Kota opened his eyes, seeing the darkness of the night lying across the room. He sat up while glancing around, seeing the place empty except for himself. He watched the furniture's shadows in the room stretch as the moonlight from the window grew. His eyes continued to focus, as he could only see the shapes of the objects in the room without definition. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, then moved his left hand over his forehead and rubbed his temples. It must still be the middle of the night. Just one good night of sleep would be fantastic, Kota thought, taking a few more breaths before opening his eyes.
He clenched his fist, feeling the warmth of the mark on his palm. Then he took a deep breath as he heard the door to the room open. Placing his hand on the bed, he looked up to see Sonya walking into the room. Seeing no light coming from the room behind her, he asked, "Did I wake you, Sonya? I did not mean to be loud if I did."
She stayed silent as she stood in the open doorway, feet away from his bed. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, but he could not make out her facial features.
"Is everything all right?" he asked.
She stepped forward to the edge of the bed and placed her hand on the wooden frame near his feet. Looking at him, she sighed. "I am going to have to apologize for this. Barthe gave us such hospitality."
Kota sat up a little straighter as he looked more closely at her face, watching while she pulled her hair into a ponytail. "What do you have to apologize for?"
"This." Sonya reached behind her back, bringing her ax into her grip.
She quickly raised it above her head before bringing it down on the bed. The ax hit the blankets in the middle of the bed, and Kota rolled onto the floor, hurriedly grabbing his sword, which was propped up against his side table. He stared at Sonya while he aimed his weapon at her. She returned his look while standing on the bed, holding the ax over her head.
He took a deep breath as she reached down, grabbed a pillow, and threw it at Kota. Reacting, he sliced upward, splitting the pillow in half, and feathers flew throughout the room. Through the feathers, Sonya lunged at Kota, swiping her ax down at his shoulder, and he raised his blade to block hers.
"What the hell are you doing?" asked Kota as he tightened his grip with both hands on the hilt.
He shifted his blade to the crescent of the ax, moving his face closer to hers. Sonya looked into his eyes and told him, "I take no pleasure in this, but Cordelia gave me a new deal that I cannot refuse."
Kota looked into her eyes, feeling the sincerity of the words she spoke. She used her ax to twist the blade out of his right hand. He felt the sword rip out of his hand, and he watched the blade stick into the wooden floor below them. Without another second passing, she raised her foot into Kota's chest and forced him back into the wall. Grunting in pain, Kota watched as Sonya lunged forward again, aiming the blade of her ax down at his chest. Spinning to his right, he dodged the attempt, and the ax forced its way into the wall.
"Where are Alexis and Lucinda?"
"Do not worry, Kota. They are not here. She only wants your head!" yelled Sonya as she turned her back to Kota, ripping the ax out of the wall.
Kota ducked as Sonya spun, bringing the ax around, and it connected with the wall just a few inches above his head. Kota rapidly turned around, forcing his body closer to the ground as he lifted his right leg into Sonya's stomach, tearing her hands from the ax in the wall as she stumbled back. He then reached up, trying to wrench the ax out of the wall, only to stand there, pulling at the shaft as Sonya grabbed his right shoulder. He was moving his right arm before she could get a tight grip, and he quickly turned and punched her face, making her stumble back again.
Without another attempt on the ax, he started running toward the open door. "I trusted you, Sonya!"
Reaching the doorway, he paused as a hand grabbed his right shoulder, and another grabbed his left wrist. Sonya twisted around as she used her strength, and with his momentum falling forward, she threw him into the bookcase against the wall. Kota crashed into the shelves, and the wood cracked and splintered, sending various items tumbling across the floor as he fell to the ground. Heavily breathing, Kota struggled to stand as he pushed the items and splintered wood onto the ground next to him. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, coughing. "I thought Cordelia wanted me alive."
Sonya marched to the other side of the room and wrapped her fingers around the shaft of her ax. She effortlessly pulled it out of the wall, then shrugged, holding her hand up. "Whatever she wants from you, she can get without your help now. I get what I want, and Cordelia gets whatever she gains after tonight."
Striding over to Kota, she raised the ax above her head once more, but Kota scrambled to his feet. He grabbed the first thing he could get hold of and raised it in his left hand, blocking the blade from striking him. Kota and Sonya both looked up at his hand as she moved the ax away, seeing a big brown book with the blade halfway through the pages.
