Everyone had departed from the graveyard except for some of the families of those who were slain by that Hand.
The number of dead was surprisingly high, and would probably have been higher if Alyze had not intervened. However, it seemed that the only one to have actually gone in for the kill was the Hand with the eyepatch.
The other two had done damage of course, the little Hand in particular. Her victims needed medical attention right after the fight, but most of her strikes didn't even glaze the skin. It was almost as if killing or even harming the men wasn't her intention. She had run straight to where General Amian was held up so the mayor thought she was simply trying to get through the guards to him.
General Amian was a whole other ordeal entirely. The mayor had used the excuse of seeing that the guards that fell were given an honorable burial so he didn't have to talk to the man. After what happened last night he didn't know who could blame him. The general was furious, even that much was clear, so the mayor thought it best to give him enough time to calm down as possible.
The mayor wanted to just avoid him entirely, and just wait for him to leave, but that would just cause even more problems.
There were still issues on top of that, many that the mayor thought were more important. The people were rattled, and rightfully so. After such a blunder on the guards' part, the mayor couldn't blame them for doubting the safety of the village. At least none were saying he was going overboard in terms of security anymore.
There was also the problem pertaining to the merchants, but then again was there ever not one? Some had started to demand reparations for what happened last night. He doubted they had any justifiable reason for them. They were most likely just trying to squeeze as much money as possible from the village.
Then there were the merchants that just left. They were even more of a problem than the ones that stayed. Most likely they would spread bad rumors about the town, leading to a decrease in business for a time. Honestly the mayor didn't know how to solve that problem yet.
Before all that though there was an even more pressing matter.
The graveyard itself was arranged in a horizontal manner on the outskirts of town. They were arranged from most recent to oldest. The mayor had seldom come to this place, he even forgot about it sometimes. Ever since the mass burial when Alicia had come back from war both times, barely anyone had died. The graveyard itself was probably one of the biggest in Lysets because of just how many bodies Alicia brought back. In truth he could probably count on one hand how many people had died since he had become mayor.
Luxcians were long living people, luckily they had plenty of food to support the growing population, but sometimes the mayor thought that it might eventually cause problems in the distant future.
The mayor looked to his right to the biggest grave and one of the more recent ones. Along with the tombstone stood a statue that resembled the person in question with her arms spread out as if presenting her final resting place to those who were passing by.
The mayor walked up next to the person who was giving her respects. He didn't really know what to say so he just stared at the grave with her in silence.
Alicia Eapev
That was the name on the stone that marked the grave. Fresh noctils seemed to have been placed on the grave by the girl next to him.
"What was your father's last name again?"
Alyze looked up from the grave at the mayor, "Eapev. You know he took mom's last name after the wedding since I had already taken it up."
The mayor coughed awkwardly, "Yes that's right. Sorry, I'm beginning to become forgetful, I really should take more breaks."
"You know you won't."
The mayor chuckled to himself dryly.
Alyze looked back at her mothers grave, "So have you come to try and stop me from going. You know it's a waste of time."
The mayor simply shook his head, "No, no, no, nothing like that...but if you are willing..."
Alyze furrowed her eyebrows at him, and he instinctively held up his arms defensively, "Okay, I guess not then."
Alyze stretched her arms towards the sky, "Well I guess I have to get going. I won't see you again in a long time so... I wish you the best?"
The mayor sighed, "I just have one more question."
Alyze looked at him inquisitively but also not looking forward to what he had to say.
"Why are you so obsessed with this dream of yours? Can't you just be happy here."
Alyze shook her with a warm smile, "I'm sure I could, but it's just not what I want. You know I wanted to be just like her when I was little."
"Still...doing something like this just because you want to be just like your mom is..."
"No, I don't desire to be my mom anymore. I want to do what only I can do. I want to make a name for myself, and I'm not going to be doing anything like that here. Besides, I now have the key to do whatever I want, so why would I stay here, even if I didn't have any bigger aspirations."
Jacob narrowed his eyes and looked towards her right hand, in which she wore a glove, at the mention of that thing, "Just don't get too cocky. That "key" is more dangerous than you think. There are some who may try to use you because of it. No matter what you do, don't show it to anyone until you get to Fotos. Lord Soluriel has enough eyes there that something like it won't go unnoticed easily. When thinking about all that I really wish I could make you stay..."
Alyze put her finger to his lip, "But you can't Jacob. Even you have to admit defeat at some point."
"I still wish you would tell me where you got it from."
Alyze was putting a travelling pack on her back and gave a wry smile to the mayor, "I'm allowed to have at least one secret, aren't I."
The mayor simply sighed, "Just don't be reckless."
"Now when have I ever been reckless?"
"When you soul bonded with that Hound."
Alyze all the sudden went red, "How...how did you know."
"Your father told me last night. Why do you think I wanted to capture him? Really, now I have to worry about that boy dying and dragging you both to the afterlife."
Alyze laughed to herself, "Well sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith."
"You better not take too many," he grumbled.
Alyze put her hand to her mouth to cover up her laugh.
The mayor was about to say something, but he suddenly realized. The child in front of him was not a child anymore, hasn't been for a long time.
