Fae threw up all the little she had inside her stomach down on the dirt of the woods, her left hand on the tree that was in front of her using it as a support while her right hand held her aching stomach

"Sister, are you okay?"A voice called out to her ever so softly, but Fae couldn't even reply as her body kept trying to regurgitate whatever it felt the need to throw out

Yuna had a worried expression plastered on her face alongside her furrowed eyebrows, she always felt the need to protect Fae but what could she do now?

All she could do was put a hand on Fae's back to try and comfort the coughing woman, which Yuna hoped was the reason her friend's coughing finally settled down, spitting on the ground all the saliva she had in her mouth before breathing heavily, her head on the arm she had against the tree

Yulia finally caught up with Fae as she walked over to her with a concerned face

"Are you feeling better?" Yuna asked her while the guild master finally joined Fae's side, the same Fae who could but only nod as she felt that the only thing she vomited was her life force, her body was weak and her breathing heavy, if anything, she didn't feel better in the least

"Let's just go back, please" Fae told them, both Yuna and Yulia looked at each other before they agreed with her, the state she was in was the worst the women saw their mutual friend ever be in

"Alright Fae, let's head home" Yulia presented a hand for Fae to take but the latter didn't but give Yulia a pat on the shoulder

"It's fine I can walk, thanks" Fae gave Yulia a nod without eye contact before she passed by her and slowly walked back on the path they took, the guild master wasn't very pleased with the denial of her help as that action alone was the water that nurtured her already overgrown worries

"She just needs some time to recover" Yuna told Yulia, who looked at the blade woman before she gave her a forced smile, one that hid what she was thinking

"I hope so too" She then handed Yuna a nod before the latter melted away in the air, and the former joined Fae

The walk back to the group was silent for both of the women, Fae had no intent to speak her mind while Yulia just didn't know how to do so

They arrived back at the temporary camp that they've set up just in time for everybody to pack up and leave, their mission was a resounding success and what they've wanted, they've got, all but for one who's received more questions than answers tonight

And so they walked back home, Siegfried's injuries pained him but it wasn't enough to compromise his mobility while the rest sustained superficial wounds

"Hm?" Fae's shoulder was gently pushed as she walked in the middle of the group, she turned her head to meet the shadow emerald eyes of Claude, although she could barely discern them with the faint moonlight

She looked at him with a curious eyebrow, not uttering any more words until he quickly shook his head, it wasn't a sign of disagreement but more of a sign of worry, as if he asked her what preoccupied her mind

"Are you asking if something's wrong?" Though the woman made sure that she didn't take his intent wrongly, and she didn't, depicted in the form of a slow nod that the knight gave to her

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired" She gave him a weary smile and a nod of appreciation that he returned with one of understanding, another voice interjected itself into the conversation

"Not joining us for a drink tonight?" Myles stood to Claude's side with who now was in the middle of the former and Fae

"I'll have to refuse sorry" Fae replied to the second knight who then smiled

"Don't worry about it, you earned yourself a good night of rest with your performance today" Fae smiled at his words with appreciation

"Actually, why don't you try and become a knight, or a court mage" He informed Fae who had an eyebrow raised in curiosity

"With your capabilities, I'm sure you'd get easily recruited" Fae chuckled softly

"I'm not quite sure that's made for me, I have a lot to do, and bearing a duty like that will only make it harder" She told both him and Claude

"True" Myles nodded

"Being under this kind of oath weighs your shoulders by quite a lot, but hey" He smiled and nodded to Fae

"The offer will always be there, Claude and yours truly agreed to mention you in our report so at least if you ever change your mind, you'll easily be able to get in" Fae smiled warmly and gave him a slow nod, she didn't know whether or not it was a good idea to have her name come up in the military of Flora but, she couldn't refuse his genuine kindness

"Thank you, I appreciate it" She told both of the men with a smile to then look away slightly, Myles then talked with his comrade Claude leaving Fae alone for now, her mind couldn't escape the hook that it was caught in, how was that mountain of bodies there, and who disposed of them

The group finally returned back to Freesia after another dozen minutes, even though exhaustion embraced each one of them their hearts were all relieved to be back in one piece and with no casualties, their target hunted and put down for the greater good, or at least the good of humanity

Fae waved Athena and her group away while the knights already left the coalition of the two parties, that left two people standing in the dark street of Freesia, Fae, and Yulia

"Right then, all's well that ends well" Yulia put her right hand on her waist as she talked to her friend, who forced a smile through the tiredness, although with the uncertain expression the guild master had on her face, she had something else on her mind

"Do you maybe want to spend the night at my place?" She asked Fae who couldn’t but rub her arm with her other hand as she looked away from Yulia's gaze

"I'm not sure, I think I need some time for myself" She then lifted her eyes to look at Yulia once again