"Wow. Thick cover," said Kota as he grabbed a piece of shelving and swung at Sonya's face.
Sonya raised her left arm, blocking the wood before she stumbled to her right. Kota used the time to move over and grabbed his sword, which lay stuck in the floor, before holding it toward Sonya. Bringing the blade up to his shoulder, he grasped the hilt with two hands as he watched Sonya regain her balance and focus her attention back on him.
Kota stayed in his stance as he spoke. "I told you I would help you find your husband. I can still do that."
"You can't even save yourself, Kota. How do you expect to beat this woman and whatever else is after you?" asked Sonya, moving the ax to her left hand as she eyed him.
Kota kept his stance as he answered her question. "We just need to go on the offensive. That is why we are here, to meetâ"
"Someone who you have no description of and who has a cryptic name that no one has heard of," interrupted Sonya as she waved her right hand at Kota. "Cordelia is three steps ahead of you, and you are playing catch-up. It is time to take my leave and save my husband."
Kota did not wait for another word as he lunged forward, swiping the sword at her chest, only for her to duck under the blade. She quickly raised the top of her ax into his chin, making him stumble back as she stood. He felt the blood on his neck as he swiped vertically at her body. Sonya stepped to his left as she clenched her fist, bringing it behind her back. Her fist became engulfed in flame. She swiftly brought it forward, connecting with his stomach, and a minor explosion sent him flying backward, crashing through the door to the balcony.
As Kota crashed to the ground through a wooden chair, he gasped for air, unable to catch his breath. Sonya picked her way through the debris, then stopped in front of him, raising the ax above her head. "I am truly sorry for this."
Kota's world went black as he lurched up, yelling in pain. He looked around the darkness of his room. Clenching his side, he felt as if he had broken a rib as he sat up, huffing.
The door flew open. Sonya stood at the door with her ax by her side and a small flame in her hand. "What happened? Are you all right?" she yelled, moving the fire across her fingers and examining the room.
Reaching over, he unsheathed his sword and raised it at Sonya. The two met eyes as Sonya raised a hand for him to lower his sword. He took a few deep breaths and hastened his weapon to his side, seeing Lucinda standing behind her with a sword in hand.
Lucinda pushed past Sonya and glanced around the room before moving to his bedside. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Kota stared at Sonya while taking a breath. Then he shook off his expression and smiled at Lucinda. "I am... it must have just been a bad dream," he explained. "Most likely because of the events of the last week. Nothing to worry about."
Lucinda looked back at Sonya, noticing him staring intensely at her. "Do you need another session? It's late, but since we are now awakeâ"
Kota stopped her by shaking his head. He moved to the edge of the bed, placing his feet on the floor below. He rubbed his eyes as he said, "I just need some air. Some fresh air will do wonders for me."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Lucinda questioned as she stood next to him, holding out her hand. "We can relax and talk about anything."
He shook his head as he grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders, covering his head. Leaving his sword on the bed near his pillow, he walked toward the balcony. "I am just going to the balcony. I will be fine. No need to worry."
The two of them stood and watched as he moved toward the door, opening it and closing it behind him without another word.
Lucinda walked over to Sonya and leaned close to her. "What did you two talk about yesterday? Did he appear off or anything?"
"Nothing of importance. I just got his mind off recent events."
She leaned her weapon against the doorframe and directed Lucinda out of the room before adding, "He has been through a lot these past few days. Give him some time, Princess."
Lucinda moved a few strands of hair out of her face before crossing her arms. "I am sure he is hiding something from us, and if you do not tell me, I will find out myself. As you said, though, I will give him some space."
Sonya stayed in the doorway as Lucinda moved past her. Then Sonya reached for the door handle, closing it as Lucinda yelled, "And stop calling me Princess!"
Kota gave a small chuckle at hearing the end of their conversation through the door. He looked over the city, watching the lights in the windows and lanterns near the doors flicker in the night. Moving the chair back under a table that stood on the balcony, he crossed his arms as he put them on the railing, asking himself, "Why are these nightmares and visions happening?"
Rubbing the back of his head, he had a sudden thought about what Cordelia had said about his mother. Kota looked up at the night sky as dark clouds approached in the distance. "Leora⦠I wonder whether my mother still goes by that name somewhere. I just hope she is still alive."
Kota looked down at the cobblestone street below, seeing the shadows from the lights. His gaze came across a shorter figure by a hanging lantern. He eyed the person carefully, seeing the light shine off their cherry-brown hair, and he looked more closely at the figure's face as he leaned forward. "Rose?"
