappeared, but it still overdosed. And with that, the experimentation was concluded.

Vivian got out of the office, and Kindred was there outside waiting for her. He was leaning on the railings, with his arms crossed together. Vivian stared at him in shock, surprised that he was here. Kindred wasn’t wearing The Black Valkyrie Regiment uniform this time however, and was wearing his normal SUV outfit. Even with that however, she still decided to walk away and ignore him.

“Wait.” Kindred said, trying to hold her arm to stop her. Vivian only pushed his arm away. 

“I do not want to hear it.” she said, before continuing to walk further. With it however, Kindred spoke, “I’m here to tell you to not leave this university until the situation is more orderly.”

Vivian stopped. She thought that Kindred was going to tell her something important. But something about what he said made her more intrigued. “And why is that?” she said.

Her lover didn’t answer, and only stood quietly for a bit. He looked away, and then put his hand on the broken railings of the university. “It’s for your sake.”

Vivian’s eyebrow lifted, but her glare was still present. She looked around to see multiple students running around. When she looked at the students running away, she noticed that there were other staff members that were taking out papers. Staff members who she was not familiar with. It was then and there that she knew what was happening.

“What are you doing?” she said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking abo-”

“Enough with the lies, Kindred!” she shouted, before the door near them opened, revealing Lady Dawn, taking out her papers before looking around to see what was happening. Kindred sighed and looked at them both.

“Royal Orders. Some documents need to be taken away for the fear of them being used as propaganda.” he said.

“What documents?” Lady Dawn said, folding her papers to then put into her satchel. “You and I know that all documents here are peer reviewed regularly to ensure that all of them are published in an objective manner.”

“I know I know it’s just…” Kindred said, raising his hand a bit. His words were fast, and his movement was a bit erratic. “There are some things that must not be said when it comes to what is the truth. I’m doing my best but I don’t wish to leave Vivian behind. I cannot be everywhere.”

Kindred’s words immediately made Dawn walk away into the direction of where all the chaos was happening. She immediately called upon her students, and ensured that all the documents were safe.

“What’s going on? I never asked for your protection.” Vivian butted in, but Kindred looked at her and said, “You shouldn’t have tampered with the Karthusian Archives.”

Vivian looked at him. What was once a feeling of confusion, suddenly turned into anxiety and fear. They looked at Kindred not with the intent of finding more about the situation, but with the intent of keeping him out. Kindred saw this and felt a slight tinge of pain in his chest. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“So all of this…” Vivian said, looking him in the eye, and walking backwards. “All of this was because you did not want us to learn the truth about what happened?”

“It’s not that…”

“Then what was it, huh!?” Vivian said, suddenly rushing towards him and pushing him in the shoulder. He didn’t stagger, but the impact pushed him back a bit. “Was it the truth as to who did it? Was it the truth as to who was truly responsible for it? Was it the truth as to who Geralt Magrin truly is?”

Kindred immediately closed her mouth before a bunch of black hooded men appeared from the stairs of the university and moved into their position. Kindred pushed her on her mouth and gently slammed her into the wall. The assassins came to see Kindred pinning a random Karthusian researcher on the walls. His hood covered both their faces, and it looked like he was kissing her.

“Really?” An assassin said, looking at Kindred. “William wasn’t kidding when he said that you would kiss any woman.”

The assassins continued to move further as they looked for more rooms to clear. The former red general let go of her, seeing her eyes widen by the shock she had of Kindred. For the entirety of their marriage, Kindred never showed her this amount of force. He was always methodical and gentle. This was different however. But what’s new? Lies upon lies. It would be a surprise to her if Kindred told her he really loved her. To her, the lies that Kindred said were enough information for her to conclude that whatever feelings she had with him, were probably not reciprocated. But then again, why did he save her?

Focus, Vivian. Do not dwell on these thoughts now.

She then remembered why she was pinned on the wall in the first place. She said the name of the general who orchestrated the massacre. Geralt Magrin. But the royal documents said that he was dead…

Vivian gasped quietly, before looking at Kindred. “He’s alive, isn’t he?”

“Vivian. Stop.”

“No!” Vivian yelled, causing Kindred to flinch and look around to see if there were assassins nearby. “Where is he, huh!? Was this why you did not want me to leave this university!?”

