"Mono/Dialogue"

  'Inner thoughts'

  Narration

  [Message/communication apparatus]

  Date: January 1091

  Location: Kawalerielki, Kazimierz

  POV: Narrator

  Margaret Nearl swings her Warhammer around the empty garden. This garden has been soaked by a rain that happened just a few minutes ago, and it almost mirrored a swamp where her old company was stuck. At that time, Margaret has yet to make a name for herself. She is still only seen as Schnitz’s daughter or the Hero’s Granddaughter.

  She quickly proves others wrong by being the most diligent knight in her company and by her willingness to perform menial tasks without a fuss. Her bright and optimistic personality was considered to be a small sunshine that uplift the others while traversing through a rough situation. Her honesty was also loyal to a fault, even called stupidly na?ve for more than a few times.

  It did go to work perfectly in her case, she rose quickly amongst the Campaign Knights as a capable leader. Her warm and welcoming gestures win her more than just the affection of the masses and the respect of her comrades. She won herself loyalty in record speed, to the point that one joked that if she had been born before the war, she would have been a commander of her rights by now.

  Of course, while she appreciated the praise, she gently reprimanded them about the war part. It is clearly shown during missions where she often gave outws a chance to surrender and she would take care of them the best she could. There are times when her kindness is answered with mockery and treachery, but she never renegades from it.

  Even if her body is bruised, bloodied, and dirty, her kindness is ever-present. This made her develop a self-sacrificial habit but without even the tiniest desire to be remembered for it. Such as how she would be the first to volunteer to clear out an area riddled with traps despite her peers’ protest. Or when she would cross through a flood to save those in need at the cost of her safety.

  There are many heroic acts she had committed and many more people who would love to see her rise to become a 1st Tier Knight. Imagine their shock when Margaret announces she will leave the Adeptus. When asked why, she said that her family has no Knight Primus to hold onto the title. Quite a lot of her compatriots grew angry being reminded of that inane rule, but they could do nothing but wish her to come back soon.

  A promise that getting ever more distant by the day. Margaret has seen it herself. The nation that her friends and comrades protected never batted an eye-lid to their suffering by the frontier. When she was freezing with her unit guarding a safe passage across a mountain, she watched as how these conglomerates, K.G.C.C., splurged on a lot of useless ceremonies.

  She also watched how city nobles who should have been representing the nation’s interests could be bought easily. She remembered about days when she could only weep for failing to save wounded vilgers because the supplies had dwindled and her Arts, as powerful as it is, could not handle chemical poisoning. She was there when a little girl asked brokenly how she couldn’t help her parent, Margaret's answer was her head hanging low.

  So many tragedies, all because they took their pain for granted. She doesn’t wish to upend the system, she just wishes that they would care for the common people who must contend with bandits and outws or catastrophes. She just wished that, by winning the championship and using the victor’s right, she would be able to legally bind them to follow her request.

  Her steps and swings deftly change from a staccato of lunge and overhead blow into a graceful dance that would make the finest dancer green with envy seeing her footwork. Her legs are not hampered by the drenched and uneven terrain, she thrives in combat against all odds. If she could parry her Aunt’s strikes while walking on a thin rope, this much is child’s py.

  Her sword staff is pced not far from, it just id near the tree where Nyx’s hounds had once torn a man to shred for extra supper. Her skill in combat eclipsed all of her peers in the Adeptus and even some Silvernces themselves. She changed her combat rhythm from measured, focused, and basic-by-the-book into something that resembled a wild Pegasus dancing in the sky.

  Her steps and swings were halted momentarily when the rain returned. Usually, she would have continued regardless, but this time she couldn’t put a finger on why and where this hesitance came from. Margaret decides to not mind it anymore, completely unaware of Maria who has been watching from her room through the window.

  The Youngest Nearl couldn’t tear her eyes away from her older sister training non-stop beneath the rain. She only leaves her room when tutors come or when it is time to eat. She was sitting there, helplessly watching, how her Uncle didn’t acknowledge her sister’s existence while the other noticed the btant show of disdain without saying anything.

  She used to be talking with them, even when her Father and Mother left for a world beyond her understanding. She remembered that birthday party they had, she was still as happy as she could be but that’s that. Maria is no longer at that time. In a way, she is a living witness to how her family is tearing itself apart.

