"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
Date: February 1074
Location: Somewhere in Northern Kazimierz
POV: Narrator
It has been 1 and a half years since Kazimierz reclaimed their lost territory. Yet civil disturbance remained, the devastation caused by Ursus scorched earth policy left visible mark on the northern region of Kazimierz. It will take at least a few more years for things to return to normal, and another decade to erase the majority of the traces of war.
The destruction had caused a significant amount of bandit and outlaw group to starts staking their nest around the region. It caused tremendous strain on the recovering nation, especially when the recovering Adeptus are the one taking the brunt of it.
Destroyed villages, unnamed mass graves, orphaned children, and so much more misery was caused by the reclamation war. This is the ultimate inevitability of an open war, devastation of human lives and complete regional instability.
While the Adeptus as a whole are mobilizing campaign knights to help maintain order along with the mobilization of squires, servants, and eager volunteers who comes with varying motivations, the heroes that lead turning the tide against Ursus are still doing whatever they can to stem the bleeding of their nation.
Nyx, as per her request, had been cleverly hidden from the prying eyes of Kazimierz politics. But only in Kazimierz, Ursus would know her existence and Nyx doesn't know how that would affect her moving forward.
Due to Nyx being hidden from any official report, Kiril had been fully credited with breaking out the encirclement with minimal losses, he felt guilty about it but Nyx had reassured him that hiding her existence as best he can was enough for her.
Thus Kiril Nearl, specifically, the hero of Daybreak over the Golden Prairie, had taken it upon himself to spearhead the stabilization effort. His name and fame had been sung out loud by both his peers and people. His footing in Kawalerielki was more than robust, his influence, and by extension the adeptus' influence, are on a steady rise.
It is a subtle show of power and that knighthood is not dead yet towards their primary political opponent. Their actions had further emboldened support from the commoner, something K.G.C.C can't just left unchallenged.
K.G.C.C choose a much easier, while being relatively hands off, approach while also flexing their financial fortitude and attention on Kazimierz prosperity.
Mercenaries and bounty hunters starts roaming the land, at the behest and promise of substantial reward from K.G.C.C while subtly influencing the masses that money can solve problem much better than knights could ever manage.
Regardless of which game of politics the two factions are playing, the masses ironically won't care too much as long as their livelihood is guaranteed. This is an unfortunate fact, a clear difference between mobile cities citizens and the left to be self-autonomous, for the most part, villagers.
What the commoners want is that they can bury their dead in peace, finally rebuilding their life, and then to move on with what they have. Villagers are a lot more resilient, they are under constant threat of catastrophe, which is why their adaptability is always high.
But that's enough discussing motivations and higher calling between factions. Politics are always a messy affair...
Let us instead focus on the actual enforcer of stability and order, be it for fame, self-affirmation, wealth, or simple amalgamated emotions. Mercenaries, private contractors, bounty hunters, and even fledgling "heroes" prospered from post-occupation period.
And now we are back to a certain Pythian lady whom had started to be recognized for her superb mercenary work ethic and efficiency, while also having her moniker to finally spread with more validity...
POV: Nyx
'Ioleta said that Ursus patrolmen had been referring me as the Grey Serpent, quite nice of them... while still gotten my face wrong, keyword gotten...' musing idly after gutting some scums to pieces, I'm now reflecting
How times flies, it has been 4 years since I finally reached the surface. I have done a lot of things during the last 4 years. It ranged from something trivial such as teaching children basic mathematics to something serious and risky such as leading the defenses against foreign occupation army.
The bad news is that...
My arts seems to be morphing my emotional drive quite a lot... I had a vague guess of what it actually affect. I'm usually quite a cool-headed individual, but nowadays I had become extremely aggressive in combat.
The knights who were undoubtedly affected too are also still reeling from the residue, but their cases are not serious. It is just that mine takes a lot of time to, hopefully, wore-off... I need an audio-based arts expert on this or get help from mental therapist...
Thankfully, it doesn't affect me outside of my working hours... but I don't know when I would finally slip...
Well, there is also a good news!
'Ursus had finally managed to sketch my face correctly, they put up a hefty bounty on my head.' I'm quite proud that they finally pulled their head out of their asses and sketched my face with extreme detail. I was starting to get offended when their sketches made 5 years-old doodles looks like a masterpiece by comparison.