"That's fairs" Yulia nodded and forced a smile out of her

"Just make sure you come see me tomorrow alright?" She told her friend who gave her a slow nod

"Okay then, have a good night Fae" Yulia said with soft eyes and a smile that was in between warmth and worry

"To you too" And so the duo parted ways as each one of them went their own path back to their bed for a rest that their bodies couldn't be more impatient about, although both of their minds were much farther from thinking about that

Fae greeted Ulfgan who was quite surprised to see the amount of blood she was stained with, she tried her best to wear a polite smile as to not be asked about what happened other than the Chimera, as she told him brief details of how the hunt went he lead her to a place where she had enough privacy to clean herself with the water he brought

After that, Fae immediately went back to her room, her body's aches were only numbed by how heavy her mind weighted on her

The woman stood in front of a mirror that was inside her room at the red lily inn, she wore clothes that Ulfgan handed to her while the ones Yulia gave to her were sitting outside to dry out, Fae looked at the reflection of her own face on the mirror for a dozen of seconds while not a single muscle of her body moved

Her face bore a frown and her eyes were slightly closed and they were certainly not that way for the accumulated exhaustion, her hands gently moved to the bottom of her linen shirt to then lift it in one swift motion over her head, her arms still through the holes of the shirt as they were down in front of her

Fae's eyes were staring dead at the scar she had on her chest, beginning from the base of her neck and going all the way down between her breasts that were covered by the bra she was wearing, the image of the corpse they've found in that cave bearing that same scar went through her head, fingers curled to form a tightened fist while her jaw clenched and chest rose from the sudden inhale

She had to make things right this time, there would be no second chance

....

"But I want to see Fae!" Ysabel acted her age as she loudly expressed herself to her father who smiled at that fact, both of them were around the counter of the inn that harbored a mere couple of customers

"She's not here, she'll be back later don't worry" He told her again while his daughter raised an eyebrow

"Why didn't you say that first then!" He then chuckled to her words, ruffling her brown hair and pushing her head slightly down at the same time

"You wouldn't listen to anything as soon as I told you she came back yesterday" He then crossed his arms while Ysabel had a very expressive yet silent 'Oh' written over her face

"Sometimes to get the answers you want, you need to listen, alright?" Ulfgan continued while the child gave him a guilty smile and quick nods that prompted a gentle smile out of her parent

What he said was indeed true, Fae left the inn very early in the morning to take a walk around town wearing the same clothes Yulia gave her on that one heartwarming day, although the gentleness of that day still couldn't lighten Fae's heart today, and the clean clothes had yet to make her feel better or comfortable

And so she walked on and on, she went through the rowdy market but all those voices felt like they were going to her through water that isolated her from the rest, drowning what they said and the meanings behind their words, though names of prices and gossip little interested her

A person caught her attention however, his back against a wall while he was sitting down on the dirt, his pants were slightly torn and were touched by quite the dirt with his shoes and coat receiving that same treatment, that same coat had quite the charm to it, a grey-ish tone with two pockets in the front, engraved buttons with a copper color and finalizing those details with nice albeit quite dirtied fur around the collar

Fae could take that much of a look at that man because of the simple fact of the red neckerchief wrapped around his eyes, she didn't need much thought to realize that he was blind

Noticing the metal bowl in front of the man, Fae decided to crouch down and gently put one of her dozen gold coins she had on the sorrowfully empty bowl

Yet even with her ever so softly putting the coin against the metal, the man took notice of it as soon as they made contact with each other

"Thank ya chap, much appreciated" Fae was surprised that he took noticed even with her attempt at putting it discreetly, although he wasn't quite looking at her so the innocence she had hoped that he wasn't faking being blind

She decided to walk away and leave that thought behind, and the blind poor man too

And so she wandered in the city that felt so lively, yet so distant at the same time, her thoughts still weren't quite clear in her mind while her heart weighted her down more than the exhaustion she felt yesterday

A hand however brought her back down to her as it grabbed her arm, Fae however immediately pulled her arm close to get away from the grip of whoever grabbed her as she turned around in a flash

"Aren't you on edge" Yulia told her with a soft smile on her face, Fae sighed and then picked back her composure

"You could've called my name, you scared me" She replied to her friend

"I did, many times" Fae couldn't quite believe the words that came out of Yulia since to her, she didn't hear anything let alone a voice that was so familiar to the woman

"Anyway, I looked for you at the inn but Ulfgan said you left, figured you'd come to the guild but also didn't find you there" Yulia said, her eyes locked with Fae's

"Ah right, was actually on my way there, just wanted to get some fresh air first" She forced a smile to give to her friend who let out a hum at that reply

"That's fairs, you do look tired anyway, had a bad night of sleep?" Yulia inquired further, driven by both her worries and the fact that Fae's bags under her eyes only intensified after last night

