40 riders pierced through the night, their horses thunderously drumming against the earth. A stone cobbled path lead them to their destination. Amongst the group of 40, 10 magicians sat at the rear. The middle was composed of 20 average knights, spearheaded by 9 advanced relic wielders.
At the very forefront of this operation, stood the glistening armored man, Kars -The Silver Knight. Against the moon's rays, his armor decorated itself with an array of ever-so-slight colors which radiated off his body.
The night was young, but with unrelenting speed, they persisted. The kingdom of Baerim was only 2 countries away, but the goal was to avoid being seen within another country's borders. Naturally, to Yorba, no nations posed a threat to their wellbeing.
They were the first country to utilize S-class relics and brought an end to the fourth war. Because of this, most countries revered them. However, as of recent times with several nations scurrying for greater power, that reverence slowly turned into disdain.
The Seirin Republic, the nation bordering Yorba was one such nation. Being the 2nd nation to tout ownership of God relics, they constantly engaged in hostilities with surrounding nations including Yorba.
In one of the most infamous incidents, The Seirin Republic detained several diplomats of the Yorba nation and subsequently closed down several elite Seirin based companies from Yorba. They sited illegal activities of the envoys and shut down the companies in response to the corruption.
The claims were simply acts of aggression to goad Yorba into acts of war, but despite this, Yorba simply held their cool and pushed immense sanctions and trade limitations upon them. Though Yorba held incomprehensible power, it was not only in the form of Relics. The economic influence they held was comparable. In the end, Seirin was forced to re-investigate the matter and offer recompense. Since then, they've remained subtle in their acts of aggression.
In truth, Yorba had little to fear of the country. They simply had no desire to be viewed as the villain in the event that they end up wiping out yet another country. That being said, this mission was one of great importance and highly time-sensitive. If they were to be spotted crossing through the border of Seirin and it resulted in a delay of the mission then it would most certainly result in failure.
"Lawrence! What's the mana status of the mages?"
A man rode up alongside the silver knight
"As planned, they've expended little to no mana. So far the horses have yet to run out of stamina." He explained.
The mages were here for 2 reasons - to replenish the stamina of the horses through mana transfusion, and to utilize the blanket spell.
"Good. We're a couple miles away from the border of Seiren. Have the mages activate the spell now."
"Sir!" Lawrence fell back and shouted clear all to hear. "BLANKET SET!"
Immediately after saying this, the 10 magicians shot their hands upwards.
"Brasdervi"
In unison, a translucent bubble formed around the entire encampment. They proceeded at the same speed.
The blanket spell, Brasdervi, allowed one to form a bubble around themselves and their comrades for extended periods of time. Once inside the bubble, you become invisible to the naked eye. Those inside however can both see the outside world, and the translucent bubble.
When the mages started to run out of mana, they would then drink the mana potions they stocked up on, replenishing themselves slowly back up. Each of the 10 magicians so far were equipped with 10 mana potions. It would certainly be enough to hold them to Baerim and back.
The bubble held throughout the course of the day as the magicians tirelessly maintained the barrier. The goal was a continuous movement without rest, but the magicians would be just out of mental stamina by the time they reach Baerim.
The day continued with quick haste. Whenever the horses tired, the magicians would change their mana into stamina and replenish the horses' drive. Continuing on like this, it wasn't long before they reached the country of Baerim and crossed its borders.
Upon crossing the borders for Baerim, the bubble disintegrated, leaving them completely open to the outside world. Unlike Seirin, they held good relations with the Kingdom of Baerim. Under faith that the high king would grant them an audience and allow their wishes to be realized, Kars had decided to keep a diplomatic approach to such an operation.
He knew that the people of Sei'O did not value plague children, nor did they care if they died. Using this idea to an advantage, he had thought a great proposal to offer.
"Alright!" Kars shouted. "Shiek, Mikhail, Lawrence!"
Each one of them answered one after another and stopped behind him. In order, they dismounted their horses and kneeled.
"We'll be setting up camp here. Tomorrow morning exactly 6 am, the mission will be entirely under effect."
