"It remained unknown to the faithfuls. A rotten seed has been planted long before it showed its first sprout, it followed the path of blood towards the south, and found what it was meant to do"
Staying at the estate wasn't so bad, it was great actually, in the morning we were greeted with a lavish breakfast and clean clothes; they somehow guessed our exact size, and allowed us to bathe on a large pool they had acclimatized with firewood. Because we were the first there, we had everything for ourselves, but I was worrying about the upcoming champions and, especially, the rulers. So after trying out the pool, I went around the estate looking for Sommer, to see if he had any news about this. Right as I was walking throught the middle section of the estate, I could hear a commotion, a woman screaming. At first, thanks to being use to seeing the worst of society, I thought they were murdering someone or worst but, as I got closer to the source of the sound, I could hear it was actually only a loud discussion.
"It's always about you, no? Always about where you need to be, what you have to do. Never having time to spend with me or your family- Do you even know what is being said about you? About me and the kids? That we should be hang for treason, that Sommer the 'kinslayer', a tyrant, has to be brought to justice. They say that you should be put throught the Mondis Mandate for what you did, Sommer. You understand that? A-and you still want to go ahead with this stupid charade?!", it was the distressed words of that woman. I was interested in the discussion so I decided to stick close to the wall, next to the door and hear the rest of it. "Where did you hear that?", Sommer asked but the woman cut him off, "It doesn't matter who said that! Is what everyone says! Sommer, leave this tournament, come with me to Rürgard, we can stay at my father's castle with the kids, it'll be ten times nicer than having to see some brutes fighting in an arena". Kids? Was this the Duchess? Seems Sommer has marital problems, "You're not going to stay?!", Sommer blurted out, "You have to! And don't you dare leaving with both Jon and James, Jon is training and he needs to stay and see the champions fight, is going to help him with his technique". I was waiting for the Duchess's reply but I was immediately startled by the doors, of the room they were arguing in, opening wide and the Duchess, along a group of seven servants, walked out, not before turning to point a finger to Sommer, "You're delusional", she sentenced, "I'll be taking the kids to Rürgard. You can stay here and do what you always do, fornicate with whores and watch your stupid little games". The Duchess and her servants passed by me, none of them acknowledging my presence. I finally peeked inside the room where Sommer, Peter and others were.
"Tak! Good morning, I hope you found your room to be comfortable. As you can see I'm also having a great morning", Sommer greeted, then snapped his fingers which prompted Peter to go to him and lean in, Sommer then whispered something and Peter immediately turned and left the room. "Yeah, good morning. I-I guess that was your wife", I said and Sommer smirked, leaning on his chair and sighing, "The love of my life, Alice Grantz". Sommer motioned for his servants to fill him a cup. "Anyway, I wanted to know… if you know when the others champions would be arriving", I asked but Sommer completely deflected my question, "She's always like that, you know?", he said, "Everytime I do something she has to go against it, she always takes the kids, she always goes back to his daddy's place… I could bring the cure to all diseases or solve hunger for all my subjects and she would still goes against me, she would probably kill every peasant just to spite me". Despite his dismissal of my question, he rose from his seat and went to a nearby desk, opening a drawer and finding a letter, "Here, take this and leave me be", he handed that letter to me. As I left the room I read what was written, it was nothing more than a report from the private army, saying that the Rodian delegation had reached Saint Dennis, so I was about to share a place with some Rodians again.
Back in the room I found Colt feeling kind of down, he told me that he tried to wander around the estate and explore, but a servant found him and brought him back saying that a kobold couldn't go on his own without his owner around. It pissed me off immensely but it made sense, these people were religious after all, and they weren't keen on having the presence of a kobold inside a royal estate, much less having him so close to the Duke. So what I did was letting Colt explore the estate with me by his side, so he wouldn't be bothered by the servants or guards in the estate. We ended up in a room full of paintings and random objects, obviously my fear of breaking stuff vanished and was replaced by fear of Colt being the one breaking things, so I stuck close to him as he inspected every painting with curious eyes. "Woah! Sir, look at this one!", he pointed to one of a man embroiled in purple robes, standing outside a destroyed palace while surrounded by cheering soldiers. "Who's that?", the question left my mouth and Colt eagerly answered, "T-that's a painting depicting the victory at the Battle of Luguria, that's Saint Michelis the father of the West… that battle happened like a thousand years ago". Saint Michelis, that's also the name of the capital of the West Kingdom, we weren't taught a lot about him, probably due to him being important to the west and not to the other kingdoms of the faith. "Alright, good one teacher-", I was mocking when Colt ran to the other side of the room, "W-wait! Don't run, you might break something!", I ran behind him and then he stopped in front of another painting, his eyes glued in wonder. "Oh! T-this one is of Senders Longis… they called him the terror", Colt said about the painting, which was just a man in full armor, helmet on, and with a really long spear in hand and, remembering what Kendall said, I tried to look if they had painted the Eye of Cormix in but it wasn't there. "Okay, okay. Don't run again", I said, placing a hand on Colt's head, "And remain close, we don't want anyone to see you on your own again".
"Sir, were you able to speak to the Duke early today?", Colt asked out of nowhere. "Well yes, it wasn't the best moment to, but I did", I replied and took the letter out of my pocket and handed it to Colt, "I wanted to know who else was coming, the Rodian delegation will be the first one here and I wanted to get ready. They supposedly were spotted in Saint Dennis today". Colt, who was reading the letter, then muttered, "This is from two days ago". What? T-two days ago…? "How do you know?", I questioned and he pointed out that a date was written on the corner of the letter. "Oh fuck", I blurted out, "L-let's go back to the room". I took Colt by the arm and began to make our way back. "S-Sir, I know you don't want to meet with the Rodians, but- is this really necessary? I don't think they're going to be that bad", Colt reasoned but I wasn't going to hear it, "You don't understand, Colt. There's someone I prefer to see with the Duke by my side, someone that intended to take the Godsword from me", my words silenced Colt the rest of the way. When we reached the hallway that lead to our room, Peter appeared from the corner and stopped us, "Sir Tak, I'm glad I found you", he bowed, like he always did, "Your presence is requested at this moment". I pushed Colt inside the room as I turned to Peter, "My presence? What for?", I asked and he sharply replied, "Orders from his highness. Please follow me". As if I had another choice, I reluctantly obliged and followed him, leading me from hallway to hallway. "Uh… what for? C'mon Peter, you can tell me", I said and Peter stopped in front of a door, "Here", he said and went through, it was a door that led to the main hall of the estate and from where I heard a voice, her voice.
"Please, I do not wish to trouble his highness. We can await for him at our quarters", she said, it was Cassandra. I didn't want to be seen, so I hid behind a column as Peter greeted her, "Lady Cassandra, welcome to his highness's estate. I am Peter, first servant of Duke Prost. Your presence is most gratuitous". I peeked to see Cassandra bowing back at Peter, "The pleasure is all mine, I am to be grateful for being invited to such an important event. May I dare ask if we must wait for his highness? I mean no offense but, we have quite the luggage to organize". Peter replied, "His highness will arrive soon, until then may I present you with Sir-", I hid again as Peter turned to introduce me, an awkward silence lasted for a few seconds as I didn't want to come out, and Cassandra decided to speak up, "Sir, I understand if you're intimidated by our presence, I reckon that if you were invited then you must be a great knight. I am eager to meet you, please come forward". Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could see from the corner of my eye how she bowed… all knightly and shit, alright… alright, I'll come out.
I sighed before leaving the column, "Here am I". Immediately, Cassandra's expression shifted, her eyes narrowing at me, "H-how… y-you…", she broke the bow and stood straight, it was the first time in my life seeing her without a helmet. She is still almost in full armor but I could see her face; her green eyes, freckles and chestnut hair she had in a braid over her shoulder, and I didn't notice the first time I saw her but she's pretty tall, having a head of advantage over me. We stared in silence for a few seconds before Peter coughed, "I-It's everything alright?", and when she was about to speak, the loud voice of Sommer came rumbling on the walls, "Welcome everyone! Welcome, welcome!", he appeared and walked next to Cassandra who immediately went to her knees, "Your highness". Sommer then patted Cassandra in the shoulder, "Please, please, rise". She obliged and rose to her feet but her gaze instantly went to me again, something Sommer noticed, "Oh, is there a problem? Is there a problem Peter?", he asked and Peter shook his head. "Well then", Sommer smiled but Cassandra muttered, "There is", and pointed at me, "What is he doing here?".
Sommer's smile didn't falter, he was enjoying this for sure, "Him? He's but an esteemed guest and a participant of the upcoming tournament. We're fortunate to have Sir Tak join us in the estate", he said, "A tournament as this one must have someone as the 'Godsword' himself in it, wouldn't you agree?". Cassandra had her jaw slightly open, her expression of unbelief was clear, "S-Sir?", she repeated and turned to the Duke, kneeling before him, "Your highness, I must insist, Tak of Sonnda is a fugitive, a traitor of Roda, and someone who attempted against the life of her grace". What? I mean, I am a fugitive, yes… maybe a traitor, but I didn't attempt anything against Liza, she's bullshiting. "Oh my, that's quite a record", Sommer gasped but couldn't refrain from chuckling a bit, "None the matter, I'm grateful to the gods for these blessed grounds being of Sallas and not of Roda. No offense my Lady but, inside my borders, he's a guest". Cassandra coughed from her throat, her voice raspy, "Y-your highness but-", and stopped, letting just a faint sigh before rising to her feet again, "If his highness so wishes. I apologize for any… insult this might have produced".
