The Zombie Knight

Boy, these Vantalayans were a real mess. Both politically and psychologically, they were all over the place. Saying one thing, doing the opposite. Arguing over minutiae and trivialities for hours. Perceiving slights left and right. Reading the absolute worst into every single person who didn't share their heady opinions about how their government should function.

Vanderberk found them hilarious.

So easy to provoke. One little word, one little idea floated in their direction--that was all it took to set some of these people off.

He had to give them credit, though. They weren't cowards. They spoke their minds, even to their bosses. Even to their bosses' bosses.

Even to him.

Granted, the latter was none too smart on their part, but Vanderberk could respect it. Not enough to let the ones who annoyed him live, but he could respect it. He made sure they were properly buried afterward, at least. Courage deserved some kind of reward, after all.

This whole war front was quite the shit show. The Vantalayan borders were a constant battleground in both the east and west. Vantalay, alone, was fighting four separate nations in this war. Lyste in the west, and Naos, Yena Maria, and Czacoa in the east. Thankfully, those last three were tiny countries with scarcely enough independent military power to take down a few violent smugglers, let alone the Vantalayan Armed Forces.

He clapped the dark armor back on and launched himself all the way up to her nest with a single, precise platform. The power behind the platform had to be just right in order for him to stick his landing with any kind of grace, but unfortunately, he didn't yet have enough experience using platforms while wearing this new armor.

He undershot it and just barely managed to grab the ledge before falling back down. He needed the aid of a hovering platform in order to pull himself over fully.

Dammit, said a background thought process. That was dumb. This armor was way heavier, so of course a move like that would be harder. He should've just raised a platform up like an elevator instead of trying to be all quick and flashy like a cool guy.

Pauline was invisible, as were all the people around her, but Hector could sense that she was staring at him now.

Well, that was embarrassing.

The invisibility melted away as she presumably realized there was no need for it.

And Hector could see the situation more clearly. The people surrounding her were rather odd-looking. They were still moving, though only just--and quite stiltedly, too. And their eyes--they were about as empty as could be. As if the lights were on but nobody was home.

'And here we have the Lord Goffe,' said Pauline. 'Wave hello, everyone!'

They all waved in perfect unison, though their movements were not smooth or natural-looking at all.

Hector began to get the picture "...What are you doing?" he said with a sigh.

'Oh, just killing time while I await some dashing hero to come check on me and make sure I'm not dead. What took you so long, huh? I get bored easily, you know.'

"I can see that..."

'Heh. Just thought I'd have some fun with our prisoners. I haven't played with humans like this since I was just a little chick.' Her feathers bristled for a moment. 'Because it's unethical to do on normal people, I mean. I didn't know any better back then. Hadn't yet developed into the mature and charming beacon of moral virtue that I am today.'

Hector abruptly felt stupid for having worried.

'Nice armor you got there, by the way,' she went on. 'Making a new fashion statement? Quite dark and scary. Oh, is it to intimidate your enemies? You should add some horns in that case. Or like an evil face, maybe.'

"Sazandara has been captured," said Haqq.

Hector's eyes widened a little. That was news to him. "Do you know where she is being held?"

Haqq shook his head. And after a moment, he seemed to realize something. "Ah, but I should clarify. She was not captured by Abolish, which is a small mercy, I suppose."

'If not by Abolish, then who?' said Garovel.

"Hahl Mateen." Haqq's weary gaze became briefly sterner as the name left his lips. "She was visiting them when word of the invasion arrived. A perfectly amicable meeting between old friends. Until that news changed everything. The Mateens went into hiding and took her with them, as their prisoner."

A glum silence filled the air until Garovel's soft voice broke it. 'They must not want her feeding you information regarding their whereabouts.'

"That is what she surmised, as well," said Haqq.

Damn. Hector knew the relations between the Hahls were bad, right now, but taking prisoners? That spoke of an extreme degree of paranoia. Or even malicious intent, maybe. If they wanted bargaining chips for future negotiations, then reapers made for pretty strong ones.

"But at least I know they will not harm her." The man sighed. "Unlike my brother..."

Agh. Hector felt for him. He wished there was some way of helping Asad. Knowing that he was in Morgunov's clutches couldn't have been much more comforting than news that he'd been killed. "Rasalased told me that he thinks Asad will make it through this."

Okay, maybe Rasalased hadn't used those exact words, but that had been the general sentiment that Hector had inferred.

Haqq didn't look particularly comforted, however.

Hector decided to drop the subject.

Before they got any closer to Pauline's nest, Hector suddenly thought better of having Haqq present for this. He doubted that she would appreciate being introduced to more strangers.

Well, her father wouldn't appreciate it, at least. She'd probably be delighted, now that he was thinking about it.

Either way, Hector asked Haqq to return to the castle, too. The man protested, though not hard, and then was off.

