The team is composed of 5 cultists members. The Soldier, the Assassin, the Hunter, the Mage, and the Healer.
3 years later after the country Rosa Tramonto is founded, the country which led by the elf king from Brezza Verde is now known to the whole world. Dozen of petty thieves and bandits have tried to steal for daily basis. Thanks to the might of the Orchi Blu tribe, the threat is repelled.
Some adventurers enter the country out of curiosity and was surprised of the harmony of the races. Not to mention, elves and orcs? How would that happen? They briefly encounter the cultists from Altare Cremisi walking around in plain sight. They are mistaken as sorcerers due to their black and red robe. Every now and then, the crime rate in the country is relatively low than expected.
One day, reports that some missionaries from other countries have come to Rosa Tramonto. They met with the cultists and eventually got enraged with each other. This is one of the problems that Altare Cremisi has to deal with, since their faith is for a warmonger demon. Every now and then, missionaries will try to persuade the masses to side to their cause. Almost only people who are the farthest from the Altare Cremisi Church are the ones who sided with the missionaries.
A couple of weeks later, the Acolytes got harrassed by a certain battle maiden at the west side of the Rosa Tramonto. The High Priest had enough patience and orders Team 4 to neutralize the threat and save their brothers. Team 4 is the only available team.
The Soldier is excited for this mission since they are gonna fight with someone strong. The Assassin is quiet as ever and the Hunter seems to be tired. The Healer tries to give the Hunter some vigor but it seems they are too tired for this mission. It is a wonder because usually the cultists never gets tired. Turns out that they got injured too much from the last assignment which they recklessly tried to accomplish. They need one more day of recovery.
The Mage checks the map and looks at the marked spot. The battle maiden is last seen there, at the small tribe called Giulia Pecora, a small tribe of humans. The team departed as soon as possible, with the Soldier carrying the Hunter in a basket on their back.
They traverse through the woods until they reach their destination in one day, thanks to their superhuman strength. The Giulia Pecora settlement seems to be fine, except for the fact that soldiers from Impero del Sole have also settled there. Few of the Acolytes have come towards team 4. They are eager to drive the soldiers out of the tribe.
There are problems ahead. The Acolytes were hunted down like they are witches. The soldiers convinced the tribesmen to their cause. The number of soldiers are greater than expected. It will be hard to hold back. The cultists needed help from each other. By lucky coincidence, dwarves from Guanto Di Ferro sees the cultists and decides to help out.
The soldiers are well trained in combat and magic. The cultists may have 5 expert warriors but they cannot cause any deaths at all times. Acolytes were only equipped with bone swords and ceremonial knives. The dwarves however, carry crossbows with unusual bolts in their quiver. The Hunter is out of commission because they are tired. Right now, the one leading the group is the Mage.
The Mage thought of nighttime surprise and assassinate the soldiers as quiet as possible. They also thought of sabotaging resources that may lead to chaos among the soldiers and the tribesmen. Or they could do this the loud way and charge ahead.
Though the dwarves are not really into killing people from the tribe of Giulia Pecora, they are ready to take shots against soldiers from Impero del Sole. It is rather strange because Guanto Di Ferro rarely interacts with foreign people. The reason is unknown at the time and the dwarves aren't saying it. The Mage is doubting their trust with the dwarves.
The Soldier thought about something crazy and wanted to get the chance to fight with their target, the so called battle maiden. The Soldier is confident with their abilities. This could technically finish their mission since their job is to eliminate the battle maiden. The Soldier insists to agree with their idea. The Healer agrees with the Soldier. Only the Assassin remained neutral, or they simply didn't want to talk like usual.
The advantage of the Soldier's plan is if the enemy complies and accept their challenge, casualties among the group is significantly reduced and the Acolytes didn't have to fight. The downside is if the soldiers are the type who take back their words, they will surround the Soldier and catch them off guard. The Soldier is strong so they may get away, but the fight will begin between the two faction, whether they wanted it or not.
That will cause unnecessary war against a big country. The Rosa Tramonto isn't yet ready for war. The trust within will slowly break and may cause the annihilation against the cult. The Mage thinks about it deeply. Should they agree with the Soldier or think of another plan? The Hunter is pissed and said they will come to the settlement alone. It shocks everyone, but the Hunter laughs and said it was a joke. The Mage is at their breaking point from so much stress. But somehow they ease up because of the joke.
Altare Cremisi's way is to get the best results. They have to achieve the best result to accomplish this mission. The Mage thinks of A, B, C and D. The choices are shown above by order. To pick what they should do, the Mage asked everyone to vote what they wanted to do.