"You could say that" Fae chuckled and scratched the back of her head, the answer wasn't much to a lie either, but she didn't want to give the truth that she didn't catch a single wink

"Well, let's walk there together then, there's a lot I actually need to talk to you about" Fae would lie if she'd say she wasn't interested on what Yulia had to say to the woman, but it seems that the open streets of freesia was a bad place to talk about this as the guild master pushed Fae to walk with her

And walk they did, both of them side by side as they continued their way to the guild's building so they could finally discuss what Yulia had to say to Fae, as for the meantime only smalltalk occupied the two women off one's trouble, and the other's worry

"Right then Fae, take a seat and make yourself comfortable" Yulia spoke with a caring tone as she gestured to the chair at the other side of her desk that Fae gladly took

"I've got something to talk about but let's begin with rewarding you first" Yulia prompted a curious eyebrow out of Fae as the former opened her desk's drawer

"Reward? for what?" Fae's innocence brought a genuine chuckle out of Yulia who then deposited on the table the heaviest coin pouch Fae had seen yet

"For killing the Chimera obviously" Yulia's slightly furrowed eyebrows accompanied a soft gaze and a smile on her face while the other eyed the pouch

"I met with everybody today who came on the hunt and we've all agreed to give you the biggest cut, for clear reasons" She told Fae who still had her gaze locked with the pouch, a smile gently appearing on her face and that same smile was the first genuine one she had for the day

"Thanks" She gave a brief answer before she grabbed the pouch and left it on her lap for now, her eyes finally locked back with Yulia's

"And the other thing?" She asked Yulia, who gave her a smiling nod and then crossed her arms to rest them at the edge of her desk

"It's about the mass body dump we've found" Those words made Fae's lips slightly part ways before she pursed those same pink lips to give her friend a serious gaze

"I spoke about it with the knight order today morning and they delivered the news to the baron that owns these lands" Yulia spoke and received a nod from Fae that depicted how attentive she was

"We explained everything and all things in details, and well" She then smiled and turned her head away to then look at Fae again

"He personally wants to speak with the slayer of the Chimera" Fae looked very uninterested at the offer as soon as Yulia finished her words

"But wait" Yulia continued her

"The baron also wants to discuss the matter of the mass grave we've found" Now she caught Fae's attention, hook line and sinker

"Hm" Fae rubbed her chin and looked to the side, this invitation was her only lead if she wanted to tackle this mystery, she couldn't do it alone anyways but fortunately for her ever since she met her ethereal friend, she was never alone

"What do you know of him?" She asked Yulia, who was more pleased to answer her friend

"Well this is the first time I meet Baron Derrek, but" She spoke with her gaze locked with Fae's own brown eyes

"He does seem like a good man, he spoke to both me, the knights, and his servants in a polite and friendly way, he doesn't seem full of himself at all which is enough alone compared to the classic noble attitude" Yulia chuckled at her own words while Fae could but smile

"Guess I have to meet him then" Fae crossed her arms and looked at Yulia with full attention

"Though I have no idea where to go" Yulia nodded to the words she received in a comforting fashion

"Don't worry, I did most the paperwork I have to do for now, I can lead you there if you want" Fae smiled warmly at her offer

"Thank you Yulia, I really appreciate it" And that same Yulia couldn't but smile

"It's a pleasure Fae, don't fret over it" She then got up from her chair

"Alright then, let's get going shall we?" Fae nodded twice to Yulia as she too got up and followed Yulia out who closed her office before heading out with Fae closely behind

As they walked out of the guild's building Yulia was informing Fae that the baron's manor was just a few dozen minutes out of Freesia so they didn't have to take a carriage there, both of the women occupied themselves with Yulia describing both the baron and his manor, him as a black-haired man with eyes that shared the same color, she described his behavior as a calm and attentive person, while his manor was talked about its size more than anything

And Fae couldn't imagine how big it would be until they reached it, it was bigger than whatever she could have imagined it to be on the way there

"This is huge" She said in awe while Yulia chuckled

"Yeah, this is the kind of things I can't imagine myself even walking in one, let alone owning it" She told Fae who smiled at her friend chuckling at her own words, following her closely behind as she went on to speak with the guard that stood tall next to the gate

"Hello ma'am" He stood professionally at the sight of Yulia who gave him a smile to then gesture at Fae

"This is the woman that the baron requested, we're here for the meeting that he scheduled for us today" The guard nodded to Yulia

"I understand, but the baron has only requested the person who killed the chimera, under his orders I cannot let anyone else inside the manor's perimeters" He spoke very monotonously like he was reciting out of a script

"Excuse me?" Yulia let out a little anger that accompanied her words as she crossed her arms, Fae chuckled and put her hand on her friend's shoulder

