Thud.
Lydia threw the bodies of around twenty n near my feet. All unconscious, sprawled out like broken dolls.
"That was fast..." I said, being brought back from my daydreaming.
"He’s the captain of this station," Lydia said, kicking one of those twenty with her boot. He rolled forward, separating from the pile.
"His na is Amir Saytan."
Saytans, huh? They held many positions in important branches of SBV. He’d probably been posted here as captain through their recomndation. These animals would do anything for money, even if it ant looting an orphanage and destroying innocent lives.
"According to what they told before passing out," Lydia continued, her voice taking on the tone of a soldier reporting to their commander, "he’s the one who ordered Vol killed in the na of ’attacking an officer on duty.’ And he took part in Seraphina’s... death as well."
Her jaw clenched slightly on that last part.
"I understand," I said simply.
I looked around. The buzzing crowd was coming to a halt now. All eyes were turning toward the twenty bodies before . People were starting to recognize the n from their torn uniforms or their faces.
"Good," I muttered under my breath.
I stood up and walked to the center of the village square’s circular stage. I drew Blood Raven and stabbed it into the marble ground with force, making a clean hole. Then I planted the flag firmly into it.
The flag contained a drawing of a raven... if you could call it that. I an, it was my first ti drawing a raven using paints and a brush.
[Dude, who drew that shit? They should never touch paint again.]
’I know you saw the replay, so don’t act,’ I shot back telepathically.
People stood frozen in their places. So looked curious. So seed to understand what was happening. Others looked anxious, afraid of what was coming.
"Listen up, folks!" I said.
[Nah... it lacked power.]
"Ahem." I cleared my throat. "People of Larkshade!" I called out, imitating the formal announcent format used in the square.
[What are you? So herald?]
’Leave alone, damn it!’ I waved off the blue window floating in front of my face.
"My na is Rune," I said, holding the flag firmly. "What you are about to witness is the execution of so corrupt guards."
Their eyes looked curious and doubtful at the sa ti. They must be thinking things like ’Are they really the SBV guards...?’ or ’What does he an by execution?’
"Lydia, wake them up," I muttered.
She nodded and imdiately kicked the nearest guard hard in the gut.
"Ack!" He coughed violently, jolting back to consciousness.
She moved down the line, kicking them all like they were pigs wallowing on the ground. They all coughed and gasped before looking around frantically to find themselves in the center of the village, under the gaze of dozens of villagers.
Amir’s eyes wandered until they t Lydia’s.
"It’s you," he said, his hand instinctively reaching for the weapon that would usually be at his waist.
But his hand found nothing.
The other guards took their stances around Lydia, clutching their aching guts. They understood quickly that their weapons were missing, so instead they just glared at her, as if that would make their enemy bleed.
"As I was saying," I continued simply.
The guards snapped their attention to .
Silence fell over the square as everyone watching finally understood, these really were guards, and what was happening now was not so prop show or performance.
"They have committed the cris of murder and rape of innocents," I announced, pretending to be so righteous angel as if I wasn’t doing all this for my personal revenge. "And for that, they will be brought to justice today."
"Justice? You?" Amir said, snorting with derision.
I liked his confidence. Despite the pain in his gut, which I assud was no small amount since it was Lydia who’d kicked him, he still continued to be the arrogant asshole he was.
"We are the ones who bring criminals like you to justice," he declared, adjusting his black hair in that flashy, self-important way as he looked around at the crowd like he owned them all.
"Oh?" I said calmly. "Then can I know what kind of cri Guard Vol and Sister Seraphina committed?"
The village folks turned their eyes to Amir. They wanted to know too. After all, Vol had always helped them to the best of his ability, fixing roofs, carrying heavy supplies for the elderly, protecting people when bandits ca through.
And Sister Seraphina was famous among the old folks who often visited the cathedral. She was the only one there who truly knew the verses in the holy book and could preach them to those in need with genuine warmth and understanding.
Then Amir smiled.
His lips curled into sothing ugly and vicious, a smile that belonged on sothing far less than human.
"Seraphina?" He laughed, a grating sound that made people flinch. "That bitch was acting all sweet and righteous with you people, pretending to care." He spat on the ground. "She was stealing the orphanage funds for herself and that bastard Vol. Partners in cri, fucking each other right in front of those kids."
