Crick knocked once on the sturdy wooden door.

To occupy his mind as he waited for a reply, he studied the stone wall in which it was embedded. Its built was similar to the rest of the south wall’s barracks. However, he thought he could feel the difference. To his mind, it was the same type of difference between waiting in front the palace of a noble and the palace of the king.

He couldn’t get this comparison far though before the door quietly opened. None was behind it, as if it had swung outwards from a breeze.

"Enter" an expressionless voice commanded.

Crick hesitated for a short breath. He steadied himself, making an effort to appear neither arrogant nor stressed when he walked inside.

The door closed behind him, plunging the room into darkness. An open window or some candles would normally help illuminate the barrack’s interior, but no such effort had been made here.

Is it because it doesn’t matter after a certain level? Crick wondered. He stood still, waiting for his eyesight to adjust to the darkness.

The first thing he registered was the familiarly enormous frame of captain Nightcrusher sitting on one of the austere military beds commonly used by all guards. A large piece of clothing was wrapped unevenly around her. If one didn’t know, it made it impossible to discern that she was missing a hand.

Then, two more outlines came into sight, kneeling in ceremony in the middle of the room, the broadswords on their backs turned against him.

One should be captain Costella, Crick thought. Nobody else carried such a disproportionately large broadsword on such a delicate figure. The other matched the outline of master Skullsong's only male disciple.

Then...

Another outline lay upon a wide slab of stone that happened to partially cross the building’s wall.

As his eyes got more used to the darkness, Crick could spot a hand supporting master Skullsong’s graying hair. He was leaning on his left side, onto the flat top of a stone that protruded unevenly from the sloppily-constructed building, his posture partially supported by the hard wall behind him. A broadsword as large as captain Costella’s lay on the ground in front of him. He looked as comfortable as if resting on a soft mattress.

"Report" master Skullsong commanded without any emotion. His rough voice was monotonous - one could say bored.

"Yes, sir!" Crick saluted by making a chop motion towards his windpipe.

"Two envoys from the Kong family have camped in front of the south gate. They claim to bring gifts, commander general." He crisply reported.

Ah, old habits die hard. Crick realized he had addressed wrongly, but master Skullsong didn’t seem to mind.

"How many did you lose?" master Skullsong asked, speaking slowly. Despite the lazy tone, Crick got the impression that this was something he wanted to hear in precision.

"Two, sir. Beor also got a little injured but’s still on duty. Still, we got compensation that can heal them, as well as this..." From within his cloak he retrieved the book the young male disciple from the Kong family had given as the second piece of compensation. Crick had found that the book could easily bent. Thus, given its small size, it could be carried around with no effort.

In the darkness, a slight glow lit in the depth of master Skullsong's grey eyes and they fixed on the book. However, he did not move from his position.

Chuckle

The sound was so unexpected Crick almost looked around wildly, before he realized that it came from Master Skullsong.

"Do you know who you stopped?" master Skullsong asked in a conversational tone.

"..." Crick did not know. In fact, he rather wished he remained ignorant. Sometimes ignorance’s a bliss, he recalled. Silence pervaded the room while he hesitated.

"Jeez master, don't leave us in suspense!" captain Nightcrusher protested.

"Pu... hahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!” master Skullsong’s head moved to face the ceiling and he laughed in a self-satisfied way.

”Take that, Siegfried! Your disciple couldn't even enter my town!" His mirthy voice filled the small barracks with volume.

Siegfried? As in the dragon slayer? Crick's neck hair stood on edge, regretting the hostile incident. Although, looking at it objectively, he couldn’t have disobeyed master Skullsong’s quarantine orders anyway.

Master Skullsong’s gaze moved downwards until he looked into Crick's eyes and Crick had to stop himself from stepping backwards. He imagined that this was how prey felt when it came across a predator.

"Keep the book and learn from it. Start your training from scratch." master Skullsong seriously said. "Also, go tell the Kong guy that if he can help hold that gate he’ll have done me a favor. Dismissed!"

"Yes sir, commander general!" Crick again saluted by touching his windpipe. With quick but polite strides he opened the door and moved outside.

The door closed on its own behind him.

