Cry For War

Chapter Seventeen

"Who do you think you are, scaring that cur off?!" Hector hissed in displeasure, as he had been rearing to finish off the monster before it could do any more harm than it had already. His three allies were weak, injured or at the least disoriented from the thick haze that had overtaken the forest air moments prior. It was only then that he dared to look at the mysterious stranger, eyes sharp with intention.

The figure who had startled the beast was tall, imposing in nature. They soon stepped into the glistening light of the moon, extending a hand to the Marquess. Golden brown eyes that saw into the darkest of evil warmongers stared back at him, expression both fearsome and kind. Her eyes and mouth were directly poised,no matter how gentle her speech or how human her demeanor. She was one of the most powerful people within the nine realms, of that he had no doubt, though he still lacked certainty that this woman was human at all after their previous encounter.

"Listen well, mortal, for I will not be making this proposition twice," she began, not daring to hide her divine status from the man standing before her, axe still firmly clutched in his hands as he debated whether or not to strike her down. "If you wish to survive, follow my lead. If you must strike, then strike, and I will reward you. But if you do not... Did you intend to tear the monster capable of destroying the heavens themselves apart in a single bout? That is true courage, mortal. I respect it."

Ephraim and Hector exchanged a glance, the former gritting his teeth as blood still trailed from his mouth. As much as it pained him to rely on a stranger, it was clear that Veronica wouldn't be doing any healing any time soon and in his condition, they wouldn't be able to return to the Order before it became too much of a burden on his injured body. As for Celica? Well, he had no doubts that she wasn't going to listen to him any time soon, especially when the opposing force was a deity, be it Mila or otherwise. "Of course, where must we go?" questioned the king, spitting blood to the earth below as he tried to remove the red stain from his teeth.

The mysterious stranger didn't speak a single word, turning on her heel and began leading the four heroes deeper into the forest. It wasn't an easy trip, especially for the injured trio, but it was short, meaning that they couldn't have overexerted themselves more than they already had. Just after reaching a small cottage at the foot of the forest, the stranger turned back around to face the four heroes, all of which stared back at her as though she were going to cut them down in their state of weakness. She watched intently, golden eyes sizing them up. Veronica leaning into the Marquess of Ostia, her body still trembling in fright from the traumatic experience that she was half certain she'd brought on, the priestess holding her hand over the small impact wound on her side which was unlikely to be anything more than a bruise in the grand scheme of things, and the young king of Renais, who supported his own weight with his lance, though his struggle was becoming increasingly clear, especially with untreated injuries.

It was only then that she spoke again, standing much taller and more firmly than the four mortals before her. "What you will see behind this door will require much of your capacity... I cannot prepare you for the things you will soon know, but understand that once this is said and done, you are to turn back to Askr and never return to this place. Not a soul is to know of the powers that lay dormant in this realm. Do you believe you can accept these terms?" she questioned, as though giving a final warning as to what the four of them were about to see.

Veronica was the first to speak up, though it was not in her best interest to do so as she was in fact the weakest link among the four of them, but as this was her fault, she had no choice but to take action, just as her allies had said. Inaction could cost the lives of those she loved and she would not be standing for it. "We will, but only- gah..." she paused momentarily, disrupted by a shiver that had rolled down her spine as the woman placed her hand on her axe, squeezing its hilt firmly, as though growing impatient. "Only if it ensures the safety of everyone. We will help you, only if you help us."