All the man could do was listen. He didn’t want her to die. He had enough deaths in his life where his loved ones died in front of him. Ichikari, Morticia… he didn’t want Vivian to be the third one. No. He can never let it happen. He asked himself why everything he loved always went away, and why everyone he loved always died away. It was as if he was constantly punished for the things he did. Well… maybe those punishments were fair.

But if it meant that Vivian would die today, then he wouldn’t know what he would do anymore.

“Commander Kindred.” General William said, looking at Kindred. “General Lynx has taken too much damage. We need you in the headquarters.”

“I…”

“Now.”

Kindred saw that William was finally being more stern. He knew that if he left Vivian here, then she would be compromised.

A group of White Knights arrived, apparently being called by Dawn herself. Judging from what was happening, he knew that things would only escalate. However, this also meant that Vivian would be protected. So this made him more assured that she was protected.

“Very well then.” Kindred said.

—--

Anno only looked at him back, and only walked towards the tent of Kai. He then stopped, and turned around again to look at Oliver one more time. “I value life as much as you, Oliver. We have been in this regiment ever since The Great Orc War.”

“Then why do you act like you don’t value it? For three years, we always gave the enemies a second chance in life.”

Anno turned around, sighing a bit. He noticed that there was some sort of crawling emotion rising up on his neck. He closed his hands into a fist, and prayed to Solev that he would not let his emotions get to him.

“Because for 3 minutes, they never gave Alvin and Tiffany a second chance either.” Anno said, before continuing on to General Kai’s tent. Aida saw the whole thing and could only remember that all of them were always happy together. It was like yesterday when Alvin, Oliver, Anno, and Gold would be sneaking in Aida’s tent, before finding out about Keith. But now, it was as if all of it turned around.

Lieutenant Leon then arrived, seeing the events happening in the camp. He saw that Aida was just outside of Artemis’s tent. He was holding a paradove - one of the fastest birds in the world, which can also talk.

“This is Keith Shilling. Please bring this to Aida Koskinen. It’s an important message. Over.” The bird said, accurately mimicking the sound of Keith, but in a bit filtered way. The paradove was holding a letter, and Leon took it off to give it to Aida. The Colonel opened it, and it made her smile a bit, giving her a chance to be relieved. Leon saw that she seemed to be worried about her sister, so he patted her shoulder and said, “It’s gonna be fine.”

—--

Kai scoffed, before he finished wrapping his arm. He knew that it would scar, but maybe scars on this time was a sign. It would mean that he may remember this moment for a long time. Especially the…

The more he thought of it, the more he realized that his hands started to create fire. He immediately stopped when he realized what was going on. Maybe he just needed to get some air.

He pushed through the drapes of the tent to see the camp being rebuilt again. This time, the camp was not adorned in maroon flags. Rather, hints of red and green covered the tents. After all, this was a celebration of the newly formed friendship between The Clan of Aeryth, and The Red Blood Regiment. Some soldiers however felt like they wanted to do something more. They saw Gold back then, and they all felt scared. They knew that Gold was not feeling well, so they decided to do something different. 

“Come on lads, get the beef ready for roasting.” Oliver shouted at the men, as more and more gathered to help prepare the meal. Kai looked at his comrades and smiled. Through all the darkness that happened. It seemed that his soldiers still had a sense of hope. As the red comrades prepared the meat for roasting however, Kai’s smile went from visible, to non-existent. The more the meat got exposed to the campfire, the more the red general could see the burning meat. The way the flesh turns to black, and slowly burns through the layers of skin made the general turn and feel sick. He looked around and decided to walk away. When he turned to the side however, he saw the countless CSS soldiers getting burned as a way to respect the dead. Anno only followed his leader, but looked at the dead bodies with pure hatred and disgust. The Clan of Aeryth deserved their funerals because they believed in a cause that required them to kill innocents. The Committee of State Security never deserved this. They were simply hypocrites, at least, that was what his perspective was. Although his best friend Oliver would tend to disagree.

—--

Several doctors tried to calm General Lynx down, but she was being too wild. “Get the water!” one doctor said, but it was all they could do. Water, herbs, and the traditional ways of healing people. “We’re out of healing potions!” one doctor shouted, with his hands filled with blood.

“But you said there was only one left!” shouted a nurse.

This was The Royal Infirmary. All Sanamancers were occupied in trying to heal the Magrins and Allaires, to the point where all they could rely on were simple non-magical practices of healing. Lynx screamed, as the needles and pincers of the doctors clamped to her as they tried to tie her wounds. She could feel all the pain all over her body, especially her eye.