Under the bright morning sun, Crick felt his knees grow weak. He took a couple of long breaths to steady his nerves.

“Forget it, I’m just a small fry – too unimportant. Let’s just relay the message.” he mumbled to himself.

He wondered how the situation inside the town had been faring. However, he knew he shouldn’t waste time dilly-dallying. If something too important happened, he would receive a report or an order anyway.

Back inside the stone barracks, master Skullsong kept staring at the closed door in interest. Utter silence ruled the room while he did.

“Um, master, didn’t you want to hear a report on the situation?” captain Costella patiently asked from her kneeling position after a while.

“Eh? Nah. It’s unimportant right now.” he trailed into silence without moving.

“Then, do we do anything or are we to play the silent fox for today?” captain Nightcrusher asked. “I’m bored!” she protested. “Do something, master!”

Master Skullsong took his eyes off the door and shifted his head to a more comfortable position within the palm supporting it.

“I’ve already done something…” he trailed off and closed his eyes.

“Eh, what?“ captain Nightrusher’s eyes widened in confusion under her blond fringe. The darkness didn’t seem to prevent her from studying master Skullsong’s expression.

“…” However, no-one replied and the barracks regressed into silence.

“Hey, master!” captain Nightcrusher suddenly jumped up from the bed she was sitting on. She seemed to have thought of something. This caused master Skullsong open one eye.

“What now?” he seemed annoyed.

“Did Crick really stop a disciple of the Dragonslayer? He’s still a weakling!”

Master Skullsong smirked. “That’s why he’s valuable; it took much effort to make the Violet General let him go. Although he doesn’t know…” his voice faded again.

“Jeez, master, you’re no fun when bored. I’ll go out.” She took a step towards the door.

“No, you won’t - ‘Stella stop her.” master Skullsong ordered as captain Nightcrusher charged towards the door.

Captain Costella let her kneeling figure collapse sideways, making the broadsword from her back fall to her side. Grabbing its hilt, she used both hers and the broadsword’s falling momentum to swing it in a circular motion. She let the heavy mass leave her hands at the right timing by tilting her wrist.

The broadsword whooshed through the air, spinning wildly.

“Ha!” with a scornful shout, captain Nightcrusher started moving sideways to dodge. Her center of gravity was a bit off from the unfamiliar distribution of her handless weight, so she tried to compensate with faster movements.

“Ouch!” She grimaced when she tried to put her strength to pivoting on her leg.

Blam!

She slowed down and the flat side of the broadsword hit her horizontally from her side and crushed her against the wall. The barracks shook from the impact and some dust fell from the stone ceiling. Captain Nightcrusher slid down the wall and fell to the floor.

“Wh-what?” she stared at captain Costella who had followed closely behind the broadsword’s trajectory and had grabbed its hilt before it also hit the floor. She then stared down on her own body.

“Master, it hurts when I try to move for real.” she complained.

“It does? You used that skill?” he asked, his grey eyes focusing on her bulk.

“You bet! I shouldn’t waste a good fight!” she proudly proclaimed.

For a couple of breaths only her heavy breathing could be heard as master Skullsong studied her collapsed figure.

“Of course it will hurt. You went and permanently wrecked your body.” Master Skullsong finally commented in an expressionless mood. ”Such a shame… At least, I’ve succeeded in her request.”

Without lifting his head from the palm supporting it, he nodded once, as if to himself.

“Good, then you can leave. You’re excommunicated. Go home!” he calmly ordered.

“Eeeeh?” captain Nightcrusher’s mouth fell open. She looked at captain Costella, who looked back equally puzzled.

“Master, you’re joking, right? I still got much to learn and much to fight! And I definitely want that sweet guy!” she urgently protested.

“Shut up, you fool. You can’t learn traditional martial arts anymore. Only your clan’s training can work now.” Master Skullsong’s voice was positively irritated.

“It was her request so I couldn’t refuse but I told you not to detonate aura inside the muscles. Ah, all my effort to nurture you in vain…” slight killing intent emanated from his body in irritation and it made the atmosphere inside the barracks almost chilly.

“Wait, what? But you only said that it was a dangerous trick… Master…. Wait! Only my clan’s training can work now? You know my clan?” her eyes narrowed when she tried to register the various pieces of information.