Pauline's nest was in the center of the decoy castle, at the top of an iron tower. He planned to provide her with a better one, eventually, but thus far, she'd seemed largely satisfied with it.

Thankfully, he could already sense her there via the Scarf of Amordiin.

But she was not alone. Which alarmed him.

Hector sensed the outlines of many other people surrounding her.

Haqq Najir, of course, was a man that he had met before, back at the Golden Fort in Sair. He was also the brother of Asad Najir. And in their last meeting, Haqq had not been particularly nice.

Hector had known that Haqq was with Hahl Saqqaf's entourage this whole time, but he had yet to actually have a face-to-face with the man again. Which seemed strange, considering how prominent of a figure Haqq was within the Sandlords. And Hector had been wanting to talk to him, too, if only to see how the man was handling the news of his brother's capture at Uego.

But Hector had just been so busy. And seeking Haqq out hadn't seemed that important.

Here and now, Haqq Najir was looking rather haggard--not very much like the busy, attentive man of science that he had before.

Perhaps that wasn't so surprising, though. His escape from Sair had no doubt been a harrowing one. In fact, the look on his bespectacled face reminded Hector of Salvador Delaguna, a man who had lost many family members recently.

Thinking about all that, it was hard to keep the concern from his voice, but he tried. "Hello again, Lord Haqq," said Hector, offering a handshake.

It took the man a few moments to shake it and meet Hector's gaze. "Hello, Lord Goffe..."

Hector felt like he should say something more, but nothing came to mind. And a brief silence arrived.

Abbas seized the opening. "Well, it would seem that I am not needed in the defense of Warrenhold," he said, "so if it is all the same to you Lord Goffe, I shall simply leave a couple of my sons here with you and then return to Lorent. There is more work that I would see done. Perhaps you could call me when you are prepared for the examination?"

Hector gave the man an affirmative nod. "Alright."

And since he was already heading in that direction, Hector ventured with them back up through the Entry Tower and saw them off. Apparently, they'd brought a helicopter, though not all of them needed to use it.

Only a handful of Saqqafs remained behind, along with Haqq Najir.

Hector bid the others to go back down into the castle and make themselves at home, but Haqq stayed with him, as per his assignment.

Then it was just Hector, Haqq, and Garovel.

'...Where is your reaper?' asked Garovel.

He also needed to update the Queen, of course, but checking up on Pauline's well-being was more pressing, he felt. While he was fairly sure that the Sparrow hadn't gotten hurt during the fight, he wanted to be certain. Plus, there were a few other things he needed to talk to her about.

The trek was annoyingly long, though. All the way back down the Tower of Night, across the courtyard. But before he could make it back to the Entry Tower, however, the Saqqafs found him again.

"You are not resting?" said Abbas.

"I was going to, but I forgot to take care of some things," he said. "Did you need something?"

"I wasn't going to bother you, but while you're here--" Abbas was still armored up, and he showed both of his empty hands to Hector, which was momentarily confusing. "--the helmet you gave me to examine has disappeared."

What? Oh. That was strange. Had he done that accidentally when he dematerialized the rest of the armor? He rematerialized it into his hand and offered it again. "Huh. Sorry about that."

Abbas took it, then held up an armored finger. "One moment, please." Then he leapt away from the ground, rocketing up toward the distant cavern ceiling, reaching all the way to the place where the Tower of Night met the gray stalactites. He hovered there for a second, then came quickly back down and landed in exactly the same spot.

Hector noticed instantly. The dark helmet was no longer in his hands.

"Yes," said Abbas. "You did not do that, I assume? It appears to be dematerializing on its own once it is beyond a certain proximity to you."

Oh.

Hmm.

"This material is clearly quite different from your normal iron," said Abbas. "It even breaks the conventional rules of materialization."

Hector scratched his temple. "Well, that's good to know, at least. I guess I won't be making any spare copies of my armor, then."

"It would seem so. And if I am to study this material, you must remain close to me."

Dang. "Then I suppose we'll do that later. The other things I have to do right now can't wait."

"I thought you might say that," said Abbas. He nodded to someone behind him, then waved them closer. "In that case, Haqq will follow you around and perform preliminary examinations on it for us."

And Hector blinked as Haqq Najir stepped forward.

<"Very well, then. But who was it that attacked you, exactly? Did you get their names?">

"Banda Toro was their leader."

There arrived a rustling sound. <"You fought Banda Toro?!">

"Yeah." Briefly, Hector considered mentioning the Magician of Light, too. It might be fun to hear Carl's reaction to that. He decided against it, though. He didn't know if Xander would appreciate having his name thrown around for shits and giggles. "He brought a party of twenty-seven."

<"Twen--?!">

Not all of them had escaped or been killed. Some, Pauline had managed to capture with her psychic powers. What to do with them, Hector still had to decide. Thankfully, Warrenhold was not lacking space for prisoners, and he would likely have plenty more time to mull his decision over. Joana Cortes had taken point on handling them. He'd have to talk to her soon.