"Oh, no, no. Nothing to apologize for", Sommer said and came to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "I was hoping for Sir Tak to be able to join the Rodian delegation along with you", those words made Cassandra do a weird sound, a muffled yelp coming from her mouth like a drowned protest, she probably knew she couldn't refuse the Duke but, at the same time, I don't actually want to stay with the Rodians, especially now that I know she's here. "But I suppose that'll be impossible", Sommer shrugged, "Oh well, Sir Tak may participate in another delegation or as an independent knight, if he wishes so", then gently pushed me forward towards Cassandra, "Also, hostile action among champions, unless it is inside the arena, is completely unacceptable, please shake hands and make peace". A handshake? Alright. I extended my hand as Cassandra walked towards me, the sound of her boots were so heavy that it sounded like she was about to crack the marble floor. She probably has a strong grip but I don't expect her handshake to be as strong as Borsos's. "It's been a long time", she whispered as she closed her gloved hand on mine, immediately putting so much pressure that for a second I thought she was going to break my hand. I muffled a small scream as her glare only intensified, keeping the handshake going, seeking petty retribution. The handshake finally broke, and I regained control of my sore hand, when the doors to the entrance opened wide to allow another champion in. Cassandra gave me a little smirk before turning towards this other champion; it was a massive man, completely covered in armor, I could only see his eyes throught the open visor of his helmet, and he entered the estate almost breaking two vases next to the doors and knocking over a big plant that crashed against a window. "You brute!", Cassandra screamed, "Get on your knees now, you're in front of the Duke!". She was commanding that beast like he were a pet, and the pet obliged; kneeling in an instant and lowering his head, "His highness", he spoke in a deep voice, "I apologize and beg for your mercy".
Sommer, instead of appearing displeased, seemed ecstatic, opening his arms wide, "Woah! It's that you?", he exclaimed and I was confused as to who that man could be for a moment before the big guy introduced himself, "It is, I Sir Victus Lennard Lann, most grateful of being in your presence". T-that's the guy, he shares name with Kenseth, and I know him, actually heard of him, he's Victus 'Bonebreaker' Lann. He's a fucking tower of a man. "Haha, there's no need for such adulation", Sommer laughed while patting the plated arm of Victus, "Seems her grace humbly agreed to my request of sending two of her best, if not her best champions. Please Sir Victus, rise, your participation in the tournament more than pays for any destruction your imposing presence might cause to old and fragile souvenirs". Sommer then called for Peter and decided to give the two champions a tour of the estate and, as they passed next to me, I could feel Cassandra's penetrating glare and a complete indifference from Victus. I should, when the moment is right, talk to him about Kenseth, see if they were related and tell him of his fate.
I decided to go back to the room and alert Colt about these Rodians. As I made my way back I began to remember what I've heard about Victus, those three years I spent wandering around Roda, going from east to west before finally beginning this quest, and in the many taverns where I got my news and rumors about what was happening in the war. During the war many knights sought of creating a name for themselves but in Roda the only one clear contender was Cassandra, she was already the elected champion of the Empress, her personal knight and enforcer. She was sent to deal with western front of Xion, who were always a problem, especially having to fight inside the Furash Desert, but she found great help on an upcoming knight, Sir Victus Lann, who already proved himself by breaking off from a Xionese encirclement, while supposedly being in the middle of a desert storm, on his own and then proceeding to lead an offensive that saw him victorious while also dealing crushing blows that left any Xionese survivor with broken bones, the drunkards in the taverns said that some Xionese crawled with broken legs to ask for help from the Rodians. Cassandra ended up taking him as sort of a captain and fought along side him until the end of the war I guess.
Back in our room, I explained to Colt that the Rodian delegation had arrived and that, for his safety, he should stay inside and only leave the room if it is with me. Because I felt kind of guilty, I stayed with Colt for most of the day, having lunch with him inside, but getting told by Peter that I 'should' join the Duke for dinner tonight. I didn't know what game Sommer was playing, if he knows all of my story then he knew that I didn't get along with those close to the Rodian crown, especially Cassandra who almost beheaded me that time in the throne room. "S-Sir, look, there's people outside", Colt said, breaking my train of thought. He was looking out the window which oversaw a great garden and, from not so far away, Sommer could be seen showing Cassandra and Victus around. "Are those the Rodians?", Colt asked and got closer to the glass, "T-that man is massive… who is he?".
"That man is Sir Victus Lann but most call him the Bonebreaker", I replied and Colt let a tiny sound of amazement, then pointed to the other person, "And that?", and I explained, "That is Lady Cassandra Lettenburg. The 'great' Knight of Light", my words came with some sarcasm. "Woah… I've heard about her… she's pretty", Colt said. His last remark making me roll my eyes, "It's the first time I've seen her without a helmet but even her 'prettiness' doesn't cover the ugliness of her persona", I blurted out and Colt snapped his gaze to me, "Y-you two know each other?", he asked and his whole body shifted his attention to me. "Where? When? Were you two knightly companions in Roda? Tell me, please!", he kneeled, giving me his big kobold eyes of begging. I suppose that he can learn about me and her, but he only need to know a few things. "I know her, we weren't partners and she hates kobolds or anything that goes against her faith or what the Empress believes needs to be despised", my words turned Colt's expression into a sad one, "Oh… well, that is to be expected, she's a knight of Roda after all", he muttered. I petted his head and reminded him, "That's why I want you to remain out of her sight".
As the evening came, I was called to join with the Duke for dinner. I told Colt that I wouldn't take long and followed the servant to the dinning hall; which had a ridiculously large table, many different utensils and already had a bunch of 'small' foods to munch before the main course. Of course, what first caught my eye was Cassandra and Victus, who were both already at the table, next to the Duke and in more comfortable clothes. I could finally see Victus face under the lights of the chandelier, a man with a big head and small face, a crooked nose, many scars and a fully shaved head. I compared his appearance with Cassandra's, she only had one tiny scar on her left cheek, barely visible, weird to have such few, being a renown knight and all. I sat at the middle of the table but Sommer called for me, "Sir Tak, please, come join us, sit in the chair next to me". I obviously had to oblige, so I sat next to Sommer to the chair opposite to Cassandra, who's cold blooded glare pointed at my soul the instant my ass scraped the wood of the chair. "So, you were telling me, Lady Cassandra", Sommer turned to her and she resumed the conversation they were having before my arrival. "Yes your highness, I was just about to tell you how I broke the Centralian formation, just after me and my men crossed the Idus in two columns, we encircled half of the Centralian forces that outnumbered us five to one. I personally slayed fifty", she recounted and Sommer clapped, "Amazing! What an extraordinary feat. Your prowess knows no bounds, to take on an enemy that numerous, it is simply outstanding". Cassandra bowed her head slightly, "I'm flattered, but it wasn't that great of a feat", and she gazed at me from the corner of her eye, "See, the Centralian forces relied too much on mercenaries, and you know that mercenaries are not to be trusted, a great lot deserted after seeing their peers laying on the grass", then she leaned back on her chair and sighed, "But even then, I am not one to take a battle lightly, that's what a true Rodian knight is known for". Yeah, I get your stupid comment, and I don't care if you're the 'great Rodian Knight of Light', you're still an uptight bitch.
"Oh, and you Sir Victus? I'm sure you have many stories to tell", Sommer said to Victus, who I'm now noticing was staring directly at me. "What? Something on my face?", I asked and he shook his head, "Uh- no…", and turned to Cassandra, "M'lady, weren't we instructed with dealing with the Godsword if we saw him?". We all went quiet, and I could see Cassandra turning her head slowly towards him, "Victus", she said between her teeth, the anger appearing to be dangerously close to seeping out if she opened her mouth wider, "Remember that we are in the Duke's estate? That we aren't suppose to treat his highness's guest unkindly? If you do, then shut your mouth and only open it to swallow food". Victus lowered his head and decided to stare at his hands as the silence remained for a few seconds before Sommer coughed and spoke, "Well, uh, I hope you're hungry!", then clapped his snapped his fingers and servants began to emerge from one door, all of them with plates, cups, wine and food.
Victus did just as Cassandra ordered and only opened his mouth to eat, not daring to speak a single word, while she spent most of the dinner speaking to Sommer about her exploits in the war and throwing jab after jab at me. Sommer would, from time to time, try to include me only for her to shut me down or quickly change the subject and cutting me off, but she was getting pissed off just by the fact that Sommer acknowledge me. At some point, he asked me about my time as a holy knight, "Sir Tak, I must know more about the holy knights and the Holy Campaigns, especially the one were my father intervened", and Cassandra muttered to herself, "Sir, sir, sir", while loudly stabbing a piece of steak with a fork. "Lady Cassandra?", Sommer gazed at her and she sighed, "Your highness, please, you must stop calling him that", and then glared at me, "He's no knight. After betraying his country, her grace sentenced for his name to be erased from the holy knight's record. He holds no title and is just dishonoring himself and Roda even further by brandishing it around, forcing nobles like you to address him as something he's not".