They were his 3 most proud subordinates. They've distinguished themselves several hundred times in training and in battle. Though each one of them was very capable by themselves, Kars had much doubt he could face off against all of them combined. They were a force he had created, and before he realized, they were much stronger than him.
Before him lay the "Head Hunter" Shiek. Her small and thin body structure gave off the impression of someone completely unremarkable. Long blond hair rested in a ponytail just behind her back. Whenever the sunlight shines upon it, her hair glows a beautiful golden shade.
However, her bony facial structure and gloomy sunken eyes gave off the eeriness of night. Unlike the other's she wore no armor and instead donned a tight leather jumpsuit. Several knives seated themselves in tightly composed pockets all around her being. On her waist, lay her two most distinguishable weapons, curved dagger shaped relics known as Bludgeon & Sever. These 2 weapons were very dangerous relics which coined her the name "headhunter."
To her left, a timid young boy by the name of Mikhail knelt. He was the very embodiment of meekness. He looked to be about the age of 16. His dark jet black hair gave his face just a tiny bit of fierceness to it, but nonetheless, he couldn't even intimidate a mouse.
His hands were concealed by a dark brown glove. They were his prized relic "Hopper." This relic alone had made him renown amongst every nation in this country. A shy blush rested on his face as he looked down.
The very last of the 3 to be called, Lawrence, knelt beside Kars. He had short hair and fierce masculine features. His thick eyebrows alone could frighten most people. The look on his face was one brimming with ferocity. His eyes held an intense almost feral look to them, which he often dismissed as a Sanpakugan(See Post Chapter Notes). Though even in comparison to other Sanpaku eyes he was frightening.
The slight wrinkles of age scaped his face. His mouth was framed by wrinkles of happiness. Despite his appearance, out of the 3, he was probably the kindest and most hearty. Age had garnered him experience, and laughter had rewarded him with kindness.
Though his face was terrifying, it only served to deter many battles and trials. In comparison to the rest, though he was the wisest, he held the least amount of combat experience. Nonetheless, if even the other 2 were to team up against him, he would remain on top.
These 3 were indebted to the golden warrior through several different circumstances. Their devotion to Kars was unmatchable. They would even strike the king should Kars command it. This singular truth within all of them united the trio into a force to be reckoned with.
As Kars dismounted his own horse, the rest of his unit also dismounted. The other 20 knights behind them unpacked their bags and began setting up their sleeping quarters. They each had their own separate tents as well as dining rooms and several private meeting quarters.
Aside from the 9 elite relic wielders, the teams were unfamiliar with each other and only served to accompany Kars' group should he run into trouble. Naturally, they all huddled in groups based off of their relation to each other. The mages settled by themselves near the edge of the camp.
The knights had huddled around the camp, voraciously devouring their food, while the elite dined amongst a small group with each other.
Within the meeting hall, Kars sat down in the presence of 4 others. His 3 prodigies, and a new unfamiliar face. The man had a very tired look on his face and seemed relatively disinterested with the conversation altogether. This man was Regalt Dotwiser. He was the embodiment of laziness. He thought everything to be too much of a hassle and rarely paid attention.
He was often found sleeping through most important topics which he gets clowned on for, but nonetheless, he would still somehow retain all the information he received. That, and his quick thinking has often been the turning point for many missions. Regalt's baggy, tired eyes looked up at the ceiling.
One long stretch of his black hair sat right on the bridge of his nose and even though a single strand was on his eye, he was too lazy to remove it. He held the relic known as "1,000 cold nights" Normally a C-rank relic, until it found its way onto his hands. Perhaps due to his skill with it, it had been re-evaluated as an A- Grade relic.
"1,000 cold nights" is just a simple, indistinguished gold ring that the user wears. It saps them of their strength tremendously and continuously each day. This often causes users to experience extreme weakness and fatigue. The energy it absorbs is then used later within combat, released all at once to heighten the user's durability, speed, and several other factors.
Many of its previous users could not stand the constant state of peril and uselessness the relic imposed on them, and often utilized the power right away in order to distinguish themselves. That was of course, not the case for Regalt. Regalt was someone who held absolutely no motivation to do anything what-so-ever.