As for this conversation, however, Hector wasn't totally comfortable telling all of the details to Carl--specifically, the fact that he had captured Banda Toro's reaper. He knew only too well now that Carl was reporting on him back to his superiors in the Vanguard.

He could still tell Carl one more thing, though. "Banda Toro is dead."

<"You... you slew the Raptor of Kortan?">

Egh. Technically, no. But he didn't want Carl to ask about the reaper. So he decided to ignore the question and move on. "With their scouting mission a failure, I'm not sure what Bloodeye's next move will be. If he doesn't invade Lorent soon, then he may not do it at all, now."

<"Ah... yes, perhaps. His attention is no doubt divided numerous ways. But a scouting party of twenty-seven seems quite a large commitment of resources. Were they all servants?">

"...I'm not sure," Hector admitted. The thought that some of them might have been normal human beings hadn't even entered his mind, but he supposed it was possible.

He felt a bit worse about shredding some of them to pieces with iron. And considering it was Abolish, could some of them have been forced into that mission against their will?

Maybe he would ask Grigozo about that later.

Those were all thoughts for background thought processes, though.

"You should talk to Ravi again. Ask him for an update from whoever his source is."

Carl groaned. <"Fine.">

The Vanguardian had a few more questions for him, but Hector couldn't provide any answers. They soon ended their call, and Hector moved on to his next task.

Finding Pauline.

'Weren't you just telling me that I need to be more self-confident or some shit?' said Hector.

'That was different.'

'How was it different?'

'It just was. Stop questioning me.'

Hector snickered and shook his head. He rematerialized one of his gauntlets, just to make sure that he could. Yep. Worked just fine. That was a relief, at least.

He yawned. Man, he was exhausted.

And it was more than just his body, he realized. He'd felt this way before. It felt like his soul was tired. Or maybe his aura? Or neither? He had no idea how else to describe this sensation, whatever it was. He just knew he needed to sleep.

He lay back down after dematerializing the last of bits of armor on him. He could change his shredded clothe slater.

Right as his head hit the pillow, however, his eyes eased open and stayed that away.

Because he remembered something else that he'd forgotten.

Multiple somethings, as a matter of fact. All assaulting his mind at once.

Fuck.

He sighed and sat back up. It was going to be a while before he was allowed to get some sleep, he knew.

He looked for his phone. It was there on the night stand next to his bed.

He called Carl Rondel, the Vanguardian advisor to the President of Lorent.

Thankfully, the man picked immediately. <"Yes? Any updates for me?">

"My home was attacked by some of Bloodeye's scouts," said Hector. "But it's been taken care of. What about you? Any news for me?"

<"They attacked Warrenhold?!">

"Yeah, but we're all good, now. No casualties."

<"But there's been no other attacks reported! Why would they skip all the way to your fortress in Atreya without invading Lorent first?">

That was indeed a good question, Hector felt. "It was a scouting party," he reiterated. "Could be that they're still uncertain about whether they should invade Lorent or not."

<"Then Zaman's information was off. The fool said a major offensive into Lorent was imminent.">

"It'd be nice if he was wrong, but it's a bit early to be feeling relieved. You're sure there's been no other activity?"

<"I'm certain. I have men stationed in almost every city in the country, providing constant updates and check-ins. If an attack is launched, I will know of it in minutes, one way or another.">

Hmm. Maybe Carl had more people working for him than Hector thought. "Alright, well, call me if something develops, and I'll provide support however I can."

'Of course you don't,' said Garovel. 'But c'mon, now. You just brought down Banda Toro in single combat. Frankly, you had no right winning that. And yet you did.'

'Well, eh... I mean, I didn't really win, though. His reaper released him before the fight could be decided, so--'

'Oh no, no, no. You're not going to get away with doing this again. You always try to pull this shit. Everyone else sees what you did and realizes that it's amazing, but then you constantly find things to nitpick so that you can continue to feel all self-conscious and unworthy of all the praise you've just earned. Nice try, buddy, but not this time.'

'I... uh...'

'Yeah, that's right. You've got nothin' to say, because you know that I'm right and that you're wrong. Just take the win, Hector.'

This seemed like one of those things that Garovel was going to harp on and never let go, for some reason. And while Hector appreciated the reaper's fervor, he didn't feel like getting sucked into some kind of back-and-forth silliness, right now.

Maybe later.

'Alright, Garovel, whatever you say.' He started working on getting his armor off, starting with the gauntlets. They were being stingy, though, as if they were glued to him.

It didn't take long for Garovel comment. 'What're you doing?'

'Trying to get this stuff off.' Agh. Goddammit.

'Just dematerialize it.'