  “… Aunty, please come home.” Her murmurs were answered only by the drizzles of rain that grew fiercer. Her older sister's swings and smashes were infused with golden light. It was supposed to entice awe and reverence but there is nothing but cold emptiness that perhaps indicates she has been treading on a wrong footing and wrong cause.

  Be that as it may, the die has been cast and she has no other choice but to see it through. Thus the Radiant Knights torch a light beneath the heaven’s cold embrace. There would be many tributions, but not in her darkest moment did she ever imagine the chain of motions her idea of knighthood had set for the future.

  Location: Wdirosa, Kazimierz

  POV: Nyx

  Watching from the terrace, I saw the children py around with the hounds I managed to tame from Kjerag. They are no longer afraid of these fangbeasts, if anything I was right. Those Kjeragian fangbeasts possessed intelligence at the level of 7 years old. Their pyful nature is infectious while giving me peace of mind in tightening up the defense.

  The project for this vilge has not been progressing smoothly. Suddenly it became harder to solicit those vital materials required for a rge industrial complex. A part of me had more or less realized that I underestimated the Terran too much. They had caught on to my py, or Cordelian’s, so they try to keep things banced.

  Whatever, it is not the first time, and won’t be the st, I got someone gunning for my ass. The thing that mattered the most was ensuring the vilge was as safe as possible, and the Silvernce that had been stationed around this pce had more or less adored me. It was surreal to know that teaching them more than just martial arts and sparring even now and then has become much easier.

  Liam had remarked that my growth is mind-bogglingly fast. He said that yes, but the boy also cautioned me to be more mindful of my surroundings, it only takes a big empty head to have shit hits the fan. When I asked their position on what was happening, they had reaffirmed that their vow was not to be taken lightly and would remain faithful as long as I posed no threat to Kazimierz.

  That being said, this much preparation is also why I could enjoy the st few months to be less harrowing than it needs. Lina has changed greatly, she becomes a lot more overbearing. She has shown little hesitance in berating me every time I return home te. One might think I found her meddlesome nature annoying…

  Not me though.

  I find her to be truly adorable and I swear that anyone trying to impress her must go through me first. Unlike with Dad, I could be somewhat open with my retionship with her, although I have my suspicion that the kids know regardless. So many problems would surface if it leaked that I got officially adopted by someone of his stature. Then I have more than enough idiots who think that they could touch my daughter. No, she is not as dainty as she looks. I’m proud and wanting to kill myself after knowing that she took in my teaching so readily in everything.

  It is like staring at a mini-me… Hehe~ I have such a sweet daughter!

  Of course with this being public knowledge, becoming a feed for those old gossips and shits, but I honestly don’t care. They had been painting me as a greedy slut for years, and it is getting stale after so many cheap adult films starring another me-look-alike; although there is some self-awareness now on who tops who. As long as they don’t try to drag Lina into whatever shenanigan they want, I’ll let it slide…

  “Mama, what are you thinking now?” Almost forgot, my cute cinnamon roll of a daughter is by my side. She is taller than me, but I don’t care either. It just means that she is easier to hug as much as I want without subjecting her to suffocation.

  “Just work and contingencies stuff.”

  “Could you stop thinking about your work for just a few days? I’m not supposed to keep pampering you.” She sounds really irritated or just pin jealous. We are currently knitting some dolls and clothes for the kids. I was told that this was my punishment for failing to be home before New Year’s Eve.

  If this is my punishment, maybe I should just keep getting te anyway. Most of the orphans are thrilled to see me around a lot more often, and I feel like I have been neglecting my job these days.

  ‘Meh, not like I need to work anymore, anyway~…’

  “You know that I’m busy with clients, right?”

  “Yes, and I feel like your caretaker every time you come home te.”

  “And I’ll be forever thankful to have you as my child.”

  “Yes, yes… fttery will get you nowhere though.” We stop our conversation to focus on the knitting. It feels surreal that someone as horrible as I could have someone so loving and the only thing missing would be a certain blockhead… then… no…

  “Mama! Pay attention, you just stabbed your finger again!” I could feel the needle being yanked away from my hand. I do not realize that blunder, but my eyes never pay attention to the bloodied finger. Every iota of it was sent towards the now ruined clothes.

  “God dammit…” This will be very hard to rinse.