Sommer, who obviously had enjoyed this back and forth between me and Cassandra, for the first time showed a faltering grin, he leaned back in his chair and lowered his voice a bit, "Lady Cassandra, does it actually bother you that much?", his question seemed to actually affect her, and she stuttered a bit, "W-well, who wouldn't be bothered by such… criminal. Someone who failed his duties and used the strength and discipline imparted by Roda to... to become a mere mercenary, one that worked with slavers and murderers. So yes, your highness, I am a bit bothered". After her reply, Sommer turned to me and, for a brief second, flashed a smile before speaking to Cassandra again, "I am knowledgeable of Sir Tak's history, excuse me, Tak of Sonnda's history. Tell me, wouldn't you show a fraction of admiration to the sole survivor of Mön? The last man that saw the Crimson Sword, no, the last man to fight alongside the Crimson Sword? Wouldn't the man who reclaimed the Godsword be worthy of the lowest and more basic of titles? A simple knighthood? From what I've heard, it appears that Roda indoctrinated an orphan child and sent him to die, only for him to grab destiny by its reins, blessed be Ilanda". Did he really think all of that? I didn't know if I should say something, and Cassandra also remained awfully quiet, she didn't know what to say.
"But, if an important champion as yourself is bothered by this, and the whole Empire of Roda is too, then I will gladly rectify my mistake", Sommer said and rose from his chair, "Tak, kneel". I didn't know what he was trying to do and because I froze he repeated loudly, "Kneel!", and so I did. "You, give me your sword", he requested to one guard and then was handed a blade and came closer to me, pressing the flat face of the sword on my right shoulder, "By order of the gods", and switched to my left shoulder, "By consequence of your actions", and finally pressed it on my head, "By the powers granted to me by the Sallasian Conjunction and the faithfuls of the eastern coast, rise as a knight of Sallas". W-what?… he… fucking knighted me? But- can he even do that? I am not a Rodian knight anymore?
"What are you waiting for?", Sommer whispered, "Rise". I stood and stared at Sommer's expression, trying to gauge if what he did was genuine, but I immediately saw his stupid smile and I knew he did it just to spite Cassandra. He turned to her and said, "If Roda isn't keeping him, might as well have him for Sallas". Cassandra's remained dumbfounded for a few seconds, she dropped the fork and pushed herself away from the table, rising from her seat, "Your highness", she bowed, "May we be excused?". Victus only then opened his mouth to complain, "But… I didn't have dessert", but Cassandra repeated, "May we be excused?". Sommer nodded, "As you wish". Then she turned to leave not before grabbing Victus by the collar and pulling him to come along, I could hear each of Cassandra's footsteps loudly against the marble floor, she was beyond angry. "Hope she doesn't forfeit from the tournament", Sommer muttered and began to laugh, "Hahaha, but it was worth it", and sat back at the table, "I knew she hated you but didn't know to what extent. Also, now that you're a knight of Sallas, I suppose you'll have to participate in representation of my duchy".
"Why did you do that? You didn't need to do that just to piss off Cassandra", I said but Sommer shook his head, "It wasn't just to piss her off. I actually needed a champion for the tournament, and well, if you are not going to be participating in Roda's side, then you can be in our side", then he narrowed his eyes, "You don't seem happy nor grateful of gaining a knighthood, want me to revoke it?". I quickly bowed at his threat. Even if I knew he was fucking with me, "Oh, no, no, thanks, your… highness", I replied and he grinned, "I've only got two champions, counting you that is. The other one I had, unfortunately, perished short of making it to the tournament", the detail caught my attention so I asked, "Who was it? It's a shame he died just before it began", and he replied with an uncharacteristic cold demeanor, "It was the captain of the private army, you know him, the one that died at the hands of that thing you described". The memory of the blood man flashed through my mind and quickly silenced any lingering curiosity. "Sallas doesn't have great champions… I've only knighted like, I don't know, seven or eight people throught my reing", Sommer said and began to explain, "Roda brought two of its best; the Knight of Light and the Bonebreaker. The Confederation might bring that man, I cannot recall its name, the one that was knighted after an outstanding performance in the siege of Franck. Xion won't bring anyone, that I know for sure, they dislike having to travel across the desert to participate in these matters. And Centralia will bring Bronzeblood and some others from the war. I've sent for some warriors to be called from Frogeltander and the Free Cities, just to fill out the remaining spots". So there aren't that many 'champions' or possible weapons the continent may use against Oor in the future, It'll be more of a small tournament perhaps. Also, because he brought it up I could ask him, "And rulers? Will they come to watch the event?"
Sommer raised an eyebrow but then quickly smiled, "Oh yes, I've been told you might have some business with Lord Falkfak". I'm not surprise he knows, I do wonder to what extent though, does he knows I personally killed Patricia? Or maybe he just knows that I'm sought after by the Confederation. "Not every ruler will come", Sommer said, "There will be many nobles; dukes, counts and barons, but I know Empress Liza and King Adler won't come. I do understand why that might be. The Dan of Xion won't come for the same reason he won't send any champion. But Falkfak? I'm more than certain that he will come, he loves these types of events, everything that involves blood and steel". So I got to be ready to see him again, great… "But don't be afraid, I won't let him do anything to you. Anything as long as you remain a willing participant of the tournament", Sommer reassured and blackmailed me in the same sentence, great.
Sommer decided to cut dinner short, and we didn't have dessert, so I made my way back to my room. I knocked on the door just to let Colt know, "Colt, it's me", but then I sensed something and turned to my left to see Cassandra leaning against the wall. "Tak, we need to talk", she said as I began to look for any sign of hostility, she wasn't armed. or at least it appeared so, and she didn't immediately jumped to cut my throat. "What, what do you want to talk about?", I replied and she took it as a signal to approach me closer, "First. It is the duty of a knight to apologize for being rude in front of a noble. Politeness is a virtue and I will apologize to the Duke later", she said and continued, "Second. You aren't a knight, even if the Duke knighted you, you remain the same to me and to every Rodian, a traitor and a deceiver". And there it is, now I'm a deceiver too? Woah, the tally seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Cassandra then pointed at herself, puffing her chest, "As someone who prefers to be informed, I've been learning all about your acts as an outlaw. It is shameful that someone that grew under the roof of a sacred Rodian orphanage, taught to be pious and a warrior of the faith, chose to stray far away from the path of righteousness", she leaned closer with an expression of disdain, "A traitor in Lindelen, a criminal in Lazarus, a slaver in Kolkia… how much insult and shame can you still bring to your homeland?". My homeland? She was mistaken, "No, Roda isn't my 'homeland'. It's in the name, is Tak of Sonnda, not Tak of Roda. And what I did is nothing of your concern", I said but she retorted, "Oh but it is. You've been tainting Roda's name while wielding my sword, my Godsword. I do not know how you cheated death in Mön, I don't care how but I do know that the Godsword was meant to be held by someone who would be able to use it properly", then her lip quivered from anger, "Like him, like the Crimson Sword… you, you had something to do with his death, I'm sure of it. He wouldn't just die, and he wouldn't die for a- a dirty lowlife like you, he wouldn't give up the sword to you".
I knew what she was trying to do, she was trying to piss me off and cause a reaction. What she's been saying is nothing I care much for, I've heard worst, but she didn't have a mere speck of authority to talk about him so lightly. "Shut your fucking mouth", I let out, "Don't ever talk about him, you weren't there, you weren't even a part of the Holy Army". She scoffed at my words and continued, "Ha, like a lowlife like you could even dare to speak on his behalf, Sir Lyras was an actual knight, a pious and wonderful champion that always fought for what is right. But you? A criminal and a deceiver who worked for someone so vile as Constance Demaine. W-what else could you possibly do to dig your hole deeper? To taint Roda's and the faith's name even more? What else-". The creak of the door shut her up and made me snap my head back instantly, Colt had opened the door and was peeking from inside the room, "Uh… S-Sir Tak, is everything alright?". Cassandra's eyes went wide and she jumped back into a fighting stance, producing a small blade from under her sleeve, "A beast has entered the estate! Tak move aside!". I stood in between her and Colt, "Don't. He ain't a beast, he's a kobold", I said and she appeared to not be able to process what I said, "D-do you know… do you own this foul beast?", she asked and I smirked, "Own? He's my squire".
Cassandra's jaw dropped, "Y-y-your squire?", she let the small blade hit the floor and stood motionless, just staring at me and Colt. "I- Y-you… I'll-", she couldn't form a sentence, just turned around and promptly left. "S-so that's the Knight of Light…", Colt muttered, his expression one of wonder despite her harsh comment about him. "Yup, and she hates kobolds like any Rodian knight would", I replied and chuckled a bit, "She must be reeling from hearing that". The rest of the evening I spent wondering what Cassandra might be thinking, she could be protesting Colt's presence to Sommer, something that will end up badly for her, or worst, she might be thinking of getting rid of Colt somehow. Rodians have been taught to feel disgust at the sight of kobolds or wolven, the mere thought of sharing a roof with one is more than repulsive for someone like Cassandra. I know this because I used to be like that, I'm glad that changed.