He kept struggling with the first gauntlet. 'This armor is brand new and super weird. I'm kinda worried that if I dematerialize it, I might not be able to rematerialize it.'

'You already rematerialized it, though.'

Hector paused. 'What? No, I didn't.'

'Yeah, pal, you did. When I invoked the healing, back when you were still talking to Grigozo. You dematerialized that shoulder piece there to let me touch you, then immediately rematerialized it thereafter.'

Hector paused again. And kept pausing.

'...Did you really forget?'

Hector puffed up his cheeks as he recalled. Then he exhaled through his mouth. Dammit, the reaper was right.

'Wow,' Garovel went on. 'I know you have the flawed memory of a filthy corporeal being, but goddamn, Hector. That was like twenty minutes ago.'

He dematerialized most of the armor at once. His clothes were shredded, save only the Scarf. 'Why is it that whenever I start to feel kind of smart, I always end up doing something that reminds me I'm actually a big dumbass?'

The reaper chortled. 'Does that really keep happening to you?'

'It sure feels like it!'

'Maybe it's the universe's way of keeping you humble.'

'Wow,' was all Garovel said.

Hector just waited, though. He didn't know how to follow up after saying all that.

Garovel seemed to be having trouble, too. 'Okay, well, um... I really wasn't expecting you to pour your heart out to me like that, Hector. I'm quite uncertain what to say now. How dare you say all of those nice things. You know I don't take sincere compliments well. You have to layer them with sarcasm or insults. Or sarcastic insults.'

'Oh, is that how it is?' said Hector. 'Well, maybe if you weren't so stupid, then you would've understood all of that stuff already and saved me the trouble of saying in the first place.'

'Yeah, okay, that's more like it. Thanks.'

'You're welcome.' Hector lay back on his bed. He still hadn't taken his armor off, save the helmet, which was with Abbas now. He didn't much feel like moving, was the problem. Taking this off was going to be a pain. Or perhaps even impossible.

'...I really mean that much to you, huh?' said Garovel. 'You sure you're not just saying that because the reality of the situation is that keeping me out of combat is the pragmatic thing to do?'

Hector arched his head up to look at the reaper again. 'Of course not. Although, that IS true. If I get killed, it's barely an issue. If you do, we're both fucked. I get that you want to contribute and be helpful, but you already are, Garovel. In so many other ways.'

'Mrgh.'

Hector cocked an eyebrow. 'Did you just growl at me?'

'Maybe. Y'know, it's really unfair when you make your case from both a rational and an emotional standpoint. How the hell am I supposed argue against that, huh? This is bullshit.'

Hector just laughed.

'Alright, you little jerk. Fine. I'll trust your judgment and stop causing a fuss when you run off all by yourself from now on. But I do think we need to train together more. In the event that I'm forced into the fight, it's best if we're prepared for it.'

'I can agree with that.'

'And besides, I'm increasingly coming to believe that the safest place I could possibly be is right there by your side.'

At that, he had to sit up again. 'I'd... like for that to be true, but I don't think I'm there yet, Garovel.'

'There was no way I could bring you with me on this fight, Garovel. Not when I was so uncertain that I would even be able to DO anything. Exposing you to that kind of danger would've been pointless.'

'The point, my dear friend, is so that I could have helped you. Hector, I realize that you want to keep me safe, but you must also realize that I want to keep you safe, as well. And I can't do that if you keep pushing me away like this.'

Hector finished the journey to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. He flipped the light on and found it just as he'd left it. More space than he would probably ever need. His armor continued to clink as he went straight for his bed and sat down.

He didn't start taking off his armor yet, though. He just looked up at the reaper there.

At his best friend.

'Garovel, I don't...' Agh. How was he supposed to put this? He scratched his brow. 'Look. I'm happy that you care about me so much that you're willing to risk your own life in order to protect me. But... you also don't need to act like I am as important to you as you are to me.'

The reaper's skull reared back a little. 'What are you talking about? "Act like?" I'm not acting. You ARE that important to me, Hector. Do you not realize--?'

'No. It's okay. I'm not saying that to be mean. But let's be honest here. I'm just one of... twenty-two servants that you've had, right? So you've been through this song and dance before. Plenty of times.'

'Hector, that doesn't--'

'Listen! It's okay, Garovel! It really is!' Hector almost wanted to laugh. The reaper truly didn't get it, did he? 'I'm not saying that you think of me as just some tool to be used and thrown away or anything like that. Okay? I understand that you're concerned about me. But it's not the same from my end, Garovel. Not even close. To me, you are... you are more important than anything. I mean, you... you saved me.' He shook his head and laughed faintly. 'And I don't just mean with the whole undead thing, either. I mean... when I had no one, I had you.'

Garovel made no response.