  ‘Great, Lucia would cry if I keep messing this up… Come on, Nyx, focus dammit! Her birthday is just 3 days away!’

  POV: Lina Nyxe

  “God dammit…” Mama cursed spontaneously seeing the ruined fabrics, not of her wounded finger. She never once paid attention to whatever happened to her, and I dare not imagine how far this bsé attitude of her goes. I had more or less forbade her from cooking in the kitchen together since she would immediately lose focus, the sight of her still smiling at me while her hands were bleeding became too much to bear.

  The wrong word would cause her unneeded panic, but I need to be stern with these sorts of pses. She is strong but far from invincible. What she is right now, only happened after that incident. She is certainly spending more time with me, even risking her own client’s tolerance.

  “You should pay attention Ma… we only have so many supplies before another caravan comes.”

  “I could always-”

  “No, and I say that is the end for this topic. None of us would grow if you kept coddling us like children. You have good intentions, but excess was never a good thing.”

  “…” Mama said nothing and she could only stare forlornly while I cleaned her hand. The wound healed, but I know that blood could be a pesky, annoying, stain to clean. She was also less confrontational, she would often relented to whatever I said. Then again, it means she would do a lot more behind my back for us and the vilge.

  “Mama… I know that something happened back there in your line of work. I understand if you’re unwilling, to be honest out of your love for us… but can’t you be more mindful about yourself? I do not care if you’re some demon from hell because to me you would always be irrepceable and I’m sure Mother and Father would be thrilled to know I’m in good hands…” I stop myself from saying anything further and focus on the stain.

  “Sorry… I just… I just want to be the best for you while I can.”

  “You’re already one… you could be really silly sometimes. Then again, I won’t have you any other way.”

  “Thanks… I have such a wonderful daughter…”

  “All thanks because of your care and teaching.” She smiles and her vision look my way, the sheer glee of just me being close to her was all too clear. Mama had also made sure to remember the orphan’s birthday. Those who couldn’t remember theirs would also be getting one, and she would spoil them rotten… yet that all paled with what she has been doing for me.

  She has become fussy about my well-being, to the point that she would be very angry at me trying to work te into the night. I learned diligence from her, but she does not like it; not one bit. There was that one incident when a charming young merchant had been cajoling me. I cut his courting short because Mama gred at him with 100% in favor of murdering the poor fellow. I was gd that the boy wasn’t offended, maybe because he felt a cold brush with certain death.

  When I asked why she became like this, she was muted and turned her face away. I won’t lie, her pouting face was cute at least. Still…

  ‘Now? I fear that she is looking at me more than just a daughter. I won’t doubt that many people had grown affectionate with her, especially if she reciprocates, but I stood out more than ever.’

  I should be happy, really, especially with how awful stories could be about adoptive parents, yet I could not divorce the image that she is running from something. A woman who always took the fight to the storm by her lonesome, delivering medicine to vilges and isoted refugee camps under cover of the night, and putting the best at the expense of herself, is now lost in something I could not understand.

  This whole situation just reeks of guilt.

  I know that she is the furthest thing from a saint, but never did I imagine it would spiral this badly in a matter of months. Whatever happened with her trip to Kazdel with Vaskie has shaken her to the core. Was it because of the sheer devastation, as I heard from people who had been there, of the nd that shook her or was it something else entirely? I do not know, and she hides a lot from us.

  Then I heard her terminal ring with a message. Her hands reached out to it, and she scowled the more she looked into whatever was in there. Mama sighed before putting down the half-finished clothing.

  “Sorry, Lina, I need to go. Urgent stuff came up because they always do.” Mama snorted with disdain. She suited up with her grey uniform and rummaged through the many weapon caches that were hidden.

  “… Hah… just take care, alright? I do not want to see you home like that day.”

  “Of course sweetie, take care of the other cinnamon rolls for me, ok? Oh, also tell An that I’m sorry I couldn’t accompany him to fish by the ke. See ya ter, dear. Love you.” She patted me on the head and took her jacket before running downstairs. She left the house in less than 20 seconds. Finally left alone, the silence only made my chest tighten with worry.

  “Safe travel, mom.”

  POV: Narrator

  Cutting through the field of grass, Nyx doesn’t bother hiding her angered expression when no one is looking. She was busy enjoying some alone time with her daughter, but then work came and crashed her little sanctuary after all the stress she accumuted for the upcoming, potential, civil war.

