"I saw a battered Knight coming back with the spoils of war, what happened?" A lousy man asked a bartender as he chugged down a cup of ale.
"A war in Draining Petals Islands"
The one-eye bartender said as he observe the man before he recognised the person was a News Collector. They usually changed appearances and went around gathering gossip for some Underworld lords and people with money.
"It's not a secret. 13 Knighthood banded to take down a certain rebellious Knighthood!" The one-eye bartender explained in a normal voice but he leaned and whispered.
"Rumours say, 700 Knight Masters were almost slaughtered just to take down the so-called Knighthood!"
The News Collector choked on his drink, his eyes became sharp like a blade as he glared at the bartender.
The bartender felt a chill down his spine but he too was no weakling. To operate in a border town where the beast of men and beast of the beast came, one has to be a monster himself.
The bartender held his blade under the table and added, "Even with that force, some of the rebels Knighthood escaped. However, most are only women and children!"
The News Collector mulled over what he heard and relaxed, "Damn. No wonder they l came with riches but their faces were gloomy… by the way, which Knighthood was that"
This time, the bartender looked around, seeing no one suspiciously, he said, "Shifting Steel!"
At that time, a man in casual clothes walked out of the bar, he groaned with every step as his body was riddled with small injuries that were not yet healed.
'700?' He whispered, "that fucking lie, it was fuking 2700."
The man was a knight, a captain at that, and also a Rank 1 Knight Master. He was among those that attacked Shifting Steel.
It has been 2 weeks but he still has nightmares.
He grimaced as he remembered the harrowing experience they have faced. He had been to many wars but this one was the one that shattered his reality of war.
'2000 Rank 5 Knight Masters, 300 Rank 4 Knight Masters, 190 Special Support and 10 Rank 1 Knight Masters. But we couldn't take down a group of 1000 Rank 5 Knight Masters and just 2 Rank 1 Knight Masters!'
The man shivered.
He quickly pulled out a bottle and drank all of it. The alcohol pushed down his memory and worries and he felt a bit normal again.
He sauntered forward and reached a district where people were running around in panic.
Soon, he saw a large building at the centre of the district. He stood 100m away from it, he can feel that terrifying Em flowing from the building. It belongs to Shifting Steel Knighthood.
As he was one of the few Knight masters that survived the raid, he was required to come and give his verdict.
"Welcome. Captain Feather, we have been waiting for you!" The guards outside the large building saluted and then guided him inside.
"Rank 10 Knight Master!" He said.
"What?" The guard asked.
"Whoever did this is Rank 10 Knight Master but he left no signature!" He said.
Captain Feather might have had a lot of nightmares about Shifting Steel Knights but in front of these small cogs, he appeared domineering and assertive.
What lay before him was a massacre. Blood flowed from the highest level of the building like a stream and made a small pool at the base. The source was the cleaved bodies of people on each level, some died with calm expressions without knowing what hit them.
At the very top of the building, a large room filled with metal equipment was painted with blood.
"Three Rank 10 Knight Masters from Tremor Earth, one from Regal Blade and one rank 9 Knight master from Blowing Wing."
The guard explained the people up there.
That was the horror of Shifting Steel Knights. They have proven to be able to kill knights of the same Rank as them with ease and also possibly killed those of higher Rank.
What was the difference between Rank 10 and Rank 9? It's vast. Because Rank 9 can clap and play with 5 to 20 Rank 10 depending on his talent.
"We need to find whoever did this. Because he can bring this city to its knees if care is not taken!"
Captain Feather bellowed, and all the guards saluted and spread with renewed vigour.
To them, a Rank 1 order was a verdict from the king himself.
1 Day Earlier.
A group of knights came into the city carrying spoils of war of all kinds. But most of them were steel wares usually used by households.
Among them, one was a large rectangular closet that had no key or locker. It was the special price for a noble in the Border Town.
The closet was taken from one of the prestigious houses of Shifting Steel Knighthood but that was not what made it special. It was the steel it was made up of. It's called Petal Steel, a type of metal found only in Draining Petals Island. The closet was taken to the highest level of the storage house of the Noble.
The knights that supervised the place knew that the noble only wanted the steel so they tried to open it to take what was inside.
However, no matter what they do, they can't make a dent in it.
"Damn! This shit is hard as fuck. Who can we call to open it!" A huge man grumbled. He carried a larger sword half his size and half his wide too.
It was called Tremor Blade, used by Tremor Earth Knight Masters. The rest of the knights agreed and then sent for a Rank 9 Blowing Wing Knight for help. He came intending to get a piece of Petal Steel as his price.
The Knights of Blowing Wing concentrated his power and struck a specific location and a hole was punctured in it.
That hole was enough for the Tremor Earth Captain to widen using his tremor sword. However, with all that hardship for over 4 hrs, there was no glittering treasure, just a scared child who had cried his tears out.
"Isn't this treasure safe?" The Rank 9 Blowing Wing Knight asked as he glared at the Tremor Earth knight.
"Sir, it's supposed to be!"
A Rank 10 Regal Blade Knight behind them stared at the boy and said, "Seems like a rich woman has hidden her child in the closet during the siege."
The rest nodded in realization, the boy must have been shoved there for his safety. "I don't care, I came for the piece of metal, squeeze some for me!" The rank 9 Blowing Wing Knight said.
"This kid can fetch good money in the right market too. Look at his face, beautiful, and his skin tender, some fetish men or women will like him!" The Tremor Earth knight said with a smile, "he is the treasure!"
"I know a hidden woman who likes young boys." The Rank 10 Regal Blade Knight said, "all we have to do is put him in flashy clothes and decorate his face. I believe that we can get at least 10 Empire Coins!"
"Are you sure about this?" The rank 9 Blowing Wing Knight asked, he too was interested.
All this while, the kid was just looking at them with teary eyes. In fact, seeing the men speak about him, more tears flowed out.
He stood with a shortening of breath due to crying.
"Calm down boy. She will take good care of you in bed. But if you are naughty she will make you into barbecue and eat you. Do you want that!" The rank 10 Regal blade Knight tried scaring the boy to behave.
His eyes too were lustful, as he eyed the kid's skin. He was entertaining the idea of enjoying himself before he sent the kid.
"Mommy! Why?" The kid whined as he looked at the scary men.
"Don't cry. Your sugar mama will take good care of you."
*laughter*
They all burst into laughter as they can imagine Empire Coins filling their pocket.
As for the boy, he walked out and looked around, still crying.
"...why…" he asked in a whimper, "why did you make me hide like a coward!" He said and all of them burst into laughter. But the Rank 9 Blowing Wing eyes became sharp, but still grinning.
Knighthood was a mantle that all kids want, so the kid's sentence made them understand this boy wants to be a knight too.
"Sorry kid, your sugar mom wants toys, not knights." The Tremor Earth knight said as he unsheathed his heavy sword and swung it at the kid to scare him but at that moment, the kid moved fast, faster than the Tremor Earth Knight and went for the Regal Blade Knight behind him and pulled his sword, so effortlessly without the knight realizing what was happening.
However, the Rank 9 Blowing Wing Knight was already on the move, he was able to keep up with the kid's movement and he swung his wide blade to kill him. However, the kid blurred in his sight and his vision darkened forever as his head drop and roll on the ground.
At the same time, the giant man with the giant blade, the Knight of Tremor Earth has his head fly and neck sprayed with red liquid.
That was when the other Knights on the sideline came to their senses.
"Weak blade!" The kid in his pyjama said as he threw it and grabbed the giant blade the Tremor Earth Knight dropped.
"Hmm. Better blade!"
Then his eyes veered toward the remaining knights and they shivered under his gaze.