"Aren't you going to kill him? The battle is over. You won.", The ogre-like man said, calling out to me. He clapped, and steadily approached us. Several Jaegers clad in red armor lurked around. He completely disregarded the fact I had my rapier lodged in Randy's throat right now. After that initial puncture, no more blood came through.
"Now why would I kill him? It is as you say. The battle is over. Take him and leave this place.", I said, my eyes remained cold.
"You're still on the battlefield lad. There are no buts in a life or death battle. We Jaegers take pride in falling in battle, even if it's of our own kin. If you don't kill him, I will.", The man said, and approached me. I didn't back down, even when he drew his giant axe. To my surprise, he didn't point it at me, but instead, he pointed it at his own kin, Randy.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you shall perish in Randolph's place by my axe.", The man said. He unleashed his bloodlust, and a cold air swept through the entire building. Even though the villa was still set ablaze, I felt a chill run down my spine. Sheesh, talk about imposing. This man is no joke. So this is what the War God is like, eh? As crazy and unruly as the games show him to be.
"Did you already forget the mission you were assigned to do, you buffoon?", Another voice spoke, appearing annoyed. It did not take long for a man to arrive beside the Jaegers, dressed in a priest-like robe that was very fancy and vibrant. He even held a staff in his hand "And I even tasked you to leave the vessel intact and unharmed. You stupid pea-brained War God. You can expect a good pay reduction from this.", The man continued, only to sigh. "But the package is secured nonetheless."
Hearing that, my eyes turned serious. I pulled out the rapier from Randy's throat, and kicked his body away. He yelled out in pain once more, signaling he was still alive. His body failed onto some rubble further away, painting it red.
The War God laughed hearing the priest say that. Of course, this man is Sigmund Orlando. Just being near him, my skin was already crawling. The Gamer System remained silent, but if it did react, it would be loud blaring sirens telling me to get the hell away from this guy. He was simply that strong. it took all of the SSS to take him down during Azure. And right now, he had his War Axe pointed right at me.
"I guess we failed to do the unharmed part. I had no motion in it. Randolph will receive punishment later, should he make it out of this alive. At the very least, he was able to share a life-and-death battle with you, boy. I saw the War God place his axe away, and approach me. With a big swing of his fist, I felt him punch my chest, delivering a powerful blow. With that, my health dropped to below 20%.
"Ugh...", I groaned, half-expecting that to happen. My fight with Randy really did a number on me, didn't it? I coughed out some blood, and fell onto my knees. There was something Sigmund failed to pick up on before he punched me.
I delivered some Blood Magic onto Randy's body, who was now likely unconscious from that last push. The amount of blood he lost was great, but his life is still intact. My Blood Magic soon started seeping into his body. When you think of Dhampirs and Blood Magic, what do you think comes to mind? That was what I was planning here!
As I had one last look at the giant man before me who didn't seem to be human one bit, I felt my remaining strength leave my body. Plop.
Falling face forward, I let my consciousness drift away. Seeing me now collapsed into the War God's grasp, he picked me up and placed me over his shoulders without any effort at all. One of the nearby Red Constellation Jaegers approached Randy, and did the same.
"The package is secured, High Priest. Boys, go retrieve Randolph and tend to his wounds. If either one makes it out of this mess, they could become rivals for one another in the future, haha!", Sigmund said, letting out a loud bellow. As he did, the Jaeger who was now carrying Randy quickly approached him.
"Boss, you might want to have a look at this. Captain Randolph's wounds have already begun to close...", The Jaeger said, which drew Sigmund's attention.
"Oh? How strange...", Sigmund uttered, taking a look at Randy. Sure enough, thanks to the Blood Magic I placed on him, Randy's wounds have already started closing, which made sure he lost no more blood. On the contrary, I fed him enough Blood Magic where he was already starting to replenish his lost blood. Even some color returned to his face as he remained unconscious. "Did the lad cast some last minute healing Art or something, feeling pity for his enemy? A shame. Still wet behind the ears from the looks of it. Not enough time spent on the battlefield."