  Her bike trampled through the ground with thundering ease, the beasts of both nd and air gave her a wide berth simply because an apex doesn’t bother to be courteous. Her ride moves at maximum speed, jumping, sliding, and avoiding all matter of obstacles that barred her from finishing everything quickly.

  Her destination would be close to a familiar pce, deep underground.

  While her eyes are focused on the road, her ears have been receiving updates from Conrad.

  [The miners found some problems, Cordelian has been quarantining the zone, but it might prove disastrous otherwise.]

  “How deep had they dug?”

  [Not enough to cause a major colpse, yet our pn could be threatened by something else.]

  “Probability of isoted incident?”

  [Unlikely, investigations are still ongoing, but safe to say we couldn’t rule out corporate warfare.]

  “I think I know someone who has a hand in this if it’s that. Keep the workers safe and make sure that everyone knows who they work with. I’ll single them out soon enough, you got that pal?”

  [Crystal, My Lady.] The communication was cut, and she took an ever-riskier maneuver. Jumping off a cliff, cutting through the forest without breaks, and other feats that would cause her to get more than just a few tickets. She swerved from cracks and jagged nd, the residue of fresh catastrophe that used to terrify her. The first time she saw one, her body was screaming in terror. Now she just feels mildly unsettled and that’s it.

  After a few more minutes of fuming ride, she sees her destination and promptly schooled her expression. Donning her usual bored and indifferent face, she approached the mine.

  Her arrival was spotted by the lookout. They were about to stop her, but after seeing who came to their request. They paled and just shouted at the gatekeepers to open the fence. They were surprised but complied nonetheless and just in time before a grey bike to blitz past them.

  She stops a few meters from the cave entrance. The onsite manager hurried himself to greet her.

  “O-Oh! I bid you welcome Lady Baroness.” This Anaty man sports his best smile, which falters considerably because even if she shows no aggression, he feels like stepping on boiling magma.

  “Sure, fill me in with the details.”

  “We have detected several active, votile, Originium veins. The workers reported they are about 110 meters deep, 427 meters deep, and the st being 271 meters deep but at the farthest point.”

  ‘That ain’t right… st time I checked the routes, there nothing there… unless.’ Nyx heaved a sigh before shouting loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Listen up! I had done a preliminary survey before, and I found no veins back then. Likely that it is a deliberate sabotage.” Unease rippled to everyone. They knew that Cordelia had been making less than ideal partners, but to openly sabotage is something else entirely.

  “You’re the on-site manager, right?”

  “Yes, anything you need?”

  “Did Cordelia give you any instructions if an anomaly occurred?”

  “I did. Mr. Adenaver underlined that in an event where an anomalous situation occurs, immediately vacate the area and wait for a dispatched unit to handle it.”

  “How many men did Cordelia send?”

  “We have 20 securities, Lady Baroness. However, they said that they were new to the job and were told to only expect external threats. On that topic, they did fight off several unwanted brigands…” Nyx tilted her head in puzzlement. She doubted Conrad would make such a boneheaded mistake. Then she remembered a certain someone she met back in Leithanien and many subsequent meetings with them.

  She hummed a simple note to scan into the cave, and just as she thought, she felt a familiar presence waiting for her deep inside the earth. Heaving a sigh, she pretends to ask for further instruction from Cordelia.

  After gaining suitable documentation and permits, she told everyone to vacate. The manager was about to ask why. She admired his work ethic, but this was not just the time and curtly told him that she was told by Mr. Adenaver that he ordered her to retry the previous inspection. She also told the rest of the Cordelian employees that he was expecting them.

  While the temporary campsite goes into a frenzy to evacuate, Nyx walks inside to meet what could probably be the most dangerous person to her pn. She doubts she has cards to py against them, but she won’t bend just like that.

  The cave felt like a second home to her, no thanks to the many tomfooleries. There was a time when bandits tried to colpse it while she was inside, which of course failed. Another would be when she needed to subdue some runaway noble children who turned too rebellious for their house’s liking. Then a weird one where she just chatted with a fellow catastrophe messenger who wallowed about why they were being reassigned to Sami of all pces.

  Her reminiscing was cut short to see the same Caprinae man she saw back in Leithanien.

