Well. Well. Well. Okay. Where to start? Probably where we left off the last time we saw our little group.
The Hero had stopped his sparring match with Beneltig after ten minutes of confrontation, the latter had given up quite easily while the Hero had not even considered using the threat on his wings. A few days before, he would have done so, but now, after hearing Aveline's story, how could he afford to torture a fairy again?
But what is happening to the man known as the Faceless Demon? Is he going to become a true hero of legend, altruistic and all that?" the Nemesis scoffed in his mind, "Be careful! It'll play tricks on you if you think too much of it. It's just some friendly advice... and a little reminder of the past lives of the ancient heroes of the legend.
- I'm honestly thinking about yakking in my head, you little shit! whispered the Hero in Franca.
I'm warning you like any good friend and you treat me like this?" the Nemesis lamented, "I would have thought that the cruelty that suits you would help you to confront me but I think I'm going to have to take a trip to Sylvania to remind you that everything is ephemeral here.
- But shut the fuck up, at last!" exploded the Hero.
- Who? Me?" asked Beneltig.
- No, not you! But that goes for you too. I'm tired of hearing your whining all the time. Now that you've decided to tell us about this sect, follow me.
The Hero lifted him from the ground and pulled him by the arm and led him into the antechamber of the cellar where Malalalivia and a child were chopping wood to pass the time. They were surprised to see Beneltig in such a bad state after the Hero's visit, although their meeting had lasted at least ten minutes.
- How come he's...," asked Malalalivia.
- I told you that you were too nice and that I had to do the dirty work, said the Hero, now he is ready to sit down to eat.
- This is not the way the hero of the legend should behave, she scolded him.
- Don't worry, I didn't hurt his fairy integrity.
- That's not the point!
- Call the other two," he ordered her, cutting short her reproaches.
She agreed, but swore she would have a word with him later, and went off to bring Lin, Lelelitio and Tarkus. The Hero seated Beneltig in a chair and stood beside him.
- I am in complete agreement with your method," said the boy.
- Thank you, but it is not the right thing to do.
- But it worked.
- Yes, but it's still wrong.
- Do as I say, not as I do. I like you though you don't put the negation in your words like a fat peasant and you are a hypocrite around the edges.
- You don't mince your words when you have in front of you what I can do in ten minutes.
- Because you enjoy doing that?
- No, I don't. Not at all.
- This is the first phase of your hypocrisy, so don't pretend.
- You know you're going to have to leave the minute Malalalivia and her handler come in.
- Okay, okay, I'll stop embarrassing you with my remarks, but know that you're far too big a bad liar to fool anyone. All right, see you later.
And the male fairy left, leaving behind the stake he had created. After him came the princess and the rest of their coterie. When Tarkus came, the tension in the air was electric, Beneltig was shaking all over, but they had agreed with the Cyclops that he should not harm Beneltig either before or after the interrogation. They had to get him back to his family in one piece - the Hero had no idea how to justify Beneltig's death if it happened unintentionally - and anyway, he was Lin's friend, Lin wasn't going to let him be killed in front of him without doing anything so they preferred to avoid a fratricidal fight in their group.
- Right. Now that we're all here," said Malalalivia, "it's time you told us a little more about those men in the red hoods.
- You know that if they find out that you've discovered their existence, they'll do anything to kill you," warned Beneltig, "Lin, I don't want you to be involved in this.
- The life of the Princess-Without-Name-Without-Wings is a game, I can't stand by and do nothing.
- Are you saying that because you used to date her?
- No, because she's simply my friend, and I imagine that beyond being her new champion, the Faceless-Human here is doing it for the same reason as me.
- Yes, but personally, I'm immortal so these fanatics aren't going to do anything to me.
- Ah, because you think your immortality is going to save you," he bellowed at the Hero before turning to his other companions, "there are far worse spells than death and you should know that, Nether-dwellers, the laws haven't always changed and the lower levels of Limbo still exist. You really want to face people who are far too powerful for you.
The words made the whole assembly swallow, except for the Hero who did not know what he was talking about. Seeing them a little taken aback, the Hero decided to slap Beneltig in the face to wake them up.