"It's fine, you go back and I'll come see you when I'm done" Yulia was going to disagree but when she looked at Fae for a silent second, she sighed

"Okay, take care of yourself alright?" Fae smiled and nodded receiving that same nod back from Yulia before they parted way as the guard led Fae through the gate

It was a short walk until they reached the doors of the manor, they were a little bit too big for doors designed for humans but Fae guessed that nobles liked to show off their wealth in all ways possible

The guard spoke with what seemed like a butler waiting at those same doors as he left Fae to him while he went back to stand guard

Fae felt very uncomfortable in this place of wealth and nobility, for one that was very often mistaken as a noble she very much couldn't hope to be one

The butler knocked on an ever so fancy door and only opened it after he has gotten permission from the man inside that room, he got inside and Fae saw him do an elegant bow

"The adventurer you asked to meet is here, shall I let her in sire?" He asked in a polite and professional tone

"Oh but of course, do welcome her inside" The same voice answered the butler who then turned to look at Fae who waited in the hallway and beckoned her to get inside the room with his open palm

Fae gulped and then got inside the room, it was a beautifully decorated office with quite the golden coatings around the furniture and the chandelier that swayed ever so slightly above the middle of the room, although that aside Fae immediately made eye contact with the man who she judged that he was in his early thirties, dressed in a fancy coat fitting for his social status, Yulia was right about his short hair's color and the ones of his eyes

"Greetings miss Fae, I'm the Baron of these lands, it's a pleasure to be meeting you" He got up from his seat with a friendly polite smile on his face as he extended his hand to her

Fae immediately stepped forward to shake his hand with as much of a respectful smile as she could muster

"Thank you sir, the pleasure is mine" They parted their hands after the shake as Derrek gestured at the chair for Fae who sat down immediately

"I wasn't expecting to see such a beautiful lady as the one who slaught that beast" He said, crossing his arms and resting them on his desk while his face bore a slight touch of awe that was well hidden behind his smile

"Why thank you" Fae chuckled

"I don't know what they might have told you sir but it wasn't only me who contributed to its downfall" She added on, getting the baron to soften his smile after his quite amused scoffed

"So strong yet so humble, I can see why they spoke so highly of you" Those words spoken prompted a small smile out of Fae

"I'm glad to be seen that way sir" Fae nodded accompanied with that unwavering smile

"Oh please, it is me who should be thankful" He told her with slightly furrowed eyebrows

"You've cleansed my lands out of a dangerous monster, and for that, I'm ever so grateful" He told her with a hand on his chest as a sign of sincerity that she took nicely, depicted with a soft smile on her face and a flattered nod

"It was the right thing to do" He laughed at her words

"Surely, but not the thing many would do" Fae had nothing to say to his reply as she could tell he wouldn't be dissuaded

"And for that, you'll be adequately compensated" He continued, Fae however, raised a hand as she tried to explain herself

"I already got paid for the work, you don't need to do so as well" Derrek scoffed

"Haha, I appreciate your honesty but I wish to pay you for doing both me and the inhabitants of these lands a great service, it has nothing to do with your affiliate" Fae didn't feel right with the matter

"I... well, alright" But she knew that the man in front of her already showed his stubbornness, after she gave up he gave her a smiling nod

"But that aside, I didn't make you come all this way just to talk about things of yesterday" He immediately attracted her attention again as she raised an eyebrow, her expression drenched in curiosity

"I wanted to talk mainly about the thing you've discovered after taking care of the Chimera" All the smiles and flattery Fae felt previously immediately were drowned out by furrowed eyebrows and an attentive expression

"I'm all ears sir" She replied to him as he smiled and interlocked his fingers, forming a united fist that he rested on the table

"Firstly, I need to have your oath to keep this conversation a secret, I'm trusting you with very sensitive matters" Fae put a hand on her chest at his words

"Not a single word will be repeated" She felt very glad that he would see her as this trustworthy

"I'm happy to hear that" He said and nodded

"Matter of fact, I was having my own discreet investigation on multiple missing cases in the surroundings of Freesia and Newbury" As he spoke Fae's heart finally felt some relief after what happened, she finally had a rope she could follow that might lead her to her ever so desired answers, but that rope was in a very dark place and needed some clarity

"I can't speak about the details which I hope you'd understand" Derrek continued talking while receiving an understanding nod from Fae, she didn't care much about the details, she was too desperate for answers

"But what I can say with certainty, is that the bodies you've found were the work of a group of bandits that tried to get rid of the empty corpses" That sounded exactly like Fae speculated

"Although the numerous bodies attracted the Chimera, who then made it its lair, that's the conclusion that we've come to after examining that cave you discovered" He spoke and gestured with an open hand, he wasn't done yet

