Triiffic-Soul: Can I Be In Control?

Under the cover of night, the group of former knights huddled around, discussing their next plan of action. 

“Will this really work, won’t we just become bandits at this rate?” One raised concern about the plan that had been set. It had been two days since the suggestion of pushing their way in to take over Arisea Station. 

It was a plan that any local would call deeply foolish. 

But for a group of knights that lived in countries whose landmass covered far greater areas, and even the countryside domains felt to be equal in size to this city. For them, the size of the city and its implements were the telltale signs of its strength. 

A logic that kind of worked in a land that was harassed by monsters and, in recent history, wars. 

A logic that fell apart quite fast when used on another continent.  

Arisea Station was a trading city. It stood at a point where it was the best in-between spot for various countries and important locations. Something like walls would only hamper future development. None of the nearby countries was publicly interested in a hostile takeover at the moment either. 

The land itself was decent but nothing special. Farming operations proved to be inefficient compared to other nearby areas, but the best spots for plant growth also contained a lot of unfriendly creatures. Talks about clearing the forest had happened in the past, but there was much plant life in both nearby forests that people had failed to grow in human crafted environments. Destroying the forest would cause the city to lose much of its valuable naturally occurring resources. 

There was also a Demon Territory close by. The church had made it seem like a war with a Demon Territory could happen whenever, which made people tense when settling near. 

The final reason why no country was confident was the large number of combatants that called the city home. It was one of the easiest places for hunters to find work. Hunting, gathering, or escort work came by frequently. The location that made it such a good trade centre also meant it was the perfect place for hunters to leave and return to for missions. There were always merchants going to every location, so by offering protection, hunters could travel far to various lands for greater opportunities and experience.

“It will be fine. There will be no issue. These are people unused to war and monsters. They are basically children.” The man’s mind went to the moment when, without his weapon, he was able to easily dispatch multiple men in the city. It worked as a good test to figure out the strength of the populace of hunters. Though his mind was forcibly dragged to the guild scene where his body was tied by scorching wires, with that woman looking down at him. “There are some stronger individuals, but nothing we cannot handle.”  

However, the cultural divide continued to haunt them. 

There was some truth in some of his words. Monsters, the abdominal creatures whose existence was a plague on nature, were not often seen in these parts. Fighting Monsters required skill, persistence, caution, and teamwork. 

For knights who had to repeatedly fight Monsters, the idea of going against people who had never even seen one sounded like a laughably easy endeavour.

They at least had the understanding that conflicts with bandits were something that happened. Those skirmishes were nothing compared to the wars they were forced into against other trained combatants who were taught how to fight other humans. 

“Yeah…” Another person in the group replied. “Soon everything will start going good for us.” 

“We might even be able to leave like nobles.” 

“Haha, imagine that.” 

“Our enemies will become jealous of us.”

The group continued to cheer in the delusion of their future success. 

All while someone watched on.

The original one who started talking, Fabian, spoke again. “We just need to take the next step and bring everything under our control. They will understand it is better to work under the order we provide.” 

He looked at hunters as if they were mercenaries. While there were similarities. Syrus was the first to explain the differences to her sisters. One cultural difference, both groups had loud individuals, but in mercenary groups, that tended to be the strongest individuals, as they needed to control a group of feisty individuals who stayed near death.  

Hunters working together usually happened in small operations where everyone had equal say.  

Loud people tended to be the overconfident ones. Exceptions existed, but the exceptions weren’t the ones the knight faced.

In the end, there were too many differences in the culture and process to simply join the two together because both were people who fought for money. It was a path to failure.  

The group that enjoyed their time beside the fire paused as they heard footsteps. The group's hands went straight towards their weapons, and they straightened up, cautious.

The footsteps didn’t sound like they were trying to be sneaky. There was no disturbance in the sound. It was a confident walk towards the group, almost purposely trodden along the bushy and stick-covered path to create the biggest disturbance. 

None of the group went to piss in that direction. A quick count also showed everyone was accounted for.

Fabian noticed a woman. The cloak she wore didn’t hide her facial features. Her red eyes glanced over the whole group and focused on him.

His muscles tensed up. Before the reveal, he assumed it could be a bandit or a night traveller. But the way Syrus walked towards them, he knew she came for them. 

She will learn from her mistake! 

Fabian said to himself and stood up, ready to confront the woman. 

Bravado.

Foolishness.

There were many terms that could be used.

“I see you have mistakenly walked into our camp—” With a loud crack, the metal wire whipped the ground next to Fabian.

With a second whip, the surrounding bushes were slashed apart. Once the area was cleared, there was a clear sight line between the two. The woman and the group of interlopers.

Flames flowed down the wires. The sparks soared upwards like butterflies. It was an ominous but beautiful sight that entranced the knights. 