For A, the silent panther mission. They will be assassinating every soldier without getting spotted. The risk is high but not impossible, as the cultists especially the Acolytes were already trained in assassination. For those who voted for this mission, only 5 voted. It seems that the Acolytes aren't confident to kill in silence.
For B, the sly ghost mission. They will sabotaging the resources in the Giulia Pecora. Sabotaging may create more chaos and chances that they will get spotted is very high. But if they pulled this off, the trust between the tribe and the soldiers will slowly break. Worst case scenario is when the fight begins, which will ultimately be the end of Giulia Pecora. For those who voted for this mission, only 8 voted. Those in favor are the Hunter and the Assassin, since sabotaging is one of their specialties.
For C, the mortal battle mission. They will be attacking the enemy by surprise, exposing themselves and ready for combat. They will have to kill every single soldier and expect casualties. There is also the chance that they will fight against the tribesmen from Giulia Pecora collaborating with the Impero del Sole. This is also the mission where their target will most likely will appear. Sacrifices in this mission is inevitable. Those who voted are only 6.
For D, which proposed by the Soldier, is a mission where the Soldier will challenge against their target. It is the most non risky mission for only the Soldier will fight against the battle maiden, who are the strongest woman among the soldiers. The Soldier have confidence since they have more experienced in hand-to-hand combat literally than anyone else. The vote for this mission is 9. The dwarves also participate for this vote. It seems that the favor is D. The mission would be B if the dwarves didn't vote.
They need a backup plan for this mission, in case the favor is not in their hands. Since most of the attention will be towards the Soldier, the Assassin suggest to use a new plan to find documents or information inside the settlement. Usually the Spy will do this job since they blend in casually in crowds without raising suspicion. But because of the finesse and dexterous the Assassin is, they can find information they can use in the future.
That plan doesn't seem to be helping the Soldier but the Assassin also suggest to only sabotage the soldier's equipment and weapons. The Healer have created some strange chemicals that will make the spear handles softer that it will break. Also chemicals that will make metal sword brittle. Both of the chemicals are strong acid that must be handled with care. The Acolytes will have to follow the Assassin. The dwarves will be ready to help the Soldier when things got out of hand.
The time for this mission is decided and it must be done in 3 days. Two Acolytes travelled to other places in order to get more help from their brothers. The Healer prepares more acid for the sabotage and the Soldier exercise for the upcoming duel.
2 days later, the Acolytes have gotten increased. They somehow managed to find team 7, a team composed of a Scout, an Assassin, a Thief, a Spy and and a Hunter. They were about to return to the Altare Cremisi Church to report their accomplishment. This is gotten more easy since these team are more suited for infiltration and sabotaging.
The time has come and in the bright day light, the Soldier walks toward the Giulia Pecora Settlement. Confident and excited. The people there looks at the Soldier with hate. They are hostile. The soldiers from Impero del Sole run in formation and point their spear towards the Soldier.
Deep breathes, the wind sends chills around the Soldier's body. The sound of angry people is drowning the sound of the rustling grass and leaves. They were also thrown with rocks. Assuming they will be provoked, but the Soldier endured it and shouts what their business is.
"Bring out your strongest priestess!! May the fate of our lives be judged in this sacred duel!! I am challenging you to Duello Alla Morte!!"
The soldiers from Impero del Sole got their ears popped by the loud sound of the Soldier's shout. One old soldier with golden armor appeared and challenged the Soldier instead.
"Before you fight our lady, you will have to get through me. Do you think you are worthy to challenge the authority with the heavens?!"
The old soldier is equipped with golden armor protecting their torso, their shoulder, their forearm, their head, their waist and their legs. A full set of golden armor. Their weapon of choice is a golden claymore. The soldiers praised that person with respect.
The Soldier couldn't help but laugh out loud. It catches the enemies' attentions and they are angry. Why is the old soldier wearing so much gold? Is it because of its color that meant holiness? It is kinda making the old soldier looks greedy and prideful.
Since they challenged first, the Soldier accepted the duel for Duello Alla Morte.
Duello Alla Morte is a sacred battle where ones fate is decided by the winner. Though this is not allowed in Rosa Tramonto because it could be used as the way to take advantage of everything. Since the Impero del Sole seems fine of using this sacred battle, the Duello Alla Morte can be used. It will depend whether the Soldier can win or not
The simple rule to win is to make the enemy submit to defeat. Any interference isn't allowed. You can't submit defeat then stab the winner at the back, for it is a disgrace. The fate of the loser is decided by the winner and must be fulfilled at any cost, whether the loser want it or not. Execution is included and one of many possibilities the winner can decide.