" And the soldiers I've sent there found one body that wasn't quite looking like a captive" He then smiled

"It was the body of one of the bandits that did all of this, and he had a map of where their hideout is" Fae clenched her hands rested on her lap, forming two fists out of the pure emotions that coursed through her

"I personally can't send my own troops there since the bandits already found out that I'm slowly tracking back to them, they already are keeping tabs on me that's why I can't let anyone in the manor without a proper reason" Fae gave him an understanding nod, it explained why the guard didn't let Yulia in, the smile she once had was soon replaced with a frown as she sought more enlightenment on the blurry mystery, but she was now closer than ever

"And this is where you come into play, Fae" He leaned slightly forward and rested his chin under his interlocked fingers

"You're strong enough to take down a Chimera, and my soldiers saw the wounds you left on it, you are capable of this" Those words only made Fae clench her already closed fists even harder

"I can also feel this matter is personal to you, is it not?" That question prompted Fae to lower her head, only now noticing how hard her fists were as she gently opened her hands

He was being so kind to her with divulging these pieces of information, even at the expense of his own safety from this group of bandits that seemed far more organized than what the woman expected

Being transparent with the baron was the right thing to do

"Yes" She gave him a brief answer that made a gentle smile surface on the man's face

"I can help you, if you help me" Derrek explained while Fae lifted her head again to lock eyes with the baron

"I tell you exactly where they are hiding, and you guide them to their gods" He spoke with the same tone that he used to explain everything, but Fae shuddered since no matter how much sugar coating he enrobed his words in, he was still talking about murder

Was she truly capable of taking a human's life?

The only time where she had to, Yuna did it in her place, is it time for Fae to dirty her hands with the blood of her fellow humans?

"I will" She furrowed her eyebrows

"I promise" Her reply made the man smile in relief

"Once you do the deed, I'll reward you handsomely for it" He then nodded

"Of course, alongside the recompense for taking care of the Chimera" He added

"Please I don't need the money information is enou-" The baron lifted his hand, cutting Fae's speech while his face bore a warm smile

"You are doing me a great favor, you will take the money whether you like it or not" Fae couldn't but smile, his kindness really touched her heart

"Thank you" She lowered her head

"I couldn't ask for more" His laugh however, prompted her to raise her head to look at him again

"You're a good woman, you deserve the little I can give to you" His humbleness made Fae scoff but not argue back, she was too overwhelmed by how much he was helping her already

"Understood, they will be taken care of" The baron nodded to her words as he then presented her a map that was stained in a little bit of blood, she presumed that it was the one that the bandit corpse previously owned

And then the noble explained to Fae where the hideout was situated on the map, he also made sure that she could keep some points of interest if she were ever to get lost on her way there, mentioning a river too where she could take a rest at

But time was of the essence, she had to leave soon with the promise of tea after her eventual victory as that promise alone made Fae leave the manor with a smile on her face

She walked away from the guard and went on the woods, deeper and deeper with that bandit's map in her hands

"Not going back to Freesia?" She heard a voice inside her head, one that she was glad to be hearing

"I made a promise that I'm intending to see it through" She answered under her breath, her eyes still locked with the content of the map

"Yulia will get worried" Yuna spoke, prompting a sigh out of Fae

"I'll apologize to her later" Fae responded while Yuna let silent second dawn on the two, was she displeased?

"I will have to remind you that you don't have your sword" Those words prompted Fae to stop in her tracks, immediately putting her hand on where the handle of her sword was to be at

"Shit" She then took on a big inhale, she has forgotten that she lost her weapon back in the fight against the Chimera

"I have a dagger" She spoke after putting her hand behind her waist to then let out an exhale of relief as she touched the metal of its handle

"Will it be enough?" Yuna asked her, seemingly wanting to test Fae if she was ready for what was ahead

"No, but I have a friend" She replied with a smile on her face while her words made Yuna chuckle

"Always" Yuna's reply brought to Fae some much-needed comfort

But was it truly enough? Fae didn't know whether she was capable of doing what she set out to achieve, but the pain in her heart was too much to bear, she had to do it, to bring some solace to her aching heart and some much-needed relief to her weary mind

They walked for more than an hour, but it seemed that it was enough as Fae lurked behind the brush that gave her enough concealment to gaze on the single man that seemed to stand guard in front of a hidden entrance that led to what seemed like a mine, it had to be what Fae was looking after, with the leather armor that man wore and the sword attached to his waist she figured out that it just had to be that place

"I'll take care of him" Yuna said

"Wait!" Fae whispered loudly to Yuna

The bandit raised an eyebrow at the sudden sound that was made to his left, cutting him off his daydreaming as he rested his right hand on the pommel of his sheathed sword

He slowly walked to the source of the disturbance, towards some brushes that seemed to have gently moved which prompted him to immediately unsheathe his sword in one swift motion to then walk closer to them, was it just wildlife?