Her enormous figure jumped to its feet, startling captain Costella with the intensity of the movement. However, she didn’t notice. “YOU!” The stub of her arm made her clothing rattle before she remembered that this was -or rather had been- her right hand. “YOU!” She eventually pointed at master Skullsong with her left hand.

Master Skullsong gazed back, apparently taking interest in her reaction.

“YOU’RE IN CAHOOTS WITH MOTHER?” Captain Nightcrusher positively shouted the last sentence with a tone of betrayal.

Master Skullsong’s previous smirk returned to his face, although he didn’t even shift his body.

“Correct. Pack up and go home. Leave before chaos erupts - I’d hate to explain to her that I succeeded but had you die.”

“Damn, damn, damn– I’d rather die than go back.” Captain Nightcrusher mumbled as if lost, turning aimlessly on the spot. If someone was to look from outside, she would look like spinning column.

“Yeah, yeah. Be glad that you’re leaving with your head still attached.” master Skullsong sarcastically said. “Some” -his gaze lingered on the still kneeling male disciple- “would do anything for this.”

He chuckled again, as if finding something funny.

“Bring her out of town through the west gate!” Master Skullsong the hand not supporting his head to gesture at his male disciple. Without uttering a single word, the latter stood up and firmly guided the still lost captain Nightcrusher out of the room.

Now, only captain Costella remained in the dark barracks, but master Skullsong ignored her and took to staring at the ceiling again.

“Master, you didn’t listen to the report.” she carefully resumed the conversation after a while.

“Oh, the report… They’ll just create a bit of chaos but won’t do anything harmful to the people. They’ll try to take advantage of the commotion and slip away. Possibly spring a trap in the process. Is the trade partner of Lifidich down?” he chuckled once at the prospect.

“Yes, he was the first one. The Vizier asked to allow his men in the fray. As you ordered in advance, I told them no.”

“Good! So it’s my forces against those two inside the town... How much strength can they preserve by the end of the day? Wanna bet ‘Stella?” he asked.

“…” she remained silent

“Ahaha, so much like my disciple!” master Skullsong focused his full attention on her. “You were always clever, so you know what you’re betting, right?”

“…” for the first time, she appeared discomforted. She lowered her almond-shaped eyes to the floor.

“You can’t order that – we’re still useful.” she replied evenly.

“Oh, yes. I can’t order anything unreasonable or lay my hands on you. But just imagine if, say if, you’re injured so bad during a doable taks that you’re almost on death’s door. Will the contract restrict me then?”

Her dark features turned almost white at his words.

“The contract will stop you.” she affirmed weakly.

“Oh, really?” master Skullsong’s grey eyes became cold as he narrowed them.

“Explain this then.” he lazily extended a finger towards Costella.

From the fingertip, silver smoke emerged until it took the shape of a head, same in size as a real one. The head quickly became more and more solid and gained color. Features started appearing, including a very memorable brown beard. Finally, a pair of hazy eyes blinked once.

If Johan was there he would recognize the man as the one who had given him the most trouble in the prison fight.

“Uncle!” Costella cried, involuntarily taking a concerned step towards the head hovering in the air. She didn't notice that she dropped her broadsword midway. She stared at the head in pure disbelief and it stared back expressionlessly.

“H-how?” her voice quivered noticeably.

“Heh, I sent him to run errands for the Mayers brat. Who would know he’d be defeated after using that technique? Luckily he was left alive for my …. ritual.”

Master Skullsong chuckled evilly, enjoying Costella’s grief-stricken expression. He became lively.

“Hahaha! Those two are heaven-sent! They keep solving all my problems! So go, my disciple! As a guard captain in my town, do your duty! After they’re exhausted, you’re to fight to the death to stop them from leaving. I may be at the opposite part of town and be late. But you only need to think of your family and obey. And if enough people have survived for me to make it in time, then you’d have won for today.”

“But fear not. Even if you lose, that superior intellect of yours will live as part of me!”

Costella took a very sharp breath, regaining her previous calm exterior. Although her hands were trembling, she faced him squarely as she bowed.

“As you wish, master.“ she affirmed softly.