Especially her eye…

Kindred arrived along with some other Black Valkyrie Regiment soldiers. They saw the situation and knew that without a strong leader for The Golden Eagle Guard, there was no possible way in ensuring the safety of the Royal Family, especially now. The assassins saw the opportunity to assess the situation. Kindred leaned on the wall as he thought of a solution. He could simply promote more of the Commanders of The Golden Eagle Guard, but that would mean that they would suddenly be leading a campaign for the first time without any proper familiarity in how to do it. They were all just guards after all. He could try to lead, but that would mean that the faith that the Karthusians had for The Royal Family would be affected, especially now since they knew the truth. Then, an idea popped inside of his mind.

“Kindred!!!” She jumped and sprinted joyfully towards the professor. She then immediately hugged him tightly and the rest of the assassins felt a massive shock towards her. “It’s been a looooong time!!!”

Kindred gave the woman a puzzled look. Not because he was surprised at her, but because he just realized something. “Something tells me you forgot how to stay alert and be an assassin…” Kindred said, as he felt Maria suddenly take off her embrace and look at Kindred in a pouty look. “It’s been years, but the first thing you do is cwitique me?” she said in a mocking voice, but it only made Kindred scoff and smile. “It’s nice to see you too, Maria.”

“So what were you doing anyways?” General WIlliam said, looking at Maria. “It sounded like you were interrogating them.”

“Oh!” Maria exclaimed, fixing her glasses and giving a warm smile. “I just wanted to make sure why The Steel Vanguard decided to fight alongside the CSS. By the looks of it, it seemed like Lecarius wanted power within the ranks of The Vonturian Military.”

“Hmm…” William replied as the door of the hall started to open. “You didn’t go too far, right?”

Two assassins appeared from the door, carrying a wooden stretcher to assist in transporting a man wearing a CSS uniform. He was covered in blood, and he was struggling to move even a single muscle. “Usually, we give our patients a healing potion after interrogation.” Maria replied, looking at the man being transported. “But since all the healing potions got burned, he’ll have to heal by himself.”

The bleeding man opened his eyes to see Maria standing up beside him. In a sudden rush, he quickly stood up and threw himself out of the stretcher. He crashed on the tables as his legs failed to support his body. “WITCH! NO PLEASE!” he cried, but the assassins only grabbed him and tied him back on the stretcher. Maria only waved back at the man with a smile, making Zen and Requiem gulp in anxiety.

“From what I know, there’s only one healing potion left in Vendeaux,” she then followed, before putting her hands on her pockets. Everyone from William’s side nodded. “Leave us,” William said, prompting Requiem, Chiron, and Zen to leave the room.

William sat down in one of the chairs in the hall. Kindred sat on one of its tables and looked at Maria. The lieutenant of the Black Valkyrie Regiment looked at him, waiting for a word, but there was a small conflict forming in Kindred’s mind. Eitherway, it was gonna be her, or one of the commanders.

“General Lynx is in critical condition.” Kindred said.

“That’s unfortunate.” Maria replied, before sitting down on the chair with her right leg on top of her left one. “Although I would have known eitherway. But I guess that’s not the reason why you came here.”

Kindred sighed before looking at General William. There had to be some way of getting through Maria. “In order to win against the CSS, the GEG needs an effective leader.” Kindred said.

“Physical strength as well.” Maria replied.

“Maria.” Kindred called, looking at her seriously. “We both know that physical strength alone does not win battles.”

“Kindred, you know the effects of installing someone not physically strong in the Golden Eagle Guard.”

She was right. Eyebrows would have risen if she was the sudden commander of the royal knights. Not to mention, no one outside of the headquarters knew her. There had to be some great story that they needed to conjure to justify her position. Although that alone wouldn’t be possible.

“Then what do you suggest?” Kindred said, standing up a bit before looking at the interrogation room. “Give the inexperienced guards a promotion? Ones that do not know how the CSS works?”

“I am an intelligence gatherer, not a fighter.”

“Who said anything about fighting?”

Maria stood up, before being silent. There, Kindred saw the raggedness of her black hair. Her pale lips accompanied her eyebags. The light from the torches seemed to blind her as her hood slowly fell to her nape. There, William and Kindred could see a small scar on her neck. Maria put her hair back to tie them. There they both saw her stitched scar.