His eyes widened at what he has found however, a white spirit of a woman donned in armor he has never seen before, her eyes were staring at him with as little emotion a face could bear

The bandit couldn't speak a single word as shock was written all over his face, he gently put a step back to slowly walk away from the spirit, and that's when he sensed something, but it was too late

Fae held Archard's crystal clean dagger in a reverse grip with her right hand, she grabbed the Bandit's sword arm with her off hand and then stabbed with as much force as she had in her body right through the left side of his neck, blood sprayed while the man screamed in agony before Fae kicked the back of his knee to make him fall on his knees then pushed down on his head to make him fall facefirst on the dirt, his arms flayed and fought for life but he was already dead, that scream quickly turned into a gurgling as blood soon flooded the windpipe of his neck that Fae stabbed again, and again, and again with a grunt accompanying each deadly motion of the woman

"Enough" Those repeated motions were only stopped by Yuna holding Fae's wrist, the latter's eyes were still locked with the corpse that she made, blood now slowly exited the stab marks she left on his neck as his heart stopped seconds ago

Fae's breathing was heavy and her expression was one of fear and disgust as her body shuddered at the sensation she felt when going through the veins and bones of his neck with her knife

"Fuck..." She fell down seated on the ground, her hand on her chest while her eyes looked up at Yuna for the comfort she needed

"You did good, you'll soon get used to it" Resting a hand on Fae's shoulder as she spoke, Yuna gave her friend a comforting smile that did nothing for Fae unfortunately, for today, she took a life that wasn't her own, no matter how tainted that soul was she still killed a person

But the hatred she had in her heart for people like the man she just killed kept her going, she got up and then took the sword that the body has, she didn't need to take the scabbard for the fighting had only begun

Yuna got closer to the door and could sense the people down deep in the mine, they weren't many but they were enough to fight against two people, but not Fae and Yuna

A man was deep into the cave, at the very end of the bandit infested lair, scars on his face while his long black hair was tied in a ponytail, his beard was slightly long and charcoal black, his body was very well built and had seen enough to tell stories of battles of old, his leather armor had fur around it that helped raise him from the rest of the bandits that were under his command, the man's black eyes were locked with the parchments on the table until his mouth formed a smile as he turned around, seeing one shadow pass by, the shadow was too feminine to be one of his partners in crime

And that was confirmed as Fae got inside the room he was in, and even though only one shadow passed by the light, two women stood in front of him

"What do I owe the pleasure of having the grim reaper and his assistant in my humble abode today?" He spoke with sarcasm and a smirk as he raised his hands in curiosity

Fae's clothes were stained with blood that was still warm, her longsword that she took from her first victim had blood going down all the way until the tip that then let it drip down on the rocky ground of the mine, her eyes could see inside the room only through the light the few torches around provided, it wasn't much of a cozy place with the rocks protruding out of every wall, sharp and hard, and the mine seemed to be only supported by few rotting wooden pillars, it truly was a place of degeneracy, fitting for the people living in here

"We killed all your friends, you know that?" Fae spoke with furrowed eyebrows to the black-eyed man

"Of course I do!" He said with enthusiasm

"How could I not, you made this entire mine resonate with their screams" The happiness he had to hear of the death of his partners rubbed Fae the wrong way

"I'll have to thank ya for it too, you made me leaving them quite the easy job for me" He raised an eyebrow that complemented the smirk he had

"Not like corpses can have hard feelings right?" He said as he leaned forward in a comedic way, but Fae could show every emotion but amusement

"You're not going anywhere" She replied to him, bringing a scoff out of the bandit that seemed to be their leader if anything

"You know, I'm not in the mood to fight" He told her, putting a hand on his waist

"You killed 8 out of 9, and I was leaving the others for a reason, so if we both agree to not spill more blood it might as well be 9 out of 9 no?" His offer didn't seem to interest Fae one bit as she could but stare at the man with the same disgusted look she had on her face as she saw him for the first time

"Believe me, you don't want to fight me" His words suddenly took on to a much less playful tone as his hand rested on his sword, and he wasn't far off the truth, in reality Fae with her own hands killed only two, Yuna took care of the rest because if she didn't they would be far too much for Fae to handle, she was still not skilled enough with the blade

Fae looked at Yuna that stood by her side

"This fight is mine" She spoke with a cold tone and furrowed eyebrows while Yuna had quite the worry on her face, but she was a woman of the sword herself, she knew that sometimes people didn't want other's help in their own affairs

"Be strong" She could only say that to Fae as she vanished away

"Where did the grim reaper go, is this your initiation test or something?" His stupid snarky comments were getting on Fae's nerves