'And you're still there for me. You haven't stopped being there for me this whole time. So to say that I'm as important to you as you are to me... well, that's just not true. Because it can't be. The impact I've had on your life doesn't even compare to the impact you've had on mine. Understand? Garovel, if something ever happened to you, like if you were to get captured by Abolish or something, then I... I don't know what I would do.'

The conversation didn't get much better from there. Multiple times, Hector had to struggle for the right words, reiterate points, and even start over to try and explain things chronologically.

He told them about the fight, about the lower realm of pure iron, about the creation of the new armor, and about his encounter with the Magician. Then about the fight again thereafter. That part seemed to create the most confusion, somehow. Probably because he sucked so bad at explaining.

But eventually, everyone seemed to understand. For the most part. Either that, or they simply grew too tired of trying to figure out what he was saying. They all had other things to be doing, after all.

They all went their separate ways, save Hector and Garovel, who headed over to his room in the Tower of Night so that he could get some sleep.

As they made their way across the high bridge that connected the Tower of Day to the Tower of Night, Hector couldn't help feeling like the reaper was being suspiciously quiet. He wasn't sure if he wanted to say anything yet, though.

The view, at least, was quite incredible from the tall, paneless windows along the bridge. All the little lanterns that now outlined each of the eight great towers and central courtyard below created a kind of starlit look to the giant cavern, as if the whole night sky had somehow been captured and brought down here.

Perhaps Garovel was too enraptured by the sight to say anything, at the moment.

Hector highly doubted it, though.

As they neared his room, however, the reaper finally spoke up, albeit privately.

'We need to have a serious conversation, Hector.'

He'd been getting that impression, as well. 'About you being left out of fights?'

'Yes. This can't continue.'

Hector exhaled a heavy breath and started up the final staircase to his room. 'Garovel...'

'Hear me out. I get it. You just want to protect me. And I appreciate that. I know it comes from a place of good intent. But I also can't just sit on the sidelines and let you go out there, alone. And yes, things have worked out well enough for you so far, but I'm sure that you yourself will admit that a lot of that has come down to either luck or things beyond your own control.'

Hector reached the top of the stairs and stopped. He could tell how important this was to Garovel, so he didn't want to just brush the reaper off.

But at the same time, he didn't know if Garovel knew how important this was to him. How important he was to him.

It felt more than a little strange to have a man who was probably three times his age or more being so polite to him, but Hector tried not to let it bother him. There were more pressing matters in the moment.

With Grigozo out of the way, he could talk more freely to Abbas. "I'd also like you to take a look at this for me," he said, handing his helmet over to the Sunsmith.

Abbas took it, though not without hesitation. "Why? You do not already know what it is?"

"I... have an idea, but I'm not sure."

"Is it not simply an alternate isotope of your normal iron?"

At that, Hector had to pause. He supposed that was technically possible, too. Isotopes hadn't even crossed his mind. That was something he'd been planning to put more effort into practicing, but there were always so many other things competing for his attention. Plus, he wasn't sure how useful it would even be, at this point. "...Actually, I think it might be composed of the same material as the Amir-9."

"Excuse me?!" said Abbas.

'What the fuck?' added Garovel privately.

'I've got a lot to tell you later,' thought Hector.

'Sounds like it.'

Abbas pulled him aside, though still not out of earshot of the others. "How in the world could that possibly be?!"

Hector could sense the other Saqqafs leaning over the table, straining to hear. "It's... uh... kind of hard to explain."

"Hector. I'm beginning to notice a pattern with you..."

"What do you mean?"

Rather than answering, the armored man merely sighed.

"Oh, and there's a possibility that someone from the Vanguard might show up here in Atreya, soon."

"What?!"

"They'll be looking for me, not you. But if you're concerned about them discovering your whereabouts, you should probably be extra cautious around here--at least until I tell you otherwise. I have to get in contact with the Magician of Light, first."

"The Magician of--?!"

'Hector, what the fuck are you talking about?!'

Okay, maybe he was info-dumping a little too hard on them here. He scratched his head, trying to rethink his approach. "Look, everything's fine. I just... might've... slipped through a dimensional portal or something during my fight with Banda. And then some... weird shit happened, and, uh..."

"Oh!" said Roman, who was suddenly standing there next to him. "When you got eaten! So that's how you were able to claw your way back out, then? Because of some weird shit?"

"Uh..."

A few at the table were staring at him with wide-eyes, Hector noticed.

'You're covered in blood,' said Garovel privately.

Ah. That made more sense.

This new armor had certainly done its job better than Hector ever could have hoped for, but even so, if he hadn't been undead, he likely would've ended up no more than canned meat by the time that fight had concluded.

But he could worry about that later.

Hector held up the iron box holding the captured reaper. "This is Grigozo. He was the reaper to Banda Toro, whose empty husk is over there." He motioned toward the much larger box behind him. "Grigozo has surrendered and offered to tell us all he knows of Abolish or anything else. I was thinking of letting Hahl Saqqaf take the first crack at him, while I get some rest."