"You might actually pass for a woman now."
"I've been a woman for years now, you're just blind."
Alyze removed the hand covering her mouth, revealing a warm smile, and the mayor smiled back.
"Thank you for looking over me all these years. You've been a great friend."
The mayor heard the voice inside his head and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "Yeah, you've been a great friend too."
Alyze turned around and started off, "Well I guess this is goodbye. I'll take the long way to the road. I have one last stop before I leave anyway."
The mayor nodded as he watched her leave, "See you later I guess," he lowered his tone, and spoke sarcastically "You know looking after you were really a bother the least I could get is a hug."
"I can still hear you, ya know!"
The mayor simply smiled and shook his head as he turned back towards the village.
Lucel was busier than usual that day. To the mayor's knowledge most of the merchants had decided to leave with General Amian and the guards he had provided. All the mayor could do now was hope that those men would better the reputation of Lucel. He knew he didn't have to worry, he did fight alongside most of them anyway.
In the midst of merchants running around, guards making sure everything was ready, and the stable hands making sure the vodena and attoka were ready for the journey, Jarvus just sat on a porch in a rocking chair with a mug on the table top next to him. What caught the mayor's eye however was the kukri in his hand.
"You can't seriously be thinking about keeping that."
Jarvus grinned, "Well the Hound did just leave it behind, so he must have not needed it. It is the least I could get for letting him stay a whole week."
The mayor sighed, "You don't even try to deny it anymore."
Jarvus swatted the mayor's words away, "You already knew anyway. What use was there to hide a secret that we both knew."
"Is it even a secret anymore?"
The mayor looked around at the house Jarvus was currently at. bright and vibrant flowers could be seen almost all over the house and yard. Though it was organized in a way that only emphasized their beauty, "Hey...isn't this..."
"Oh! Mr. Mayor, what a surprise. I heard that you had quite the night last night."
Ms. Sallote had opened the door with a bucket of water in her hand.
The mayor raised an eyebrow, "What caused this little arrangement?"
Jarvus all the sudden looked irritated, "Well...I was going to just stay at the inn, but this woman just wouldn't allow it."
"Don't be like that. If we let you stay there you'll just get lazy and not want to go back to the forge. By the way have you fixed the leak on the roof yet? "
"I'm enjoying my coffee right now. I'll get to it later." Jarvus grumbled.
"You better! I won't have you slacking off when there's work to be done."
The mayor couldn't help but smile to himself at the scene. To his knowledge Jarvus and Ms. Sallote were around the same age give or take ten years, with Sallote being the elder. He had heard that they never really got along. Some of the older women in the village even said they were almost like brother and sister.
"I assume you said goodbye to Alyze before she left," the mayor spoke up.
Jarvis nodded weakly, "Aye, I knew it was a long time coming so I was prepared for it, but I'm surprised you let her go."
Ms. Sallote made way down the steps and poured a little water on the flowers she saw on her way down, "I also gave my goodbye's to the girl. Though, with her gone, I'll probably sell way more flowers. I did promise to look over that little flower patch in the forest though, but I think it won't need that much attention.
Memories of trees decaying into ash, and the gift that Alyze had received flashed through his mind. The girl's life would be an interesting one, that's for sure. Just one more thing to worry about.
He turned back to Jarvus, "She's not a child anymore, she can handle herself. Though I did try to stop her from leaving, the matter was out of my hands."
Jarvus's eyes narrowed, "What's that supposed to mean."
Suddenly there was a call near the stables, "I guess that's my que. I need to go talk to him before he leaves. If I don't I'm sure we'll all regret it later."
"You better tell me what you're talking about later!"
The mayor simply waved as he left the two, and walked down the main street of Lucel to the entrances of Lucel where the stables were. As he did he reflected on his conversation with the pair.
Jarvus seems to not know about Alyze's new little gift. Honestly it was a shock and a relief at the same time. If she didn't flaunt it to Jarvus, than it was safe to trust that she won't do it to a random stranger. He still couldn't say he wasn't worried about her. Really where in Anknown had she gotten it?
As the mayor drew closer to the stables he found the group of merchant wagons he was looking for. At the head of them all was a carriage that General Amian had demanded. The mayor really didn't know if the town was going to recover financially from this whole ordeal.
He made his way to the carriage, going through merchants that were hurriedly packing their wagons with all sorts of wares, be it spices, jewelry, or animal hides.
When he finally got close to the carriage, he could make out the vodena that were attached to the wagon. Big beast that had a muscular feline body with a head and neck akin to a bull. The mayor had heard that they were brought over by the Healers, but they were just rumors.
"I'm leaving in five minutes be it with or without any of you, so you all better hurry up!" General Amian's voice rang out.
He was standing next to the door of the carriage. The carriage itself was nothing to gawk at. It was old and probably hadn't been used in many years. The mayor suspected that it used to have a beautiful paint job, but now it looked worn and most of the paint was chipping. He didn't doubt that the inside left much to be desired either.
Once the general caught a glimpse of the mayor walking to him, he gave a broad smile, "Mr. Mayor, I started to think that you were avoiding me."