“The last time I became a commander, I was kidnapped by countless orcs.” she said, before looking at the ground. “I was tortured, beaten up, and other vile things were done to me.”

William looked away, as all the horrible imaginations popped into his head. Kindred looked at her and sighed. All this time, even after The Great Orc War. After three years, she was still scared of it. Kindred walked closer to Maria, but she stepped back, before making a warm smile at Kindred. It quickly faded however, before saying, “Fine. I’ll be the commander.”

William felt concerned and puzzled by how she could change her emotion so quickly. Kindred felt that concern as well, and he tried to figure out if she was staying true to it. “Well then….” he said, looking at her facial features. “I hope you train yourself as quickly as possible. You seem to have forgotten some skills.”

Maria tilted her head, confused at what he said, before realizing what Kindred was pulling out from his pocket. It was a paper, with a drawing in red ink. When he looked to see who it was, he realized that it was none other than…

“General Kai. Huh…” he said, looking at the drawing closely. “I didn’t know you both were together already- hold on.”

A knife. It rushed through the air as quickly as a crossbow bolt. Kindred was too busy inspecting the drawing as he smelled something different in the red ink. Soon however, he saw his vision turn blurry, as the pain on his own neck swelled up to his brain. He saw Maria looking at him in a very desperate manner. Her eyes wide open as she had her dagger stabbed through Kindred’s neck. Kindred tried to breathe, but the metal blade simply blocked any air that could try to go towards him. Once Maria saw Kindred dying, she took the opportunity to grab the paper of Kai’s drawing. Kindred fell to the ground, gasping for air, trying to pull the blade out of his neck. However, it was clear that he was dying. Maria then pulled the dagger out of Kindred’s neck, spilling some blood out. She then pulled out something from her pocket and showed a flask of red liquid. Then, she violently threw it at Kindred’s skull, causing it to crack open, the liquid splashing at Kindred’s entire head and neck. This immediately healed Kindred’s neck, and Kindred slowly began to breathe properly again. William was ready to kill Maria, but as soon as he saw what she did, he slowly put his guard back down.

“You can make me lead the knights all you want, but do not touch my Ellington.” she said, sparking a visible shock at William’s face under his helmet.

“Or you’ll easily find out that the one I threw at you was the last healing potion that Vendeaux has right now.” she followed.

William rushed towards Kindred, pulling him up and slowly checking to see if he was alright. “Are you really sure it’s going to be her???” he whispered loudly. Kindred only nodded and only looked at the drawing.

“I should have known not to mess with the drawing.” Kindred said, as Maria pulled out another flask of crimson red liquid. This time however, she was using this liquid as an ink container. “The smell of the ink alone gave up the clue.”

“What the hell do you mean by this?” William said, slowly pulling Kindred away from the headquarters. As both of them walked, they developed more distance from Maria. William looked at Maria in fear, but Kindred only looked forwards as he slowly regained his health.

“It was blood.” Kindred said as he continued walking. “General Kai’s blood.”

—--

“Is it time?” Commander Chiron said as he saw Kindred and William return from the interrogation area. Kindred nodded slightly and saw Chiron turn around to call upon all Black Valkyrie Regiment assassins. The assassins moved to Kindred and William’s position. Some of the older members saw that Kindred was back, and they greeted him in respect. They were ready for a mission, but for Kindred, it was different.

“I believe you all know about the new agreement.” Kindred said to the crowd, as some murmurs started to occur. “So I give you all a chance. The agreement will not take effect until tomorrow. We have time to kill the last shifter leaders in this kingdom.”

Most of the Black Valkyrie assassins looked at Kindred in disgust. More and more, they went out on their way and avoided him. It was as if the legend himself simply became a shadow of what he once was. He could duel the best men, and fend off the strongest of fighters, but it seemed like now, all he wanted was to bring death. William, however, only looked at Kindred in pity. 

A couple of older assassins stood by, ready for Kindred’s orders. There were about a dozen of them. 

“The man himself is back.” said one assassin, playing with his dagger as he smirked under his hood. “Where do we go?”

Kindred looked at the man, and this was followed by William, Chiron, Requiem, and Zen to move out of the way to go to their own respective missions. Following this, Kindred walked towards the entrance of the headquarters.