The words dripped from his mouth like poison.
People around him physically recoiled in disgust and fear.
But Amir wasn’t done. His eyes glead with sothing twisted, enjoynt, maybe. Like he was savoring every horrible word.
"She ca crying and begging when we dragged her away from Vol’s corpse," he continued, his grin widening. "Screaming his na like so pathetic whore. It was annoying." He tilted his head, mock-thoughtful. "Had to shut her up eventually, you know? And my n... they were very thorough about it."
He licked his lips slightly, that sick smile never leaving his face.
"Best part?" He leaned forward slightly, addressing the crowd like he was sharing so wonderful secret. "She still tried to go back to those brats afterward. Stumbling through the streets in her torn dress, crying, covered in—"
He laughed again, crueler this ti.
"And you people worshipped her. Called her ’Sister.’ What a joke."
The crowd was silent now, not the silence of doubt, but the silence of pure horror and rage.
So of the won were crying. So of the n had their fists clenched so tight their knuckles were white.
Amir looked around at them all with utter contempt in his eyes.
"What? You want to bla us?" He sneered. "We’re SBV. We are the law here. That bitch and her boyfriend attacked an officer. They got what traitors deserve."
He straightened up, chest puffed out arrogantly.
"And there’s nothing any of you peasants can do about it."
Crunch!
The sound echoed in the silence that followed.
"Huh?" Amir’s voice escaped his lips, confused and shocked.
His knees deford beneath him with a sickening crack, and he fell forward onto them.
"AAAhhhhh..." he scread, his nose running with liquids as he clutched desperately at his shattered knees.
It was Lydia. She’d moved before any of them could even sense her presence.
Amir rolled on the ground, screaming in agony. His voice was raw, desperate.
The people around us gasped, imdiately moving back and creating space. Fear rippled through the crowd like a wave.
Lydia had a perfectly neutral expression on her face, calm, almost bored. But as soone who knew her well enough, and had a knack for reading people’s expressions... I could tell she was holding back from killing him. For my sake.
I’d thank her later.
[You’re strangely calm. That’s a bit frightening,] Nexar wrote beside in his blue window.
’Well... I’m not exactly calm,’ I replied telepathically. ’I’m already buzzing with happiness from what’s about to co next.’
[Are you sure? This could lead to you becoming an enemy of Cass.]
Nexar had a point. He wasn’t wrong.
Although SBV was Empire-funded and had nothing to do with the Duchess directly, SBV was still running under her authorization here. In other words, they were one of the Duchess’s law-enforcing bodies in this region.
Doing the stunt I was about to do, in public, no less, would surely put my na in a bad light on her table.
’It’s up to her what she decides,’ I said. ’It’s not reason enough for to stop this.’
I paused.
’Besides, it’s not like I’m announcing a war on SBV or anything...’
[I’m not so sure... because last ti that flag flew... territories disappeared.]
A smirk widened on my lips as I looked down at Amir writhing on the ground.
Good thing he wasn’t smart like the other Saytans. That figured, why else would he be posted here in a Blackwater village? He was making my work easier by portraying himself as the villain.
Of course, I was going to thin out the line between who the real villain was, him or , soon anyway.
"So, people," I said loudly, addressing the crowd that had gathered around us. "As witnesses, please tell . What kind of punishnt should these devil worshippers face?"
Silence fell over the square like a heavy blanket.
They all looked at the screaming Amir, then back at . Uncertainty flickered across their faces.
That guy was still screaming from just that? From broken knees?
[Pfft.]
Damn, this is embarrassing.
Then ca a voice, a woman in her fifties. She was carrying a small child in her arms as she stepped forward from the crowd. The kid was sleeping peacefully against her shoulder, completely unaware of what was happening.
"The most painful way to die is death from burns," she said clearly, her voice steady and strong.
I looked at her carefully.
"So I suggest we burn them alive."
A flicker of fire suddenly danced around her fingertips as her eyes locked with mine. The flas were small but controlled, deliberate.
Wait... isn’t she... I’d seen her sowhere before....
Where had I seen her?
[Virgin potato.]
Yeah! that’s it!
’Wait.. there are many other ways you can remind , you bastard.’
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