- I think we've gone too far to be stopped by a vulgar, low-level threat," he exclaimed, "if that's what stops you, not only are you cowards, not worthy of your words, but you, Malalalivia, who admires the hero of the legend so much, do you seriously think that this is the attitude that will allow you to confront the Nemesis? If he attacked your family and played with your emotions, what would you do? Would you get scared? Or would you fight for the ones you love until the end? I'm not saying that all heroes have done it, or that they've all succeeded, but if you want to decide your future, whether it's your life or your death, it's by the power of your hands and no other way.
- You... you're right.
Confront me with the Nemesis?" the fairy princess repeated, "What is he getting at?
- If we all agree, then sit down Beneltig. If it's that dead Great Felon that scares you into abandoning the girl you love, I'll deal with it.
- As you wish, but don't blame me for the consequences of your foolish actions.
He intertwined his fingers, drops of sweat beading on his forehead, he was not at all serene about denouncing his leaders. If they were capable of endangering the dangling head of the kingdom of Sylvania, it was obvious that they could afford to do things unthinkable to the average person.
- As some may know, this group is working on the 'resurrection' of the Great Feline.
- Uh... no, no one knew about that," said the fairy princess.
She looked to the Hero for validation and he gave it to her unequivocally. From what little he'd heard, this Great Feline was a major threat, perhaps not as big as the Maleficent, but for Sylvania, it was of the same ilk.
- Why do this?
- Because he feels that no queen after her is legitimate to the throne of Sylvania, especially since no impeachment procedure has been carried out as it may be with our current queen. He thinks it is unfair to erase her from our history while she is still alive.
- What?" exclaimed everyone in the room, "What do you mean she's alive? Torn the hero is supposed to have killed her.
- It's a secret only to the Sylvanian population. Many families in the nobility know that the Great Felon is still alive, and they know that none of them are capable of standing up to her except for Torn's son Sawyer, but he has not shown any ability to match his father. He is a very good soldier and knight of the queen, but not on the level of the hero of Sylvania.
- And the queen is not able to defeat this witch? asked the Hero.
- No one can deny that the Queen is the most powerful person in Sylvania since the War-Kings, if not more so, but neither she nor they have attained the rank of Arch-Mage, so I don't think it's a good idea to gamble the life of our sovereign against the greatest danger that exists to our kingdom.
- So how could Torn have defeated the Enchantress Witch?" asked Princess Malalalivia.
- You may have already noticed that the pairing of a champion and a fairy princess is modelled on the hero and fairy of legend...
That's right," noted the Hero, "I thought it was harmless, but the bastard is right. All races can defend a fairy just as all the heroes of the legend can be from all races and all fight with a fairy.
- ... but unlike the protagonists of the legend, this process was used to bind them together so that both of them would be able to kill each other in case one of them lost his mind.
- So that's why Torn was able to stop Marrynelia, Lelelitio understood, and I guess if some people think that the knight-saint Saywer Vanguard has the ability to defeat the fallen queen it's because he's her son.
- That's just one theory," Beneltig warned, "and it's the least popular.
- So that means there's a third alternative? said the Hero.
- Yes. And it involves the Wingless Fairy.
- Really, why should she have a monopoly on wingless fairies with her name," Malalalivia whispered to their group, "she's not the only one without wings.
- Who are you complaining to?" whispered the Hero, "I'm the one who gave her her name or didn't give her a name.
- Yeah, but still..." she grumbled.
- Be a bit serious, Malali," Lelelitio reprimanded her, "it's important.
- What nerve! Coming from you, Leli.
- May I continue?" asked Beneltig, annoyed.
The presence of Tarkus was really putting him under pressure, the dark look coming from his one eye, the fact that since the beginning of their meeting, he had not opened his mouth or the palpitation of the veins on his neck played on the fears of the fairy from the nobility. He didn't know when he would be able to pour out all his rage at having deceived him and played him for a fool - and at having taken the heart of his best friend. Noticing this, the Hero demanded that their prisoner continue his explanations. Especially since he was talking about the life of his protégée.
- The fanatics believe that Princess-Without-Wings-And-Without-Names is the reincarnation of the former Queen of Sylvania, because of the strange resemblance between her and my lover.
Queen Audiselia's lies will play tricks on her...