The soldiers surround the two warriors in a circle. The people in Giulia Pecora are interested of the duel. The attention goes to the Soldier. Meanwhile, the team 7 has infiltrated the base along with the Acolytes and the dwarves. The security there is reduced thanks to the Soldier's distraction. They will have to sabotage the weapons while finding useful information they could use.
The Spy has already disguised themselves as one of the soldiers from Impero del Sole. The Thief sometimes stumble upon safes that intrigues their interest. Upon cracking the safe they usually find what they need. They do not take gold because the cult doesn't need to use currency. The Spy did a great job diverting the other soldier's attention away from the group.
The Duello Alla Morte began and the old soldier swings a heavy slash with their golden claymore. The Soldier is surprised by the speed of the swing. The next slash is incoming, and it was dodged flawlessly. The Soldier throws a punch this time, hitting the old soldier by the torso. The force pushed the old soldier back but not enough to fall to their knees. They are shocked by the power of the punch. The Soldier is basically a pugilist.
Since the Soldier has the upper hand of speed and dexterity, the old soldier have no choice but not to use the big golden claymore. They requested a shortsword from the fellow soldiers. The shortsword is thrown in the ground and they picked it up.
The fight continues. This time, the Soldier attacks and throws powerful fast punches that shocks the old soldier. They forgot to request for a shield for protection. They were hit by the torso and their arms. The blow penetrate through the golden armor. Because the old soldier is moving quick, the gold armor must be not too thick. This is why the Soldier laughed earlier. Wearing this kind of armor is nonsense. It is just a decoration with no purpose of protection. The armor eventually breaks from the relentless blows. The old soldier was knocked down.
The spectators were shocked. They try their best to cheer the old soldier. Upon hearing their fellow companions, the old soldier stands up, not wanting to give up. The Soldier's pupils shrink and their lips spread wide to their cheeks. Their expression is unnerving to see, like it is not the expression a human makes.
The old soldier attacks with their sword. They hit the Soldier for the first time. Happiness is temporary, but they noticed something is off. The Soldier didn't dodge the attack, yet the wound they sustained is not that deep, even though the old soldier slashed deeply.
"This is boring, even the dwarves are better warriors than you." Said the Soldier as they punch the old soldier to their guts. That punch caused the old soldier to cough blood and drop to their knees.
The Soldier grabs the old soldier's collar and begins to punch their face. The soldiers were angry and tries to interfere. One soldier tries to stab the Soldier with the spear. They only received a back smack that sent them flying. The Soldier looks at their enemies with disappointment in their eyes.
"Thou believed in fairness and honor. Yet thy already broke the rules when thou stepped in the sacred ring. Who are thou has the right to call thyself the order if thou can't follow order? I will consider this as the loss of this man, a weak, frail old man thanks to their compassionate men."
The soldiers of Impero del Sole attack one by one. The Soldier didn't bother to dodge since the attack is way too predictable. With their fist as hard as metal, they can knock down a total of 21 soldiers with ease. In order to dodge unblockable attacks such as spear charges, the Soldier had to grab the old soldier by the throat and jumps out of the way.
This continues until a woman's shout can be heard from above. The bright light behind the woman shines as she raise her sword up in the air. The soldiers are rejoiced to see her presence. She slowly floats down and points her sword towards the Soldier. She called them a coward for using a hostage. This of course made the Soldier laughed out loud again. True the way they hold the poor old soldier like a coward, but it is unjust to interfere a sacred fight.
The Soldier asked if the woman is the battle maiden they have heard of. The woman confirms that she is indeed that woman. The demanded to release the hostage or else the Soldier will bear the consequences. The Soldier felt a presence from behind and caught it with their barehands. A sword radiating holy magic. The Soldier smiles and looks at the battle maiden.
"Looks like I am not the only coward here."
The battle maiden didn't react to the remarks. She demanded again to release the old man or she will stab them again without mercy. The Soldier took a deep breath and shouted their challenge.
"I am not one to talk but you people are not that benevolent. You only follow orders from a wolf in sheep's clothing. You already committed many sins once you tasted blood. I dare you to challenge me in Duello Alla Morte. This time, no interference like before. Show me the power of the Valchiria!"
