Loose Ends

Alice fenced her instructor for the 3rd time this week.

At 9 years old, her skill with a rapier was far greater than most her age, but her instructor was even greater.

Dressed in a spotless white suit, Rose easily parried and reflected each strike, keeping young Alice at a good distance. Alice was, for the most part, able to follow her monitor’s movements with her eyes, but she was also training her instincts to detect and react to danger subconsciously.

It was a technique that knight instructors did not teach, but Rose was no knight.

High, left, low, right and then high again.

“Too slow.” Rose’s rapier locked with Alice’s, and she swiftly disarmed the child, before gently placing the sharp blade to Alice’s throat.

Frowning, Alice sighed and threw her hands up in surrender. “You said you’d match my level and go easy on me.”

“I did, little bird.”

“Like. I. Said!” Alice tried to kick Rose, but the lady’s much longer legs easily stepped out of the way of Alice’s little kicks. “Stop calling me that!”

Rose laughed. “I will, once you defeat me.”

“When will that happen?”

“Hmm…when I’m a decrepit grandma unable to get out of bed?”

“I can’t wait that long!”

“Then, I suggest that you do more homework from now on.”

Pouting, Alice folded her arms, huffed and spun around. “Madam Rose is a bully.”

“Oh, who is this cute little lady?” Laughing, Rose knelt and stroked Alice’s head. “Don’t worry, Lady Alice. I guarantee you that by the time you’re 16, you’ll be one of the strongest people in your generation.”

“...Really?”

“Really. One day, your wings will sprout and soar so high into the sky that everyone will envy you.”

“...I don’t need that. I just need you, Madam Rose.”

“You’re saying so many cute things today, my lady.”

***

Humming a pretty tune, Samantha dragged the heavy object through the puddle of liquid.

Then, just like the other two, she tied a rope around its centre, then slowly heaved it high up into the air.

Satisfied with herself, Samantha wiped the blood off her hands and put a hand on her hip.

Swinging in the early morning air were the mutilated corpses of 3 adventurers. All the blood had been drained from their bodies, like hogs strung up to bleed out.

“I hope the duke decides to be more agreeable when we next meet.”

***

“Master!”

“Peter!” Lucien grinned after finishing his bottle of wine. “Good to see you’re so energetic today.”

“Yeah! Yesterday, I beat up some bullies who were trying to pick on Matilda. Then, they tried to come back today and my crew knocked them out without me having to lift a finger.”

“Heh…” Lucien patted the lad’s shoulder. “Sounds like the Justice Brigade’s doing well.”

“Well, we’re planning on changing the name one day, but we’re busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Recruiting and expanding our turf, just like you said to. Right now, there’s 40 of us, but-but! One day, we’ll be big enough to protect everyone here without having to rely on the guards.”

“Sounds good. Now then.” Lucien’s demeanour changed and Peter reflexively moved to block his first punch. “Time to see if you’ve been doing your homework.”

***

Peter was, of course, handedly defeated by Lucien, but the boy wasn’t upset.

If anything, he felt more motivated than ever before.

Lucien was the man Peter aspired to be.

Strong but gentle, powerful but protected the weak, and trained them to protect themselves, and he was physically fit and stylish.

It wasn’t a small secret that a few of the girls in the Justice Brigade had crushes on Lucien and he always said the same thing. “Maybe when you’re a lot older and can drink, maybe then.”

“One day, if I pray really hard, and do my best, maybe one day, I’ll be just as handsome and cool and-ow!”

“Don’t try and put monologues into other people’s heads, Sayla.”

The young girl stuck her tongue out playfully. “If I didn’t know you had a crush on Matilda, I’d honestly think you like Lu-ow! Boss Peter, you never hit anyone else! Why do you only hit me?!”

“Because you always ask for it,” he said, getting ready to hit her on the top of her head again. “You never learn your lesson.”

“That’s because you keep damaging my head and knocking the lesson out of my head! Abuser! Devil! Hor-! Aha, dodged you-ow!”

Peter’s first swing missed, but the follow-up kick to her shin didn’t.

Sayla dropped onto the ground and exaggerated how much pain she was feeling.

Peter and everyone in the Justice Brigade knew how strong she was, and how she wasn’t dumb - she was just an idiot who liked to mess around too much, usually at Peter’s expense.

“I am seriously starting to regret naming you as a captain.”

“You’re way too late to take it back, Boss!” She leapt onto her feet. “If you dared oust me, I’d stage a coup against you and-!”

“What did you come here for?”

“Oh, right! The second reason that brought me here!”

“I’m pretty sure that it should’ve been the main reason.”

“My priority is making sure Boss Peter is in good spirits.”

“If only you meant it. So? What news?”

Sayla dropped her energetic persona. “The latest victims of the Pale Corpse Case were found on the east side of the city.”

“…Keep everyone away from there for the time being. Under no circumstances is anyone to go near the east until the Pale Corpse Killer has left. Understood?”