Another thing took priority in my thoughts, the need to train for the tournament. To be honest, I've only trained a few times and only when other people force me to, like that sword master Constance got me that time. Training felt like a chore and despite the sword granting me ten times the stamina and resistance of a normal human, I'll feel sore and bothered after doing exercises. There was also the fact that I couldn't gain any muscle no matter what I tried. I've been sporting the same musculature since my teenage years. I'm sure it has something to do with the sword too, as I don't get fat nor get any scarring or lasting mark on my skin. It's like I'm always the same, except for the grays on my hair…
Early the next day, I started with the only thing that occurred to me could work as exercise, jogging across the estate. It was big enough and had many long hallways, so I gave it a try and, as usual, I could keep up for two hours without breaking a sweat, only issue was that I felt like it wasn't helping at all as training. As I left the estate into the garden, I saw Cassandra and Victus, who were also appearing to be training… well, only Cassandra; she was practicing movements with a sword while Victus sat against a tree. Out of curiosity, I began to do laps around the estate and take a look every time I passed by the back garden. By the fourth lap, she was actually expecting me around the corner and kicked me in my shin, making me trip and fall face flat. "Ugh… what the fuck", I stood immediately as she intensely glared at me while sporting a grin, "I thought you could stay and have a better look at how knights train", she mocked and pressed the tip of her sword against my chest, "Resistance strength isn't everything. You have to train your hands and arms to be able to brandish your weapon efficiently". I pushed her sword down as I stood up, "Yeah, yeah, thanks teacher", my dismissal went over her head as her brow arched, "How many laps did you do?", she asked and then pointed out, "Your breaths aren't coming heavy and you certainly don't sound tired… is that due to the sword?". I shrugged just to spite her and turned to leave but she grabbed my shoulder and pushed me against the wall, "Wait. C-Can I see it? I know you can call for it at anytime", this looked bad, I was getting pressed against the wall with a sword pointed at me… but yeah, I could show her, why not. "Give me some space at least", I said and she obediently took some steps back, her eyes wide open in expectation. I extended my arm and opened my hand, "Recall", the command was quickly followed by the Godsword materializing in my hand. "W-woah…", she gasped and slowly approached, "Ahem- let me see it closer".
"Sure", I nodded and threw the sword a far behind her, "Go fetch". She narrowed her eyes, "You imbecile", and punched my gut before turning around and going for the sword. As she held the sword in her hands, she inspected the symbols that glowed faintly, "It's quite amazing… such a powerful blade. More than a hundred years old and forged to defeat the Calamity". I had to take some deep breaths to gain back the air she punched out of me, "Agh… ah… y-yeah… amazing", then she threw her other sword away and began to practice movements with mine. She was having fun from the looks of it and I could also see that her way of handling the sword was way, way better than mine. "Well, you had your fun. Recall", I said and the sword flew off her hands and to mine in less than a second. "Hey!", she protested and ran to me, "Y-you cannot… Can you just lend me the sword for a few hours?". I shook my head, "Nope", and smirked, "But maybe… if you used my proper title, and say please… maybe". She replied by sweeping my feet and making me fall, "Keep your sword then, idiot". What the fuck, she was fast… "Alright, I was willing to show you the abilities too, what a shame", I muttered and my words caught her curiosity, "Abilities?", she repeated and questioned, "There's more?".
"There are", I said, "And if you… I dunno, help me a bit in my training, showed me a few tricks, I could show you the many amazing abilities of the Godsword, really up close". She crossed her arms, she wasn't too keen on agreeing, "Trying to deceive into showing you my way with the blade? Hmpf, fine, you are too dense to learn anything anyway". Then she turned and moved closer to where Victus was, to a higher ground, sort of a hill, that had a tree at the top. I followed her until she stopped, "First", she spun and stared at me, "Show me one of the sword's abilities, I only know the summoning one, I'm not aware of any others". I replied with a question, "After that you're going to teach me some moves, right?", and she rolled her eyes, "Yes, I will. Just do it already". I could show her the holy fire, is simple enough; I brushed two fingers over the blade and it ignited the steel. "A-amazing", Cassandra stared in awe, approaching to see the blade up close, "What's this ability?". I did the same motion of brushing two fingers over the blade to drown the flames and turn it back to its normal state, "I call it 'holy fire', its effective against magical creatures".
"Incredible. 'Holy fire', a flame that cleanses foul beasts… truly a divine blade", she muttered to herself. I stared at her while waiting, she stared at me back and we stayed like that for a few seconds. She seemed to be also waiting for something, so I asked, "Are you going to teach me som-", but she cut me off, "Show me another one". I wasn't going to, she had to honor her promise. I shook my head, "What? No, no, we agreed, just one and you teach me some moves, remember?". She insisted, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks, "W-well, show me another one and I'll teach you a… a special move". I wasn't buying, "Knights are supposed to fulfill their promises", I said, "So do what you promised". With a sigh of resignation, "Fine", she turned and went to Victus, "Pass me the wooden sword", and he handed Cassandra a wooden sword, one he had under his rear. That's when I noticed she had the sheath of her famous sword 'Lightbringer', but she didn't had the sword itself on her. The other steel blade wasn't that one. "Are you familiar with the techniques of Saint Dominic?", she asked and I replied with a shrug so she followed, "Then, in which school were you train on?". School? What the fuck she meant by that? "School? I was raised in an orphanage, I didn't go to school", I said and she seemed pissed at my answer. "No, by school I mean in what way were you- agh", she sighed, "Forget it. We'll do it the old way". Cassandra then took a fighting stance with the wooden sword in hand, "I'm ready, just attack me".
She was taking the piss for sure. "I'm not going to fight you like that! That's made of wood, I'll just cut through it. And having a duel is not what I had in mind, what if I hurt you badly?", I said and she scoffed, "Hurt me? I'd like to see you try… you won't be able to land a hit". She was being delusional. She could be really good at sword fighting but eventually I'll land a hit and that wooden sword won't block anything, "I took you for a fanatic not for a fool, Cassandra", as soon as I said that, Cassandra lunged herself towards me and aimed the wooden blade towards my face, I dodge it and jumped backwards. "Good, you evaded my attack, then you're much better than ninety percent of the knights I've fought before", she said and smirked, "Truth be told, I've been trying to practice against someone who could match my speed. Victus here is strong but far too slow, and the others back in Roda aren't so fast either. So...", then lunged forwards in another attack, this time aiming for my legs, as I was about to jump over and dodge, she changed her objective mid attack and struck my side, I felt the air leaving my right lung, and before letting me feel the pain she also struck my face with the same hand that held the wooden sword. I fell but quickly got up, if she believed so much in herself then I'll cut her. I took a fighting stance and she stood still, seemingly waiting for me. I wasn't going to dash, if I did I would for sure hit her and things would end up badly, so I just went ahead and tried to land some hits, she of course couldn't block with the wooden sword. I aimed for her right side, just like she hit mine, but she spun as my blade was about to cut, making me miss completely while she extended the wooden sword and landed a hit on my left cheek. "Fuck", I almost fell but quickly regained my footing and, without waiting, this time I lunged at her, trying to stab her with the tip but, just before I could make contact, she pushed my blade downwards with the handle of the wooden sword and connected her forearm with my face.
"Just when you're about to met my flesh you seem to get slower", she pointed out, "And you relay too much on the sword itself and not in your body". I tasted the blood from my nose and mouth, "Yeah?", I spitted some blood and rose to my feet again, "My sword usually connects with ninety percent of people", I grinned and she retorted, "Well, and with the other ten percent? The other ten percent would surely kill you". Like the fight I had with both Maxwell and Serbos, I'm being outclassed by pure skill, I hate to admit it but she's right. "Come on", she said now in a fighting stance, urging me to go at it again. I spend the next ten minutes trying to land a hit but I was completely unable to, all the while she responded with multiple strikes to my face and chest. As the pain increased, along with my frustration, one thought formed on my mind, if she was this good then she could take a dash, "Cassandra, since it's becoming clear I can't even touch you with my current speed… would you like to see another of my abilities?". She smirked at my words, "Go ahead". So I took some distance and began to count my steps as I ran towards her, by the fifth step I knew I could dash and so I did. I pointed my sword forward as to carve anything on its way, and in the middle of the dash I saw her, her blurry form stepping aside, dodging me again even in a dash, and I ended up impaling the tree. "H-how did you dodge that?", I wondered and tried to get my sword off the tree when she suddenly locked an arm around me and threw me to the ground. "You murderous imbecile!", she screamed and kneeled over me, effectively pinning me, "You could've fucking killed me!", and punched me a few times before firmly pressing her palm over my face, "I barely dodged it! If you knew how dangerous it was, why did you use it in training!?".
I tried to speak but she muffled any noise, "Mmgmmmm!!!". I thought she would hit me again when Victus intervened, "Lady Cassandra, let him speak at least, I'm sure he didn't meant to", only then she pull her hand from my face, "Speak!". I thought of what to say, "I-I didn't know!", I exclaimed and she grabbed my chin, "You didn't know what?!". It was clear that I miscalculated, "I thought that… that you could dodge that, I'm sorry", I hoped that would suffice, she was breathing heavily and her glare remained intense, but she stood up and allowed me some space. "What's that thing you did, what's the name?", she asked while checking her knuckles. "I just call it 'dash'… and it's the first time I've seen someone dodge it", I replied as I stood up with a sore face. "It was a feeling", she said, "It felt like I needed to get of out the way. If I didn't then, you might've impaled my arm or worse. From now on you're not allowed to use that ability the next time we spar, understood?". Next time? She actually wanted me as a spar partner? "Alright but you too, next time try to be less violent, alright? I'm learning after all", I grinned and turned to Victus, "Hey, thank you, for stopping her from disfiguring my beautiful face". He didn't seem to know how to react to my words, he simply nodded and stood silent, but then I remembered I had to speak to him, "Sir Victus… I've been meaning to talk to you, actually. Is a man named Kenseth Lann related to you?", this time his expression changed, "He is. He's my younger brother", he said and asked, "Why? Are you in the know about his whereabouts?".