Yet to Sigmund's surprise, the Jaeger shook his head.
"It isn't exactly like that, Boss. No Combat Orbment has been located within the vicinity, nor is there one on the package's body. This is why we found it strange.", The Jaeger answered.
"Hoh?", The High Priest said, only to look down at me, and revealed a smile. Reaching his hand down, he grabbed a hold of my face. "You are becoming more interesting with each passing moment. You will definitely serve as a good vessel for My Lady. It is a shame we couldn't have found you sooner.", The High Priest said with a creepy smile. This also drew interest from Sigmund.
"So even someone like you serves another, eh?", Sigmund asked.
"But of course I do. I am merely a servant to the True One.", The High Priest answered.
"Hahaha! I always forget you cultists reject the existence of the Goddess. But that ain't our problem. It's yours. You paid us for the job, and well, mission accomplished. Even with the docked pay, I still expect payment from you.", Sigmund replied, letting out another laugh.
Sigmund hoisted me over his shoulder once again, signaling that I was now theirs. For the time being, anyway. I had wanted to enter the DG Cult through using the Hundred Days War as a pretense to vanish into the shadows. I just did not think they would come to me first. I recognized this priest. He is Joachim Gunter, High Priest of the Sun Fort's lodge. I am not sure how, but it looks like he is already interested in me as a potential 'sacrifice' to the one they have inside what they call, The Cradle.
Well, let's see how things play out from here.
"Yeah yeah. Just make sure the package is with me by the time I head back to my lodge.", The High Priest said. He approached me once more, did a tap of his staff, and uttered a light chant. Blue light swirled over my body, which began to heal my wounds at a visible pace. He likely did that to not have my life in danger anymore.
Seeing this, Sigmund nodded his head toward the Jaegers, and spoke out.
"Apply some first aid and send Randolph back to our home base. Should he ask later, we will call this match a draw.", Sigmund declared. "And this will for sure make one hell of a story to tell little Shirley later. She's already a bundle of energy, gaha!", Sigmund continued, letting out another bellowing laugh.
""Ja!"", The Red Constellation Jaegers responded in unison once again.
With that concluded, they left what remained of the Osborne Villa. It was burnt to a crisp. The higher floors were no longer seen. They had all collapsed onto itself. Kasia's remains were long gone, as Tamamo had already absorbed her into her body. Roselia wasn't sure what kind of vessel to implant Kasia's soul into, so it's very possible she could use the body itself!
The few guards that attempted to protect the villa all collapsed onto the ground, dead from blood loss. Their orbal pistols were either torn to shreds, or split into half. The Red Constellation killed everyone on sight, as they stated they would. Large puffs of smoke continued to trail into the starry sky above as they all retreated into the darkness of the night...
Meanwhile, some time had passed since Giliath left the villa. He was not sure how much time passed. He just kept running after forming a covenant with the Ebon Knight. He was now further into the Eisengard Mountain Range.
A look of exhaustion appeared in Giliath's eyes, but he still had enough energy to carry a small boy over his back, who was still unconscious from the night raid from earlier.
Giliath did not question where he was getting all of this excess energy from. He felt tired, yes, but at the same time, he was bursting with energy. It was as if something was supplementing him with it. He found that he pushed himself through the long, long night. In fact, even his speed increased, making it easier to run. Even the wounds that once dressed his body closed up. Only his uniform remained a wreck.
"Hah...Hah...", Giliath said, continuing to run past tree after tree after tree. He ran past plains, stones and rocks. He soon found himself on a long and windy mountain path further up into the Eisengard Mountain Range. The Schwarz Drache Barrier was long gone by now, even the industrious city of Roer was past him too. He stayed hidden and out of sight from both humans and monsters who might have crossed his path along the way.
Several long hours passed like this, and dawn was soon approaching. Giliath was already fast approaching Spina Byroad, and soon found himself treading into small piles of snow. But neither the cold nor the snow kept Giliath from pushing through. He didn't know when, but he soon found himself in a small town way up north. Despite the exhaustion on his face, a smile appeared on it one he spotted this town.