Of course said bounty only apply in Ursus, anywhere else I'm technically free. Still doesn't stop several bounty hunters from trying to nab me anyway... I really need a hobby other than speaking with sarcastic tone and exacting extreme amount of pain...
'All this years... this dagger is still plenty sharp... better than swords I had tried to procure sometimes.' This dagger was clearly crafted with extreme level of metallurgy and blacksmithing skill behind its creation. The bladed part had yet to show any signs of crack, dullness, and not even dents...
'I wonder if there are godlike smiths out there who can make this dagger looks like a toy... nah, don't think so.' No offense, but all creation had been quite mid around here... I'll stand by my stance until proven wrong.
Narrator: Somewhere in the east, a certain godsmith lady suddenly felt like someone had just made fun of her. It caused her to be miffed enough that she started forging even more masterpieces until her irritation was finally sated.
'Speaking about stance, Adeptus really fulfilled their promise. Wladirosa is more or less safe at the moment...'
The people of Wladirosa had also become famous, repelling contingents of Ursus army on their own is no small feat. Which is why they're being propped up to promote Kazimierzian national zeal or something along that line. This deter the more unscrupulous bounty hunters from using them against me.
Between my head and a whole nation' ire, it is easy to see which is more beneficial. Especially when the region is still a lucrative spot for mercenary work.
The Adeptus had really done their best to protect them from reporters and paparazzi. I'm really not thrilled of meeting the later, else my work side aggression would be fully triggered...
Back then before the reclamation war, I was just going around as an errand girl and doing odd jobs here and there on the morning while conducting sweeping and, sometimes, liberation of kidnapped villagers, bandit or outlaw prisoners, and infected people.
My work nowadays constitute of exterminating wild beasts, search and destroy any outlaw group, and weirdly enough... Even sparing against my new campaign knights friend every now and then. Especially the Silverlance Pegasus.
They are... alright, but it gives me creeps seeing some of them so enthusiastic being beaten black and blue, hopefully it didn't turn into something weird. I mean I have no problem if you like that, but don't project that sort of interest on me.
The sparing sessions made me aware how much of a mess fighting style actually is. It is unique yes, but there are still wasted movements... I'll... blame my unstable emotion, yes.
My arts training has been going rather well... still have no idea how to apply it more safely. Immanuel was being very patient with me, to the point that he act like I'm his daughter or something... it felt nice actually... but I'm still unsure if he truly feels the same as I...
Then during one of my mercenary work, I found out that my blood can also double as poison. The poison is a mix of paralytic and acidic properties. It can't melt metal, but it can go through fabrics with ease... I vaguely recalled the day my madness in that place back then made my teeth coated with venom... just what the hell am I really?
Then I learnt an unfortunate fact about this nation... chattel slavery still exist...
I was quite disturbed that Kazimierz still practiced chattel slavery, completely on the opposite end of the spectrum on this quasi-modern world. I thought that knights who espouse chivalry and honor wouldn't condone such an act, but alas things are just the way it is.
I inquired Kiril about it and he had elaborated on the matter. He had tried to lobby it to be illegal and outlawed, but got pushed back and the fact that there are people who willingly sold themselves to avoid starvation made things more complicated. Legal slaves acted more like indentured servant, illegal slaves on the other hand...
Kazimierz had unfortunately earned a new bad rep in my book now. There are always positives and negatives for everything in this never-knowing-true-peace lives of mine...
Can't really do anything directly against slaves too, their status are really hard to verify most of the time. They can be criminal slave or they can even be a people who got framed. I can try to free them by buying them off and then set them free, but that's barely a stopgap measure.
Legal slaves has documentations and all those bureaucratic requirements with a fucking stamp of barcode on them. Like damn, that is some real commitment to attach barcode on a living person. Thus I decided to not mess with something I can't do anything about in any meaningfully significant way.
It is easy to crow on and on then shout about change, enacting it is a whole different set of hurdles. Case in point? Look at Kiril, the poor guy seems to start balding early too, and he is a Knight Primus! I'm just a single mercenary with decent reputation, my influence is limited and I doubt how much that would even mean at the moment.
But all those are thrown out the window when minors are being the one. I don't care how much, I will free them. My money had been used times and times again to free them. I'm not stupid, some clearly took advantage to that.
Let's just say I got creative when paying them a visit and... they're out of business.
Wladirosa had been receiving an influx of childrens, mostly orphan. I asked the Silverlances for help and they obliged. I kinda feel bad about hoisting this problem on them, so I did several work for them in exchange of them taking care of freed children.
