I was shocked by the questions that my mind could not comprehend how to answer each with the correct words. Since time immemorial, the Beastmen have always been sought by slavers for their immeasurable heartiness and physical prowess to last longer than most slaves sold on the market. Those attributes also depended on the species of Beastmen which in most cases drove the asking price up exponentially. The answer to the questions asked was simply never since the first recorded documents ever to be read. Beastmen had always been on the receiving end of the collar than most other races.
As if taking my silence for the answer, Einor pointed down below to two Alris guards walking their designated patrol. "Since we came here," he spoke evenly with the blowing wind, "I have seen the hesitant gazes held deep within their eyes. Some held anger towards us for past deeds done unto them while most shutter in our presence waiting for the cold metal to be placed."
I watched as one of the guards took notice of us and respectfully nodded a greeting but his eyes did hold some agitation within. If I were to be honest, Einor's words did hold some truth behind them like most things since our reunion and on more than one occasion proven true. I personally have overheard silent discussions between maids who were fearful of the Alliance between kingdoms was just a guise. Then, there was the hostility emitting from several of the knights when Uncle stepped through the gateway created by Freya. That hostility was quickly doused when the two kings shook hands as equals but it still lingered.
[(He has a point but why does he feel he has to put his life on the line?)]
I watched as Einor made his way over to the wooden bench and sat as he continued, "As you know, both sides of our blood owned slaves. Grandfather for instance didn't change until he finally accepted us and mother as his family before offering all those that served him plots of land."
Nodding, "You have a point there, my dear brother. Even our family has owned Beastmen in the past or shall I say Father's side of the family."
Einor sat forward with his hand under his chin, "From what I hear, Mother's family still reigns supreme over the courts and holds more power than the other four families. As you can guess, their full-borne superiority goes hand in hand with their ideals of Dökkálfar ruling over the other races' nonsense."
"Aye," nodding in agreement, "the bastards are the driving point for keeping the long held war with the Ljósálfar from ending peacefully. I do wonder how they would react finding out that the children of their banished family had married a human and bore a child while the other intends to marry a Ljósálfar and possibly an Alris."
Einor chuckled, "They'd probably disown us again as they gave their Dökkálfar superiority speech again."
"Gods," I joined the laughter, "I forgot about that. If memory serves me right, they appeared on our sixth birth winter hoping to bring mother to her senses."
Einor quickly added, "We got tired of their endless preaching to the point we tossed eggs at them trying to remove them from the manor."
The two of us shared joyous laughter that matched those coming from below as the two sounded like a giant's drum. The image of Father trying to keep a straight face as he did his best to discipline us while saying eggcelent work. The angered eyes of our aunt as she was escorted to her carriage with a layer of yolk coating her extravagant dress. I remember the look of her horseman trying to keep from laughing made the memory even more wonderful. In a way, the two of us never truly separated because moments like these still felt natural even long after what had been done.
"Say," I sighed after a few moments when our laughter died, "do you feel obligated to lend a hand because of our family's past? Or…is it some kind of loyalty only those that bore chains can forge?"
Einor shook his head, "To be frank, I was tempted to open up a gateway to Siegfried and gather everyone. This battle doesn't truly have anything to do with me nor those who plead their loyalty to my name. Yet, I could not simply standby and allow Vaniel to freely pillage the lands until ash is the only thing left."
I smiled as a thought occurred to me, "You sound like Father and Momma Joan whenever they would talk about this place."
Our Father had a place in his heart for the wild vibrant forests that called Vusta home and the capital surrounding the massive tree known by legends to hold the very earth silent. He had made the trek long ago to bargain with the Beastking at the time for Momma Joan's service. From what they told us, the king was a cruel bastard who treated his own people poorly and would often ransom them to the highest bidder during auction. Most families were torn apart during his reign and even more were forgotten in the sea of trees where they met their end. Momma Joan was one of the lucky ones that escaped such a fate after the war and to live her life how she saw fit.