"Fuck you" She exclaimed as her eyes locked with his own, Fae's hands gripped tightly on the sword she held as she then pointed it at the man

"Oh well, don't say I didn't warn you" He then took his own fighting stance as he held his longsword gently, the tip of the blade pointed at the ground and his guard too low to be seen as efficient for Fae

Both slowly walked towards each other, she knew that even though a clear weakness was shown she had to be cautious about it, this was a swordfight a single mistake, a single misstep even the slightest of slips, and 21 years of her life would be over

Fae's eyes were locked with the man's, she didn't know why he was smiling but that didn't bring her much comfort

Immediately putting a foot forward Fae tried to thrust with her longsword right into his chest, however he easily blocked it by swinging his sword up as it collided with Fae's, throwing it out of its course while the woman immediately took a step back to grip her sword tighter

"This seems like a big day for you" He told her, but she didn't listen nor reply

And she paid for it, he stepped quickly towards her and swinged his sword horizontally, slashing the air to the right until Fae blocked it with her own as she then immediately tried to thrust forward towards his body but he pushed her sword away with his own, the two parting from each other as Fae took a deep breath, she had to focus, see what's not working

"You're quicker than I thought" He spoke, flipping his sword before he held it in a high guard above his head, slowly stepping forward towards Fae who took on his challenge as she too got closer

Just like a hammer from the skies, he struck down as hard as he could as Fae blocked it with putting her sword above her head, gritting her teeth at the power that fell down on her before she immediately let his sword slide down her blade as she sidestepped to the right, trying desperately to get a cut on him

But she just couldn't, he shoulder bashed her as she fell back immediately, she might have enough speed but she just didn't have enough strength

Fae immediately crawled back and got up on her feet, clenching her sword tighter, she realized that all this time maybe she was truly weak, maybe the only thing that made her survive was Yuna's presence

But self-hatred wouldn't help her now, she had to push through

"You look like you hate my guts hahah" He laughed at the expression Fae made

"This is personal isn't it?" He tried to get under her skin, she had to keep calm, anger would make her vulnerable

Not uttering a single word back, Fae held her sword closer to her body with the point still aimed forward she had to think of something to come out victorious

She got closer to him, fingers curled tightly around the handle of her weapon as she then grunted and swung it to strike his blade and as soon as she did that Fae flipped her sword and struck from the other side to try and catch him off guard, but he quickly reacted to it by blocking the second strike

"My turn now" He grinned and dashed towards Fae who immediately tried to block the slash that was aimed at her, sparks flying off from the two swords grinding against each other as Fae stepped back to then immediately slashing back at the man from the left to the right, she wouldn't show any weakness to an attack

But that's what he wanted, as she got closer to him he stepped forward to Fae and blocked her strike with his sword at the same time, he then wrapped his free arm around Fae's sword arm and pushed it to the side, the point of his blade right on Fae's chest whose eyes were wide and her breathing heavy

"Do you see now?" He asked her, and this time she couldn't do anything but listen

"I don't want to kill anymore, I want to leave this life behind" But his words only made her angrier, how dare he, she thought

"I've seen what you did" She replied with furrowed eyebrows that prompted him to raise his own, he was curious

"You have no right for redemption, fuck you" Her anger made him laugh

"So honest even with my sword so close to you, I like you" She couldn't but feel disgusted from what he said, yet he slowly let go of her arm and stepped back away from her

"Just leave, will you? this isn't a place to die in" He told her, his free hand bending the blade of his sword in a gentle manner

The anger she was feeling was boiling inside her, why should he live, why should he ever have a second chance at life

"THOSE PEOPLE WILL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE AT LIFE!" She yelled, her eyebrows furrowed in rage and her white teeth showing as she screamed

"AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ONE EITHER! I'LL FUCKING MAKE SURE OF IT!" She readied her sword again at the expense of his patience, he could but sigh

"Fine then, have it your way lass" He too, readied his sword

"This time, no mercy" And pointed it at her, one of them wasn't going to leave this mine alive

Fae got closer to him, her hands shaking yet she had to make do, her feet were slightly parted away and already ready to brace for anything that he'd throw at her

And so they swung at each other, their swords blocking each other's blow as Fae stepped back as soon as she noticed him wanting to get closer, distancing is her friend in this fight, she was too physically weaker to collide head-on with the bandit leader

As he went on to slash at her again, Fae gritted her teeth and deflected the blow with angling her sword downwards, letting his own slide down before she struck him as hard as she could with the pommel to his face, she didn't have enough time to flip her sword again so this will have to do

The man grunted and stepped back as he held his nose, chuckling while blood slowly came down