Equivalent exchange can help in maintaining relationship after all.
Now, I'm in the middle of work. Just musing with myself, since my target were all been sent to meet god. Hopefully they are reborn into being a better person with a much better opportunity for gaining peaceful life.
'That's another 27...' I calculated the felled outlaws in my mind. Mercenary works has been quite a lucrative venture. The one that paid me was none other than the infamous K.G.C.C I keep hearing about in the countryside.
The campaign knights were undoubtedly conflicted but decided that I'm just doing it for the money and not K.G.C.C political machinations. The Silverlances even vouched for me. You know what, I'll stop speaking about it. Politics is just migraine inducing mental gymnastics.
It appears that I had also gained a rather decent sort of reputation in this region. Well, that reputation certainly helps me on landing me with plenty of mercenary contracts, not just from K.G.C.C mind you, regarding outlaw hunting and extermination.
But I'll probably at the lowest possible choices for rescue operation now... my last tenure was where I shot the hostage on a non-vital area. Thankfully they aren't resentful, but the mercenary HQ doesn't like that. So, I'm stuck with exterminations now...
They paid me neither with Kazimierz coinage nor paper currency of theirs called Heller, but instead with paper currency called Lungmen Dollar or LMD for short. Snippets of conversations from mercenaries alluded that it had become some sort of unspoken rule, stable form of currency is always preferable.
The payment for hideout extermination varied since it is based on where the outlaw was last spotted, what sort of damage had been incurred by the locals, and how many outlaws are there. Otherwise the payment rate for stragglers are 150 LMD each, allegedly enough to live off for a week or two in mobile city.
I have yet to found the need to use it, other than simple barter or trade with fellow mercenary, since villages are having a hard time deciding the conversion rate...
Luckily I was gifted with a personal terminal. Provided to me by the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi, thus easing my burden of carrying stacks of money. I was quite surprised when they truly didn't do or try embedding anything weird with it... I'm very pleased with that commitment of theirs, chivalry and all that I suppose.
Mercenary work is, generally, always the same regardless of which world... you're murdering people but being paid for it. I sometime muse about this sort morality dilemma, only to reach the same answer.
'It is merely one of several means to an end...' I'm not sure if my claim of not being a bad person still holds true. I'm at peace with that notion, since there are always those who must bloody their hands for the world to stay clean...
Maybe because of me knowing no true peace... I had been morphed into something else entirely. Something that I must learn to live with... I'm not sure if... if... I'm actually stable as a person...
What should I do if I finally lose it all? Would I still be "me"? Should I wait until things goes wrong? I'm unsure... but for now...
'Enough musing, back to work...' After finishing my inner thoughts, I start collecting the proof of subjugation so to speak. What kind of proof? You don't need to know the detail, but the hint is something that's easy to bring.
"... Just a few more to go... heh..." I always loathed to admit it before, but it does starting to get me addicted on hunting bandits. This exact feeling is starting to... truly... feels...
Euphoric...
POV: Narrator
"Haa... haa... haa... ugh..." A single Liberi outlaw is running for his dear life through the darkness of the night, an arrow stuck deep in his upper shoulder. His adrenaline is at all-time high, breath shallow and hollow, scampering away as fast as possible, disregarding his screaming, tired, and bloodied body.
He was one of the co-leaders from a middle-sized outlaw group. He has been sprinting away in terror for the last half an hour or so. The reason? Her.
She come like the reaper itself. Cutting 12 lives short merely seconds before using her unorthodox combat style to annihilate the whole group. Because, what sort of insane person would use bow point blank and using arrow as makeshift rondel dagger?
He can vividly remembered his crew of 74 men and women and 3 co-leaders being cut down in less than 10 minutes. They did managed to injure her, but she only smirked of having been injured. They're fighting for their survival and yet her demeanors shows she is just playing around with her food before wolfing it down...
She has become nightmare itself for the outlaws around post-occupied Northern Kazimierz, there're even rumors about how her fellow mercenary starting to grow fearful on her code of conduct or style of hunting. She doesn't hunt with normal conventions or tactics.
Outlaws made their hideout inside a mine, cave, or other tight spaces? She will tear the whole place down, collapsing it by throwing explosive, potentially burying her subjugation proof all-together with nonchalant air.
