Steel clashed with one another. None of them budged. Parry after dodge, it only continued. The sounds of their blades never went away, as if it was an instrument being played albeit, one that could end their lives in an instant.

It was clear from the two of them that they have complete mastery of their blades. They continued to play with one another, defending, provoking, attacking. Their movements were not wasted, a clear sign of experience.

Their blades locked again but the moment it did, Allendis drew his knife, aiming for her neck. She was startled at his surprise attack that she immediately created some distance between them.

"What's the matter?" His voice was devoid of emotion yet his question was a mocking one.

"Nothing noteworthy." She lied.

Up until now, they were studying each other, learning from each swing, growing from each scrape. It did not occur to her that he would resort to such tactics.

She held her curved single-edged blade over her shoulder with both hands, ready to strike again.

And so she did.

His defense is nigh impenetrable, and his offense is downright brutal. Still, she noticed that he was unwilling to use much more complex attacks, preferring a more efficient style.

He noticed that her attacks changed, instead of acting and reacting fast, she was becoming more active and agile. This was not good. He needed to take this seriously if he wanted to keep up with her.

And so he did.

She was naturally fast, she might even be faster than him. Not only that, her strikes were precise even with her dance like movements. But she had one weakness.

She relied too much on her weapon.

She saw him closed the distance and swung a horizontal slash. She immediately put a defensive stance to block his sword. Instead, she felt an intense blunt pain from her abdomen.

She glanced at her side and was surprised that instead of a blade, it was his fist.

She used her blade to to create a space between her and him, before she coughed in pain.

His face was so cold. So emotionless. Like a corpse. He wasn't a mere warrior. He was a killer.

"You lack pride in your sword skills." She pointed her sword at him. The beautiful woman stood confidently.

"Yes. Is that a bad thing? Does it make you sick?"

She glared at him hard. She knows his type. A man who lacks pride is a dangerous one. Not one to do such things for the blade but for survival or enjoyment.

"I have a question." She heard his voice, still so cold.

"What do you want from us? You've been following us since we left the minstrel's crowd."

"I came to test you." She said to him.

"For what? You want me to join your army?" His voice was emotionless as before.

"No, instead..."

She threw her sword aside.

"I want to hire you."

His eyes grew colder. He still doesn't trust her.

"So you dragged me here to the forest so that you can hire me?"

"Yes. You're a mercenary aren't you? One with an infamous title."

He lowered his guard somewhat. His eyes never leaving her for a second.

"Why would you go all through the trouble?"

"Because..."

She sat down on a nearby log. She clutched her stomach in, still not over the pain.

"That was a strong punch, demon."

"Answer the question already." He said, his tone was laced with impatience.

"Tell me, do you know why the kingdom of Bolsung is so feared?"

He stayed silent for a moment. He wasn't into politics but when he thought of the country, he was reminded by their fearsome warriors.

She smirked at him. "I can already tell your answer, and that's mostly the reason." He urged her to continue. "In order for us to reach the pinnacle of strength, we are put to a harsh training environment. We were told to survive on our own, we hone our skills so that we can be of used to the kingdom."

There was a long pause. Their weapons lay forgotten.

"We were feared because hardships turned us into the fearless." And the people... They are suffering because of us... and with a war about to break out, who knows how many of them would continue to suffer..."

Both of them were quiet. Only the cool winds passed their hearing.

"I just... want to stop it all..."

He still looked at her with the same impassive gaze yet he understood her. Her pain and so he remained silent.

She looked up to him and he was surprise to see an overwhelming sadness in her clear violet eyes. "Do what have to do. You have your own responsibilities to deal with and if stopping this war is the right thing to do... then I'm not obligated to stop you."

"Well said Allendis."

They turned to the source of the voice and found his white haired companion.

"How long were you awake?"

"Long enough."

The young woman saw Adelaide walking towards her. She was wearing a dark cloak, her footsteps were soft and slow. From what she could see, she was wearing a white shirt with maroon tights.

"So miss, what do you want with my mercenary?" Adelaide asked. He face was obscured by the hood, only her lower face and white hair was visible to Kriemhild.

Allendis remained silent and observed what was happening.

The raven-haired woman stood up, it was clear that she was much taller than her.

"I want to ask for his help."

She crossed her arms, Adelaide was confused. "Why would you need his help? As far as I know he's just a mercenary?"

"What? You don't know that he–"

"Let's stay on topic." He cut her off.

The woman looked at him, a complicated emotion washed over her while Adelaide was curious. What was that all about?

"I want to hire his help to take down my uncle."

They both looked at her in surprise.

"Your uncle?"

"Yes, I haven't introduced myself but I am princess Kriemhild of Bolsung, niece to king Gunther."

They gained completely different reactions. Allendis wondered what was up with him meeting princesses all of the sudden while Adelaide was on guard, she was face to face with an enemy princess.

"Just my luck." He muttered.

Adelaide stood there, no doubt her brain was concocting something.

This was a great opportunity, she would be their first ally and a royal of Bolsung to boot. Her strength and knowledge would be invaluable. But there was a possibility that she is a spy for them.