But she didn't want to give him any rest, he didn't deserve it, she quickly lunged with her sword ready as he blocked it with his own to then try slash at her face, she ducked down under the sword and tried to stab his chest but he stepped to the side and then grabbed her sword arm, flipping her hand as she grunted in pain, but this time she was ready

She immediately unsheathed her dagger and sliced his wrist as the pain made him let go of her, her sword fell down yet she didn't care

She stayed closer to the man and tried to stab him but he stepped back and tried to slash at her with his sword, but Fae was too close to him and his sword too long, she grabbed his wrist but as soon as she wanted to stab him he also grabbed her hand that held her knife, even with all the blood coming out of the laceration in his wrist he still had enough power in that hand

He kicked Fae away as she let go of her dagger, the man then tried to stab her with her own knife, his sword was on the ground while both of his hands were gripping tightly on Archard's dagger

But no matter what he had so much more raw strength than her, no matter what she couldn't keep the knife away from her stomach and soon enough he stabbed her right in it as she whimpered at the pain she felt, the anger in her heart and the adrenaline tried to numb it, the feeling that she felt as the knife was planted in her stomach was something she didn't feel for a very long time

Her head was lowered as she stared at the first gift she received in this world stabbed right in her stomach, her hands lost the power they once had

"I told you to leave, you didn't listen" He too let his hands rest on the handle of the dagger, he felt a very bitter taste at what he just did, but he had to

"Look at me..." Fae's voice was soft, weak rather, her head still lowered and her eyes hidden by the bangs of her short hair

"Sorry kid I don't do last wishes" He replied to her as her hands gripped tightly on his own that held the blade still planted in her stomach, she grabbed him almost too tightly, the sudden power she got made him raise an eyebrow

"Look at me so I can fucking see you die!" She screamed, raising her head while her nails dig deep into the rough skin of his hands from how tight she grabbed them, she was making sure he wouldn't be able to leave the path of the spectral blade that appeared by the side of Fae as his eyes widened, he wanted to move back but Fae was holding him close to him with all the power she had left

And Yuna slashed down on him with lightning speed, and power that would make the throne of the gods tremble

Blood splattered on Fae's clothes, body and face, she let go of the hands of the man as he fell down on his knees, and then to his back

She too couldn't stand anymore, falling down to her knees next to the now dying man who had a large blade wound on his chest

"Hahah..." Yet he still laughed

"You got me" He looked at Fae's brown eyes, the now weary eyes that had their life slowly leaking out of them

"You deserve what you got" She told him, her hand on her knife planted on her wound but she wouldn't dare to remove it

"You're right" he replied with a weaker tone that Fae was speaking with

"I tried to repent for what I did, but you had to come hahah" He gave her a smile as he spoke the beginning of his words

"You killed all those people, you have no place in this world" She told him, he scoffed at her words

"I didn't kill them, just got them off to my client" What he said prompted the injured Fae to furrow her eyebrows

"Who's your client?" She asked him, he looked away

"TELL ME WHO!" She smacked down with a hand on his slashed and blood-drenched chest, he grunted and then smiled, looking back at her

"What's the point of telling you, you think you're going to survive all the way back to the nearest town?" Fae's face flinched from the anger she was feeling

"That's none of your fucking business, just tell me who, clear your conscious god damn it!" She yelled with the fading power she was feeling

"You want to repent so badly then tell me! the gods can forgive you for all I fucking care!" Fae added, surprisingly it seemed that her words touched a sensible place on the bandit's heart

"Maybe..." he then took a shivering breath as he looked at her

"Do you have a map?" He asked of her as he immediately brought out the map the baron gave her, she showed it to the man whose vision slowly faded away, but if he wanted to be forgiven by the gods he had to do one last good deed, he smiled and then dipped his finger in his own blood

"There" He weakly pressed his index finger on the map that Fae held for him, and when she turned it back to see for herself she lost her mind

"You fucking liar!" She called him out on

"This is the baron's manor!" She furrowed her eyebrows at him, but why was he smiling

"No..." Fae slowly understood, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in shock

"NO!" She screamed as she held the map so tight it started tearing

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME! HE WOULDN'T!" She grabbed the already dead man from his collar and shook him, trying desperately for the corpse to speak back to her and say that it was just a lie

Her eyes started crying as she started understanding that no matter how much she shook him, he wouldn't be answering her back

Fae tried to get up but she fell down immediately, she had no strength in her left, crying and shivering while her breathing was heavy, the knife still planted in her stomach seeped out all the strength she had in her, he played her, he betrayed her, all that kindness was fake, he wanted to send the only person that cared enough about the crime he did to die at the hands of his previous partners, or if she succeeded the baron wouldn't worry about those partners taking vengeance on him, he set a plan that would fix his problems and he wouldn't even need to lift a single finger

Well, he got both wins

And the only thing that Fae felt as she lost consciousness was a shoulder around her arm