Trying to use hostage in hope of deterring her? She will injure and immobilize the hostage with a pin-point, painful but not mortal wound, arrow shot. Then starts picking off everyone with mechanical like systematic slaughter.
Luring her out into an open field then gang-up on her? She turn the table just as easily, her blank face sometimes morph into a ridiculing sneer. Her eyes showing purest form of sadistic joy and glee.
Feeding her false intel while also collaborating with bounty hunters to stab her in the back? She can somehow, always, realize it. Like a psychic but such a thing shouldn't have been possible for ordinary terran, unless she isn't one to begin with.
Duping her with falsified contract? She will be furious and not going to let the perpetrator off the hook easily. Agonized screams and pleading turn into a morbid choir that conveyed her seething wrath.
And more things had been tried and end up a failed gambit, if not turned into a literal catastrophic mistake. Now that embodiment of nightmare is chasing him. His group only intended to make some quick buck and then dipped out, not getting butchered an hour after crossing the border...
His panicking state of mind caused him to be careless and inattentive. He has been guided and hunted for... a little chat.
"Agh!"
He felt like something just yanked him down then dragging him with an uncomfortable manner and level force.
"What... ugh... hell!?"
He is now upside down, a rope had ensnared his legs and leaving him dangling 2 meters in the air. The suddenness of this situation had worsen his arrow wound. Further causing a much more serious internal bleeding.
Before he can curse even more, his body froze. His breathing quickened and panicked due to a rustling sound in this once quiet forest. Looking back on the ground he saw the woman he never wanted to meet.
"PLE-"
Just when he is about to beg for his life, the woman... no... the demon... just smiled sweetly at him while uttering.
"Hush my dear~, you and I will have a long intimate chat just for the two of us. So don't worry all that much."
That night cries of agony accompanied by laughter filled full with delight echoes amidst the veil of moonlight.
Accepting their newfound nature might be a prudent move...
Enacting it based on that prudence is another different thing entirely...
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author Note:
Hello this is me, myself, and I, the author who is filled with ideas but have no idea how to implement those ideas... not really an ideal situation right?
I'm trying to either plan ahead or reroute the storyline about whether or not I should really stretch things before canon timeline...
Update as usual. Hopefully, I'm still sane enough during planning phase.
Ciao.
"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
Date: February 1074
Location: Somewhere in Northern Kazimierz
POV: Narrator
It has been 1 and a half years since Kazimierz reclaimed their lost territory. Yet civil disturbance remained, the devastation caused by Ursus scorched earth policy left visible mark on the northern region of Kazimierz. It will take at least a few more years for things to return to normal, and another decade to erase the majority of the traces of war.
The destruction had caused a significant amount of bandit and outlaw group to starts staking their nest around the region. It caused tremendous strain on the recovering nation, especially when the recovering Adeptus are the one taking the brunt of it.
Destroyed villages, unnamed mass graves, orphaned children, and so much more misery was caused by the reclamation war. This is the ultimate inevitability of an open war, devastation of human lives and complete regional instability.
While the Adeptus as a whole are mobilizing campaign knights to help maintain order along with the mobilization of squires, servants, and eager volunteers who comes with varying motivations, the heroes that lead turning the tide against Ursus are still doing whatever they can to stem the bleeding of their nation.
Nyx, as per her request, had been cleverly hidden from the prying eyes of Kazimierz politics. But only in Kazimierz, Ursus would know her existence and Nyx doesn't know how that would affect her moving forward.
Due to Nyx being hidden from any official report, Kiril had been fully credited with breaking out the encirclement with minimal losses, he felt guilty about it but Nyx had reassured him that hiding her existence as best he can was enough for her.
Thus Kiril Nearl, specifically, the hero of Daybreak over the Golden Prairie, had taken it upon himself to spearhead the stabilization effort. His name and fame had been sung out loud by both his peers and people. His footing in Kawalerielki was more than robust, his influence, and by extension the adeptus' influence, are on a steady rise.
It is a subtle show of power and that knighthood is not dead yet towards their primary political opponent. Their actions had further emboldened support from the commoner, something K.G.C.C can't just left unchallenged.
K.G.C.C choose a much easier, while being relatively hands off, approach while also flexing their financial fortitude and attention on Kazimierz prosperity.
Mercenaries and bounty hunters starts roaming the land, at the behest and promise of substantial reward from K.G.C.C while subtly influencing the masses that money can solve problem much better than knights could ever manage.