She looked at her companion, she trusted his instincts and his experience. Frankly, she wanted her to join them but it seemed liked Allendis was a bit skeptical.

He saw the look on her pleading eyes and sighed, he nodded to her plight and she walked up to Kriemhild and extended her hand.

"It would be rude for allies to not introduce themselves, right?" She said.

Adelaide smiled at her. Kriemhild was relieved that they accepted her offer.

"But are you sure you would ally yourself with your enemy?" Adelaide's voice was steely. It was a tone Kriemhild and Allendis was all too familiar with.

Kriemhild put her guard up, "What do you mean?" She asked

"Would you ally yourself to me? Adelaide von Helregin of Valhalla?" She said. Her smile was gone and her eyes were dark. What Kriemhild saw was a face not that of a princess but that of a ruler.

"The dead princess?!" Her eyes widened after the fact. She thought that Hel has assassinated her, that was what everyone thought, including the prince and princesses.

There was silence, no one uttered a word, only the critters of the night made a sound. It was becoming quite uncomfortable for them.

Suddenly Adelaide felt a grab on her hand. It was Kriemhild and grip was tight on her.

"I'm prepared. To stand beside you both, no matter the consequences." She said, her voice was filled with resolution, her eyes looked into her own, filled with determination. If siding with them would help her people and her siblings, then it would all be be worth it in the end.

Adelaide smiled softly. To her, she would be another great ally and possibly a great friend.

"Thank you lady Kriemhild." Adelaide smiled gratefully at the princess.

On the depths of the clearing was someone floating above the trees, unbeknownst to the three of them. A magical ball came to him as it spun around his hand as if it were alive.

"Good job boy..."

It was at the crack of dawn, he just woke up.

The inn wasn't all that bad.

The room needed some cleaning but overall it was comfortable enough that they slept soundly after a long night.

He went to the mess hall and ordered some breakfast for them. They were kind folks and despite the constant cold of Bolsung, they managed to keep a positive outlook.

After breakfast was done, he went upstairs and decided to wake up the two.

It took a while but the two princesses finally woke up and smelled the food.

"Something smells good..." Adelaide absentmindedly remarked.

"It's just grilled meat." He was confused at what she was blabbering about.

"I agree with lady Adelaide, it smells lovely." Kriemhild seconded. She was wearing a cloak to disguise herself from the public.

"Like I said, it's just grilled meat."

They took their seats at the farthest table where no one can interrupt then and decided to dig in.

"Hmmm, this is certainly delicious."

Allendis looked at Adelaide blankly.

"Certainly, it is somewhat refreshing."

He then did the same to Kriemhild.

Though he had to admit, it was nice eating quietly like this. It wasn't common for hin to get a nice meal like this with all the traveling he did.

"How's your injury, Kriemhild?"

"It's... Still quite painful but it will heal soon enough." She said.

"Sorry about that."

"No, it's alright I can see why you were so feared, your combat prowess were just as the bards say "

Adelaide stopped eating for a while. "Bards?"

"Aye." She said as she continued eating. "A man who could slay a hundred in a single night with just a sword and wits on his hand. Those were the first lines of the song but I couldn't remember the rest."

Adelaide gave Allendis a questioning look while he ignored her eyes on him and followed Kriemhild's example.

"Aren't you famous."

Allendis merely ignored her m. He noticed the curious gaze of Kriemhild and Adelaide, so he decided to indulge in their curiosity.

"I was known as the Black Demon."

Adelaide was confused. She didn't know that he had a title. "The Black Demon?"

"It was a name that was given to me by mercenaries and warriors alike." He chimed in.

Adelaide saw the evasion on Allendis' face and decided not to pursue any further. She trusts him enough that he would tell her the reason once hes comfortable enough.

"Alright, let's focus on the problem at hand, we need to leave Bolsung as soon as we can. If what Kriemhild said is true, then Bolsung is now ready to attack and we'll be in the middle of their charge." Allendis said.

"You're right, we need to reach Valencia and make way to Lombard and New Venetia as quickly as we can." Adelaide said.

"We also need to be careful of the Four Horsemen. They're in charge with the troops in our army. If one of those generals found out that you are alive, they would show no mercy to you." Kriemhild informed them.

"So what do we do?" He asked Adelaide.

"We need to gain an audience with the current king of Valencia, king Cidel and ask him for help."

"Then we have to continue moving west. I also need to go back to our camp and prepare some supplies for our journey." Kriemhild told them.

"If you know any merchant, can you make an arrangement to meet with me?"

She was at a lost. "I can certainly try, but what brought this on?"

"If we're building an army we need a constant stock on our weapons and supplies. We need those merchants so that they could sell us their goods and blacksmiths for weapon maintenance. Provided we agree on certain terms." He said to them.

"That is certainly a good idea. I'll arrange someone for you." She said to him.

"When will you be able to depart?" Adelaide asked.

"As soon as possible. My men must be worried, so I need to at least show that I am unharmed."

"Then we'll hold down the fort for you. Good luck with those dealings." He mock saluted at her.

"Thank you."

It was all coming together now. She wondered, how would this war impact this continent? She could only looked towards the future that was unknown.