The ashen battlefield almost silent, only the sound of quit sobs and lingering cackles of fire remaining. The moonlight cast down over the land, lighting up spots where the fire could not reach, creating an unsettling feeling in any who witnessed it.
Under this moonlight, three figures could be seen. One lay suspended in the air, his silver metal helmet torn off to reveal his face, weathered and tired with deep black marks under his eyes. The gray black hair on his head painted a sorry picture despite the seemingly young age of the man who only appeared to be in his mind twenty's. With laboured breaths his breathing was hampered by a black gloves hand locked around his neck, leaving a speeding red mark.
The one holding him was a young boy with otherworldly beauty. A perfect face free from imperfections that mortals without an awakened soul core often possessed. Though, despite this angelic appearance, the coldness in the sickly yellow eyes of this boy sent a shiver down the spines of anyone he targeted.
Trembling on the ground beside them with a hand around a cheap iron sword, another knight desperately pointed his weapon at Cypher. Even though he knew it would be fruitfless, he still followed his survival instincts for comfort.
Tightening his grip around the man, Cypher stared deep into his eyes, "Are you sure? All you have to do is deliver the food." Dropping his voice to a dangerous whisper ," A simple task right? If not, I think you know the consequences of not following my order."
Feeling the grip loosen to allow him momentary speech, the man had stared back with resolve," Kill me...I'm ready to die for the king." Laced in his tone was a hint of sadness and meloncholy ,"For the glory of Nova."
Crack!
His body was tossed to the side along with a few others, his neck twisted unnaturally. This scene had been played out a few times already after Cypher's victory, much to his dismay. If he had to commend the kingdoms soldiers for something, it was that most of them were unnwavingly indoctrinated to be fearsly loyal to the king and country.
Unfortunately, there were always outliers.
The last remaining soldier felt his heart skipped a beat as Cypher slowly turned his head to him. Sweat seeped into his armour, his wet hand clutching his shaking sword.
With two fingers, Cypher grasped the blade lightly. What followed was expected, with cracks forming until the metal shattered under the weight of his grip.
"P-please!" Forgoing all pride, the knight moved onto his knees, bowing in the mud and ash with his head at Cyphers boot. How could he resist? It was only his first time being deployed and misfortune had already befallen him, " I'll do it! I'll take the supplies! Just don't kill me!"
'Disgusting'
The groveling man Infront of Cypher was now no less than an insect in comparison. To Cypher, a man without a strong will was nothing. Less than dirt. At least the others had died in their beliefs, but this? Nothing but an animal caged by his fear of something greater.
As much as he wanted to kill this man, he had to let him live. With a deep sigh, his bent down and lifted his chin using a single finger, allowing them to look directly at eachother,
"Congratulations. But I need some insurance that you won't betray me."
A particle of white matters formed beside the man's ear.
"I-insurance?" Confused, the man asked. His eyes darted away everyone they met with Cyphers.
"Hold still...this might hurt somewhat." With a wave of his hand, the grain of sand shot into his ear forcefully. The mans eyes rolled back in pain while his hand clutched is head.
Blood slowly flowed out of his ear canal, dripping onto his skin with a warm sensation.
"If you even think about telling anyone about our little meeting, this grain of sand will rampage through your brain until nothing but empty air remains. Do I make my myself clear?"
"Argh! Y-yes." He planted his face into the ground with a hard thud ," I'll never tell anyone! I swear on my life!"
To be honest, he had thought about going straight to the cultists when he arrived at the keep. After all, what could Cypher do then? But now he had no choice, or he would be rewarded with a painful end.
"Good that you understand." With business finished, the boy unlatched the bird mask attached to his waist and pulled it over his head. The black lenses returned to the usual glowing yellow while Cypher looked over to the trealine, spotting a rather disheveled figure lying resting on a log. With one last glance at the knight, he impatiently spoke ,"Go! What are you waiting for?"
"Yes my lord!" The knight stood up and ran desperately towards the road they had initially spotted Orion. The horse and carriage sat untouched and unbothered, with the horse having been put under an illusion that made it appear as if no battle had taken place.
Rain had already spread the Euphoraline over the food, leaving now trace of tampering apart from the flavour. Luckily, the vail that Cypher had gotten off the gang was of much higher concentration, with them having used a smaller dose on the slave as to not cause a soul implosion.
With the knight out of sight, Cypher could finally breath a sigh of relief. The mission had been a near flawless victory, and one that he was proud of. Until this point he had faced powerless individuals and mindless beasts, a far cry from actual weavers.
It goes without saying, combat experience like this was essential for survival.
Relaxing slightly, he walked over to Orion who must have watched the whole scene play out. Though, Cypher had to hold back his laughter. It was understandable, considering his partner's appearance.
"My? Have you started balding already? Don't worry old man, I'll take over when you retire."
"Insolent brat! Wait until I'm fully healed." Orion huffed out, his horse voice filled with indignation. Give him one day! His hair would be fresh and beautiful once again.
Caw!
A bird flew down Infront Orion. It's beak held out what appeared to be an eye it had pulled out from the girl hanging on a spike. Rain, with a humble grace, bowed its head and dropped the eye into Orion's hand.
Blood and wet fluids spread between his fingers. Could this day get any more embarrassing?
With a wry smile filled with pain and annoyance, he put it into his pocket.
"A gift? T-thankyou...I'll treasure it."
In his mind, he added a new enemy to his list, One with a beak and wings.
While Cypher enjoyed the scene, even letting Rain back on his shoulder, he knew that the main army would be attacking the fortified mountain keep soon. When they did, he wanted to be there. Why would he want to take part in such a dangerous clash? Simply for more combat experience.
"Can you run? We can make it back in time if we hurry." Picking up on the sound of a carriage hurrying away, Cypher asked. If the plan went well, he wouldn't want to miss the spectacle.
Orion stood up with renewed vigour. Electricity thrummed beneath his skin, speeding up cell recovery by a wide margin. Skin stitched together at a speed visible to the the naked eye. He tapped the lion sleeping by his side on the head and signaled it to wake up , "Good point. Let's get back before the show starts."
Soon, all four dissapeared like shadows. The moons orange glow above them dimming slightly as they made their way through the forest, signalling nightfall.