The Queen's Pillars, Chapter 6

When the soldiers of Valus arrived, the Pillars had already lead the Black Dogs back to the surface in wait of them.  The men, 15 in total, were each kitted in an impressive set of steel armor of varying degrees of wear underneath a blue and gray tabard, the one in the front being the most worn looking.  Nonetheless, his armor was polished enough that there was a sheen where the metal was visible.  And given his apparent experience, it made sense that he was the least shocked by the sight of 14 men all laid out on the ground, either unconscious or nearing it.

The few that were still awake crawling towards him and begging for help, despite being known bandits, certainly got him, though.

He looked up to see the black armored raiju who had contacted him in the barracks sitting against a wall, just as bloody looking as when she first came.  Once he and his men had come to a stop, she and the other monsters came up to him, the amazon at the front.

“I shall assume that these are the prisoners the raiju mentioned?” the lead guard said.  “I saw the blood on her, but I didn’t expect to see this much carnage.  It’s a wonder that they’re still alive, honestly.”

“I made sure to only strike where there were no major arteries or organs,” Hisako said, almost clinically.  “And all bones that were broken can be fixed, albeit not to what they once were.”

“I… see,” the guard said, he and his men unknowingly continuing the tradition of being unnerved by Hisako.  “Then, we should get them loaded into the carts.”

And indeed, the Black Dogs were lead into their transport, some carrying their fallen brethren, some simply finding a seat that would give them enough space for them all to fit.  They were each placed in chains once they were seated, surprising compliant of their plight, and though it seemed unnecessary to do so now, a lockless antimagic collar was placed on the mage.  The hellhound in particular found a place for her husband to sit before helping get her men in the carts and getting her own set of manacles.  For what it was worth, she was a caring leader and wife, if also a bandit.

“Thank you… eh,” Aquilina said, only now realizing that she did not know his name.

“Sergeant Barrett, ma’am,” he said, knowing what she was going to say.

“Aquilina, then,” she responded.  “Do you think you can get these people back without any issues?”

Barrett looked back to the prisoners.  Even ignoring just those that looked obviously beaten and bloodied, and weren’t likely to be moving within the next few hours, the Black Dogs were ramrod stiff, each wary under the cold gaze of Hisako.  None of them wanted to be around her, and the fact that she could see them meant, to them, she was far too close for comfort.

“I shall come with you, in any case, as insurance, if any of them tries to run.”

So hearing her say that brought some barely audible groans out of those who were still conscious, and whimpers from those barely conscious enough to register it.  Hisako, however, only hopped up onto one of the less filled carts in the back, the wood of it groaning as her unreasonably heavy, armored form landed upon it.

“Hisako, they’re scared shitless,” Belial said, the words sounding odd coming from an almost childlike voice, “especially of you.  I don’t think they’d run if a gazer enthralled them.”

“I’m not taking that chance,” Hisako replied, not moving from her seat.  Her hand, however, notably tightened around her halberd.  “If any attempt to escape, then I can bring them back while the guards keep the others from doing the same.”

Belial’s eye was twitching now.  So instead, she went to regard the guards.  “If she kills any of the prisoners, don’t be surprised.  She’s just insane, and needs serious help understanding that murder isn’t always the only solution.”  She said that within earshot of Hisako, and even kept an eye on her at the second sentence, hoping to get a rise out of her.  That she instead got a rather sullen expression from Hisako actually concerned her.

However, deciding that she would have her own conversation about that, she went over to the cart that she and the other Pillars came on.  The rest slowly followed her, never bothering to looking back at Hisako.  For her own part, Hisako didn’t look back to them either.

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Hisako’s ride was silent.  Obviously, none of the Black Dogs were willing to say anything.  The most they did was glare at her when they thought she wasn’t looking, and turn their gazes once she glanced at them.  None of the soldiers wished to talk to the bloody, black armored raiju who had hitched a ride with them to keep their prisoners “corralled”, either.  Some held the suspicion that she was waiting for a reason a finish whatever job she had started with the ones who were already broken.

The almost predatory way she looked to each of them, a look similar but all too different from the one that monsters of the wilds would give to a potential husband helped with their assumptions.  There was no emotion in her quick scanning, but those more experienced could tell that she was sizing each of them up, searching for the one who would try to run, and which of those might get the farthest in the short time he had.  So it didn’t take much for them to know what she was thinking when she finally stopped on one poor soul.  Her eyes caught his, and for a moment, an air somehow more uncomfortable than before passed over as she stared him down.  She looked away soon enough, however, then leaned and closed her eyes, looking as if she were preparing to sleep.  And for almost an hour and a half, the Dogs looked as though they were waiting for a moment to try to escape.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, given their likely fate had they tried), they would not get the chance to do so, as within another few minutes, they were inside Valus, the Colossal City.  And, perhaps to show her disappointment that none of them would get to try, Hisako sighed after a swift glance, something only the most perceptible of the people surrounding her caught.  But soon, they were within range of the prison hold proper, and this gave the Dogs a chance to put a greater amount of distance between them and her.  All but the hellhound, her husband already being brought in by another set of guards.