"Even after everything," Einor turned to look in my eyes once more, "I still try to live how he once did even if it's my own dysfunctional way. I want to live a life that not only he would be proud of but one where I am truly free."
"Then why," I muttered with my fingers wrapped around the loose cloth of the robe, "why do you put your life on the line so much? If you wish to live a free life then why do you always rush towards death?"
I raised my head as tears began to inch their way down my cheeks only to splash on my whitened fingers. Biting the inner wall of my cheek, warm blood filled my mouth like a nourishing soup in a cold winter's day trying to hold the scream struggling to escape out into the open and directed at the brother who was almost lost once more. I couldn't stand watching the doctors and healers corralling him as his figure was nothing but glimpses between gaps trying to keep his heart beating without aid. A tray sat blooded with over a hundred pieces of decayed bone laying dormant as several more joined their brood. Days spent by his side without food or sleep watching his chest move in a rhythmic song only to stop mid way before picking up once more.
Anger burned even more in my chest as the image of his smiling corpse once again came into full view. During that moment, I saw him as a child sleeping away the day under one of the many trees that decorated the yard or peacefully watching the clouds above with the words of a finished book in mind. My mind screamed as that scene played over in an infinite loop for the weeks we waited for him to rise once more. It was those moments that I truly felt helpless without the power to do anything. Moments that I swore to never allow happen as long as breath filled my lungs and a sword clutched close.
A sharp pain spread throughout the center of my head as Einor flicked me without warning like I often did before. "Cry baby," he chuckled before standing, "though I do appreciate your tears for me."
Placing his back against the railing and arm over his chest, "Fighting is all I know how to do, Veronica. Whether it's in an arena or in the darkest of forests, Death follows wherever blood is spilt waiting to claim the seeds of battle. I do not fear Death nor will I allow it to control my life just as Alabasta and the nobility that thought themselves gods did."
Sighing, he looked up to the sky as if trying to form the words he wished to say. "No," shaking his head, "I do not fear Death. The true thing I fear is being forgotten in time and the legacy I bore while alive. I was afraid of not being able to say one last farewell to those I forged bonds with and came to cherish. People such as Momma Joan, the Williamsons, those of Twilight Sand, Zeke and Scar, you and Uncle, and many more."
He paused for a moment, "I was especially afraid to leave behind the two that would bare my legacy for the rest of their days without words of guidance: Orion and Isho."
My ears piqued at the mentioning of the last name, "Isho?"
Einor didn't answer my question as he continued to gaze at the thousand sparkling treasures that dotted the sky and was overwhelmed by the scarlet moon. I was momentarily lost in how he looked like a complete replica of Father standing there with his mind lost in the sky above. Einor even had Father's mannerisms down to the last detail whenever trying to say the right words or to completely avoid a question completely. It was like seeing Him once more before that dreaded day that tore our family to pieces. Pieces that only Einor and I can restore ourselves within time of course.
I was about to change the subject when Einor seemed unwilling to answer when he let out a sigh before looking at me. "Isho," he hesitantly spoke, "Isho is m-"
"His daughter," a young girl's cold voice boomed from behind us.
Turning, I found that none stood in the doorway except for the patrolling guards who nodded a greeting before moving forward. I slowly relaxed my stance as the voice didn't sound once more and was about to ask Einor what he was fixing to say. Suddenly, my attention was on high alert as something dyed in blood began to rise from the stone floor and stand before the threshold like some vengeful spectre. Slowly the crimson began to fade away revealing the pale flesh hidden underneath and the bright crimson eyes that drew people toward them. The young girl that accompanied Jack Lloyd and his guard stood silently with her arms interlocked behind her.
"To answer your question," the girl made her way forward, "Isho is his daughter."
[(Daughter? D-Daughter?!)]
Einor spoke as my mind continued to repeat the word, "Can I assume your task is done, Little Bat?"