The figure wore a green cloak over their clothes, and as they moved away from the lantern, the figure's shadow scattered across the cobblestone street. She had one arm as they moved into the darkness away from the lantern.
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"That is Rose," said Kota, as he moved to the corner of the balcony to see her turn and look at him, smiling in the dim light of the town.
Kota looked back at the door leading into his room and glanced at a small pile of rope on the ground. It was frayed and cut at one point. He watched as Rose turned the corner of one building across the open area below the inn. Kota quickly tied the rope around a balcony post and pulled on it, feeling a small tear in the fibers.
"It will hold."
Wasting no time, he threw the rope over the edge. Kota then climbed to the other side of the railing, grabbed the rope, and slowly lowered himself to the ground. He was reaching his foot out, scarcely feeling the ground with his toes, when suddenly the rope snapped. Kota landed on his feet and stumbled backward, catching himself before falling over. He looked back up at the balcony railing as he rolled his eyes, and he tossed the rope to the side. It landed in the bushes before he turned to pursue Rose.
After turning the corner of the building she had gone behind, he glanced in every direction, seeing no sign of her. Kota continued walking and crossed light after light along the street before reaching the end of the building. Turning in both directions, he hastily looked for her until he saw a figure turn behind a building down the left pathway.
"Rose!" he yelled out as she disappeared.
He sprinted after her as he heard doors open behind him in reaction to him yelling out her name. Ignoring them, he focused on her, and he turned another corner to see her in a dead sprint as she rounded another corner. He shook his head, giving chase as she continued to stay ahead of him, turning corner after corner, until Kota stopped. He examined the area, only seeing a substantial wooden door cracked open, leading into a barnlike structure. "Don't do it, Kota." He spoke to himself as he shook his head, thinking back to when he had first met her. "She tricked you before and stole your money. What's to say she won't do it again?"
Turning around from the door, he readied himself to walk away, but a thought lingered in his mind. He sighed as he faced the door and headed back toward it, forcing himself through. "It was you, Rose!"
"Do you always follow strangers in the night? I heard you were a little impulsive, but what exactly was me?" asked a voice as Kota walked into the structure.
He examined different crates and items stacked alongside the edge of the open area and straw across the floor.
Kota walked around carefully, seeing what he could in the moonlight that shone through different openings in the roof throughout the area. When looking up, he saw Rose leaning against a vertical beam on the second level. He stood near the middle of the open space as he told her, "At the party, you warned me about Cordelia."
"What makes you think it was me?" asked Rose, waving her hand in reaction to his statement.
Kota smiled as he edged closer before looking up at her. He reached up and ruffled his brown hair a bit. "Flowers."
Confused, she moved away from the beam, reaching around to re-cover her right shoulder with her cloak before reaching for her head. Pulling her braided ponytail over her left shoulder, she asked, "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
"Your hair smelled of flowers the first time I bumped into you in Elida, spilling the contents of your basket." Pausing, he turned and moved away from her before pointing. "That night at the party, I remember smelling flowers when a woman with a very similar hair color to yours bumped into me. Now, that cannot be a coincidence, can it?"
Using her left arm, she bent down before sitting on the edge of the landing on the floor above him. Rose let her legs hang over the side of the platform, letting her legs swing back and forth before smiling. Nodding in response to his question. "Consider me impressed. She always described you as a perceptive prince."
Crossing his arms, he smirked as he repositioned his stance. "May I ask who described me as perceptive?"
Staring at Kota, she moved her thumb over the tips of her fingers. "You know who, Kota. I don't have to say her name, do I?"
Kota moved a step back, pointing his finger at her. "Then you are with her? Then it was part of her plan that I findâ?"
She shook her head, interrupting him. Putting her hand flat against the wooden structure below her, she explained. "I was with her, Kota. Was⦠Now I am trying to stop whatever she has dragged this kingdom into, including what she dragged us both into. You are not the only victim here."
Taken aback by her comment, Kota placed his hand on his chin as he thought about what to ask her next.
"If you do not believe me, then I ask one question," she said. "Have the visions and nightmares gotten worse since Asana?"
"How do you know about those?" asked Kota, moving closer to her and reaching up as he felt a slight tingle in the back of his head.