Regardless of which game of politics the two factions are playing, the masses ironically won't care too much as long as their livelihood is guaranteed. This is an unfortunate fact, a clear difference between mobile cities citizens and the left to be self-autonomous, for the most part, villagers.
What the commoners want is that they can bury their dead in peace, finally rebuilding their life, and then to move on with what they have. Villagers are a lot more resilient, they are under constant threat of catastrophe, which is why their adaptability is always high.
But that's enough discussing motivations and higher calling between factions. Politics are always a messy affair...
Let us instead focus on the actual enforcer of stability and order, be it for fame, self-affirmation, wealth, or simple amalgamated emotions. Mercenaries, private contractors, bounty hunters, and even fledgling "heroes" prospered from post-occupation period.
And now we are back to a certain Pythian lady whom had started to be recognized for her superb mercenary work ethic and efficiency, while also having her moniker to finally spread with more validity...
POV: Nyx
'Ioleta said that Ursus patrolmen had been referring me as the Grey Serpent, quite nice of them... while still gotten my face wrong, keyword gotten...' musing idly after gutting some scums to pieces, I'm now reflecting
How times flies, it has been 4 years since I finally reached the surface. I have done a lot of things during the last 4 years. It ranged from something trivial such as teaching children basic mathematics to something serious and risky such as leading the defenses against foreign occupation army.
The bad news is that...
My arts seems to be morphing my emotional drive quite a lot... I had a vague guess of what it actually affect. I'm usually quite a cool-headed individual, but nowadays I had become extremely aggressive in combat.
The knights who were undoubtedly affected too are also still reeling from the residue, but their cases are not serious. It is just that mine takes a lot of time to, hopefully, wore-off... I need an audio-based arts expert on this or get help from mental therapist...
Thankfully, it doesn't affect me outside of my working hours... but I don't know when I would finally slip...
Well, there is also a good news!
'Ursus had finally managed to sketch my face correctly, they put up a hefty bounty on my head.' I'm quite proud that they finally pulled their head out of their asses and sketched my face with extreme detail. I was starting to get offended when their sketches made 5 years-old doodles looks like a masterpiece by comparison.
Of course said bounty only apply in Ursus, anywhere else I'm technically free. Still doesn't stop several bounty hunters from trying to nab me anyway... I really need a hobby other than speaking with sarcastic tone and exacting extreme amount of pain...
'All this years... this dagger is still plenty sharp... better than swords I had tried to procure sometimes.' This dagger was clearly crafted with extreme level of metallurgy and blacksmithing skill behind its creation. The bladed part had yet to show any signs of crack, dullness, and not even dents...
'I wonder if there are godlike smiths out there who can make this dagger looks like a toy... nah, don't think so.' No offense, but all creation had been quite mid around here... I'll stand by my stance until proven wrong.
Narrator: Somewhere in the east, a certain godsmith lady suddenly felt like someone had just made fun of her. It caused her to be miffed enough that she started forging even more masterpieces until her irritation was finally sated.
'Speaking about stance, Adeptus really fulfilled their promise. Wladirosa is more or less safe at the moment...'
The people of Wladirosa had also become famous, repelling contingents of Ursus army on their own is no small feat. Which is why they're being propped up to promote Kazimierzian national zeal or something along that line. This deter the more unscrupulous bounty hunters from using them against me.
Between my head and a whole nation' ire, it is easy to see which is more beneficial. Especially when the region is still a lucrative spot for mercenary work.
The Adeptus had really done their best to protect them from reporters and paparazzi. I'm really not thrilled of meeting the later, else my work side aggression would be fully triggered...
Back then before the reclamation war, I was just going around as an errand girl and doing odd jobs here and there on the morning while conducting sweeping and, sometimes, liberation of kidnapped villagers, bandit or outlaw prisoners, and infected people.
My work nowadays constitute of exterminating wild beasts, search and destroy any outlaw group, and weirdly enough... Even sparing against my new campaign knights friend every now and then. Especially the Silverlance Pegasus.
They are... alright, but it gives me creeps seeing some of them so enthusiastic being beaten black and blue, hopefully it didn't turn into something weird. I mean I have no problem if you like that, but don't project that sort of interest on me.
The sparing sessions made me aware how much of a mess fighting style actually is. It is unique yes, but there are still wasted movements... I'll... blame my unstable emotion, yes.
