Chapter 7: Finish the Job

A few days before Princess Eloise Birthday Celebration.

The sun was rising high in the sky. The heat emitted by the sun was burning down hard on two people beneath the sky exchanging blows with one another. A punch, a high kick, a low spin kick, and a right hook. It was Gear and Luna fighting each other. Gear raises up his left leg and brings it straight down to Luna's left shoulder. Luna takes a free step back before his attack makes contact. She wipes off the sweats from her forehead.

"Damn it... Why can't I land a single hit on him."

Gear stretches his arm, "Hmm... To think my body is used to combat."

"If it wasn't, you'd be dead by now," said Luna in a frustrated voice.

Gear remembered Luna saying that she'll kick his butt when he gets his memories back. However, seeing how she couldn't land a single hit on him, it seems very unlikely. He smirks at her annoyingly. Luna wanted to beat him up, but couldn't. So far, Gear was able to land three hits on her. On her shoulder, thigh, and stomach.

Gear stretches out his hand, "Your fighting style seems similar to mine."

"Well," said Luna as she got a cup of cold water, "You taught me how to fight."

"Is that so," said Gear, "...You also seem used to the fact that I lost my memories."

"That's because it's not the first time I've been with you since you lost your memories," said Luna as she passed the cold cup of water to him.

Gear takes a sips, "I forgot the reason why I am killing princess, how I met you, and many other things... Are you sure I will regain my memories?"

Luna nods her head, "Don't worry. Even if you don't, I remember you saying that Wei has a way to give you your memories back."

"Huh?" Gear blinks at her, "Then why not go straight to him to restore my memories."

"Cause I don't know what he looks like nor where he lives," Luna answered.

"Oh... then how is he going to find us?"

Luna points up at a bird circling around them.

He looks at the bird, "The bird?"

She nods, "It's his familiar or so you told me. If anything bad happens, that bird is supposed to let Wei know, and he will come to our rescue apparently."

"What... Seems very unreliable..."

One of Luna's eyebrows raises up, "You think. I said the same thing to you as well when you had your memories, but all you did was chuckle at me and said ``don't worry."

"Hmm..."

She patted his shoulder, "That aside, break time is over. Let's resume the training. Need you to remember how to fight again."

"I'm pretty sure I've got it covered now," Gear said with a smirk.

She shrugs his smirk to the side. Luna stretches out her limbs before getting ready to fight Gear again. Gear also got into position. Luna charges at him straight on. Gear reads her move and dodges to the right to side kick her, but she slides to the left and right hooks him. Gear takes her punch with his palm and throws her into the sky. Luna grabs his arm before he could and tries to throw him instead.

Gear stood his ground, refusing to go down. Luna pulls in all of her strength but is still unable to move him. Gear quickly goes on his knee and spins her off him. Luna lands back on her feet. She quickly gets back in formation and attacks him again. After a good hour passed, they finally took another break. Luna grinds down her teeth and stares at the ground.

Gear blinks at her, "What's up?"

"I don't get how you can keep up with me when you lose your memory... it doesn't make sense..." Luna grumbles out.

Gear scratches his head, "I don't really get it either, but each time you try to attack me, my body just reacts to it. Like its second nature to me."

"Hmm... I wonder when I can be like that too," said Luna as she takes out some beef jerky to chew on.

"Well," said Gear, "You're still young and have many years to go. It may not be long until it becomes second nature to you."

She smiles at herself, "I hope so."

If reacting to anything that could threaten her or send murderous intent to her would become second nature, then she could be more useful to Gear. Even though he had taught her how to fight, Gear has never once let her get directly involved in any kind of fight. Now that he lost his memories again, this could be her chance to fight with him.

Inches away from cutting off her eyes, Luna's body instantly reacted to the blade and kicked it to the side. Gear pins down the person that almost attacked Luna. He was a few second late in reacting due to the person's lack of murderous intent towards him.

However, when the person got close to Luna, its murderous intent exploded. That's why he was late to react. The person was none other than Ras. Although pinned down, Ras struggles to get out of Gears grip. He was strong, so strong Gear almost lost his grip on him. Ras uses his back leg to kick Gear off him. Before he kicked him, he unsheathed the hidden blade at the back of his boot.

A bad feeling ate the right side of Gear. He quickly dodges to his left. Ras took this opportunity to throw Gear off him. Gear lands back on his feet quickly. Ras instantly raises up and charges at him. He took out a hidden blade and slashes diagonally toward Gear. Gear grabs the blade Luna knocked out of Ras grapes from earlier and clashes with Ras. He continues to slash at Gear with every chance he gets.

Something was telling him that if he doesn't end this soon, he won't be able to beat Gear and save the princess. Distracted by his thoughts, Gear went low and kicked his feet off the ground. Ras landed hard on the ground. He takes the blade away from Ras and pins him down harder this time. Princess Eloise whose eyes were shining with hope turned into despair and disappointment.

Ras struggles under Gear, "How dare you kidnap the princess! You will be punished to death by hanging!"

Luna walks over to him. He glances up and recognizes her.

Rage boils inside of his heart, "You! I knew it! How dare you!"

Luna crosses her arm together, "How dare I what? You sure got the guts to try and kill a kid. I wonder what your citizens will think of your knight attacking a child like me, Princess Eloise."

Princess Eloise glares at Luna. If she could, she would scream at the top of her lungs at them. What her knight did was the correct choice. They were criminals for kidnapping her. They deserve to die even if one of them was a kid.

Luna read her expression, "Why are all you princesses like this? You act and seem like a gentle soul, but in the end you're just a bunch of scum who tricks others and uses them to your advantage."

Ras bellows out at Luna, "Shut that foul mouth of yours! Slandering the princess is punishable by death!"

Gear takes out his blade from his back and stabs Ras on the shoulder. He hollers out in pain. For some reason, the words that Ras said angered him greatly. Gear has no idea why, but it made his blood boil.

Luna glances at him, "Punishable by death... what's there to punish with no witness around?"

"W-what?" said Ras.

Gear takes out a rope and ties up Ras legs and arm together. Gear walks over to where Luna was and ready his blade.

Ras looks on with horror, "W-what are you doing?!"

"What do you think?" said Luna, "Finishing up our job."

A dreadful feeling ran down Ras throat. He struggles greatly to get out of the rope but it was hopeless. He looks at Princess Eloise who was frightened out of her skin. Tears were rolling out her eyes as she saw Gear before her. Earlier, when she saw Ras tied up she was disappointed in him, but the moment she saw Gear, fear choked inside of her throat.

His gaze and movement was like ice against her senses. She could tell that he was going to kill her, and his face. A face that she will never ever forget. When she heard that Princess Zerlia was killed, she didn't think much about it. Only that Princess Zerlia was a fool to get killed like that in front of all of her citizens. Now that she sees Gear, she finally understands how Princess Zerlia could have been killed. Luna pulls off the cloth that was wrapped around her mouth.

She asked, "Any last word?"

Princess Eloise's eyes tremble as Gear raises up the blade. Her whole body shook just from seeing Gear.

She coughs out, "Why... Why are you still alive?"

As though ignoring her words, Gear brought the blade down.

Ras screams out in horror, "STOP!!!"

SPLAT