She looked at an opening in the roof, seeing the stars above before clouds covered them. Then she removed the cloak from her right arm, revealing her lost limb. She reached over with her left arm and rubbed her shoulder. "She had to practice that curse on someone before she gave it to you. Nasty little thing, too. It almost took my life."
Kota looked down at his bandage, feeling the warmth of the mark, and touched the black marks peeking over the bandage's edge. "So, is that what happened when you removed the curse?" he asked as he examined her right shoulder, only seeing cloth wrappings from where he stood.
"Unfortunately, I am not even sure the curse is fully gone, but that little witch had other plans for me, and, wellâ¦" She paused, glancing down at her missing right arm. "Now I can say one thing about her: she has quite the ancient gift. Taking away one thing to give me another."
Kota, confused by her statement, moved closer while continuing to stare up at her.
"I am not your enemy, Kota, but if you continue down this path, it will force me to stop you. She cannot get what she is after."
"And what exactly is she after?" said Kota, seeing her demeanor change as she focused on him.
Using her left arm, she pushed herself off from the higher level, landing a few feet in front of Kota. He reached for his sword but felt nothing. Kota grunted as he realized he did not have a weapon to defend himself. The sound of metal could be heard in the area when a figure ran out of the darkness, slashing a sword down at Rose. She jumped backward, easily avoiding the attack. The armored character raised a heavy kite shield at Rose as he stepped back toward Kota. The figure had light silver plate armor on his legs and over his chest. He wore a hood under his armor to conceal his face.
Rose looked past him, asking Kota, "A friend of yours? We were just having a conversation. Nothing more."
Kota shrugged as the figure turned toward him, tossing a sheathed long sword in his direction. Catching the blade, he examined it before unsheathing it. "I do not know him, but I like him so far. Finally, someone not trying to kill me."
The figure held his shield at the ready as he positioned his blade toward Rose. She smiled in reaction as she spoke. "If it is a fight you want, fine. Let's make this interesting then."
Kota watched as she reached up with her left hand, untying her cloak. As it fell to the ground, she took a wide stance, showing her dark brown leather armor beneath, in a simple design, with her left arm covered by a leather gauntlet that reached about halfway up her arm, a green undershirt beneath it. Kota moved his attention to her neck, noticing lines of tattoos forming a design he could not make out completely before they glowed a faint dark purple. Suddenly, a new right arm formed in a flash of black fire. The inner portion glowed with black energy, and the outer layer pulsated with dark purple energy. Rose smiled at the two of them before she stretched her new clawlike fingers.
"That is not what I was expecting. What are you?" asked Kota, taken aback by what he was seeing.
"Everyone always has that reaction at first." She laughed as she moved her new arm across her body, swiping the claws through the air. "Remember when I said Cordelia had an ancient gift? I hate her for everything she made me, but I have to thank her as well."
Kota watched the arm as a magical aura radiated from it. He clenched his fist around the hilt of his blade as he waited for an attack.
The figure in front of him looked around the room. "It seems we are not alone."
Kota loosened his grip as he looked around, seeing a multitude of characters come out of the shadows. They lit the torches around the warehouse, illuminating the inside as they surrounded them.
A character holding two swords walked toward the three of them before speaking loudly. "Look. If it isn't the dead prince. You have quite the bounty on your head now, and you have made a powerful enemy."
Kota smirked as he moved a step closer to the stranger. "Didn't your mother teach you not to trust everything you hear in a tavern? I am more innocent than I appear to be."
The man laughed as he reached behind his back and tossed a piece of parchment toward Kota. Catching the paper, he opened it and saw a picture of his face and an exorbitant reward amount in gold.
"Wow. They at least got my face right on this one, and that is a lot of gold. Is this from the Kingdom or Akar?" asked Kota, tossing back the scroll.
The man caught the scroll, and he wrapped it up again, placing it on his back. "Akar," he replied. "He feels betrayed by your misuse of his hospitality to kill the king. The kingdom bounty is not as high, and Akar specifies you are to be kept alive, so that means we will take you back to him. He probably has a nasty surprise waiting for you and those friends of yours."
"And what about my two friends here?" asked Kota.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Rose and the shield-bearing figure looking around the room, eyeing the men and their weapons.
"There is nothing about them in the reward, but I am sure that if they are traveling with you, they will fetch something from Akar," he said while swiping one blade against the other, creating a small spark, before focusing on Rose. "Plus, that weird armed rarity over there will fetch a pretty penny for sure."