“You’re ruining this for us,” she said, very sulky sounding.  The soldiers were now coming to detain her.  “But I think you know that, don't you?”

“I would say that I have ruined this for you.”  She held a hand out to signal the soldiers to wait, though.  She felt like there was more.

“No,” she continued, “I mean for us.  Monsters.  You don’t think that, for every person you kill, or every person you break, the Order doesn't just get another reason to want to kill us all, to bring back the original Paladins and get rid of us?  Do you even know about them - the Originals?”

For an instance, Hisako gave a mild shudder, and clenched her weapon in a death grip.  “I remember running from them before and after the Convergence.  I would say that is quite enough knowledge.”  She stepped off the cart, and as before, the wood groaned from the shift in weight.  “Either way, as a bandit leader, you aren’t doing anything better than I am.  In fact, I’m sure you’ve killed humans before, whether you admit it or not.  Or are you only saying that to make me rethink my position, maybe give you some sympathy?”

“No.”  The hellhound also got off her cart, allowing herself to be lead away by the men.  “But I was unknown, and unimportant as far as the world was concerned.  As one of Alexi’s Pillars, you’re gonna become famous, and just as soon, your attitude towards life will hurt more people than you think you're helping.”

With that, she was brought into the prison, and soon her cell, at that point currently occupied by her husband.  Hisako only watched her long enough to see her enter the building.  She looked up, and sighed as she recognized that there was still no clouds within distance.  So, she pointed herself in the general direction of Aurox, let the last dregs of stored electricity course through her, and took off.  She hadn’t noticed, but Barrett had come out to offer her a ride back, only to catch her as she left, leaving behind another path of stomped, scorched earth.

In less than a second, she found herself in front of Queen Alexi’s castle.  Then, her vision blurred, and a sudden dizziness struck her.  She knew what was about to happen though, as she leaned against a wall.  Then she vomited, mostly bile with hints of blood and her last meal that burned at her throat as she unwillingly, though acceptingly expelled it from her body.  As the last of it came out, she coughed, then spat to remove the taste from her mouth, though she knew she would need something more to help her.

“Are… are you alright?”  The voice of Vapula was something unexpected to hear.  That had to mean the rest of the Pillars were there, too.  “You never told us about that when you showed off your powers, so I assume it’s not normal.”

Once Hisako’s vision began to clear, she wiped her mouth and turned to look behind her.  Vapula was not the only one to seem at least marginally worried.  Even the snarky, aloof Belial seemed concerned for her.

“It is very normal,” she said, not at all helping to dispel their worry.  “But only if I overextend my powers without a constant supply of lightning.  This could have gone worse, though.”

“Couldn't you just generate lightning like other raiju?” Belial asked.

“I could, but it is nowhere near as potent as a lightning bolt,” Hisako said.  She took a step forward, and stumbled.  Aquilina was close enough to catch her, but she almost fell from the sheer weight.  Hisako hadn’t realized how much she had overdone it today, and softly nudged Aquilina off of her.  When she had backed away from her, she looked over to Vapula.  “I would appreciate one right now.”

As she had when Hisako first came, Vapula brought her hand up, allowing lightning to course between her fingers.  Then, she fired a bolt to strike her.  Hisako clenched her hands, but when it was done, she looked notably better for it, however still slumped she was.

“Now, I feel a bath is in order.”

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The Pillars made their way to the castle baths, Aquilina once again helping Hisako along.  Though, not without her own complaints.

“How are you so heavy?” she asked.  “I know you’re in all that armor, but this is ridiculous!”

“The armor adds 80 kilograms to my person,” Hisako said, clinically.  “Outside of it, I am about 83 kilograms.”

Jehona spoke this time.  “The armor the soldiers wear to joust in is only 50, and that severely reduces mobility; how can you even move in that?”

“Those of my order had to train their bodies to be able to wear this armor,” she continued, then gave a small smirk.  “The first generation genes also help.”

Three more minutes passed, and they entered the bath area.  They each began removing their various sets of clothing, some having blatantly less to remove than others.  The newest, however, was slow on the draw.

"I had assumed that we were goingninto our own bathing areas, not sharing a communal one."

"We usually do," Jehona began, "but I decided we could use your own words against you.  This is a great way to bond, and maybe even learn more about our 'scary new member'.  Those are the guards words, not mine, to be clear."

Nodding at that, Hisako set to the long process of removing her armor, gingerly setting each piece on a bench, where she would clean them later.  When she was left with only her bodysuit, she concentrated deeply, and it slowly began to dissipate, as though it were being absorbed by her skin.  When it was gone, the Pillars having watched the spectacle go down, the first thing they noticed was the bandages wrapped around her chest.  The second thing was the dozens of scars that marked her - as they now knew - muscular body.  Each one likely had a gruesome story, from the small areas where arrows had struck, to the large slashes across her body where swords struck, to the barely healed burn marks on her sides.  And once her wrappings were removed to reveal her chest, one made itself incredibly prevalent: an old scar of a single stab wound, right where the heart would be.

“Every one of these scars has a story,” Hisako said, “and has molded my own.  Should we truly become friends, you may learn some of them.”