At one point, he had even lounged around in his house and slept 10 days straight. Only waking up to drink water, and eat a quick meal before going back to sleep. As someone with so much energy and nowhere to send it, when his father had awarded him with "1,000 Cold Nights", it was the perfect pairing. years upon years of his laziness was stored within this tiny jewel.
If one were to estimate the accumulated stamina and energy he had stored within that ring, the number would be somewhere around 51,000 hours of energy. Hours of energy was a unit of measurement only created to understand this relics unique nature. Out of the 10 years he had received this relic, he had stored up a good 6 years of energy within it.
Simply put, he could, within one battle, release power 2,190x greater than what he currently had. This factor alone granted him the title "One Man Army". In truth, he was one of the strongest within the nation of Yorba. Some might argue his power rivaled even that of the Silver Knight, Kars. If he were to expend all the energy he had been saving, he could beat Kars.
Kars' relic was extremely powerful. The only way he could possibly beat him would be if he utilized all of his amassed power and struck at the man. Despite their equal power, Kars' was his superior. But nonetheless, he didn't care about societal positions or even commands. He only cared about resting. This was just his natural state of being, with or without his relic.
Oblivious to Regalt, Kars continued to talk about the mission plan.
"So, starting at exactly 6 am, I shall be leaving to the royal capital of Baerim to negotiate with the king, the terms of this mission. This is exactly why we are at the very edge of the border. Between Sei'O and Baerim. At the same time as I head to my audience with the king, I'd like each of you to depart immediately."
He drew upon the map that lay unfurled between them. One figure headed towards the capital of Baerim, while 4 crossed the border to Sei'O.
"It should take you guys 3 hours to reach Essen Sei'O as opposed to my 8 hour pilgrimage." He sighed. "While I ask the king for permission for our operation to take place, you guys will have already finished it. I know he will accept, but it is just a common courtesy to do so. After-all, he will be doing us a great favor in allowing such an operation to take place."
"E-erm...Forgive me, L-lord Kars...but" Mikhail began. He immediately dismissed his question with a quick nevermind and averted his gaze.
"Jesus christ, Mikhail. You just fuckin' annoy me y'know that?" Shiek said, scowling. "If Yer' fuckin gonna ask a question ask it all the way." She exhaled from her nose. "He means to ask. Whats the point of all this splittin up business. If we're just here to murder the damn plague kid anyways, despite ya talkin to the high king n all that, why don't ya just skip that part altogether."
Lawrence slowly raised his hand. "I was wondering this as well. You're going to the king under the pretext of him accepting your proposal...but you're also sending us out on this assassination even if the answer turns up being a no. Is there really a reason to bring this up to the high king?"
"Y-yes...I was also..wondering the same thing." Mikhail meekly added.
Kars simply yawned. "Jeez. I've heard the same question asked 3 times just now. You're all just facsimiles of each other in different tropes."
He looked down to the map before him. "I believe you all are familiar with how I do things. I'd like to remain honorable. It is only fair that the king of another country is alerted of such actions going on within his borders. Especially if we're his allies. We're fully involving Baerim within this affair. It would be disgusting not to get their approval."
He traced his fingers on the map where his circle would be talking to the king. "The reason I'm sending all of you separately is that there are 3 different scenarios."
"Scenario 1- I go to the king, he grants us approval, and then I come back another 8 hours, and then we go on our way to Essen-Sei'O and search the city for the target before we end up killing them."
This scenario gave off a good impression of failure if they could not find the Plague child within the time-frame. They had already expended 2 days out of the original 7 days. Tomorrow Morning would mark the beginning of the 3rd day, leaving them with only 4 left.
If he were indeed to travel 8 hours to the capital, meet with the king and travel 8 hours back, only to travel yet another 4 hours to the capital, it leaves them with 3 days to find this red-haired child. They all understood this fact by the time Kars had explained.
"Scenario 2, is much the same as one, except that he disapproves of my proposal and then I rendezvous with you guys here, to go search for the target...again unfavorable. It also will leave the Kingdom of Baerim with a sour taste in their mouth to find out that I went against his wishes."
The 3 nodded in unison.
"Scenario 3, is that we all go to the capital, and with them noticing my very distinguishable visage, alert the king of my unannounced presence within their domain. Not only will it weaken relationships to Baerim, but it may also turn into a very nasty dispute between Baerim and Yorba."