"Rarity? Well, I hope you survive long enough," said Rose irritably. "Otherwise, I cannot enjoy ripping that tongue out of that little head of yours."
The figure gave a quick nod, and the men swiftly moved toward the three of them. Kota tightened his grip on his weapon as the man with two swords lunged toward him, slashing with both weapons. The man maneuvered his left hand as he brought the blade down on Kota's right side, but Kota reached up and grabbed the man's wrist, stopping the attack. The man pushed down on Kota as he pushed back, moving him a little backward.
The man quickly regained his balance and brought his right weapon down onto him. Kota deflected the attack before pushing the blade away from his body. Striking rapidly with his attempt, he swiped his sword across his opponent's body. The man easily blocked with one blade as he slashed downward with another, and Kota moved to his right, evading the attack. The shield-bearing figure joined in behind him, tossing a person away with his shield before slashing at the man with his sword.
Kota and the figure worked as one, slashing and striking, only for every attack to be blocked or redirected. The man then tried a counterattack, only for the figure to raise his shield to defend Kota, blocking it. Taking the chance, Kota repositioned himself behind the shield-bearing figure, and he blocked a strike at the character's back from another mercenary from behind. The two exchanged blows before Kota disarmed him and raised his leg, kicking him backward. Rose used the weight of the mercenary, lifting him with her clawed arm and tossing him into the second-floor level, to have him crash back into the floor below.
Kota noticed a mercenary running straight for Rose, who quickly reengaged with another combatant. Sprinting over, Kota lowered his weapon, tackling the mercenary and driving his blade into the man's side as he brought him down to the ground. After pulling the blood-soaked sword out of the man's side, he got to his feet, turning his attention to Rose. He saw the black-and-purple arm reach out while catching an ax in its grip, before ripping it out of the mercenaries. Kota swiftly moved toward Rose as he slashed his blade upward, slicing the mercenary's stomach to his chest. Kota turned, seeing Rose staring at him as she threw the ax away. The two of them turned toward their other ally as he lifted his shield, hitting the chin of the man with two swords before driving his long sword into his stomach below the ribs.
Pulling out his long sword, he turned towards Kota and Rose before looking around to see the mercenaries scattered throughout the area. He glanced at Rose and smiled as he saw the shield-bearing figure move closer while holding his blade at the ready, focusing on her. Kota stood next to her, witnessing her bring her arm down with claws out. Kota instinctively moved in front of her, holding out his arms.
"She is not our enemy," said Kota, focusing on the figure in front of him.
The figure stopped as he held his blade at the ready. "How do you know that? She used to be with that woman!"
Kota turned toward Rose. "Call it a gut feeling, but I do not believe she came here with ill intentions."
Rose looked at Kota, taking a deep breath as she swiped her right arm to her side, and it disappeared into the night air. Kota kept his eye on both Rose and the shield-bearing figure as he saw her turning around. She looked around and saw the blood and the bodies that lay across the room.
Smiling at Kota, she said, "That is not entirely true, Kota. I was following you and this Wanderer. Why don't you reveal yourself to your friend?"
Kota turned his focus toward the figure, who stood sheathing his sword before looking back at Rose. "How do you know who I am?"
"William was a little more loose-tongued than you would have hoped him to be. I came here to talk to Kota, but someone had to get you two together," said Rose, smiling.
She took a belt and sheathed the blade of the mercenary before moving in next to Kota. He turned back toward her while he sheathed his blade and grabbed the belt, looking confused. He looked down at his weapon before she rolled her eyes.
"Not for you," she said. "Tie it around my waist. That is a laborious task to do with one hand."
Kota knelt as he reached around her, securing the belt to her waist. "I am perplexed. What is happening right now? How do you know William sent us here to find the Wanderer?"
She smiled as she looked down into his eyes. "After the incident at the party, he let Grace know what was going on, and as you were being huntedâ"
"So Grace is still alive!" interrupted Kota before finishing his last knot on the belt, standing. "What about the queen?"
She poked him in the middle of his forehead. "Yes, they are fine. Now focus, Kota. You are being hunted, and you don't even realize Lukas is standing behind you."
"Lukas?" asked Kota, turning around to see the figure pulling his hood off his head, revealing the short red hair of his friend slicked back above his brown eyes.
Smiling, Lukas reached out and brought his friend into a hug. "It is good to see you again, Kota."