“Sigh. You really had to cause me trouble.” Anlesa’s words were cold in contrast to the heat of the flames. 

The flames were mesmerising, but also carried the terror of control. 

The knights hoped what they were seeing was a party trick. An act to confuse them… because otherwise it meant they were facing down an expert they weren’t prepared for. 

Eyes of fear were replaced with either delusion of what they were facing or envy. 

If they had the power of people still sung tales about. Then they wouldn't have arrived on this continent in the first place. Though Syrus would disagree with that opinion. 

“Charge!” Fabian ordered, and the group immediately leapt forward with their weapons drawn. 

She carried no weapon. 

Just some whips? How hard was that supposed to be? Once they pinned down the wire, then she would be as good as dead.

What followed the confidence was a dance of metal and flames. 

The wires attacked at impossible angles. Slashing through fabric and leaving searing marks in the flesh. The smell of burning flesh soon began to form with the rapid strikes. 

With the numbers advantage, the group tried to close the gap. So many trained knights should’ve meant they would overwhelm a single individual.  

However, she didn't stay still. Even when the knights were centuries away, she danced around them like they were children. The flames that lit up the dark showed flashes of her unbothered expression. 

No fatal blows had been handed down on either side, but a number of knights were exhausted by the wounds they were stockpiling. 

She hadn’t even used any additional magic outside what was cast to ignite and maintain her whips.  

“Do you think you can keep this up?!” Fabian yelled. Unknown if he was saying this to Syrus or himself. 

Anlesa walked forward. “There has been so much trouble, you see.” Her voice sounded so tired, which almost granted the people on the ground hope. Perhaps exhaustion was taking root. “All because of fools like you.” 

Her words, either egging on or her tone displaying weakness, caused some of the more exhausted knights to act.

“Argh!” The charging knight was slapped away by the whip of flames. Then, before he regained balance, a fiery kick landed on his chest. The explosion of sparks lit up the area, and the man was sent back.

The flames burned ever brighter, as if the show from before was only a precursor to the actual act. 

“So. Here I am tonight.” The flames reached higher towards the sky, but they stayed in single straight lines, indicating that she still had perfect control over them. “Please remember, and never forget.” 

Embers were left in her steps, as she no longer played a reactive role and charged straight into the enemy’s formation. 

For what it was worth, the knights didn’t panic and tried to counter the onslaught with everything they had learned from the back-and-forth moments earlier.

The dance of the night. Flames that looked like wings that were not restrained by any action. 

The fallen knights, the ones who had abandoned their home and now chose to direct their insecurities into crime, were no match for their foe. Slash after slash. The armour, clothes, pride, and spirit were torn apart. 

They tried, but they couldn’t catch the fire spirit that chose them as its target. The woman had become a supernatural entity in the minds of the knights.  

[They are all on the ground…] Eva’s eyes glanced over the crowd. Today was her performance. What she had practised for, with Syrus playing support. In a way, it was almost torturous, as the attacks were meant to bring down her enemies and inflict pain, but never meant to kill. Even the open wounds were cauterised by the very attacks that caused them.

[Excellent work you two.] (Luna)

The victor stood tall, and the decision had already occurred before arriving tonight. 

The debate to kill… Eva didn’t want these men to die. They had killed enough recently, and the idea that every encounter would end up leading to murder was a dark thought she wanted no part in.

Syrus respected that decision. She understood Eva didn’t want to slip into a dark place. Despite Syrus’s own feelings on the matter, she chose to respect it, but that did leave the problem of the men. 

“So, that is it. A bunch of failed knights from Odvale, or is it Bafah? I always get the two mixed up.” Her words were uncaring, but carried a shock through the knights. To them, who carried nothing symbolising their home, anyone knowing where they were from should be impossible. 

“How do you know…?” He asked, but at this point didn’t expect any answer. 

Anlesa rolled her eyes. “I have done my research. Though far from enough, in all honesty.” She stared at the knights. “Now. You have a choice.” 

Her words dragged up the anxiety within the exhausted group. 

“Go back, behave, or die.” The orders were simple.

One of the injured knights who had a searing scar along his chest yelled back, “We cannot go back!” 

They had already abandoned their duty. Going back now would be a death sentence. Either by execution or by being put directly at the front lines with no opportunity to ever leave. 

“I’m not saying you must.” Syrus's eyes glowed with rageful red. “But if you ever attempt such actions like you were preparing for today, then you will wish you had stayed. Because dying to Monsters would be a far more pleasant experience than what I will do to you.”

The flames finally vanished, and even the campfire had been snuffed out during the fight. 

All they could hear was her footsteps as she began to walk away. “It was seriously a delusional plan you held. I almost wonder if you wanted to die? Because even if I wasn’t around, that would be the only outcome. So make do with this second chance.”

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