My first instinct was to look behind me and see if Cassandra was close to hear, I felt like this was only meant for Victus ears, but she remained his superior so I went ahead anyways. "Well… I-", how could I convey this without sounding bad, "He's dead… I killed him- I mean, he asked me to kill him", fuck, that sounded awful. Victus narrowed his eyes, leaning slightly to be more at my level, "How?", his question direct and dry. Okay, time to explain, "Two months ago I was captured in the town of Soland by a bunch of Confederation soldiers, and I was taken to the capital to met with Lord Falkfak. There I was put under his orders… well not his, his niece's orders, Patricia Falkfak, a sadistic piece of shit who held your brother as a prisoner". Saying prisoner is better than the truth, he must be remembered as a soldier and not as Patricia's pet, "Long story short, before I managed my escape, I went to Kenseth. He didn't ask to escape with me but to be granted death. He wasn't in… his body wasn't in the best condition". Victus processed the information for a few seconds before letting a faint, "I see", escape his lips, then he slightly bowed in appreciation and turned to hastily leave us.
"I was told about your escapades in the Confederation", Cassandra said, "That you were taken to meet Falkfak. We thought that you would sell yourself as a swordsman for him. Anyhow, you meeting Victus younger brother? Huh, what a small world", and then she laughed under her breath, "But now you're going to need to become my full time training partner. Once you get Victus in a sad mood, then you'll have to wait a week or more before he gets out of his depression". What? Full time training? No, no, I didn't sing up for that. "Get your sword, we're going to continue", she practically commanded, and I wasn't willing to keep risking my face to more punches so I ran away. "Where do you think you're going?! Come back!", I heard her screams as I ran and didn't look back, also recalled my sword to me, wasn't going to let her have any fun with it.
My objective for the rest of the day became doing my best to avoid her, so I either stayed in my room or carefully strolled around the many hallways and rooms of the estate. After that, with the moon high in the sky, I began my nightly prayer but I became distracted by a far away light, a light that appeared to be coming from the garden. Normally I wouldn't go towards random lights, but this one compelled me enough to get out of my room and make my way to the back garden. It was then when I noticed that the light was coming from the tree, the one I impaled earlier. I went up the small hill and could devise the hole in the trunk that I had made with the sword. The light came from within said hole, it was a small blue flame. I got tempted and reached in to feel it with my fingers, and I felt no warm coming from the flame, and didn't burn, it felt lukewarm and pleasant on my skin. No doubt this was due to my sword, but why? I broke off some of the bark, later I'll see if burning it with holy fire would ignite this blue flame again.
I stopped to take a breath. Being outside felt nice, the summer heat was drowned by the cool wind and the garden was pretty and peaceful. I turned to gaze at the estate which I had almost in full view, it was grandiose. It made me think on to how could they build such massive structure. From here I could see all the windows of the estate, all of them completely dark except for three, three windows in a row, on the third floor, and my curiosity won me over again, so I went inside the estate and up the stairs to see what was happening there.
Halfway throught the stairs, that led to the third floor, is when the sound hit my ears, the unmistakable sound of sex, the mixing of voices and moans. The door that led to the room had light coming from under it and, honestly, I shouldn't do it, I shouldn't even think of peeking inside… but I was too curious now. Specially by the thought that maybe, one of the involved could be Cassandra. She seems too uptight, too pure, it would be the ultimate weapon against her mocking. I turned the handle and barely opened the door, enough to allow me to peek inside. The room was twice the size of mine and it had a large bed at the far side, the floor was fully carpeted and there were robes and clothes everywhere. First thing I saw was a woman being roughly taken from behind, she was being held like a doll by a massive ma-... that's fucking Victus, I mean, that's Victus fucking… He was having that woman, which on closer inspection is one of the servants of the estate, and he had two more on the floor, whom appear to have been already 'used' by Victus. I said used because after a few grunts and pushes, he finished and pulled his length from inside this servant, then threw her aside like nothing and grabbed another one from the floor. Also, his cock is massive too… had to mention that. My interest just went higher, I scourge the room for any sign of Cassandra, but I stopped at the sight of one man being thoroughly used by four guys, four. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't excited by the act but impacted by how well that guy was taking, both ass and mouth, while servicing the other two, must be a professional at that. Then one of the guys being serviced shifted his position and I could see that the man being fucked was Sommer.
Many thoughts came to mind, but the loudest was the one that told me to get the fuck out of there. Unfortunately, my eyes and Sommer's met for a brief second. Sommer then took the cock out of his mouth and motioned for the guys to stop. He was about to come to me and I couldn't move, I've met many great enemies and mercenaries that almost claimed my life before but this was one of the few times that I froze in place. Well, fuck. Sommer didn't get dressed, he just stood up and slowly came to me while sporting a wide smile. All the while I stood there with a stupid grin, I didn't know what to do or say. "Tak, how you've been?", Sommer greeted, opening his arms, as if trying to get me to see him better. "I-… uh… good", I blurted out, my eyes kept darting between Sommer's dick, which was not as big as Victus's, and face. "Want to join us?", he offered, "We got everything, every preference; men, women, fat, skinny, flat, big pee pee, small pee pee… To be frank, I usually carry my orgies on weekends", he leaned in to whisper, "But Victus seemed down so I thought that he needed to cheer up a bit. Even though he's being quite rough with the girls". I didn't know what to actually say, I might of fucked myself by discovering this thing, "Uh… I'm good, thanks", I replied, hoping he wouldn't force me to participate. Sommer let a tiny chuckle escape his lips and nodded, "A shame. I was actually looking forward to seeing if you were the feisty kind. Just from hearing that you've worked in Kolkia, then you must have seen these types of 'meetings' a whole lot… none the matter, I already saw your nude body and you're aren't my type". What…? "W-when?", the question left my mouth and he smirked, "Oh, after that ordeal with the Oorish. I got my men to strip you to check your body, you know, for wounds? But innocent peeks happen", then he gently shoved me outside and held the door, "Also. My… let us say, 'desires', and what you saw in this room, are strict royal secrets. Do not speak about them, especially to my wife… goodnight". He closed the door on my face and left me dumbfounded. I didn't want to stay outside, he might change his mind. I turned around and hurried back to my room.
It was in the early morning when I got woken up by loud bangs on the door. "S-sir?", Colt asked startled as I took my sword and went for the door. "Who is it?", my question got an immediate answer, "Get up, get dressed and come out. We have to start with our training", it was fucking Cassandra. "Training? I don't know about you, but I need a good breakfast before trying to do anything", I said, and a brief silent ensued before she replied, "Then forget about learning anything from me. If you change your mind, I'll be in the back garden". Ugh… why does she has to be like this? Worse part is that I believe she'll go throught with her word, so I got no choice. I hastily dressed and went outside to meet with her. I could see her smirk as I got closer. "Good, I guess you aren't as stupid as I thought", she said and gazed down at my sword, "You can leave the Godsword by the tree. Yesterday, I got someone to buy this", then she pulled a wooden sword, exactly as the one she's been using, "With this we can have a more serious session, without risks", she remarked those last words by pointing back at the hole in the tree.
I took the wooden sword and we began with a sparring session which I failed miserably. She remained too fast for me, easily landing any sort of hit, either with her sword or own hands; at my head, face, side, arms, you name it. This time she wasn't as violent as yesterday at least, she would land a hit and stop, then take some steps back and reset our positions, safe to say this repeated more than fifty times. The session ended with an elbow to my jaw, drawing some blood. "Let's stop here. You aren't getting any better", she said and began to slowly show me how easily she was beating me, "You seem to literally throw yourself at the enemy, hoping to overwhelm them and not trusting on your own speed. What if the enemy is faster and put the steel in front? Would you be able to dodge it, or would you get sliced in half by your own recklessness?", she dropped the sword and sighed, "Honestly, I don't understand how you're still alive. No, I actually do. Is the Godsword, isn't it? It's the only thing that kept you going".
Her reasoning wasn't completely wrong and it's one I've heard many times before. "The sword enhances many things; strength, senses, speed and healing. I've relied on it many times. I've faced my death more times than I can count, but I'm still here", my reply to her question didn't amuse her, so I decided to tell her about what happened just a few days before, "Almost a week ago, in Ten Saints, I faced an Oorish man who was working with that smuggler, Elber Pyke. This Oorish man used magic to summon an entity that… I still don't fully comprehend. This entity smashed my body against the floor with such force that I couldn't move or feel my body. At that moment I, like many times, thought I was done for, that I was fated to die and my duty would remain unfulfilled. But, for some reason, I was spared and allowed to live another day. I don't find pride in holding the Godsword, or deriving a moniker from it. I don't find pleasure or power in having the duty I was thrust upon by the steel. At the end, I'm just another man". For the first time, I saw Cassandra's expression softening, "Are you going to do it? Go north and end the Calamity?", she asked and I nodded, "There's nothing that would fill me with more happiness than that". And, again, for the first time, I was able to see Cassandra smile for real, at least for two seconds before she turned her expression neutral, "Good", she sentenced and went to stretch her body against the tree.