Taking a moment, he took the boy off his shoulders, who could now be seen wrapped tightly in a warm blanket. That was all he could find before he began this long trek. Giliath found this surprising. It should have taken him several days to make it this far, but he did it within hours. He wondered if that was thanks to the voice he heard. He likely could assume it was because of whatever that shadow was, that he could be this far on his journey. He didn't know who it was he should be thankful for. It was the source of the animosity he was dealing with in his life. That culminated into his home being burnt into cinders, and his family torn apart. Giliath wondered. Was this the right way for him?
All Giliath could do now was tread through this town, only to make it in front of a large mansion as dawn arrived...
"I finally arrived...", Giliath uttered. Those who were setting up shop for the morning later observed him with weird looks, since he appeared quite tattered. There were not that many people out and about yet, so he didn't have to wait for them. Instead, Giliath approached the doorsteps, and rang the doorbell. A dull sound echoed throughout the large mansion.
"Yes, yes I'll be there in a minute!", A woman's voice said, which reached his ears. One would think it was a maid or a butler considering the mansion's size. But once Giliath heard the door click and open, a dark, blue-haired woman revealed herself.
"This is the Schwarzer Barony Mansion. What can I do for you today...?", The woman asked, only to see herself greeted by a large shadow. This prompted her to look up, only to see a man towering before her whose uniform was torn to shreds. It was as if she had seen a ghost, but the woman immediately panicked the moment she realized who it was who was standing in front of her door.
"G-G-General Osborne!? Oh Aidios, what on earth happened to you for you to look like this!?", The woman exclaimed in shock. Even with that outburst, Giliath remained calm.
"I am afraid I cannot give the answer to that, Sister Lucia. Please. I can rely on no other right now. In my time of need, please let me see Brother Teo.", Giliath explained. Even though this was the Barony of the town, he treated this woman with familial warmth. Once upon a time in Giliath's early years, his own family perished by an avalanche, making him lose his parents. Albeit for a little while, it was this very same Barony that took him in, and over time, he had come to accept this place as his temporary home before he met Kasia.
It took a good moment, but the woman named Lucia regained her composure, and nodded her head.
"R-Right away General. I will quickly take you to see my husband.", Lucia said, still panicking. Carrying Rean on his shoulders, the three made it up to the second floor, and arrived at Teo's main office. She then knocked on the door.
"Dear, you've got a guest.", Lucia said, calling out to him.
"Oh? Dawn hasn't even arrived yet. Someone arrived this early?", A man's voice spoke from inside the room. It soon revealed a middle-aged man with spiky blond hair. He wore a blue shirt underneath an ornate brown waistcoat, along with some black pants. The moment his eyes landed on Giliath's current condition, his face paled.
"...Brother Giliath!? You've looked like you've come right out of Gehenna!", Teo exclaimed, also in shock. Still, Giliath remained calm.
"While it is nice to see you two again like this, as much as it pains me to say this, I cannot remain here for long. Brother Teo, I beseech you. Please look after this child. And the moment you do, I will cut off all ties with you two. Even if it was just for a short while, I am truly grateful for all that you have done for me.", Giliath said, revealing a rare smile while taking Rean off his shoulders.
"This...", Lucia uttered, seeing a black-haired boy sleeping peacefully inside a warm blanket. "...Is this child yours, General?"
Giliath didn't answer her, and remained quiet. Not touching on the subject any longer, Teo shook his head, and sighed.
"I understand, Brother Giliath. We shall take this child under our wing. Does he have a name?", Teo asked, only to grab Rean from Giliath's arms.
"Yes. This boy is called Rean. From this moment forth, he shall be known as Rean Schwarzer. Brother Teo, I am sorry. But this is all I can say.", Giliath declared.
Lucia's gaze turned somber after hearing that, and looked at the boy.
"We understand, General Osborne. If you must go, then go. May the Goddess Aidios be your guiding light.", Lucia replied with a heartfelt smile.
After saying that, Giliath had one last look at Rean, then at Teo and Lucia, and smiled.
His figure soon fled into the darkness surrounding the town, almost as if he was never there to begin with...