“Often blessings and burdens comes hand in hand. The bigger the Crown the heavier the burden.”

- Jeanette Coron

(Prince POV)

"Your Highness, please wake up."

I open my eyes groggily, feeling the push on my shoulder, and the nearby whisper. The darkness of my room is the only thing I can see at first. After a while, my vision accommodates to the obscure twilight, allowing me to inspect my surroundings.

"Please, your Highness, we must hurry."

I can see a soldier at the edge of my bed, fully armed. The soft rays of the moonlight coming through the window are just enough for me to identify the uniform of the Helm Guard. I immediately rise up, alert. If the personal royal guard of my father is here, in the middle of night, it means something important is happening.

"What is going on?"

"We were sent for you by Emperor Maliko, your father. We must get you out of city. This is a matter of the utmost urgency."

"Wha-"

I am interrupted when the door of the room opens and someone I recognize enters.

"Is the Prince ready? We don't have much time."

Sir Pegbo Devaillant, Captain of the Helm Guard, Personal Knight of the Emperor. I can feel my mouth hanging open as he quickly sweeps the room with his eyes, finally setting them on me.

"You," he says while pointing to the soldier next to me "Get him some clothes. We are leaving now."

The soldier rushes as silently as he can to the nearby dresser, and gets my travel garments out of it. I stand here, immobile and shell-shocked, while the soldier helps me put it on. What the hell is happening right now?

Before I know it, we are in the hallways of the Palace, making our way through the dimly lit corridors. We pass by a few servants and guards at this late hour, who all give us a wide berth once they spot us. I am surrounded by at least thirty, fully armed soldiers. Finally getting out of my stupor, I quicken my pace to reach Sir Devaillant, in the front.

"Can someone please tell me what is happening?"

Sir Devaillant turns his head to look at me. I can see the tension and stress on his visage.

"I have no idea, my Prince. I was asked to get you to safety, no matter the cost. That's all that matters."

As he finishes his sentence, we finally arrive inside the outer courtyard, where the stables are located. Just as we pass the archway, leading outside, something catches the attention of the scout in front. He stops and holds up a hand.

We all stop immediately. Pegbo ushers me back to the middle of the soldiers, while he draws his sword. I can see all the people around do the same. I swallow audibly, the tension almost palpable in the air.

"How come there are nobody arou-", I try to ask before being signaled to keep quiet by a nearby soldier.

We all watch as the scout, a good twenty meters in front is still immobile, inspecting the nearby patches of darkness with a vigilant eye. The courtyard is filled with an eerie silence. The normally active and full of servant place is deserted. How is that even possible ?

He finally relaxes and turns back to look at us.

"All Clea-"

Before he can even finish his sentence, an arrow whistle past from his right and embeds itself in his head. We watch in astonished silence as he crumbles to the ground. Pegbo Devaillant' loud voice is heard at full volume this time.

"Defense Formation! Shields up! Contacts in front! Protect the Prince at all cost!"

I watch in horror as numerous figures clad in black emerge from the shadows around us and start pulling out blades. Arrows start flying toward us. The soldiers react almost immediately, executing Sir Devaillant' orders to the letter. The darkness clad opponents hurl themselves at the soldiers, hoping to overwhelm them, the arrows barrage having been intercepted by the swift reaction of the men around me.

The sounds of battle starts reverberating in the courtyard, as both side engage one another. From my limited viewpoint I can see the soldiers holding on, and responding with brutal efficiency to all the attacks aimed at them. Our opponents seem to have trouble harming the experienced veterans of the Helm Guard.

"Push them back! We are making a break for the stables!"

I can see Sir Devaillant wielding his blade with an unnatural swiftness as he cleaves through an opponent and gives the order. Before I known it, I am pushed from behind as the elite of this Empire start advancing, and killing everything that dares put itself in its way.

"They are retreating! Push forward!"

Far from their initial scary demeanor, the unknown assailants are now turning back and getting away from us, leaving a hefty number of their troops dead or dying on the ground.

"Don't give chase! It's probably a trap! We must get the Prince out of here!"

After a short run, we enter the dimly lit stables. I empty my stomach when I see what happened to the servants and guards that normally man these stables at all time of the day. They are piled up in a corner, throat slit, a look of fear and incomprehension etched on their faces, along with a pool of drying blood slowly growing under their now cold bodies.

As I finish regurgitating the rest of my previous dinner, I am grabbed by a nearby soldier who lifts me and puts me on a nearby horse. Too shocked with the events unfolding, I let him strap me to the saddle without resisting. And before I know it, we are making our way outside of the Palace, and outside the city.

As we reach the countryside, outside Lydria's walls, our group stops. I turn on my saddle to look back at the capital, not really understanding what had happened.