My arts training has been going rather well... still have no idea how to apply it more safely. Immanuel was being very patient with me, to the point that he act like I'm his daughter or something... it felt nice actually... but I'm still unsure if he truly feels the same as I...
Then during one of my mercenary work, I found out that my blood can also double as poison. The poison is a mix of paralytic and acidic properties. It can't melt metal, but it can go through fabrics with ease... I vaguely recalled the day my madness in that place back then made my teeth coated with venom... just what the hell am I really?
Then I learnt an unfortunate fact about this nation... chattel slavery still exist...
I was quite disturbed that Kazimierz still practiced chattel slavery, completely on the opposite end of the spectrum on this quasi-modern world. I thought that knights who espouse chivalry and honor wouldn't condone such an act, but alas things are just the way it is.
I inquired Kiril about it and he had elaborated on the matter. He had tried to lobby it to be illegal and outlawed, but got pushed back and the fact that there are people who willingly sold themselves to avoid starvation made things more complicated. Legal slaves acted more like indentured servant, illegal slaves on the other hand...
Kazimierz had unfortunately earned a new bad rep in my book now. There are always positives and negatives for everything in this never-knowing-true-peace lives of mine...
Can't really do anything directly against slaves too, their status are really hard to verify most of the time. They can be criminal slave or they can even be a people who got framed. I can try to free them by buying them off and then set them free, but that's barely a stopgap measure.
Legal slaves has documentations and all those bureaucratic requirements with a fucking stamp of barcode on them. Like damn, that is some real commitment to attach barcode on a living person. Thus I decided to not mess with something I can't do anything about in any meaningfully significant way.
It is easy to crow on and on then shout about change, enacting it is a whole different set of hurdles. Case in point? Look at Kiril, the poor guy seems to start balding early too, and he is a Knight Primus! I'm just a single mercenary with decent reputation, my influence is limited and I doubt how much that would even mean at the moment.
But all those are thrown out the window when minors are being the one. I don't care how much, I will free them. My money had been used times and times again to free them. I'm not stupid, some clearly took advantage to that.
Let's just say I got creative when paying them a visit and... they're out of business.
Wladirosa had been receiving an influx of childrens, mostly orphan. I asked the Silverlances for help and they obliged. I kinda feel bad about hoisting this problem on them, so I did several work for them in exchange of them taking care of freed children.
Equivalent exchange can help in maintaining relationship after all.
Now, I'm in the middle of work. Just musing with myself, since my target were all been sent to meet god. Hopefully they are reborn into being a better person with a much better opportunity for gaining peaceful life.
'That's another 27...' I calculated the felled outlaws in my mind. Mercenary works has been quite a lucrative venture. The one that paid me was none other than the infamous K.G.C.C I keep hearing about in the countryside.
The campaign knights were undoubtedly conflicted but decided that I'm just doing it for the money and not K.G.C.C political machinations. The Silverlances even vouched for me. You know what, I'll stop speaking about it. Politics is just migraine inducing mental gymnastics.
It appears that I had also gained a rather decent sort of reputation in this region. Well, that reputation certainly helps me on landing me with plenty of mercenary contracts, not just from K.G.C.C mind you, regarding outlaw hunting and extermination.
But I'll probably at the lowest possible choices for rescue operation now... my last tenure was where I shot the hostage on a non-vital area. Thankfully they aren't resentful, but the mercenary HQ doesn't like that. So, I'm stuck with exterminations now...
They paid me neither with Kazimierz coinage nor paper currency of theirs called Heller, but instead with paper currency called Lungmen Dollar or LMD for short. Snippets of conversations from mercenaries alluded that it had become some sort of unspoken rule, stable form of currency is always preferable.
The payment for hideout extermination varied since it is based on where the outlaw was last spotted, what sort of damage had been incurred by the locals, and how many outlaws are there. Otherwise the payment rate for stragglers are 150 LMD each, allegedly enough to live off for a week or two in mobile city.
I have yet to found the need to use it, other than simple barter or trade with fellow mercenary, since villages are having a hard time deciding the conversion rate...
Luckily I was gifted with a personal terminal. Provided to me by the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi, thus easing my burden of carrying stacks of money. I was quite surprised when they truly didn't do or try embedding anything weird with it... I'm very pleased with that commitment of theirs, chivalry and all that I suppose.
Mercenary work is, generally, always the same regardless of which world... you're murdering people but being paid for it. I sometime muse about this sort morality dilemma, only to reach the same answer.