Raheem perked up on the other side of the table. "A generous offer, Lord. Thank you."

Something tickled the back of Hector's mind, though. A thought or feeling that he couldn't quite recall but that still prompted him to say something more. "He is still my prisoner, however. I will be upset if I find out later that he has been mistreated. Is that clear?"

Raheem settled back down a little, then looked toward Abbas.

"It is," said the Sunsmith, his expression unreadable beneath his armor.

"I'm sure Grigozo is still exhausted from the fight himself, so if he needs time to rest, then that's fine. I think we can afford to have some patience, now."

"Very well," said Abbas. "And why have you brought Banda's body back with you?"

"In case someone wanted to study it," said Hector. "Your hahl is free to take first crack at that, too. In fact, now may be your best chance while most of the Rainlords are away."

"Hmm." Abbas took a step toward Banda. "This fellow was like Bloodeye, yes?"

"Yeah. I figured that might interest you."

"Interest may be a strong word. But if nothing else, I suppose I should take a look at his remains so that we might be better prepared to fight more of their ilk."

Hector looked toward Raheem again. "Would you mind taking Grigozo off my hands?"

"Not at all, Lord." Raheem stood and came over to do exactly so. "Where am I to take him?"

"The West Hall in the Star Tower should be fine. You can introduce him to Ericoros, if you want, but have some other reapers present, please."

The man returned a firm nod. "As you say, Lord." And he was off.

Raheem Saqqaf was Abbas' eldest son. His square jawline might've at first given the impression that he was a stern, no-nonsense type of man, but Hector had come to know that he was actually quite tender-hearted, which perhaps explained the softness in his eyes--and why he was the first one to approach and ask after Hector's well-being.

Hector was still struggling to learn all the other names. Abbas had so many sons and grandsons that it was hard to keep track. He was glad they were all here, though, because it meant that Warrenhold had ample protection while he'd been away.

When he finally met up with Abbas himself, the man of course had questions for him, but Hector just wanted to know that everyone was safe, first.

"They are, indeed," said the Sunsmith as they arrived in the East Hall, the largest chamber in the Entry Tower. The man was in his own armor, which was quite a bit bulkier than Hector's, making it more of a task to navigate these narrow staircases. He made do, though. "All have been accounted for. And it would seem you have already taken care of the battle for us. I feel a bit silly now for worrying so much."

Hector exhaled a heavy breath. "I'd say you were worried just the right amount. That fight was no picnic."

"Ah... in that case, I apologize for not arriving more swiftly." Abbas had been in turns eyeing the boxed-up husk and also Hector himself. "New armor? When and where did you come by this?"

"That's, uh... I'm not entirely sure how to answer that, actually..." Hector took a seat at a large table, and everyone else began following suit, save Abbas. He heard his poor chair groan under his sudden weight, then he decided he might be better off standing, after all.

Which apparently made everyone uncertain about whether they should sit or stand back up to, too.

Aw, shit. Uh. "Er, no, please sit, everyone." The awkwardness permeated the room, but they listened.

Hector removed his helmet. He had a little trouble getting it off at first, but it came free. He didn't want to just dematerialize it, in the hopefully off-chance that he wouldn't be able to rematerialize it again. He planned to have Abbas examine it later, but first things needed to come first. He looked toward Badat Saqqaf, the youngest of Abbas' great grandsons--or, probably the youngest, Hector thought. "Would you mind running to the Tower of Night and telling everyone it's safe to come out?"

The fully-robed boy gave a furious nod and bolted off, disappearing down the staircase on the far side of the room.

Hector had to wonder if that was really true. Sure would've been nice if it was, but his natural pessimism made it all but impossible to believe it. And while he didn't know much about Bloodeye, the guy didn't seem like the type to let things go. "You really think he'll give up just like that? I was under the impression that he wants the Sunsmith's head really badly."

'Oh, he does,' said Grigozo. 'You are certainly not mistaken about that. But even with the victory at Uego, the situation in Sair is still tenuous. If that country slips away from Abolish's grasp, much of the blame will fall upon him. A loss here, to you, will not likely affect his reputation much, but a loss there would be devastating.'

Hmm. When he put it like that, Hector was abruptly tempted to march over there and start raising hell. If most of the Rainlords weren't still in Vantalay, then he would've been more than just tempted.

The conversation didn't last much longer from there, as Grigozo's tone began to quickly sound more haggard and less focused. Perhaps the reaper was just faking it in order to persuade them to let him rest, but judging by Grigozo's visibly trembling form, Hector doubted it. He didn't have trouble believing that the exhaustion was simply catching up to the reaper now that the question of his immediate survival had been answered.

And so, they headed back to Warrenhold.

