Chapter 7

As Leon was preparing for the battle ahead, a woman came around the corner from the bedroom with short brown hair placed into a bun.

"Kai!" She yelled.

"Eileen!"

The tavern girl ran up and gave him a quick embrace before letting go. Leon strapped his dark blue light armor on as well that he had tucked away in his home. He had two sheathes prepared, one for his medium-lengthed blade, and his other for the three-sided weapon he had used earlier. A Bolas was a rare weapon not really seen in the modern-day, but Leon enjoyed this weapon rightfully so. Once thrown, the boomerang-like weapon would reach its desired peak distance, spin and slice its target then return to its user. Sacer was known to be infused into them back in the Old Days, but Leons was a normal Bolas.

"Eileen, I must go with Kai to fix what's happening. We'll be back soon my love," Leon stated.

"I understand who you two really are deep down. If there's anybody that does besides Miss Kira, it would be me. But please, be safe you two," Eileen responded.

"We will," both of the young men replied simultaneously.

After leaving the house, they crept silently across the bridges that linked the building in their ran-down city. The morning light was beginning to rise, peaking over the waters surrounding them. They moved closer and closer to the building that centered the city.

"They're in the tavern," Leon whispered.

Running across the last bridge, the tavern stood with big double doors. Outside of it stood at least ten soldiers with civilians circled in the middle of them, tied up by rope as they sat on the ground.

"Bastards," Kai whispered this time.

The two of them were crouched behind some crates and barrels not far from the front of the building. The quiet area became too surreal as a man came strolling out of the tavern doors with more soldiers following him.

"Alright, men! You guys go ahead and just cut their throats. Leave the survivors we couldn't find or gather up as a lesson, or burn the place down. I don't really give a shit at this point," said the man.

"Mister Prime, sir. Are you sure you would want us to decide the final decision?" One of the soldiers asked.

The Prime turned around midstep, his white curly hair stayed still in its ponytail, as his blue eyes darted to the soldier. The four men that had followed him out of the Tavern stopped as well. Kai and Leon glanced at each other momentarily.

"Prime Maeral," Leon whispered before they looked back to all of the men.

"Are you saying that I can't trust my own men with such a simple task? Do I have to decide on everything?" The Primes worn face showed disgust as he walked up to the soldier.

"I already can't believe I wasted my time coming to this place, just because you guys couldn't handle one Searcher from this shit hole," Prime Maeral now had his hand on the hilt of the soldier's sheathed sword.

Once the sword was fully pulled out, Prime Maeral walked over to where the civilians were sitting.

"Which one was she?" He asked as he walked in front of them all.

"This one, sir," another soldier replied while walking to one of the women in the group.

The man had pulled her hair so that her head was facing the sky, showing that of Miss Kira as the desired target.

"Let this be a reminder!" The Prime yelled as he pressed the blade to her neck.

Kai pulled away from a gripping hand from Leon before sprinting out into the clear and towards all of the soldiers that awaited. As he grew closer, the men began to notice and all of the soldiers stepped forwards and fully into Kai's enraged path. Within feet of the Soldiers, he heard the noise he was dreading. Blood dripped, he knew the sound all too well, and then the sound of her body falling to the ground followed. Miss Kira was gone, and Kai had stopped in his tracks immediately.

"Sir, the Searcher. We believe this to be him, dear Prime," said one of the soldiers.

As Prime Maeral wiped the blood off of the borrowed sword with a cloth, he turned around and walked through the soldiers in front of him to stand in front of Kai.

"It's far too late for you to show up now young man, the rest of these people will be killed due to your negligence to our Faction. Some of you have already been taken to Caecis to be enslaved since we can't trust any of you to leave the mine anymore," Prime Maeral stated.

"I'll kill you for this," Kai stated, his head facing downwards with an aura of straight anger surrounding him.

"Sure thing, while you try to do that, you can watch the remaining civilians be butchered before my men do the same to you. Good day boys," Prime Maeral finished.

Turning around, the Prime began walking back through the soldiers and towards the docks. While doing so, Kai had pulled out both blades and instantly began to hack at the soldiers in front of him. Leon, who had been standing next to Kai after he stopped running earlier, pulled out his Bolas and sword as well.

"We have to stop them, Leon!" Kai yelled.

Pulling one arm back, Leon throws his Bolas with all his might, taking out two of the Relnad soldiers and clipping a third.

"You both will die!" One of the soldiers yelled.

Kai pulled both swords to his sides as he stepped back, then with one swift motion he would extend them both out fully and rotate them up and back down to be defended by the blades of multiple soldiers in front of him. As his swords bounced off other defending blades, another soldier would come from behind Kai and pierce his top left shoulder completely to the other side with a sword.

"GAH!" Kai moaned in pain.

Leon stared in shock as his Bolas returned and his own sword came to a clash with a separated soldier. While both of the young men stood in their own predicaments, the other soldiers began to kill the remaining civilians one by one.

"This is for the Dusk Alliance!" A soldier yelled.

"NO!" Roared Leon.

Kai was thrown to the ground, his right hand trying to hold his body up on its own. One by one, each civilian was killed, until there were none left. The cries for help were heard during the whole sequence of events. Kai and Leon wondered to themselves what, if anything, could go right for them on this dreaded day.

"Kai! Fight with skill! Not anger!" Leon yelled.

Kai instantly calmed himself down along with his tense muscles. Five men now surrounded him, blades pointing down to him.

"Shouldn't have fucked with Relnad," a soldier began.

Kicking one of his swords slightly off of the ground, Kai spun so fast that all five men had missed it. Doing a full circle spin, Kai had caught the blade in the air and sliced all of the men around him on the shins of their legs. They all five fell to the ground in agony. Leon, in a battle of his own, was dealing with an equal amount of enemies as well. As one was clashing swords with him, another would run up and be struck down by the Bolas the young man made sure to constantly throw.

Finally, he was down to one last man, and as their swords clashed, sparks flew in defiance. The soldier threw a counter strike when his blade slid off of Leons and caught him on his upper right thigh. Ignoring the pain, Leon threw his Bolas while swinging his sword back in a slashing motion. Leon continued to defend the soldiers' attacks while attempting his own until finally, the Bolas returned, striking the soldier down from behind as it did.

"Didn't see that coming," Leon said with a grin.

Glancing over, he noticed Kai finishing off the last couple of men he had to fight.

"We need to get to the Treader and to Caecis!" Kai yelled.

"I'll grab Eileen and our belongings and meet you there! We can't return to Catarei Kai, you know this right?" Leon responded.

"I know."