"Your words had consequences", Cassandra said out of nowhere, "Victus, he… I've never seen him like this, he's never been this sad before". For a second there I thought that she had found out about the orgy. Wait a second, was she blaming me? "Okay… so what?", I asked, "Is it my fault for being honest?", and she glared at me from the corner of her eye, "It would be better if that was the case", she replied, "But… no, in actuality, I don't understand why he is this upset. Brothers and sisters die all the time. He's a knight of Roda, a warrior, a veteran, and he should be strong in every way". She turned to me, "Do you have brothers or sisters?". Her question caught me off guard but I replied with the first thing that came to mind, "Well, yes and no. I don't have any blood related brother, but all of those that grew up with me back in the orphanage are brothers to me". She dismissed my answer by rolling her eyes, "Of course. You're an orphan, you wouldn't understand", and followed up, "You wouldn't understand how it feels at all. Having to share your personal space and your belongings with them, just because 'she's your sister' and 'you should always share with your family', nonsense. What have they done? Huh? Nothing. They've done nothing, nothing to bring joy or pride to our parents or to our house". I didn't want to intervene, I just let her rant some more. "They'll see, once I win this tournament… I will go to him, I will speak my mind!", then she stopped her ranting, probably because she remembered I was there, and picked the wooden sword back up to immediately continue the training.
We spent the next two hours sparring on and off, taking small pauses where she would rant under her breath and continue. She would behave more and more violently, drawing blood from my face multiple times and producing painful bruises all over my limbs. After one last punch she landed, I decided to call it quits, "Okay, I'm done", I dropped the wooden sword and began to make my way back to the estate, but she followed closely, "But- we can go for a bit more, the morning is still fresh!", she said, "And I've never had someone that could match my stamina before, you're perfect- well, not perfect… uh, sufficient!". Yeah, yeah, a perfect training dummy to be punched and kicked around. "We can continue later", I sentenced and left the garden.
As I opened the door of my room, I saw Colt, who ran to me, "Sir! Y-you're okay", he said in a worried tone and closed the door behind me, "Sit please. She's too rough on you". I, for some reason, did as he said and sat while he inspected my bruised limbs and bleeding face. "Sir… sorry, but I have to ask, why are you letting that… awful, awful woman do this to you?", he asked as he gently touched the bruises on my arms, his scaly hands felt smooth on my skin. "She not only strikes you with vile intent, but she also mocks you and disrespects you! I, I'm ashamed that I called her pretty… you were right, she's ugly… ugly in the inside!". His attempt at an insult made me chuckle. "This? This is nothing. I've been treated worse", I reassured him. I don't like seeing Colt worrying about this, so is better if I tell him why I'm letting Cassandra do this. "Colt, the truth is that I need her to trust me. If I defy her, and defying her could be something as normal as to just stand up for myself, she might stop the training sessions altogether. I'll be stripped of the opportunity to train with one of the most powerful warriors in the continent", I reasoned but Colt retorted, "But Sir, I'm sure you can find someone less… abusive. Someone kinder, someone who won't hurt you or insult you like she's doing".
"No, it won't be like that", I said, "She's indeed the strongest knight I've seen after Sir Lyras, I know it because she isn't even trying when we spar, as if she was playing with a toddler. And I know that sooner or later, I'll get used to her speed and her pattern and I'll force her-". Colt promptly asked, "F-force to what?", and I grinned, "I'll force her to actually fight me while using her actual sword, Lightbringer". Colt's eyes went wide, "L-lightbringer?", he asked, "Is that her sword?". I began to recall what I've been told about her, I remember being twelve and hearing all about the ascending Rodian knight, Lady Cassandra Lettenburg, and how she mastered a special technique from which she developed her own reputation. "Cassandra isn't a full fledged magic user, I noticed that she cannot sense magic, but she still has one signature move that involves a strong magic projection; a beam of light so strong that rips the skin and muscle from the body, burns stone and melts metal. A move she can project using her sword", I explained, "How she came by that power is sort of mythical, some say it was given to her one day by the god Qonecsus. Few have ever seen her use that move. I don't even know if she ever used it during the war. Anyway, I just want her to teach me what she knows and help my body to get used to her speed. Acquiring that justifies getting one or two bruises and some blood here and there, don't you think so?".
"I- I don't but… if you're sure you can do it, then I'll trust you", Colt replied with a warm but still indecisive smile. I felt relieved having confided with Colt what I planned and letting him be more sure of my well-being. After taking a quick bath and having breakfast, I went to the back garden and waited for her to show up so we could continue the training, which started almost immediately as Cassandra seemed to be paying close attention to the back garden, emerging from inside the estate only a minute after.
And so we trained. The following three days were uneventful. My skill seemed to have improved marginally and her violent tendencies began to take a toll on my patience. Also, Duke Sommer wasn't around. Peter had informed us, that Sommer had taken a trip to the north to prepare the venue for the tournament and he would return in a week. It was by the fourth day of training that, during our sparring session, I successfully blocked one of Cassandra's hits, and, after that, it became easier; I could actually guess some of Cassandra's moves and the position of her blade while on the move, she wasn't as fast as before. The amount of blocks only multiplied until I was able to completely nullified one of her barrages. "It appears that you're learning something", she muttered in a passive-aggressive tone. "I'm learning or you're out of focus?", I replied, trying to joke a bit, but her expression shifted, the corners of her mouth twitched and she answered with another barrage of attacks, this time more violent. She didn't let me gain my footing and threw me to the ground, "It seems that way...", she growled and pressed her foot on my head, "You know then, you know and you are mocking me". I couldn't process her sudden change of demeanor, I tried to lift my head only to be stomped back to the ground with her sole over my cheek. "What?! I don't fucking know! I was making a joke!", I exclaimed and she stepped back, giving me some space, "What happened, why did you-", my words couldn't leave my mouth as she had changed her target, now forcefully stepping over my crotch. "I saw Victus… I saw him doing a-… a disgusting display with a maid", she said with strong vitriol in her words, "He confessed to me, he said that he's been involved in- ugh… shameful and disgusting acts w-with many people inside the estate. He said that he did it in order to find comfort from the news you so diligently delivered". The pressure from her feet was crushing my fucking balls, I managed to escape from her by rolling to the side. I immediately went to hold my crotch, trying to find a position that would alleviate the intense pain, "So- he fucked some people, so what?", I blurted out, keeping an attentive gaze at her.
"Hmpf. Why would a lowlife like you understand the severity of what happened. A knight cannot taint themselves with carnal desires like Victus did. He didn't just-… had relations with many people, he was involved in a-", Cassandra's voice went almost quiet as she muttered the word, "orgy". Oh, she's shy because of a word? "Orgy?!", I exclaimed and Cassandra's face turned red, "Y-yes! You don't have to scream it!", she turned her gaze away and muttered, "An atrocious act, that's what it was". This might be interesting, let's see what she thinks, "So 'an atrocious act', eh? He shouldn't be having… 'intercourse' with more than one person, that's what you're saying?", I asked and she pondered for a few seconds before replying, "That's a banal way of saying it. You… make 'love' with the person you find special, with the one you hold dearest to your heart. Sir Victus shouldn't engage with strange people, shouldn't let his desires overrun his judgment", then she turned and began to rant, "But he's a man, and men are corrupted from birth. I've seen towns being sacked after sieges; I've seen the soldiers and knights swarm inside the walls to claim blood and coin. They would go house by house, strip families of their belongings and then claim the women then and there. But not our kind, we are knights, we are suppose to upheld the decency and respect that makes us humans". I found her comment about love funny but the other part about raping left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not naive, I've seen acts that show the depravity of both men and women, still, her comment about 'special person' prompted me to ask something else, "I see. Is Sir Victus married?". My question seemed to confused Cassandra, she thought of what to say before replying, "N-no, he's not", so I followed up, "And you, my lady? Are you married?".
Cassandra got flustered immediately, she obviously saw throught my sarcasm and tease, and went to me with heavy footsteps. "That's none of your business!", she screamed at my face but I didn't relent, "So, you're upset because Sir Victus partook in an orgy and you say knights should only be with the one they love. However, he isn't married, he doesn't have a special one… why would it be bad for him to do what he wants? Keeping in mind that it will help him with his sadness at the moment, why does it upset you so much?". Cassandra gritted her teeth, "Is not like that. He should never behave like that and with that many people", and again, I retorted, "Really? Is that why? Or the reason is because… you're jealous?". Her eyes went wide, she began to shake slightly while her face turned completely red and I braced myself for a punch, but she took a step back instead. "Jealous?", she repeated under her breath and then spoke up, "Jealous? Me?! I'm Cassandra Lettenburg, I'm the Knight of Light! I can have anyone I want, whenever I want!", then she went silent after saying that, probably understanding that what she said is not that knightly. Her hand went to fidget with her braid while turning her gaze away, "I could… but I chose not to. It is the same for marrying. I chose not to because I have a duty. It is a duty to me, my Empress, my nation and my father".