Banda Toro's ashen husk was not left behind, either. Maybe it wasn't appropriate to take his body with them, but leaving him there in the middle of an open field seemed pretty weird, too. Whether or not they would grant him a proper burial was also a lingering question in Hector's mind, but at the very least, he figured that some of their people might want to study his remains in order to learn more about this mysterious "Chaos form," as Grigozo called it.

He expected Garovel to finally give him a piece of his mind on the way back, but the reaper merely remained quiet the whole time. Granted, it wasn't actually that far, so maybe Garovel was just waiting until they had more time and privacy.

But there was quite a bit to do before they would have that, it seemed.

Because Hahl Saqqaf had arrived in force while he was away. A couple of Abbas' sons met up with them before they even landed and began asking about the situation, as well as everyone's condition. Hector could sense Pauline lingering nearby, too.

There was a certain degree of reluctance in Garovel's voice, and Hector couldn't exactly blame him. It was hard to cut Abolish any sort of slack. Maybe this was more than Grigozo deserved.

"Well, you can relax a little," said Hector. "We accept your surrender."

Garovel hovered up behind Hector's shoulder. 'Hello there, Grigozo. My name is Garovel, reaper to Lord Darksteel here.'

Hector could feel Garovel trying to find an opening in his armor, presumably to invoke the regeneration and numbing vigor, but the reaper was apparently having difficulty. Which was a bit strange. But after a couple moments, Hector just dematerialized his right pauldron.

Oh god, that felt better. And he could see clearly again, too. With his actual eyeballs. He'd almost forgotten that was even possible.

And to his mild surprise, Grigozo's blurry, blobby form didn't become much crisper like everything else in sight did. Perhaps it was the after effects of pan-rozum. Or maybe from releasing Banda's soul? Hector had never seen a reaper do that before, now that he was thinking about it.

In his foremost thought process, however, Hector had to confirm something with Garovel. 'Banda's soul isn't there anymore, right?'

'Yeah, it's gone. Ugh.'

Banda's leftover husk was now much clearer as well, and Hector could understand the reaper's disgust. The smoking, distorted corpse was even more grotesque than he expected it to be. The skin was already an ashen gray and beginning to flake off.

'Y-you...' Grigozo's form shuddered visibly, though Hector wasn't sure why. 'You were not even using pan-rozum during that fight?'

Oh.

Uh.

Hmm.

Garovel chose to skip past that question, which was probably the right thing to do. 'You're not looking so good. I think we'll let you get some rest before we continue with the questioning. Unless, of course, there is something particularly pressing that you feel we should know right away. Such as another imminent attack, perhaps? Being forthright with that information would go a long way with us.'

'I... ah...' Apparently, Grigozo needed a few more moments to answer. 'I... could be mistaken, of course, as Bloodeye's mind is at times even a mystery to Bloodeye himself, I think. But with that being said, I believe that Bloodeye will not risk another attack on you any time soon. Truthfully, he should not have even bothered with this first attempt in sending Banda. When we do not report back, he will likely realize that this continued pursuit is not worth the resource expenditure.'

"Do you know Lozaro's current whereabouts?" said Hector.

'Yes,' said Grigozo. 'Or at least, I know where he is most likely to be found. If you are to seek him out, however, then I would advise you to be exceptionally cautious in your approach. He is a man that has been on the run for many years from not only the Vanguard but also the Mad Demon himself. Lozaro is a man paranoid beyond measure. Any sign that something is amiss, and he will flee--and be quite difficult to pursue, I suspect.'

"So?" said Roman. "Where is this guy, then?"

'If you accept my surrender, and give me your word that you will not kill me, then I will happily tell you.'

"Uh-huh..." Roman gave Hector another look. He seemed like he had plenty of questions for Hector, too, but now obviously wasn't the time for them.

Hector still wanted to wait for Garovel's input before formally accepting, but... he was already feeling quite certain that he wasn't going to kill a defenseless, surrendering reaper. That just seemed flatly too cruel.

He decided to ask one more thing first, though.

"If I were to ransom you to someone, would you rather they were with the Vanguard or Abolish?"

At that, Grigozo seemed to finally struggle with finding his words.

Hector just waited, though.

'That... seems a loaded question to me.'

"Why?"

'You ask me to choose between certain death and a life of torment.'

"You really think the Vanguard would kill you when you have so much valuable information you could share with them?"

'Yes. If I were lucky, they would milk me for all I was worth and then put me to the sword. If I were unlucky, then I would be given over to one of the many malevolent idiots that infest their ranks, and they would simply skip to the end. Either way, it is not something I would choose.'

'Hector,' arrived Garovel's private voice.

Ah. Hector searched for the reaper's presence and found it, though it was still fairly far away. 'Garovel, I think I'm just going to accept his surrender.'

There came a pause. No doubt, Garovel was not pleased with being left out of the fight again and wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but the reaper stayed on topic. 'You sure about that?'