General Amian still wore his same silver military coat, but unlike the previous night he wore his scale armor. He likely didn't want to be caught off guard by any Nocturnals again.
The mayor politely shook his head, "I would never general. I've simply come to say goodbye and give my apologies for your unpleasant stay."
"Unpleasant you say..." The general eyes had gone empty as if he was no longer in this world.
Suddenly his eyes jerked to life again, " No, no, it wasn't unpleasant at all. Actually interesting. Yes...very interesting. Though because of my stay I have some more unfinished business that I need to get to. No, don't say anything," General Amian jabbed his thumb to the carriage, "I've already got what I need to hunt down those beasts who had the audacity to attack me. I'm sure I'll find out more about them in the times to come. It will actually be fun. Yes! A nice break from a monotonous journey," The general shrugged, "And if that doesn't work I'm sure they will come running for him. I'm really just giddy with excitement just thinking about what I'll do to them. If none of that works, and I grow bored I'll just toss him to my daughters."
The mayor noticeably flinched, causing the general to give a toothy grin, "You know that fire last night was really convenient for those beasts, don'cha think."
The mayor took a step back without realizing it, making General Amian follow his steps and get right in his face with a sly smile, "Why to repay you I should send some of my daughters as a thank you. Wouldn't that be a nice reward. I think it would be an incredible award."
The mayor reached out and grabbed the general's shoulder, and smiled dryly, "No that wouldn't be necessary, your presence is enough to repay this village, I'm sure the women will be gossiping about it for years to come, and the men will tell all those who come. It truly was an honor," the mayor tightened his grip, "Though if you do end up sending one of your daughters I can't promise them the same treatment as I did you. That's only natural."
General Amian studied the mayor as they stood like that for some time in silence. It was finally broken when the general gave a hearty laugh.
"Thank you for the flattery. Really! I can not tell you how much your impression of my daughters delights me so!" General Amian's voice dropped, "I really love how you fear them that much. It brings me pride as their father."
The general burst into another fit of laughter and started slapping the mayor's back. It was all the mayor could do to keep a straight face at the moment. General Amian's actions had truly surprised him, and he still wasn't rid of him yet.
The general turned around and opened the carriage door, "I'll make sure to send some money for that soap shop, or whatever it was, that burnt down. There is still a chance that my prey was the one responsible for blowing it sky high."
The mayor bowed, "I graciously accept it general. May your journey be a safe one."
"Yeah, yeah." General Amian got into the carriage and from the open door the mayor could see the bald man who they had captured. He still did not appear to have recovered from his injuries. It suits him right for stealing someone else's property.
The mayor thought back to that night, and how that one Hand had picked up the glaive and was able to use it.
He looked down at his palm, which was still black from the weapon in question. A part of him did not believe that it would ever go back to normal. He could still hear that girl's scream of defiance in his head.
"Really Ritoro, what did you give me?"
He had heard one of the guards call it the blade that will swallow the sun, Ni...
He shook his head at thought. There was no way his friend would give him such a thing, and there was no way he would come to possess it. He needed to stop giving into fantasy and focus on the present, and he still had one last thing to do.
The mayor walked to the front of the carriage. The vodena eyed him suspiciously as if he was up to something. He couldn't deny that, but it had to be done.
The driver of the carriage was currently snoring as he rested his chin on his hands which somehow still held the reins.
The driver himself seemed to just be a kid who was scrawny and looked as if he might be down right skittish when he awoke.
"Man, wake up!"
The driver woke up with a panicked jolt, "Forgive me I was only resting my eyes, I didn't inconvenience you in any way did I gen..." he abruptly stopped talking when he saw the mayor, "Oh! Mr. Mayor, how have you been?"
The mayor sighed and handed the driver a pile of papers, "Just take this. I want you to spread those amongst the guards, and any one you come across in Sangai. You can nail it to the biggest inn's door for all I care."
The driver shuffled through the papers with a confused look on his face, "Sir this is a bounty for...what how much!! Sir this is a little high for a...Hound of Mortis!! Sir, why would you mess with them!?"
The mayor simply shook his head. He didn't care who he had to provoke just as long as he caught the boy. Alyze's life is at stake, and he would be damned if he let that Hound go and throw himself into battle and kill himself. He wouldn't rest until he was chained up in Lucel's prison.
He was lucky to have been able to get General Amian to describe how the boy looked to an artist. He was somehow able to see his face clearly. It most likely had something to do with all those lanterns in the house he was staying in.
Just then a loud knock from the inside of the carriage could be heard, "Driver hurry up and get going all ready."
The driver filed the stack of papers away in his bag, "Is there anything else you need from me sir? Maybe carry a message or bring back some merchandise. Oh! Maybe some news? I can't imagine what kind of people have gone to Sangai to celebrate Galaris. Those characters must know something interesting."
The mayor held up one finger and made his face as hard as stone, "No, nothing like that. Just that If anyone kills that boy then you will put that bounty on them and put five times the original reward. I don't care who it is, even if it's General Amian himself."
If he won't be able to save Alyze then he can at least avenge her.