Chapter
VIII
David sat
in his study, planning his next strategic move against the Iron Kingdom Iron
Kingdom
“Who goes
there?” He called out, placing his hand over the hilt of his sword.
“Come on,
are you really going to use that?” Her voice lingers beside his ear and he
swears he feels her hot breath on his neck from behind. She grins, her own hand
wrapping around the sword. “Perhaps it is my turn to impale you?” Lana laughs, walking
towards his front.
“Do not
touch my sword.” He hisses, though keeps his gazed fixed on her. She giggles,
stepping towards him.
“My King,
you are always quite grumpy. Do tell me what is troubling you…?” She bats her
eyelashes, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re so tense nowadays.”
“You are
merely an image.” He growls though reaches forward, his hand cupping her cheek.
“Why do you torment me so?” He asks, getting a laugh in response.
“Why, my
sweet King. They do not call you the Mad King for no reason, you know.” She grins
and steps away from him. She runs her hand along his desk before taking a seat
on it, smirking. “Do you wish me away, David?”
“Lana—“
“It’s an
honest question, David. Do you?” She lifts her head to look at him, though he
hasn’t projected her image just right, causing it flicker.
“You left
no other choice, stupid girl! I—“
“Hush, do
you hear that?!” She grins, the sound of a child’s laughter echoing through the
room. “Oh dear, Rosalind!” She takes off running to the connecting chambers.
“Lana!” He
snarls, attempting to follow her but the girl returns to him moments later, a
small girl in her own arms.
“Oh hush,
David, you’re awfully frightful when you want to be.” She frowns as the little
girl begins to cry, beginning to rub her back. The Mad King makes his way over
to the pair, insisting Lana release the girl before kneeling down in front of
her.
“Dear
child, why are you crying?”
“You hurt
my mummy.”
“I…”
“You hurt
me.”
“You must
understand, that I—“
“YOU HURT
ME!” The child screams, beginning to wail before disappearing. He blinks
several times before spinning around.
“You stupid
girl and your foul illusion tricks!” He snarls, grabbing her rather harshly by
her neck, shoving her back against the bookcase.
“Oh David,
I am incapable of producing such illusions.” Lana grins, shoving his hand away.
“Only a sorcerer such as yourself could wield such magic.” She coos, slipping
away from his grips.
“Foul
ghost!”
“I am no ghost.
You are not that lucky, my King.” She grins, standing behind him as Captain
Hera enters.
“My liege,
I have returned with—Sir, are you alright?” Her expression changes to one of
concern, walking toward him.
“I am fine,
Captain Hera. I demand your findings.” The King rubs his temples.
“Very well,
sir. What you ask of me…“ She begins detailing her mission, giving him the
information she thinks he ought to know on her expedition to the village nearby.
“Mm, she
sure does talk a lot.” Lana murmurs, leaning back against David. “Say, is she…”
The unreal girl turns, stretching onto her tip toes to rest her head on David’s
shoulder from behind. “She is degrading you, my King.” She whispers in his ear,
eyes fixed on the one they call the Lioness. “After all you have done for her…
after the life you have given her, she dares to speak to you like that? As if
you were… equals?”
“HERA!” The
Mad King interrupts the woman mid-sentence, drawing his sword. “How dare you
insult me like that? AFTER ALL I HAVE DONE FOR YOU, THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!”
“M-My King,
I… I would never! I-“
“She could
not even do what you asked of her. Pity…”
“I BANISH
YOU FROM MY KINGDOM! EXILE!” He screams, practically foaming at the mouth. “YOU
DARE STEP FOOT IN DIRUO AGAIN, I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A PLATTER!”
“Sir, I do
not understand, I-“
“LEAVE!”
Without another word, the Captain took her order. Gathering her weaponry, she
glanced back at him with a rather sad expression, before turning and heading to
the stables.
- - - - - - - - -
“A bit of a
mad man, isn’t he?” Kurtis smirks, approaching Captain Hera as she begins to
ready her horse for departure.
“I do not
know what has gotten into him. He has never acted in such a manner towards me…”
She frowns, strapping her pack onto her steed.
“Well, he
is a stupid man for letting a woman such as yourself slip from his grasp. You
are one of the strongest fighters I know of in this Kingdom.” He flashes her a
charming smile, folding his arms across his chest.
“Thank you,
sir.”
“May I ask
something of you, Captain Hera? Seeing as you have been relieved of your
previous position, I’m sure you’re looking for work?” Kurtis smirks, leaning
against the wooden post.
“I… I
suppose so, yes sir. How may I serve you?”
“You must
recall the former Iron knight kept in the dungeons here. Leonidas, yes? I do
believe you and your King had some fun with him…”
“What of
the piece of scum, sir?”
“In recent
days it would seem as though he has fallen off the map of the realms. I enlist
you to find the man and interrogate him as to the whereabouts of his recently
deceased friend.”
“Anything
else, sir? Where was he last seen?”
“That is all, Captain. He was last spotted on the Eastern outskirts of Vindico with the corpse. “
“That is all, Captain. He was last spotted on the Eastern outskirts of Vindico with the corpse. “
“I will not
let you down, sire.”