'It is merely one of several means to an end...' I'm not sure if my claim of not being a bad person still holds true. I'm at peace with that notion, since there are always those who must bloody their hands for the world to stay clean...
Maybe because of me knowing no true peace... I had been morphed into something else entirely. Something that I must learn to live with... I'm not sure if... if... I'm actually stable as a person...
What should I do if I finally lose it all? Would I still be "me"? Should I wait until things goes wrong? I'm unsure... but for now...
'Enough musing, back to work...' After finishing my inner thoughts, I start collecting the proof of subjugation so to speak. What kind of proof? You don't need to know the detail, but the hint is something that's easy to bring.
"... Just a few more to go... heh..." I always loathed to admit it before, but it does starting to get me addicted on hunting bandits. This exact feeling is starting to... truly... feels...
Euphoric...
POV: Narrator
"Haa... haa... haa... ugh..." A single Liberi outlaw is running for his dear life through the darkness of the night, an arrow stuck deep in his upper shoulder. His adrenaline is at all-time high, breath shallow and hollow, scampering away as fast as possible, disregarding his screaming, tired, and bloodied body.
He was one of the co-leaders from a middle-sized outlaw group. He has been sprinting away in terror for the last half an hour or so. The reason? Her.
She come like the reaper itself. Cutting 12 lives short merely seconds before using her unorthodox combat style to annihilate the whole group. Because, what sort of insane person would use bow point blank and using arrow as makeshift rondel dagger?
He can vividly remembered his crew of 74 men and women and 3 co-leaders being cut down in less than 10 minutes. They did managed to injure her, but she only smirked of having been injured. They're fighting for their survival and yet her demeanors shows she is just playing around with her food before wolfing it down...
She has become nightmare itself for the outlaws around post-occupied Northern Kazimierz, there're even rumors about how her fellow mercenary starting to grow fearful on her code of conduct or style of hunting. She doesn't hunt with normal conventions or tactics.
Outlaws made their hideout inside a mine, cave, or other tight spaces? She will tear the whole place down, collapsing it by throwing explosive, potentially burying her subjugation proof all-together with nonchalant air.
Trying to use hostage in hope of deterring her? She will injure and immobilize the hostage with a pin-point, painful but not mortal wound, arrow shot. Then starts picking off everyone with mechanical like systematic slaughter.
Luring her out into an open field then gang-up on her? She turn the table just as easily, her blank face sometimes morph into a ridiculing sneer. Her eyes showing purest form of sadistic joy and glee.
Feeding her false intel while also collaborating with bounty hunters to stab her in the back? She can somehow, always, realize it. Like a psychic but such a thing shouldn't have been possible for ordinary terran, unless she isn't one to begin with.
Duping her with falsified contract? She will be furious and not going to let the perpetrator off the hook easily. Agonized screams and pleading turn into a morbid choir that conveyed her seething wrath.
And more things had been tried and end up a failed gambit, if not turned into a literal catastrophic mistake. Now that embodiment of nightmare is chasing him. His group only intended to make some quick buck and then dipped out, not getting butchered an hour after crossing the border...
His panicking state of mind caused him to be careless and inattentive. He has been guided and hunted for... a little chat.
"Agh!"
He felt like something just yanked him down then dragging him with an uncomfortable manner and level force.
"What... ugh... hell!?"
He is now upside down, a rope had ensnared his legs and leaving him dangling 2 meters in the air. The suddenness of this situation had worsen his arrow wound. Further causing a much more serious internal bleeding.
Before he can curse even more, his body froze. His breathing quickened and panicked due to a rustling sound in this once quiet forest. Looking back on the ground he saw the woman he never wanted to meet.
"PLE-"
Just when he is about to beg for his life, the woman... no... the demon... just smiled sweetly at him while uttering.
"Hush my dear~, you and I will have a long intimate chat just for the two of us. So don't worry all that much."
That night cries of agony accompanied by laughter filled full with delight echoes amidst the veil of moonlight.
Accepting their newfound nature might be a prudent move...
Enacting it based on that prudence is another different thing entirely...
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author Note:
Hello this is me, myself, and I, the author who is filled with ideas but have no idea how to implement those ideas... not really an ideal situation right?
I'm trying to either plan ahead or reroute the storyline about whether or not I should really stretch things before canon timeline...
Update as usual. Hopefully, I'm still sane enough during planning phase.
Ciao.