“To the abandoned church of St. Pria.” Kindred said.

—--

Vivian was trapped in the room.

She waited patiently for everything to stop. Several Black Valkyrie Regiment assassins passed by her door. She could remember Kindred’s tips on how to spot a Black Valkyrie Regiment. It was always their black wristband. Sometimes it was a black cloth. Other times, it was an eagle pendant, or a black glove with red paint on the palm. 2 White Knights guarded her position as they saw the different ‘students’ run past each other. Some of them stated that they were part of the university staff, but Lady Dawn’s orders were clear. No one should enter the room, and no one should get out of it, until the Head Scholar herself returns. From the distance, she could hear swords clashing, and men shouting. It was as if the CSS were here again. However, it would seem that no one was actually killed. The undercover Black Valkyrie Assassins would only be put into rooms that would be guarded by more White Knights. The assassins could outwit these knights in multiple sections of the university, but now that they’ve confined themselves in one room, they've become useless for the time being.

“Geralt Magrin.” she whispered to herself. Surely, the lost prince of Ravena would be more active, right? After all, it was the famed general who was extravagant and active in The Gold Order. If he was alive, surely he would be in The Golden Eagle Guard.

“Soldier,” Vivian said, as she sat down on the cushioned chair. “What if we-”

“No ma’am,” the soldier said, looking at the door’s windows. “Lady Dawn’s orders are to protect you.”

Vivian sighed, then stood up to look at the shelves. She saw a book titled ‘Black Smoke’. Inside it was a recipe for making a smoke bomb. She opened the pages to see the different steps. She followed it thoroughly, grabbed some of the powders from the shelves, and made sure to do the ingredients properly. The White Knights were clueless about what she was trying to make, but they did not mind it. Their mission was to guard her, and not know what she was doing. Then, she was done.

“What are you doing?” Lady Dawn said, arriving as she closed the door. “I got all the scholars and staff to their safe spots. Let’s go.”

“Oh.” Vivian said, scrambling to get her belongings in place, and hiding the smoke bomb. If it weren’t for Kindred’s knowledge on this, she might’ve taken a longer time in trying to do it. Well… it seemed like having a husband who was a former assassin helped her this time.

“I was just… looking… at things.” Vivian said, forcing a smile as The Head Scholar approached her. Dawn didn’t seem to care much however, as it seemed like there was a lot going on in the SUV.

“You know that a lot of those hooded men are trying to find you. I even lost the Fabulotica Serum because apparently, someone from the Black Valkyrie Regiment stole them.” Dawn said, pulling Vivian gently as The White Knights followed her. As the door opened again, a lot of screams from afar were heard. Students who the other staffmates could not save, and assassins from The Black Valkyrie Regiment ‘silencing’ those who knew.

“Why? What for?” Vivian asked, and Dawn only replied with a large book, opening it to see a section that described who Geralt Magrin was.

“You were one of the few researchers who read about The Famine of 1570. And I don’t know why they stole it. Either way we have to move fast.” Dawn replied.

The White Knights who followed the two women seemed very confused. It was as if they thought that The Black Valkyrie Regiment was overreacting for arresting those who knew of something as trivial as a famine. Although, that still begged the question. What did happen in 1570?

The questions started to rise as they thought in their heads even more. Vivian however was past that, and looked at Geralt’s description in the book.

“Demonic horns plated in gold, with red eyes signifying his demonic origins.” Vivian read, before the book closed immediately.

“So you did not read all of it?” Lady Dawn said, turning to the left to see a balcony that oversaw several students running away screaming as several hooded men chased after them. 

“N-no.” Vivian replied, stammering with her words.

“Good.” Dawn replied. “It would be better if you didn’t know all of them.”

Vivian’s mind became even more intrigued, and also frustrated. It seemed like only the nobles knew about this secret. But if Geralt Magrin was someone from the Magrin family, who had gold horns and red eyes, then it would be obvious to know who he was, right? Surely having a person in such a pristine family would raise eyebrows if someone was from there.

No… He was hidden in a tower before the Great Orc War if her memory was correct. That could be the reason why he was not as visible as the other Magrins. But even so, it was said in the books that he was great friends with Kindre-...