"My Prince, are you alright?"

I lower my eyes to look at Pegbo Devaillant, afoot, just next to my horse. He has a worried face.

"I- I-… I don't know…"

He takes a knowing look and pats my leg.

"You'll be fine. Everything is going to be fine. Don't worry your Highness."

Despite his words, I can't help but look back at the city, and wonder.

Is it, really ?

“An end in terror is preferable to terror without end.”

- Sophie Scholl

(XSS-MK1 POV)

I crouch low and look at the encampment a little more than a hundred meters away from me. My sensors are showing me about a hundred and fifty thermal signatures, most of them bandits, if you remove the fires they lit up at the beginning of the night, and the tents strewn about, which obviously hold more, but mess up my tactical read.

It wasn't hard to track down the ones that fled from the ambush site. In their panic, they did little to cover their tracks. My natural speed and advanced sensory equipment gave me ample opportunity to catch up to them, and follow them from a distance. The three day long trek back to their base also gave me time to "cool-off" after what happened.

I was actually surprised when, in my deliberate chase, I found them going into a small forest. I had expected the Plains to be no more than that, but they can apparently be sometimes dotted by the occasional wood or rock formation. Which in my case is good since it gives me the necessary cover to inspect their camp while staying completely dissimulated. The few sentries they have around are not nearly enough to cover the full scope of hiding spots that the nearby trees offer. And their canopy actually hides the few reflective parts of my armor from the rays of the twin moons hanging overhead, in the clear night sky.

I make a quick recap of my objectives before engaging this enemy. First I need a new disguise. Depending on what I find I will have to improvise. Second, I must make sure that none escape. If they ever get away and tell other humans what happened, it will put the nearby authorities on alert, even more so than they probably already are. The civilian survivors of the convoy must have already reached a nearby settlement by that point. And at last, I must find resources. Money would help expedite a lot of my problems, and provide any future guards I encounter a good reason to look the other way. Which would be extremely handy at the south border.

I give a last appraising look to the encampment inside the small clearing before dropping down from my observation perch.

Well, let's get to it then.

"Hey Jakev! You want some grub?"

"…"

What the hell? Is the bastard ignoring me again? I start walking in his direction. I can see him from afar, leaning against a tree, at the border of the nearby fire's light.

"Hey man! You gonna answer or what?"

I reach him and put my hand on his shoulder. He slumps, and falls to the ground like a puppet without strings.

"What the-"

The last thing I feel is a pinch on the back of my neck before my sight blurs and the deep black takes me.

"Hey anybody seen Rashig?"

"Last I saw him he was taking a piss behind the trees. Why you looking for him anyway?"

"Was playing cards with him. I swear if he leaves to escape that bet he took he is going to have my fist in his face."

A few men around give a dry laugh before getting back to their own activities.

"Which direction you said he went?"

"This way."

"Hey Rashig! You there man ? We haven't finish- hugh…"

*THUD*

I gently put down the body of the last man I killed. What really baffles me right now is the fact that the bandits are still not aware of my presence after nearly a third of their effective have been effectively neutralized. It make my job easier but still ; I expected them to notice at least something when the sentries were being taken down.

The only reason I can think of that explains why they would be so relaxed would be if someone in their chain of command had information on nearby army patrols. No need to be wary of something that can't hurt you, right?

Anyway, they will eventually notice the disappearances. And I have just the thing for when they do.

(Bandit Chief POV)

"Stop struggling bitch! Just take it!

I slap the woman under me across her face. She stops moving and curls up, holding her face in her hands. Bitch should've known better. I grab her arms and spreads her out onto my bed. Perks of being the chief : first taste of the spoils.

She starts sobbing as I enter her. I start moving back and forth ; she is a fine lady for sure. She will earn me a nice little sum on the slave market of Jasu. Pretty little blond thing like her will surely catch the attention of one or two influential clients looking for their next "stress-relieving" toy.

After releasing myself into her, I get out of the bed and starts to dress myself. I throw a quick look behind me to the young woman. She is crying silently. Tssk. Gonna have to break her, else she's going to drop in value. Or maybe not. Some of the clients do like their women with a little bit of fight left in them.

I move to another part of my tent, where a fine bottle of brandy is waiting for me. That raid on that caravan a few weeks ago paid out for sure. I will have to thank our contact at the travel office personally. I pour the amber liquid in a glass and start sniffing the sweet aroma emanating from the cup. Hmmm.

I down the glass in one go, enjoying the strong kick of the alcohol a few second later. Good shit. I frown a bit. I remember what the survivors of Rid Brasric's group told me earlier today. The ones that made it anyway. Fuck! A near third of the band, gone, just like that! To some tin can no less!