The battle maiden accepted the sacred duel. The old soldier was spared but they were horrified. The clear blue sky is slowly covered with dark clouds. The rain slowly starts. The battle maiden readies her stance. Her armor only covers her torso but she wears chainmail above her leather armor. It is tailored in red and gold and she bears a red cross in front of her armor. Her weapon of choice is a sword and a buckler. Her stance is very firm and she is patient. The battle maiden can also use holy magic.
The battle started when the Soldier rushes quickly towards the battle maiden. They throw a punch but it was blocked with the buckler. The battle maiden strikes with her sword. It was parried. The Soldier attempts to trip her. The battle maiden jumped then swing her sword to the Soldier's head. The Soldier's gauntlets prevented the sword to slash to skin. The battle maiden summoned holy swords and shoots them toward the Soldier.
4 out of 5 swords were dodged. The one holy sword is deflected with a steel sword. The holy sword can cut the steel sword in half. The Soldier actually freaked out. They are quite impressed of how powerful the holy swords. The Soldier keep their distance close near the battle maiden. They punch and punch without stopping. The battle maiden summons more holy swords to stop the Soldier from attacking. The Soldier quickly steps to the battle maiden's side to dodge the attack from the swords.
Being close with the enemy, the battle maiden was unable to attack the Soldier because the distance is too close. She can shove the Soldier back but the Soldier will bounce back close to her. She eventually hits the Soldier several times. Blood splatter on the muddy ground. Thinking that she have the advantage, she spices the duel up by taking the initiative to attack. The Soldier is blocking and dodging the attacks.
The attack continues until the battle maiden noticed something is wrong. The Soldier has gotten hurt but never did grunt. They weren't breathing heavily, instead the battle maiden is the one who is gasping for air. She looks at the Soldier's face and is bewildered to see that the Soldier is smiling widely like a maniac. They purposely didn't strike back and take damage. They felt pleasure from the pain. The battle maiden accidentally let her guard down and left an opening above her head.
The Soldier takes this chance to punch her face. The battle maiden reacted quickly and place her buckler in front of her face. Little did she know, the Soldier wasn't planning to attack her face. Instead they punched her unguarded stomach. Of course, her armor decreased the amount of damage she received. But the damage she sustained made her cough. The Soldier kicks her to her right which sent her tumbling.
The battle maiden summoned a holy sword and shoots it toward the Soldier. The holy sword is unblockable and can pierce through anything. The battle maiden thinks that the Soldier will have to dodge that attack. But instead, the Soldier charges in as the sword pierce through their right shoulder cleanly. It severed their entire right arm but the pain didn't register to the Soldier's head. The battle maiden was unable to get up in time or raise their buckler.
The Soldier delivered a powerful overhead left punch to the battle maiden's head. The battle maiden received concussion and fell down to the ground. The Soldier sits on top of her and continues to pummel her down. Everytime they punch the battle maiden, the battle maiden felt humiliation and fear. She doesn't want to give up because of her pride, but her thoughts got clouded by the fear of darkness around her surrounding. Pain torments her slowly until her mind breaks.
She begs to spare her life, for the first time. The soldiers from Impero del Sole were devastated that their strongest commander got defeated by a random person. Unfortunately for her, her fate is sealed. The Soldier delivered the final crushing blow. Her head exploded from impact and blood flows out of her body. The soldiers are enraged and called the cultist a monster.
With missing right arm, the Soldier has wasted too much of their energy. If their wound isn't treated yet, they will die because of blood loss. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind comes and blows the soldiers away. The Mage and the Healer is coming to the rescue. The Mage covered themselves with barrier magic, "Muro Arcano", and the Healer casted a healing spell, "Recupero", over the Soldier's chopped off right shoulder. It stopped the bleeding and had a soothing effect.
The soldiers try to break the barrier and failed to notice that the enemy reinforcement has arrived in the scene. The Acolytes kills the soldiers by stabbing them with their bone sword. After that the whole party leaves the Giulia Pecora before the enemy chases them down. They all split up and the dwarves returned to their city for safe refuge.
The Soldier survived the battle. The cultists mocked their injured brother for being careless enough to have their shoulder chopped off. When they returned to their church, the High Priest discipline the Soldier by having them confine in a small room where most cultists who betrayed the code confined forever, for 1 month.
Nevertheless, the mission is completed only because of the reckless plan of the Soldier. The Soldier would be confined for 1 year if not for the fact that their team have received valuable information from their enemy. Team 7 is also scolded but were not punished.
This cult never gets weirder by how strict they are and how they discipline their own.