Vivian stopped, and the realization hit her. The White Knights who were with her suddenly looked at the researcher and were surprised by her sudden halt. Suddenly, a group of Black Valkyrie assassins blocked their path. The White Knights who were with them put out their swords to prepare for a fight, but it was obvious that the hooded assassins weren’t here to battle. They were just here for Vivian. Dawn stood in front of the knights. “You will not hurt, nor arrest her,” she said.

Vivian reached out for her pocket. She was going with Lady Dawn, and then what? Wait this out? Then what? Would she then live a life of fear in trying to find the truth? She felt something shiny in her pocket, and it was the smoke bomb she crafted earlier. Then, she knew what to do.

“Lady Dawn,” one of the assassins said. “We were tasked to arrest those who violated the kingdom by spreading propaga-”

A cloud of black smoke exploded from Vivian, causing confusion among the group. Vivian tried to remember what Kindred said when navigating her way in dark or murky environments. She tried to do what Kindred did, but ended up bumping into multiple walls and furniture. She fell to the ground, struggling to breathe, but she saw a small opening of light from the smoke she created. Soon, she found herself running outside the university, away from all the chaos from the Black Valkyrie Regiment. However, there was also another group of Black Valkyries that were watching her. These were Sir Matelle and Lady Vivenne.

“Vivian has escaped. One of us needs to tell Kindred, and the other should go and protect her from the other valkyries.” Lady Vivienne said.

“Agreed,” Sir Matelle said, before looking down to see the bodies of students being escorted out of the university. “I’ll go tell Kindred.”

A woman from the Black Valkyrie Regiment arrived as she climbed the walls of the university to meet them. Her hair was dark as a raven, and her skin was as white as snow. Her face terrified the two assassins of Kindred, as they saw her pin, adorning the sigil of House Deschenel. “That won’t be necessary,” she said.

No one heard anything. No one saw everything. The roof was as quiet as the day, and no one seemed to see the two bodies falling down from the university. Former Black Valkyrie Assassins, dead on the spot. But for this woman, nothing happened. Karthus was safe, and it will become safer.

—--

“Psst!” Anno called out the tent. “Hey Gold!”

Slowly and surely, Gold opened the tent’s fabric doors to see a lot of the Red Blood Regiment surprising him. “Congrats on being a father!” They all cheered. Gold was puzzled, but when he saw the different elements of the gathering, he felt touched by their gesture.

Men, women, and children from both The Red Blood Regiment, and The Clan of Aeryth, cheered for Gold as they held their hands in the air. He could smell the roasted beef that they had, which they rolled into cylinders to then be placed on sticks. The aroma of the spices in the meat made him smile, as all of them seemed to be happy to be with Gold. “Come on Gold! Eat up!” Advisor Oliver said, taking out some of the sticks from the campfire before giving it to Gold, which he then grabbed and looked at. Then, he looked at the other soldiers in his regiment, who were smiling warmly at him. Oliver then walked forward.

“You know Gold… urm..” he said, putting his hand behind his head as he tried to find the right words to say. “We never really umm… W-we never really got the chance to thank you…”

Anno then stepped forward, tapping Oliver slightly on the shoulder. “The loss of Alvin, Tiffany, and Goner, was something we all grieved, as one of the few surviving members of the first Red Blood Regiment officers.”

“Y-yeah and umm…” Oliver said as he raised his hand. “We didn’t want you to… feel like you didn’t.. You know…”

Anno sighed. “We didn’t want you to feel like we didn’t cherish you,” he said, before letting a shifter child walk towards Gold, who gave him flowers. “Without you, we wouldn’t be able to create peace with The Clan of Aeryth.”

“And without you, we wouldn’t be able to have a brother, and a friend, we can always rely on.” Aida said, as he walked closer to Gold.

“Thank you, Gold, for protecting us!” A group of Aeryth members cheered, leaving the armored demon smiling under his helmet.

“You’re gonna be a great father,” Advisor Kaku said, looking at Gold. “You’ve been a great friend already.”

Gold felt all the emotions swell up inside him as all he could do was just smile and accept all the gifts. A silence grew from the crowd, as if they were waiting for Gold’s response. Then, he looked at all the people in the gathering.

“Thank you.” Gold said.

The crowd cheered, and everyone yelled in joy as they celebrated the union of The Red Blood Regiment, and The Clan of Aeryth. The songs started to play, and the feasts started to be held. Everyone was dancing with Gold now, and for the first time, he felt as if he didn’t need to hide anymore. He put his hands in his helmet, as his other friends saw it and cheered the more he lifted it.