“Yes!”

***

“Dammit!” Emilia’s ruby eyes flared in anger as she saw the newspaper ripple through the air.

Another article pointing to a vampire attack that she’d found yesterday, but she had been too late to catch the monster that turned her into a beast.

For years, Emilia had chased the vampire across the world, but she never got close to her before she’d left, no doubt in search of her next victim.

Feeling her vampiric urges growing ever stronger, Emilia snatched two passing pigeons out of the air and devoured them in seconds.

Animal blood reduced the symptoms, but only human blood sated vampires fully.

“I won’t become like you.” Emilia told herself for the 10th time that week.

Never again. A flash of a bleeding maid resurfaced in her mind to torment her. Never.

***

“She’s hid herself pretty well,” Lucien thought, observing Emilia as she finished her meal.

The Boss was quite clear on her orders for each of us, but given how much leniency she’s allowed Samantha, I think she wouldn’t mind if I meddled a bit more too. He grinned at Emilia as she sighed loudly at the moon. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your little pet could find you, Samantha?

Lucien snorted. “She’d probably be happy if I helped her toy find her. There’s something seriously wrong with that woman, well, not that I’m one to talk.”

***

“Good evening, Duke Wilbert.”

Henry Wilbert was a powerful man. An influential politician with countless connections who had a loving wife and a cute 9-year-old daughter, Grace, that he adored.

Two weeks ago, an alleged visiting noblewoman called Samantha had visited to discuss a new business proposition. In reality, she had said something far more treacherous.

“How would you like to be the centre of a coup-d'etat?”

Infuriated by her ludicrous proposal, he threw her out and sent men to inform the Queen.

3 days later, a rider told him his men had been killed by monsters along a forest road. He knew Samantha had to be involved, but he needed proof, so the duke hired adventurers who specialised in espionage and assassination to spy on Samantha.

After following her for 9 days, they’d strike and kill her if they felt they could do it.

At least, that had been the plan.

Until he’d opened his daughter’s bedroom door and found Grace fast asleep, with Samantha laying on her side beside his daughter.

Even in the low light, the duke could see her gem-like eyes and glistening fangs.

“Did you like my gift?”

“You-!”

“Shush.” Samantha put a finger against her lips as a happy smile formed on her lips. “You wouldn’t want to wake her up. If you did.” Samantha brushed Grace’s hair away from her neck. “I’ll have no choice but to make her mine.”

“...What do you want?”

“Like I said weeks ago, I - no, we want you to become the centre of a coup against this country’s queen.”

“But why? The queen is a benevolent and just leader; why would anyone-?”

“There is no real reason.” Samantha’s honest answer left Duke Wilbert dumbfounded. “This is no longer a request or offer, but a demand.”

“No.”

“Oh? Not even if.” Samantha’s fingernails grew and nearly pocked Grace’s jugular. “Her life depended on your answer.”

“...No matter how much I love her, I couldn’t-”

“Then, it’s a shame but I’ll have to kill you and your wife and turn Samantha into my familiar. She’d cease to exist as anything but a puppet without any thoughts or feelings of her own. But don’t worry, my Onee-sama loves raising little birds into powerful tools for her to use as she pleases. I think she’d be happy to have a new one to play with.” Samantha looked up her nose at him. “And then, when she’s lost all her purpose, she’d be tossed to the side of the road like the rest.”

Grinding his teeth together, Duke Wilbert went to draw the sword from his waist but stopped short.

“...Who are you, really?”

“I am Samantha Lunehart, the last, and greatest, vampire. I am the glutton who devoured the rest of my kind and brought them to extinction.” Samantha’s aura changed as the white moon in the sky turned red, casting a crimson light across the world and through the windows.

“So, Duke Wilbert, what will you do?”

***

The Blue Banners were a recurring mercenary group throughout the MoH games.

They were highly skilled and would often join in conflicts on both sides, getting massively rich off the contracts and then betraying the losing side when it was clear who would win.

They were about five hundred strong and they could easily take on monsters or army groups six times their size.

However, they were nothing before her.

Silently, Risa watched as the last of the Blue Banners bled to death.

Truthfully, she hadn’t even had to get out of her seat.

“I understand now why she only wants us 5.”

In 2 years, Mardun Industries will have their prototypes ready for combat testing. Cybernetic soldiers will be much more reliable and useful than humanoids.

“Oi, are you the one who killed my-?”

Risa whipped her hand to the side and the man fell down dead into 16 pieces.

She hadn’t looked at them, but Risa assumed it was the former leader of the Blue Banners.

“Whatever.” Risa lazily rose up from her seat and set the compound on fire. “Another annoyance wiped out.”

***

Rose knocked down another piece on her map and then placed a brand new one.

Risa confirmed she’d killed all the Blue Banners and soon. She smiled and she stared at the figure being held high above the other pieces by a see-through bit of plastic. We’ll have our base of operations up and running.