The girl tilted her head, " Must you persist in calling me such a name, especially in public?"
Einor didn't say anything as the girl licked her lips removing a layer of crimson, "As you considered, two of the Vaniel prince's guards made their move when the streets were most crowded as if anticipating some kind of pursuit. They weren't too difficult to find once more with the aid of Orion and led us to the gates of the aqueducts to the northeast along with a pile of recently slain guards. I kept most alive of course and charmed them to keep up appearances while the others sated my appetite."
"Einor," I spoke before my brother could continue his conversation, "what's this about a daughter?"
I saw Einor place his hand on the back of his neck as his face paled through the gaps of my hair, "As you heard, I have a daughter. Didn't want to tell you about her because I didn't know how you'd react to such an announcement. Could…could you stop looking at me like that? You're starting to look like mother when she got angry."
Smiling, "What do you mean? I always look like this my dear dear brother who didn't think I should know about a niece whose existence just became known."
The girl coughed, "Should we come at another time?"
I turned my gaze to the girl as I held Einor close by the collar of his shirt, "We?!"
Looking to the doorway, a spiraling red portal grew the full length of the doubled glass doors that separated the balcony from the palace. I returned my gaze to Einor who just watched the gateway with a confused expression which turned to a sly grin matching that of the girl. The floor shook underfoot from a massive quake emitting from where the girl appeared which continued a second time. More quakes continued followed by the sounds of clicking claws scraping across the stone floor in a rhythmic symphony. Two figures made their way toward us with the remains of knights wearing the insignia of Vaniel trailing behind them.
"Slippery bastards," the ogre boomed as it dropped the fear stricken corpse from its shoulder, "several tried to cut the back of ankles before being squashed."
A hideous smile framed the monster's face, "Most fun I've had since you left the Undercroft, Master."
"I'm not surprised Ogga," Einor stepped closer to the beast.
The towering ogre fell to a knee, "Your arm? What enemy took it?"
"Ogga," the blue haired arachne pushed forward, "we discussed that I would ask Father that before stepping through the portal."
[(F-Father?!)]
The ogre boomed with laughter as it stared at the cross armed arachne, "I'm sorry Isho. I forgot when we saw him."
"It's fine," the arachne sighed, "figured it'd happen anyway."
The two monsters continued to bicker between themselves like children placing blame on one another to avoid punishment. Einor and I used to bicker like this for the stupidest of reasons now that I think about it. We fought over who would win in a fight between Vaniel knights and the Lords of Knightfell or simply mother against father. Father would often get a slyest of grins whenever I said he'd win only to change his expression at mother's burning eyes waiting for him to prove it. Mother of course wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear making him blush.
[(Father was no match for mother just like how Theo is with me and Liliana.)]
Sighing, I watched as Einor gently caressed the arachne's cheek just like Father did to the both of us when trying to comfort our disturbed spirits. The monster leaned forward and placed her head on his shoulder before weeping muffled screams of sorrow. Einor rubbed the monster's back allowing her to cry until her tears were sated while he spoke words of comfort into her ear to help calm her once more. At one point, the arachne chuckled at something Einor had whispered before looking him in the eye to receive a fatherly kiss on the forehead. The two shared one more comforting hug and separated as they turned to face me.
"Veronica," Einor spoke in a calm voice as he and the arachne made their way to stand in front of me, "this is my daughter Isho."
"Isho," Einor turned to the arachne who stared at me with closed eyes, "this is my sister Veronica Anierva VonKnight or Strom, I should say."
Isho bowed her head, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
My hands felt clammy with each failed attempt to wipe free built up sweat that continued to cake my skin. A chill ran the length of my spine like phantom legs delicately descending on unwary prey until needle tip fangs pierce their flesh marking the end of short lived lives. Coils of phantom thread surrounded my chest cutting off the endless supply of air with each hoist into the void beyond. The invisible mandibles spinning my cocooned corpse every which way trying to find the right angle to drink the fluids from within. Muffled screams changing into failed gasps of air as eight eyes watch without life as mine was taken away on a bed of silken sheets.