I throw my glass on the ground in anger, and turn back to my bed, fully planning to enjoy the rest of the night and vent my frustrations by the same occasion. But before I can resume my activities, one of the guards outside barges into the tent.

"Chief! Chief! You need to come see this!"

"You better have a fucking good reason to disturb me right now!"

The man cowers in front of me.

"I- I know c-chief."

I grunt and grab my sword, following the shaking dreg that dared interrupt me. I'll deal with him later.

However, as soon as I exit the tent, I can see that something is wrong. All my men have their weapons drawn, and are huddling around the fires, looking at the woods with fear. And then I hear it.

"Hihihi. Haha."

A laugh. Not a simple laugh. But one that I would have expected to hear from a young girl in her childhood. Except it was coming from the dark wood, with a strange crystal ethereal quality to it, not quite right to the ear. I approach one of my lieutenants, hoping to have an explanation, when I hear it again.

"Hehe. Hihi."

I do a 180 on the spot, the sound having come from the other side of the camp this time. I can hear everyone around gasping and doing the same, clutching their weapons ever tighter. I can feel a chill crawling up my back.

"Can someone please tell me what the fuck is happening right now?"

My shout wakes up the nearest men from their stupor.

"W-we don't know. S-started hearing it dozen minutes ago. When we started noticing some of the men w-were missing."

I curse inwardly. First a failed raid and now this! I am fucking pissed now!

"Show yourself you fucker! I'll teach you what happens when people mess with me!"

There is an heavy silence for a while, before I hear something on my right.

"You want to play? Yes! Play with me!"

The unnerving tone of the answer is really starting to grate my nerves. I point to a nearby man.

"You there. Go check it out!"

The man looks at me, terrified. He gulps audibly before pointing his sword in front of him and taking tentative steps toward the surrounding darkness. We all watch in silence as he advances slowly. Just when he starts to disappear into the shadows, We hear a sudden cracking sound and the scout slumps to the ground, with his head jerked at a strange angle.

"Hihi. Play with me more!"

One of the men on my left just loses it and starts running in the opposite direction, hoping to escape whatever is around here, lurking.

"No! Don't!"

Before he can even heed my order, he disappears from our sight. And then the screams reach us.

"AAAAAAAAAHH. NO PLEASE NO NO N-."

They end as fast as they started.

"Hehe. Hahaha."

I can feel my stomach plummeting. Whatever has decided to attack us tonight, it's everywhere. We can't escape. We can't run. I have heard legends of vengeful sprites or forest spirits before. Nobody ever gets away from them.

I hear a second cracking noise and one of men right next to us collapses face first. Everyone takes a step back from him, in fright from the sudden noise and the movement.

I approach him slowly, and kick his body to turn him around. I can see his face, full of fear and dirt, with a red hole in the forehead. A simple, little red hole, slowly oozing blood. I look away and gaze upon my surroundings.

Dear gods…

We are all dead.

"Hihihi."

(XSS-MK1 POV)

As I kill the last bandit, with a rock throw, I look back upon my grim work. Very effective. I am quite pleased with myself.

I look up to the sky, noticing the first discolorations, signaling the arrival of the morning sun. It will have taken me most of the night to kill them all, but my strategy allowed me to contain the bandits. Which was the primary objective. I think back to last stand they tried to mount, trying to escape by doing a disorganized rush through the forest. Which would have worked if I hadn't been paying attention, or if they had attempted it earlier, before losing so much people.

I also note the effectiveness of the fear tactic used. I could have taken any voice at all. From the low growling of a beast, to the high pitched screams of a banshee. But the little girl voice proved to be the most effective.

People don't often realize, but true fear comes from psychological unease, more than just basic scares. It comes from a sense of wrongness instilled by the presence of something ordinary in a different context. That and slightly twisting it, deforming it, until the subconscious of the target tries to fill the blanks of the unknown in a desperate attempt to understand what it is confronted with. A self-destruction almost artistic in the way it affects the senses and the mind. In and out of itself, the voice of a little girl is not scary. But coupled with a dark wood, mysterious disappearances, brutal deaths, and the distinct impression of being played with, and this is what you get : pure terror.

I smile inwardly while looking at my left hand. Inside are a few small rocks. Pretty harmless in and out of themselves, but with a good deal of force behind them, they become quite deadly. I threw them with nearly all my force, and they performed beautifully. I drop them on the ground. A chance none of my target were wearing full-cover helmets though. That would have made it problematic. But hey: no blood on my plates and vent ports this time.