“GERALT MAGRIN!” someone shouted from the camp’s entrance. “SHOW YOURSELF!”

It was Vivian, being held back by The Red Blood Regiment’s guards. Usually, peasants and civilians were welcome in the camp, but with her, the guards felt a threat from her voice. “STOP HIDING IN THE RED BLOOD REGIMENT!” she shouted again.

“Geralt Magrin?” One of the clan members said. “What does she mean by that criminal scum being in this regiment?”

The feast soon came to a halt, as more and more people started to ask questions. Eventually, people started to quarrel. 

“Who is this Geralt Magrin?” one of the Red Blood Regiment soldiers asked. However, some were not buying it. Although there wasn’t any bloodshed that came, it was obvious that no one was going to enjoy the feast today. Gold saw everything and decided that it was best to just walk back to his tent. Hearing that name again made him sick. Although Artemis’s embrace comforted him. They had a child anyways now. A new chapter for Gold.

Vivian shouted at the top of her lungs, but it seemed like it was drowned by the quarrels inside the camp. The red soldiers simply did not wish for anyone else to enter. Wait. This was The Camp of Freedom. Peasants were supposed to be welcomed here, right? But if they weren’t letting her in, then-

“You will be charged for treason with that tongue, Mrs. Vivian Osiris.” one of the ‘red’ soldiers said. Suddenly, two black hooded men appeared behind her. “Hold on. You’re not…”

Her mouth was covered. Her vision was blocked. Immediately, her consciousness was gone… for now.

“I am giving you all a chance.” Kindred said beneath his hood. “There will be more deaths here if you keep on trying to kill the shifters.”

Ailyn walked back as he saw the man in front of him speak like that. She knew Kindred, and she knew that bloodshed was the last thing that he was willing to do. However, if he was already doing bloodshed now, then does this mean…

“Nonsense!” A man from the group said, before the old guard started to distance themselves away from the man, trying to disassociate themselves from his words. “I knew it. You’ve gone soft ever since you’ve been with the beastlings and furscums.”

Kindred sighed, letting his emotions out calmly, as the rest of the group started to walk away further. One person tried to open the door of the church, but it was locked. They would not escape this.

“I suppose that I would take that answer as a ‘no’.” Kindred said, before turning around to look at Ailyn, who was already pale, and wanted to move to Vivian. But then again, it was her father’s orders. She had to fight somehow. But this was Kindred…

*Have some courage. There are others here.*

Kindred looked at her blankly. Ailyn remembered that look. She felt her skin crawl, and goosebumps started to rise within. When he turned around to meet his audience, she knew that he was ready to paint his canvas… with red.

Kindred took out a flask of black liquid in his pocket, and Ailyn could not do anything but to run away and scream. The black smoke engulfed the church’s interior, and no one will get out of here without facing death.

—--

William and Chiron slowly got up as the rain started to pour down. The Scholars complained, but they guessed that this was better than just dying. After all, they were guarded by one of the best people… as long as they did not make any noise.

“General,” Commander Chiron said. “What happens if it goes wrong?”

William looked at Chiron. They looked around when they heard people screaming inside, followed by smoke escaping from the church. The sounds of blades ripped through the stone walls, and everything inside could not be seen by anyone. It was certain that if they ever were to go inside, they would not be able to see anything. “How the hell is he going to see anything there?” Chiron asked.

William scoffed, then looked at the smoke escaping from the church. “Have I ever told you the reason as to why Kindred wore a maroon hood?”

“Because he does not like black?” Chiron replied, but this only made William chuckle a bit.

“No,” the general said. “Quite the opposite.”

The more they waited, the less the blades started to ring inside. Something was up, and Chiron hypothesized that the chaos inside was coming to a halt. Either way, he knew that Kindred was in trouble. He had to be. 20 people were inside that church. And not just people. Assassins.

The last of the blades stopped ringing, making William stand up. Chiron gave a confused look, perhaps thinking that it was their signal to fight the rest of the assassins now that Kindred is dead. The commander took out his sword, only to be stopped by William.

“No need,” William said, before telling the scholars to stay close. As the group walked closer to the church’s door, the sound of an open lock cracked near them. It opened, revealing someone to walk forward. When Chiron tried to see who it was, it revealed itself to be none other than Kindred, whose entire body was drenched in blood. However, it was not his.