What she just told me felt really personal, like something that had came out her mouth without her consent. She finally glared at me, her chin slightly quivering. Enraged, she came to me and asserted a slap that took the spit out of my mouth, then she grabbed my chin and kept my head still, "Listen", she said, "If you ever talk about this to anyone, I'll fucking end you", and threw me to the ground before leaving me alone in the garden. It was clear that I had touched a sensitive topic but it also made me wonder, why was she so invested in proving herself? If you ask me, she already achieve more than any other living knight could wish for, she's the personal knight of the Empress herself, she's the chosen champion to represent the whole of Roda, she's the predecessor of the Crimson Sword… who's going to judge her? Hmm… maybe she's wrestling with that status, maybe she thinks she doesn't deserve it? Like myself with the sword sometimes. I have thought many times about what if Sir Lyras were the one to get the sword, or if Cassandra had it, I'm sure they'd do a much better job than me, and faster too.
At first I felt a bit of fear at the probability that I had offended her enough that she wouldn't have another training session with me but, sure enough, early the next day, she called to my door and took me to the garden to have another, more grueling session were she practically used me as a training dummy again. I think that my lucky streak of yesterday only happened because she was out of focus. This time, she again completely outmatched me and left me with new bruises and flesh wounds. "Ahaha, the Godsword is amazing. Every bruise and cut gets cured overnight, is like if I had a new Tak every day", she laughed, and wiped some sweat from her forehead, then her expression turned a bit more serious, "You know, I've listened to what you said. Yesterday, when you said that 'I was jealous'... That couldn't be farther from the truth", she sighed for a moment before continuing, "Choosing to be a knight has taken a lot from me; my time, my body, my mind. It occupied everything but, everything meant nothing compared to the satisfaction and pride I felt when I kneeled in front of her grace, at the sight of every nobleman of Roda and my father, family, and even in front of him, Sir Lyras of Iris. When I became knighted and given the name of the Knight of Light", I could see her eyes lighting up, her mouth turning into a warm child-like smile, "That became my everything. If my discipline has taken me to this point, then I shall not stray far".
Her story compelled me to ask, "At what age were you knighted?", and she happily replied, "Oh, I was eighteen. One of the youngest to ever be knighted by someone of the stature of the Empress. That was… ten years ago, time indeed flies". Ten years ago, huh? So three years before Sir Lyras's death and me becoming wielder of the Godsword. But, if Sir Lyras attended her knighting then, did he had something to do with her training? "And Sir Lyras was there? I know he was the Empress's champion, did you two knew each other?", I asked and her face became a bit red, "Well…", she said, "Before my knighting, I used to see him when the Empress would visit Fennec's Point, Sir Lyras would come and stay for a week or so", then she chuckled, "I would nag him to teach me something… anything really. He would say that 'I was young but full of promise, and that I should practice in the ways of Saint Dominic'. After I left my home and went to the capital, I joined the court of her grace, I had him as sort of a mentor but I didn't learn anything from him… I couldn't learn anything, he was too fast, too good with the blade. For a long time I thought that it was my inexperience and my youth but, after seeing so many fights, it only became clear that Sir Lyras was beyond any other knight".
Indeed he was. "I was with him, when we marched to Mön. I saw him fight the Calamity in Cocsisborough and Sinder", I said and the images of his Crimson armor and sword flashed through my mind, "I saw how easily he made everything seem. How he would stand at the vanguard and protect those behind him. He was our best hope". Cassandra gave me a small nod of acknowledgment, "Yes", she replied and muttered, "I only wish I could be a fraction of what him or my father ever were". Again with his father? Who the fuck could his father be? I'm sure it couldn't had been as good as the Crimson Sword. "Cassandra. You don't need to keep proving yourself. If you ask me, you're the best knight Roda has, there's no one even close to your level. Yes, maybe you're are not the Crimson Sword, I don't think we'll see anything close to him in one hundred years, but your father cannot be to your level, you surely have surpassed him", I reassured, expecting her to also acknowledge my attempt but I was met with a deep and hateful glare, she didn't even reply, she grabbed the wooden sword. "En garde!", she exclaimed and immediately resumed the grueling training. That afternoon I came back to my room with a swollen face. Colt, having learned from my previous wounds, already had a small bucket of water and a towel to ease the swelling. "She's a savage!", Colt exclaimed, "D-don't train with her tomorrow, I beg of you, Sir". I knew that Colt was right but I couldn't give up yet, I've been running away for too long, I cannot let this go for petty pain.
Again, just like yesterday, she banged on my door and I came to met her shortly after in the garden. She didn't spoke at all during the whole morning. I think that talking about or judging his father is out of limits, but having her being quiet served me well because, just like the other day, I managed to dodge more of her attacks, even the ones she faked where she would aim at one place and the switch, I was able to match her speed. During the ordeal, I could tell her frustration, she would grunt under her breath, and by noon I managed, for the first time, to remain unscratched as she stood sweaty and breathing heavily. Probably due to the fact that she couldn't land a clean hit on me, she didn't stop to take a break, she wanted to keep going but I didn't want her pride to get in the way of good training, "Let's take a break, shall we?", I said and relaxed my stance but she gritted her teeth in response, "You haven't broke a single sweat yet… stay and raise your weapon". She wasn't going to let this go, is either I let her have her way again or I actually force her to stop. "Fine", I replied and waited for her to attack. Then she lunged at me, aiming the wooden sword towards my side but then switching at the last moment, something I could easily see, so I blocked her blow and seeing her struggle to overpower me, I did something off her book and sweep her off her feet. "Oh!", she yelped and fell to the ground butt first where she remained for a few seconds, with wide open eyes before standing up, clearly pissed off, her face twitching, "Wait here!", she said and went back inside the estate.
I wondered what she was doing, and also if I had overdo it with the sweeping off her feet thing. After fifteen minutes she came out again, running towards me and I could see the sun shining on the steel, she was coming at me with Lightbringer in her hands. "What the fuck!", I exclaimed and extended my hand, "Recall!". Thankfully my sword is fast at materializing in my hands and I managed to block her first strike. "You think you're so good, huh? Fine, then we shall have a real sparring session", she blurted out while thrusting her sword, each swing aimed at me, trying to draw blood or worse. Don't know if it was the survival instinct, but I was managing to block and dodge everything, even the cheeky punches and kicks she would throw from time to time. Then, trying to block another strike aimed at my legs, we made contact with our blades and she made a move that forced my sword off my hands, "Got you", she grinned and elbowed my gut, then threw me to the ground and pressed the cold steel on my throat. I rose both my hands, "I yield", but she didn't seem satisfied, she let the steel on me for several seconds before pulling away, "The training is over" and sheathing her sword.
The satisfaction I felt from being able to stand on my own against her was cut short by the immediate fear of her actually not wanting to train anymore. She didn't let me say anything, she retreated back to the state with a frown on her face. The next day arrived and this time she didn't bang on my door. I waited for an hour, maybe she felt ill and didn't want to train today. Then two hours passed and nothing, so I decided to seek her. First, I went to what was supposed to be the room for the Rodian delegation, she wasn't there, then I wandered around the hallways for a bit, ending up in the large dinning room where Victus was. He was sitting at the top, sporting a vacant expression while taking sips from an almost empty glass. "Sir Victus, good morning", I greeted and as I got closer I noticed multiple empty bottles at his feet. "Tak… yeah, good morning", his voice coming hoarse, his gaze unable to focus on mine, he seemed off but I might as well ask, "Have you seen Lady Cassandra? We usually have training at this hour", but he shook his head in response, so I slightly bowed my head and went pass him. "Tak", he called and made me stop, "You've never told me… you never told me how he died". It was true, I should've told him but it didn't cross my mind going to him and speaking about it again. I turned around and spend the next minutes telling him what had happened; about my capture in Soland, how I was put under the orders of Patricia Falkfak and how she had Kenseth, a prisoner of war, as a pet. I finished by telling him what Kenseth wanted, his last wish, to die honorably and strip Patricia off his presence. Victus didn't seem to react to anything, he kept quiet and listened while gazing at the table, he would just slightly nod sometimes just to keep me talking. Once I had told everything, he replied with a dry, "I see".
"For what is worth, I believe Kenseth was a good man and a brave soldier", I said, giving Victus a small smile. Then a question occurred to me, born from a curious need to know, "Were you two close? I mean… those I've seen as brothers were the ones who grow up along side me in the orphanage. I-I've wondered, what if I had an actual brother, what kind of relationship would we have". Victus grinned for a small second, before taking in the last drops from the glass, "Brothers… they are just lesser strangers. I'm the oldest of four, Kenseth was the youngest", then he stared down at the bottom of the glass, his voice slightly breaking, "I'm the only one alive… I don't know how I will tell this to my mother. S-she didn't deserve this, didn't deserve four foolish boys choosing to be heroes, didn't deserve three corpses and a brute". I couldn't find any comforting words, trying not to fucked it up more, I bowed and took my leave.