'Yeah. We can keep him prisoner, can't we?'

'We can. What's his name, though?'

'Grigozo.'

'...Alright, that's fine for now.'

'No,' said Grigozo. 'I will make no such excuses for my involvement. Though I was an unwilling participant for many years, it would be both naive and disrespectful to claim total innocence. In fact, if I were so innocent, then it would not be mercy on your part to spare me. It would simply be the right thing to do. Mercy, I feel, is a thing that can only be rightly granted to someone who has transgressed, as I have. So please, have mercy upon me, Lord Darksteel.'

Roman gave an audible sniff. "When the fighting stops, all of a sudden you're a philosopher, huh?"

'I would not refuse such a flattering label,' said Grigozo. 'Though, the truth may in fact be that I am simply attempting to continue talking in the hope that my death will be prolonged even just one second more. I cannot claim to be in the most cogent of mind states, currently. Perhaps I am being foolish, but I cannot seem to stop talking. Is there anything you would ask of me? I assure you that I will be entirely honest, if only to increase my odds of survival by the barest margin.'

Holy shit.

'Please, anything you wish to know is fair game. Hold nothing back. Regarding me? Banda? Abolish? I will speak of whatever you wish. Nothing is off limits.'

Well, more info on Abolish certainly wouldn't hurt, Hector supposed. One thing in particular came to mind, actually. "What can you tell me of Lozaro?"

'Ah. You know of him already. Yes, that is indeed a wicked man if ever there was one. I have met him several times, though our most recent encounters have been far more memorable--and not for pleasant reasons. Are you perhaps curious about the monstrous Chaos form that Banda took during the fight? I could tell you quite a bit about that, too, if you are interested. Though, admittedly, it is still rather mysterious to me in many ways, as well. Perhaps I should not overpromise. Ah--'

Grigozo sounded strangely calm and articulate, despite how much he seemed to be floundering. The reaper's fear was still apparent, but Hector found it curious, nonetheless. He wondered what this reaper was like when he wasn't scared shitless.

'Lozaro, yes? You were asking about Lozaro. Indeed, I can tell you about him. But is there anything in particular that you would like to know? I, ah, seem to be having trouble summoning any specific piece of information to mind on my own, at the moment. If you would be so kind as to point me toward a point of interest, then I am sure I could--'

He was just going to keep going until someone butted in, wasn't he?

There was, however, someone else already present. Hector only just now noticed the figure descending slowly from the sky over yonder. And even though he couldn't yet make out who it was with his eyes--which admittedly weren't working so well, at the moment--he could still tell who it was. Kind of.

He supposed it was aura again, but he'd never actually sensed Roman's aura before. Not like this, at least.

It felt more like an educated guess than actual knowledge. That warmth. That concern. That curiosity. Not to mention, the ability to fly? Yeah, that seemed like Roman. Hector waved him closer, since he seemed hesitant.

And indeed, Roman's approach sped up, and the man landed softly at his side. "H-Hector? You... ah..." His gaze went toward the reaper, and he said nothing more, perhaps not wanting to let something slip.

Hector appreciated that, but at this point, he wasn't sure it would've even mattered all that much. "I'm okay," he said tiredly. It was a statement to himself as much as it was to Roman. He just had to hold it together for a little while longer. "This guy says he wants to surrender."

"I, uh... I see."

'Yes. My name is Grigozo, and I am throwing myself upon your mercy. Please, I beg you. Spare my life. I will do you no harm.'

Roman scratched his temple, looking arguably even more uncertain than Hector felt. "Just like that, eh? If the roles were reversed, would you have been merciful to us?"

'If it had been up to me, then yes, I would have. Perhaps you will not believe that, but it is the truth. But I will admit that you would likely not have been spared, regardless of my feelings. My relationship with my servant was... not like the relationships that you enjoy, I suspect.'

Roman gave Hector a sidelong glance. The expression on his face looked at first doubtful, then perhaps just worried about Hector again.

Hmm. Did he really look that bad, right now? Well, he sure felt like it, so it wouldn't be that surprising. Was his neck broken? And maybe his spine, too? Agh, he didn't want to think about it. Better to focus on the conversation.

"Are you telling us that you were just a hapless victim this whole time?" said Hector. "That Banda Toro was the only one who meant us harm?"

It wouldn't stop moving, though. Meal was tough. Needed to be softened up more.

Vomit would do it. Flaming acid.

Mrgh. Something wrong. Stomach hurt. More than normal. Where claw go? One missing.

He bit down harder. Wanted crunch. Rrgh. No crunch. Why no crunch? Mouth hurt. Why hurt? Why not numb? No sense making.

Rrgh! Frustrating! Bite and thrash! Meal not stop moving!

Agh! Rrgh... Ooh...?

Spinning. Not right. World stretching. No sky. No ground.

NO! ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS!

Grigozo?

Darkness.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!