  “Gd to meet you again. Our st meeting was going as well as I had expected… but you’re intimidating more than I could ever thought. You see… you left quite the frenzy back in Leithanien… mixing in all truths to obfuscate the facts and objectives… Then gaining favor from that thing.”

  Nyx quirked her brows. The man seems to be insinuating something she doesn’t know. Then again it could just be a general disdain for one of her colborators. Still, she is not in the mood to dance.

  “Yeah, yeah, cram as much or even everything you want… so what do I owe you this pleasure, Sarkaz?” The Caprinae man’s body dissolved into a gooey substance of cyan, green, and blue with yellow streaks. In his pce stood a much smaller person who looked neither masculine nor feminine. They did sport an expression of boredom, but Nyx spotted that titur light in their eyes. Curiosity from such an ancient personage, or creature, is not something she could take lightly.

  “We suppose you earned the right to know our… preferred appearance.” The Sarkaz made graceful hand gestures and a small bow.

  “Pleased to meet you, Lady Grey Serpent. We are but humble observers and we are duly curious.” Their voice carried in equal measure a touch of softness with an undertone of razor-sharp insistent. They paced around the cave before touching one of the pulsing veins, ready to explode and potentially ignite a man-made catastrophe.

  “If you guys are curious, then stop trying to infiltrate Cordelia, I’m sick with dealing with your gooey shit. I couldn’t dedicate my life to pying security… It wasn’t so hard to use modern technology to reach out like a normal person either.”

  “Indeed, but we see such mundane little things no different than a passage of time… boring.”

  “Geez, who would have thought that living too long made people go cuckoo.”

  “You’re not too dissimir with us, no?”

  “No, I can still die.”

  “Quite an insistent one on the idea of mortality… It was an amalgamation of subconscious fears, wasn’t it?” Nyx doesn’t answer but the grip on her bde tightened. They noticed the air grew heavier with esoteric energy that they had never seen before. Even that much is enough to further ignite their interest. The Sarkaz proceed to diffuse the tension.

  “Old Red-Eyes would be inclined to disagree. By the by, I thank you for making his mood more… dynamic. He has been quite the expressive fellow during this, yet another, civil war.”

  “Don’t bring that twink into this, so what in the goddamn do you want? Your Majesty?”

  “Your Majesty, is it? We are afraid we never refer to ourselves as such. Bear in mind that some kings took offense on that…”

  “I got a friend who knows more about the Royal Court. She is going elsewhere right now, and she cautioned me about a skin shifter and flesh stealer… their name is Damazti. A King who had been a part of Kazdel… or to be precise, the King that predates Kazdel as a concept. I can’t defeat you, for now, but I swear… touch anyone dear to me, and I’ll rip each of your tendrils one by one. Don’t give me a reason to regard my perceived longevity in a better light.” Her voice infused itself with unknown energy. It seems to be warping the space along her nerves, eyes, and mouth lights in a baleful vapor of smog.

  The Damazti smiled upon hearing her words, they felt something enveloping her but couldn’t fathom what. Then the Kings are not at all surprised that her st meeting with a Royal Court member made her cautious. Sensing that the Pythia, or this unknown Elder, is increasingly displeased mood, they calmly expin the reason to intrude on her pn.

  “We are here to observe, just as we always do. We just wish to make ourselves known, and we swear to not intrude upon your kingdom. Such a thing was… boring.” The Damazti then morphed their body back to the noble Caprinae and they walked deeper into the earth unperturbed by showing their backs to the Pythia.

  Nyx was left alone with the receptively explosive Originium veins. It is pulsing and seems to be on the verge of ignition. Once she felt that the Damazti had left the premises, she contacted Conrad about a truly concerning situation.

  “Conrad?”

  [Yes, My Lady?”

  “We got 2 problems. I’m not sure if the first one is sabotage, but start rechecking those paths I had traced.”

  [Acknowledged and what was that other problem you mentioned?]

  “One of Kazdelian King’s attention is on me… more of them soon enough.”

  [END OF CHAPTER]

  Author’s Note:

  Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the author who is just sad

  Here we see that… she got bitten…

  Wow, who would have thought?!

  But seriously, she is still just a single woman. She could fold an army like paper, yes maybe… but what if there are more?

  This is the st update this month, see ya next month again.

  Ciao