I start walking inside the camp, making sure to check each tent as I walk past. Nothing beats being cautious. I am also looking for supplies and clothes. So far I only found a few pouches with bronze and silver ducats, but not much else. And no good garments. I am about to enter another tent when I hear something. I look ahead and see a naked woman just outside the entrance of the central tent. She is looking at me with big round eyes.

She is human. Her long and strait blond hair is ruffled and dirty. It encompass a small round face. A face where I can see bruises and scratches. As well as on the rest of her body. The mark of restraints on her wrists and ankles, along with the slow white liquid, dripping from her inner tigh, tell me everything I need to know about what she is doing here.

I run and reappear in front of her in an instant. She stumbles back and falls on her behind with a yelp. I grab her by the throat and lifts her off her feet. She tries to struggle, grabbing my arm with both hands. I don't squeeze strongly, just wanting to restrain her. After a few seconds she stops resisting and stares at me. I drop her to the ground.

"Your name."

She looks at me hesitantly, before speaking.

"H-Hesca Veneli… You-you are not going to kill me?"

Right now I am considering it. Better not tell her that though. I didn't expect anyone but bandits to be present. And since I have no problem killing them, leaving witnesses wasn't going to be a problem. But her, she is. I should kill her right now. To prevent myself the hassle.

But an idea sprout up in my head, and stops my previous line of thoughts.

"No. Not for the moment."

She relaxes and let out the breath she was holding. However she is not out of the woods. Figuratively and literally.

"Now I want you to listen. Listen very closely. I am going to ask you questions. I will know if you lie to me."

She nods slowly, looking at me in the eyes. Good.

"How did you end up here?"

"I was escorting a merchant to the north a few weeks from now. We got attacked, and I ended up here. I have been a captive ever since."

Heartbeat is stable. No sudden perspiration or muscle twitch. No peculiar ocular movement. She is telling the truth.

Good.

"Do you have people you know who are looking for you? Do you have family alive somewhere? Think long and hard about your answer."

She throws me a strange look before answering.

"No… and no. Wait, what does this has to do with you?"

Ah… not so sharp, is she? But she'll get to it eventually. There she goes. I can see her eyes widening.

"What the hell do you want with me? Are you going to bring me back to your master, just so that I can be a slave? Because I will kill myself before I let that happen again!"

While that would be a high probability, if I had a master, that's not what I had in mind. I realized that the only reason the adventurers attacked me was that they though me unbound. A situation that could have been easily avoided if I had somebody role-playing as one with me. And I just found the perfect person for the job. One which happens to be in debt to me, who seems actually honest, and that nobody is even looking for. Even if she was an adventurer, a mercenary, or even just a simple hired hand, whoever registered her for the job nearly a month ago must have heard about the ambush by now, and marked her off as dead.

Besides, if I ever think she will betray me, I can just kill her and leave her dead body behind. The risk of betrayal is far smaller than the risk of being impeded each time my disguise gets seen through. Which considering I am planning to enter clockwork lands while staying under the radar, will be pretty high.

I just have to convince her now.

"While that would be very likely, if I had a master, that is not what I am planning to do with you. No. Far from it."

"Y-You are a Stray! Oh Dear Goddess save me now!"

She starts panicking and backing off frantically, eventually reaching the wall of the tent she just exited from. She raises her arms and covers her face, putting herself in a fetal position. I walk closer to her and crouch just in front of her. I let her shake for all she is worth for a full minute before intervening.

"Am I hurting you right now?"

She slowly lowers one of her arms and looks at me.

"N-no…?"

"Am I, in any way, showing ill intent towards your person?"

She answers with a bit more assurance in her voice this time.

"No."

"That is because I am not going to. Not now, or not in the near future. Unless you force me. Let me be very clear on this point : Should I harm you in any way, it will be because of you and your actions alone. Do you understand what I am saying right now?"

She nods slowly.

"Good. Now I am looking for someone to pretend to be my master while I move around. You will do so. I will not enslave you. I will not mistreat you. I will even care for you and protect you. The only thing I ask of you is to fill this role and do so with the best of your ability, until it is no longer required. But know this : Should you ever betray me, in any way, during that time, it will not matter how far you run, or who will be there to protect you ; I will find you, and I will kill you. In ways that will make what I did to these bandits look like a light tap on the wrist in comparison. I am not someone who forgets, nor someone who forgives. Are we clear?"

She stares at me, frozen. Eventually she breaks eye contact and asks.

"Do I even have a choice?"

"Yes. But if you do not accept my offer, or try to lie while doing so, I will kill you right here and now. I cannot leave witnesses."

She winces. After a while she looks at me in the eyes again and gives me her answer.

"Then I agree."

I extend a hand towards her. She grabs it and I pull gently, helping her up.

"Pleasure to meet you. My name is XSS-MK1. Let's get you some clothes, shall we?"