"The best decision is to send my 3 hands to Essen-Sei'O. Have you take out the enemy, and gain approval of the operation altogether."
The 3 looked at Kars in admiration. That he was able to instantly see the best course of action and break it down to those who were legally retarded as they were, made them view him as a god. They all instantly nodded their head and in unison
"YES LORD KARS! WE'RE SORRY WE DOUBTED YOU!" They bowed deeply.
Kars simply urged them to get their head back up, thoroughly embarrassed that such a sight had to happen in front of Regalt. Luckily Regalt was asleep, but the feeling of embarrassment was still certainly there.
"Ah-em. Please, no need to shower me in praise like this. I'd like you all to get well rested and spend your time preparing for your mission tomorrow morning. This Plague Child...from the look on Harre's face, possesses an astonishing power. Please keep this in mind when you face him. Though, should he turn out to be too much, Regalt will be accompanying you all as well.
Regalt, oblivious to what was occurring in the room, was entirely asleep. -Complete with a feral snoring sound.
"One more thing," Kars said, his eyes very grave and in his most serious commanding tone. "Absolutely no other deaths aside from the target. I will not permit you to kill needlessly." They all nodded "understood."
With that, the trio got up and left the tent. Lawrence lightly jabbed Regalt, who had fallen asleep while standing up. One could almost see the snot bubble around his nose popping as he immediately surveyed the room in high alert.
Before him, Kars remains the only one left, sighing lightly.
"Tch- Why didn't you tell them the truth, Lord Kars?" Regalt asked lazily.
"Hmm? What do you mean by that, Lord Regalt." They addressed each other equally in respect despite Kars holding the higher position.
"In truth, it was supposed to be you out there fighting alongside your team. Had you not insisted to do the negotiations instead." He yawned for a couple seconds and stretched.
"I mean.. I'm quite alright with it. Negotiations are a bother. Its too much energy spent talking to a dimwit who rules a set of insignificant lands while pretending its an empire." He paused.
"But, my question earlier. Why didn't you tell them that you simply did not enjoy missions of assassination. Especially that of a child." Regalt asked.
Kars looked at him, not surprised in the least that he was able to deduce that information. "Heh. They look up to me too much. If I held my ideals foolishly and told them why, they would aline with me and refuse to do the same. Even though they all have done this for years."
Shiek had been a lady born in the slums, massacaring and assassinating her way through people for a good decade. At some point she got ahold of her relic and became renoun for her disgusting methods. She lived in that darkness since day one and saw Kars as her only salvation. If he were to say that her way of living is wrong, she would simply copy his way.
Kars sighed. "My intentions with those 3, are to concentrate their power, not change and misshape it. I must not make them into replicas of myself, but individuals equal to me."
Regalt laughed. "I see..I'm tired. I'm going to my tent now." The man sluggishly exited the tent and fell asleep halfway out the door.
Kars held in a stifled laugh and began breathing heavily in an attempt to hide his surprise. "Ahem. erm. Sleep well." He called for some of the nights to later carry the man to his tent.
Kars lay back in his tent. The mission tomorrow held such importance that there was no room for failure. He still held the utmost faith in his comrades. He couldn't shake the feeling off that something terrible was bound to happen. He recalled the night after Harre had been knocked unconscious and taken hostage.
She woke up several hours later and began screaming. When asked about what was going on, she described the worst horror she had ever seen yet. She described her inability to move, and instant fading of consciousness from the pressure.
She also described the red-headed plague child, grey as stone, with a black gem on the middle of his forehead. The power he described from the kid sounded like a very formidable one...but if no such instance of that power ever being used occurred until now, it meant that it was most-likely a relic. So in truth, all they had to do was take out the child and later locate the relic.
Or they could wait until the child has the relic...It would then allow them to take the relic from the child's hands right away. Either way, he trusted in his companions to be able to keep the destruction at bay. Should they require help, Regalt is 100 times more than enough.
"That's right...we'll bring down that demon..." He yawned, still thinking about the events transpiring. He wanted nothing more than to bring Harre back. Thus, he fell asleep, certain of victory.