“That’s your answer,” WIlliam said to Chiron, who felt chills throughout his body. He thought that this man was only the man who liked women and parties. But he seemed to be someone who is just the opposite now.

They walked inside of the church, where they saw a bleeding Ailyn, with her left hand cut off. Kindred faced the scholars. “The last of the assassins willing to kill you are gone. Stay in this church until things calm down.”

The frightened SUV Staff nodded, before looking at the pile of dead assassin bodies around them.

Ailyn was still alive, but she was too injured to even stand up. She knew that once Kindred threw his smoke bomb, no one in the church would know where to fight. The BVR was trained by Masiyaf assassins, but that did not mean that they knew how to really fight using their techniques, especially in the dark.

Kindred walked to Vivian, who struggled to get off as she was simply too afraid now to look at her lover, all covered in other people’s blood. Kindred took out the cloth covering her mouth, and it revealed a frightened Vivian wanting to get out. Kindred tried to comfort her, but this was of no use. It was obvious that he lost her, no matter what he would do.

“Vivian,” Kindred said, only to be met by Vivian shouting and cursing at him.

“Let me go!!! I don’t want to see you anymore!!!” she shouted, sending a stream of daggers by just her words alone. Kindred felt the pain of it rising again, but this time, he had to be more responsible now, to make the hard choice.

“Look,” Kindred said, looking at the ground. “We will let you go. Things are just very rough now. All we want is for you to stop talking about Geralt.”

Vivian looked at Kindred, disgusted by what she heard. “Who are you to talk about this issue? Because what? You’re going to kill me for it?”

“Vivian. This is a matter of life and death.”

“You never valued it in the first place. Why should I listen to you?”

“BECAUSE I VALUE YOURS!” Kindred shouted, making the others behind him walk back. The two assassins never heard Kindred scream like that. “Please Vivian. Geralt has changed.”

“And you think that justifies the people he killed?”

Kindred then looked at Vivian in her eyes. He could see that she was no longer looking at him the same. He loved her, but it now came to a point where that feeling stopped in being reciprocated. “You Ravenians can choose to live a life of blissful ignorance,” she said, before looking at William. “You can choose to live a lie. But I am a Karthusian. I am willing to die for knowledge and the truth. And if I die here because of that, then so be it.”

Kindred closed his eyes. He thought that he could help her, perhaps even convince her to not speak of this until the coast was clear. But unlike him, she valued the truth over peace. He pulled out something from his pocket. It was a serum, filled with a light blue liquid.

“So you’re the one who stole the Fabulotica Serum.” Vivian said, before looking away from Kindred. “I should have known.”

Kindred opened his eyes to look away. “I’m sorry, Vivian. I love you.”

He then slowly injected the serum towards her neck, putting all of the liquid inside of her. Vivian felt very sleepy, and soon, she fell into a peaceful slumber. A painless death.

Kindred turned around, only to meet Ailyn on her dying breath. Memories began to rise up with him and her together. But today, it had to end now.

“I'm sorry... patawad... I'm sorry...I'm.....” he said, speaking in Sarang-Ganese, before taking out his blade to cut her head off cleanly. He then turned to the two assassins, and the rest of the scholars. “Keep yourselves safe. Do not get out unless William tells you to.”

The scholars nodded, and they walked to Vivian to try to wake her up. The Fabulotica serum was not yet revealed, but by the time they checked her pulse, wails and cries started to roar across the church.

—--

Dawn nodded at one of the White Knights. Then, they started taking out their swords and walked towards the assassins. “What are you doing!?” Kindred suddenly retorted, but Dawn only looked at him, refusing to elaborate.

With his swiftness, Kindred dodged many of the attacks of the white knights. He knew he couldn’t kill them, especially with the numbers that they had, but he could try to maneuver his way out of this place. He jumped and climbed to the ceiling using the pillars and multiple sections of the building. Some of the assassins followed suit, but some weren’t as lucky as him. The bloodbath had started, and it was imminent.

When he got up to the second floor, several Pyromancers from the Effectivus District started to fire at him. He tried to jump away, but the fireball was too quick and it hit his leg. He jumped towards a classroom and closed the door, burning the assassins behind him. He then immediately limped across the room and into the window.

When the rest of the white knights arrived, he was already gone, like a ghost, like a deadly assassin, like Kindred’s reputation.

—--