This monster wasn't like the common kind that adventures come across in the fields of far lands nor was it the rarity of such an evolution that made it so unique and terrifying enought to induce such visions of fear. Though its eyes were shut, they stared at me with a cold gaze much like that of Einor's piercing eyes which could frighten all who dared to challenge him. She was the first of many monsters that I recently met that truly made me fearful of my life. The same fear that emitted from Einor time and time again since the throne room of Ironclad. A fear that is not truly meant to be obtained by common men.
My body crawled with the delicate touch from one of the massive spider legs. Isho tilted her head, "Is everything fine?"
Staring into the unseen eyes, "Y-yes my dear. Just in a bit of shock to be honest."
"It's understandable," Isho chuckled, "when one says they have children, people tend to believe the offspring resemble their parents. I know how people view my kind and the horrors many are forced to endore. Many often turn and run in my presence before understanding that I am just like them."
"Veronica," Einor spoke before Isho could continue, "Isho is my daughter and if you do not approve then I shall keep my vow but refuse any ties between our families."
Shaking my head, "It will take some time to get acquainted to but I'm sure everything will be alright. To be honest, I'm not really surprised since recent weeks. I'm just glad you introduced us at all."
"Isho," I found her crimson eyes gazing into mine, "welcome to the family."
Roars of laughter filled the air as I hugged my new found niece in hopes to show acceptance with such a decision. It must have caught Isho off guard because I felt her muscles tense underneath my arms before softening once more with the feeling of her arms around me. It was most unusual for a monster to be welcomed as a member of a non monster family but uncommon tendencies was one of the staples that made the VonKnight clan unique. I was a bit excited to see how our family would turn out. I would be lying if I said there wasn't worry for the safety of Liliana when she discovered Isho's existence but there was time for that in the future.
Looking to Einor after separating from Isho, "Tell me brother, what is the plan for Vaniel? What part does Cortez and the others play?"
I was amazed at what Einor had come up with in the little time since awakening this morning after speaking to Zeke and making his presence known during the meeting. According to him, the that stayed with the ship have been secretly fending off Vaniel troops hoping to capture a new selection of slaves with the aid of Tartarus. All four had managed to stow away on one of the Vaniel ships where most of the Beastmen were taken and slaughtered most of the guards while casting illusions to keep the others from suspecting foul play. It was more surprising that they did this out of their own wills without Einor's word, especially that snake, Tartarus. We now had a secret foothold behind enemy lines but that was just the beginning.
Einor had directed Octavius to stealthily make his way on to as many of the other ships in the alloted time and place several marks along the center hull. If I knew my brother, he had planned to do something that most wouldn't imagine or what others would consider a waste of mana. It wouldn't end too well for Vaniel in either case if my guess was correct. So far ten ships have secretly been marked without so much as a stray glare. I still didn't understand what the end goal of such a scheme would entail but Einor assured that he was simply going to give the ships back to Vaniel, whatever that meant.
He continued to say that Isaac and Cortez have been working non stop ferrying most of the captured Beastmen back to the shores of Vusta where they were entrusted with colleagues of the pig. They even have stopped Vaniel troops from returning to the armada while they waited for nightfall to sail back. Five families, twelve children, and numerous adults have been freed while others stayed to help secure the others. Tartarus was in charge of the growing militia of the single ship that would launch a full scale attack while the others were off guard. There was still room for error yet Einor held the will to make the almost impossible possible.
[(Still though, they are outmanned. Even with capable men, the number would prove to be the victor in the end)]
The sudden sound of the doors being thrown opened and the gasping of the Breura knight made the two of us look in her direction. "Lord," the knight inhaled several breaths of air, "Lord Jackal, Lady Nyxis was taken!"