As I passed another hallway, I turned to my right that gave view to the large windows and saw that Cassandra was in the back garden, practicing on her own. I promptly went outside to meet her, expecting a silent treatment or an angry comment, but instead she just stopped training and turned to me, "You're late", she said to which I shrug, "B-but you didn't knock on my door, I thought you didn't want to train anymore", and she laughed under her breath, "I'm not your mom. You should know by now at what time we train. So, draw your sword so we can start". I couldn't comprehend why she completely changed her demeanor from yesterday, was she tricking me? Or thought of this as a joke? What I could see is that she was taking these sessions more seriously, she had drop the wooden swords entirely and had Lightbringer ready in her hand. This was more dangerous but it was just what I wanted. The session developed like none of the others before, with me having the upper hand sometimes and she showing me some counter attacks. Each swing of the blade being either dodged or blocked, fast pace attacks and defensive poses. Everytime I managed to block or put her in a tricky situation, she wouldn't anger, she would grin and answer with masterful swordsmanship. She seemed to be having fun; every time the steel met I could see her smile, and every moment I countered her, she would throw one or two compliments under her breath.
With the end of that session, I went back to Colt who was more than relieved to see me unscratched and amused. The next two days also had these great sessions where I was managing to reach the same level as Cassandra, and in between those sessions she would open more about her techniques and, in particular, her family. I knew well not to pry or ask, especially about her father, she would reveal things that she thought were right to talk about, like the fact that she has three sisters and one brother, who is, according to her, 'a good for nothing deviant'. Also that she's the fourth child and that she doesn't get along with any of her sisters. The conversation eventually ended up circling back to her father. "He hates what I did", Cassandra said while staring at her sword, "He hates that I chose this path of knighthood, one my older brother wasn't even close to fulfilling. My father lives in constant disappointment, he fought so hard and did so much and…", her lips quivered slightly before turning her gaze away, "Life punished him with four daughters". She unbuckled the belt of her baldric and leaned against the tree before continuing, "I was a foolish child. I saw the shame and disappointment my brother had brought. I saw the look my father had while looking at me and my sisters, so I wished to change that. At that time my father didn't stay at home for too long, so I took every chance I had to train with the soldiers of the garrison… hehe, they wouldn't dare to go against the order of a Lettenburg, they had to train me. Those soldiers saw how well I fared, they urged me to train with a sword master and so I did. Doing that meant going against my father's wishes...", her face turned a bit flustered, "H-he had betrothed me, like my sisters, he wanted me to become a lady in some far away dominion in the west. I obviously didn't, I didn't go to that place and ended up unfulfilling my part of the betrothal. I knew my father would be extremely angry at me but I thought, in my youthful head, that, after seeing my ability with the sword, he would accept my decision. That he would encourage me, that he would feel proud". Her expression turned sour, "And they day came. My father had arrived from his long expedition in the Green Islands… I'll never forget his look when he saw me there and not in the western place he had promise me to. I told him what I was doing, I begged for him to come to the barracks and see my prowess with the sword. 'The battlefield is no place for a woman, less so a girl', he stated and gave me an ultimatum, 'If you leave now for Lannvia Pudia and fulfill the betrothal, you may still keep an ounce of my and your house's sympathy, but if you chose to continue this nonsense, then I will not have you here'. That was the one and only time I did something to spite him as I chose to leave Fennec's Point and continue my training in the capital".
Well, his father seems to be a piece of shit. "So, how are things with your father now?", I asked while she stretched a bit. "Mostly the same. I hoped that after being named as the champion of the Empress he would change his opinion but no, he reckons that it's not enough", she said, "I'm still not at his level, I need to get better. This tournament will surely consolidate me". Again with that, I'm sure his father isn't that good, I mean, she's the fucking Knight of Light, she has a moniker and all. She has surpassed many strong knights and she's Roda's most important asset, what else could he want? "And you?", she asked out of nowhere, "You are participating in the tournament too, aren't you?". I nodded and sighed, "Yes but not because I want to. The Duke is forcing me to take part in it… don't worry, I'm not that good, I'm sure we won't have to face each other". Cassandra grinned at my comment and gave me a friendly nudge, "I must recognize you're better than most knights, your fighting style is nothing short of 'throwing myself at the enemy', but in your case, thanks to the powers granted by the sword, you have the edge over most", her words made me drop my jaw, was she actually attempting to do a compliment? "Oh, thank you, my lady", I kneeled with exaggeration and she laughed under her breath, "C'mon, get up, you stupid fool", she gently slapped my head. "It is a shame though", she commented, "You could be a powerful Rodian asset, a hero looked upon by the commonfolk, but instead you've chosen this path… you're also quite amusing, except when you do those tasteless jokes, like that kobold you brought, telling me that he's your squire", and crossed her arms while shaking her head, "It is unfathomable why the Duke let you bring a pet to his estate. Kobolds are nasty animals, you should get rid of it before it steals from you".
I quickly corrected her, "Kobolds may be nasty but this one ain't. And he is indeed my squire, I named him as one before we entered Sallas". She regained the same dumbfounded look from the other night when I revealed Colt to her. "Y-you… you can't…", she said in between her teeth, "You can't have that thing as a squire", her old angry look coming back to her, "Kobolds aren't suppose to hold such a position! Their kind are only useful for bait in hunts, for tracing smells and some other menial tasks, then you discard them before giving them a chance to reproduce…". Her ranting continued for a bit and then she questioned me, "That thing, is it neutered?!". I didn't see the problem so I shrugged, "Uh no", and my answer caused her to tremble a bit, "By the gods, you have to neuter it! If you don't then it will give birth!… oh no, the estate! The estate will be filled with those things! Walking around, crawling the walls, pissing and shitting!", she was going completely overboard so I had to do the only thing that came to mind, I slapped sense back to her, "That's not how it fucking works. Kobolds are just like humans, you gotta have a male and a female, then they-", she closed my lips shut with her hand, her face becoming red, "Stop, I don't want to hear about how beasts… mate. J-Just tell me one thing, is your 'squire' going to be a problem?". I don't understand why she was getting so worked up about Colt. I shook my head and she freed my lips while sighing, "I'll trust you… this time".
With that misunderstanding sorted out, we continued with our training as normal. We spent two more days of intense but gratifying training, it appeared surreal but we were getting along well, as if the Rodian delegation was actually me and her. It felt like a glimpse to an alternative life, one were I came back to Roda and joined the ranks of the Empress. But alas, all good things must end, and, one afternoon, Peter came to the back garden to talk to us. We had noticed that the Duke hadn't arrived to the estate yet, keeping in mind he was suppose to three days ago. That's when Peter informed us that the Duke was coming tomorrow, and he asked both of us to be on our best behavior as more guest would join us; some knights from other nations and some nobleman wanting to have a look at the Knight of Light, but one in particular was going to come to see the event, it was Cassandra's father. The glares, the grins, the slaps, mocks, her piousness, her ranting, violence and aggression, everything seemed to have been suck out of her completely as Peter revealed that her beloved father was coming. She just nodded without expression, her gaze fixed to a point in the horizon. After Peter left us, I wanted to know how she was feeling but she grabbed her things and promptly left without saying a word.
Afterwards, at evening, I knocked on her door and received no answer. I, instead, found Victus drinking in the dinning hall again, and even him was surprised by Cassandra's demeanor, "I've never saw her like that before", he said. Safe to say that our training sessions were over. I went back to the room, back to Colt, who had diligently secluded himself during all this time, understanding the condition he was in and eagerly waiting every night for me to comeback and talk. "H-her father must be tough on her", Colt said after I told him about what happened, "I understand. My siblings w-were always hard on me… what do you think, Sir?". Her issues with her father didn't bothered me that much, what really pissed me off was the fact that those issues were keeping me from training further… fuck, just when she was warming up to sparring with me. "I think that she puts her father too high up in the pedestal, like he was somekind of legendary hero. What a joke, you got one of the greatest living knights and her greatest weakness is her daddy". I bit my lip after that comment, I knew the issue ran deeper but it still bothered me too much. Who does her father think he is to subject her to that pain? Even now that she's in this position, he should be kissing her feet for being the second most important Lettenburg in history. Well, unless her father is… nah, it cannot be.
The morning of the next day arrived with the thunderous sound of the servants footsteps all around the estate, it felt like an army of them were walking down the hallway every minute. I dressed and headed out to see that every little piece of furniture and decoration had changed places, the paintings and the vases, even the carpet of every hallway appeared to had changed, probably to give a renew feeling. First I went to see if Sommer had arrived, and he wasn't in his 'office room' or any other room he frequented. Victus wasn't in the dinning hall drinking himself unconscious, and Cassandra was also nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, I didn't need to go find no one as Peter found me first, "Sir Tak, good morning", he bowed, "Please, accompany me to meet some of our prestigious guests". Behind Peter stood Cassandra, she appeared to had spent a lot of time cleaning her look, she still was wearing military clothing fitted for a knight but she had changed her hair, and seemed overall cleaner. Still, she seemed out of it, slightly trembling and with and unfocused gaze, like she were sick.
Peter led us half way across the estate, finally stopping in front of a small group of soldiers, all of them in clothing embroiled with the Lettenburg crest; a Langedar made out of swords. All of them kneeled and one brought a decrepit old man in a wheelchair… there I knew that Cassandra was more justified than I thought, especially after she hastily went to the old man and profusely kneeled in front of him, reaching to hold the skinny, spotted, trembling hand into her own, laying a kiss. "Father", she muttered. There I knew, her father is the archduke of the Northern Belt, the one made legendary by a lifetime of victories, her father is Astorian Lettenburg, the 'Blade of the South'.