“I expect
you will not, Captain Hera.” Kurtis smirks, bowing to the woman before turning,
wearing a rather pleased expression.
- - - - - - - - -
“Gerard!”
Luke calls, approaching on his horse, battleaxe in hand.
“Sir! The
Beast King’s wyvern has been spotted from the South!” Gerard shouts to his
leader, trotting towards him. “He’s heading in for an attack!”
“Man the
defences! Use all your force and do not let the Mountain take anymore damage
from this foul creature!” The King orders. He slips off his horse to begin
trudging up the mountain, ready to face the beast. The wind began to beat any
trees in its path, batting them back and forth, causing the wood to creak. The
wyvern let out a squawk, landing on the Mountain with its wings spanning
outwards about thirty feet, attempting to intimidate its prey with his gawking
twenty foot long body. Lukas was not having it.
“COME ON,
YOU STUPID BEAST!” He screams at the bronze-coloured creature, swinging his axe
towards it. The wyvern shrieks, swinging its head to breathe fire onto the
King. Lukas dives out of the way, feeling the flames dance at his heels before
lurching forward to swing at the beast again, shouting at it to flee. Gerard
runs to his King’s side, baring a sword in arms as well as a shield, narrowing
his eyes at the beast.
“Archers,
take your aim!” He orders the few remaining men who reside in the Mountain.
They draw their arrows back, pointed directly at the beast’s figure. “FIRE!”
- - - - - - - - -
Leonidas
found refuge in a tavern on the outskirts of where Nahoa was supposed to be.
The man hadn’t let it go; the fact that her body wasn’t even buried. The burns
that stung underneath the sleeves of his tunic served as a painful reminder to
that fact. He found his comfort in the bottom of countless bottles of mead.
“Haven’t
you had enough to drink, lad?” The tavern’s keeper offered a smile as he wiped
his counter down. “You haven’t moved from the seat in hours. What is it you’re
pondering?” He questions but Leon
remains silent, sipping from his cup.
“I see.
You’re the quiet type. I can respect that.” He nods, walking off to assist
another. Leon
let out a sigh, his eyes briefly skimming the tavern before taking another long
swig of his beverage.
“Oi, chump,
you’re in my seat.” A thunderous voice exclaims from behind Leon . He rolls
his eyes, deciding it was best to ignoring the man and not give him the
reaction he was looking for.
“ARE YOU
DEAF?! I’m talking to you!” The stranger snarls, placing a hand on his
shoulder. Leon
snaps, turning in one swift motion and kicking the brute of a man’s legs out
from underneath him, shoving him to the ground.
“Listen,
/chump/, I’m not in the mood for your fucking games, so I suggest you find a
new place to sit.” He snarls before getting up, smoothing out his tunic and
going back to sit down. The man jumps to his feet, attempting to take a swing
at Leon
while his back is turned but the former knight saw it coming. He stepped out of
the way at the last moment before turning and tackling the man onto the floor
once again. He pins him down, sending countless fists into man’s face.
“I. Don’t. Want. To. Fucking. PLAY!” He growled between
each hit, his knuckles bleeding from the sheer force he unleashed on the
unsuspecting man, who had fallen unconscious moments ago. It takes nearly four
men to pull Leonidas off. They escort him out and toss him into the dirt
outside the tavern.
He groans,
rolling onto his back and looking to the sky with a heavy sigh. He squeezed his
eyes shut, attempting to force the scene out of his head but it kept replaying.
He had her under his arm, she was right there and then she was falling… and
gone.
“Need some
help?” Hera the Lioness smirks, holding out her hand to the man on the ground. Leon ’s
eyes shoot open at the all-too familiar voice. The dungeons… He growled and
jumped to his feet, hands clenching into fists that trembled with anger.
“I need
nothing from you, you fucking bitch.”
“Ouch. To
think I was going to touch Vindican scum.” She rolled her eyes, folding her
arms across her chest. “I came here to ask where the girl’s body went. I have a
client who is particularly interested in that information, and I will go to any
lengths to get it for him.”
“If you’re
attempting to threaten me then you’ve got another thing coming, lady.” He
snaps.
“Leonidas,
give me what I ask and I will be of no bother to—“ She glances over, hearing a
commotion in the woods. “Do you hear that?” She draws her blade, strutting
towards the forest. Leonidas snarls, staggering after her with a groan, rubbing
his temples. The taste of mead still lingers on his lips. The two use the vegetation
as cover, watching the scene unravel before them. A cloaked figure
single-handedly defeated the Master, a well-known slave trader in all the
realms, going as far as slicing the wrist off the man.
“We should
not be witnessing this. It will get us into far too much trouble in the
Underground…” Leonidas mutters and turns away, but finds Hera has her eyes
fixed on the cloaked figure.
“Leon , I have
seen this fighting style before.”
“I don’t
give a fuck what you have seen; we shouldn’t be seeing this.”
“But it—“
Hera turns to look for the former Knight, though finds he has disappeared. With
a heavy sigh, she follows his trail, thinking the task she had taken on may be
harder than she anticipated.
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