- But that doesn't make any sense, since you just said she's alive in the depths of Limbo," said the Hero.
- Wait," Lelelitio stopped him, "you're not very familiar with anything magical or esoteric, but if Queen Marrynelia is alive, she can't be consciously, otherwise she'd be far too dangerous. I don't even know how she can be kept prisoner if she is not in a coma.
- That's why one branch of the sect thinks that since her body is unusable, she has decided to reincarnate in a new flower of Java-Aleim. But she is not from the right branch of the royal family, so she was born without wings. Killing the Wingless Fairy will bring her soul back into her true body, according to them, and all he would have to do is release and restore her to full strength.
- Wait, what do you mean 'not from the right branch'?" asked Lelelitio and Malalalivia, "You mean...
- Yes. Marrynelia may be called Miriati, but she is a Grave.
The shock was so brutal that Malalalivia fell backwards. Her eyes went wide, her breathing became laboured, breathing in and out heavily, breathless. She couldn't believe her ears. The Great Feline was related to her, they shared the same blood.
It was inconceivable!
- You're lying!" cried Princess Malalalivia, "I can't be of the same race as that traitor!
- And yet you are," confirmed Beneltig, "at least the sectarians are convinced of it... I think I've said enough. Now let me go!
- That's not enough," said the Hero.
He walked over to the fairy and pressed his collarbone and pulled his swollen cheek.
- What did I tell you? We need much, much more information about them. If all you can do is give me a fucking history lesson on Sylvania, I'll hand you over to that woman you fear so much, and I'm not talking about the pseudo-dead one, considering the state you're in, I imagine you can imagine what's going to happen to you if you're accused of high treason. You're not only endangering the kingdom but also the life of the girl you love, all to get away with it.
- Just shut up! Because you think I had a choice? It's not my fault that my family is part of the faction that chose the resurrection of the Felon over the current governance, and since I fell in love with Princess, I was the best person to do it. Is it my fault that the plan is to pass the queen herself to my poor lover? Did I choose to be drawn into something I don't believe in? You can't know what it's like to fall to the bottom of the social ladder because you were already at the bottom, like the rest of you!
- You're a despicable being," the Hero retorted, "I'm not really in a position to make any value judgements, but you little bastard, how can you think I give a shit about your situation. Lives are at stake!
- And they always have been! Whether it's here in the Nether, at Sanctuary or on the other side of these walls, this shell. Many look the other way so as not to lose what little they have, and do not act altruistically to look like a common figure of legend who was not able to open the heavens so that we could see daylight in five thousand years.
- So you would be willing to use other people's lives to get out of it?
- Yes, so what? Life is far too short to use it for someone else when we don't all have an immortality and regeneration factor so powerful that it makes us grow an arm back instantly," he said, turning to the Hero.
Tarkus advanced towards the desperate fairy and grabbed him by the collar of his garment, lifting him off the ground and causing the Hero to lose his hand.
- Did you kill Thoosa?
The Hero had thought about it in view of the recent statements of the Fairy's boyfriend, but he had not dared to ask him the question because of the presence of the Cyclops, after all it did not take a doctorate in astrophysics to guess this possibility.
- Answer!" shouted Tarkus.
The fairy was completely terrified, she knew that if she answered him with as much frankness as he had just done, her head would hit the ground at a terrifying speed and nobody would stop her because of her arrogance. But he was wrong, the Hero put a big blow in the Cyclops' knee and a punch in his ribs to make him drop Beneltig, once on the ground, the Hero put him back in his chair.
- Tarkus, get away from him. I told you that whatever he reveals to us, you have no right to hurt him.
- You've been molesting him ever since. You think you're the only one who has something to do with him?
- Hey guys, calm down!" intervened Lin.
- I don't give a damn about this guy," said the Hero, "I have bigger fish to catch outside, but I can't let children die with their mouths open for lack of food and murdered with impunity, I can't let this girl who claimed to be the friend of a monster be murdered in order to resurrect I don't know what evil queen, I won't let the crazy murderers who took your friend's life when she wanted to become mine too. I'm angry with all my soul to walk along paths strewn with corpses and injustice so yes, I'm venting as I can but I know where to stop because I can remember that this kid is not the mastermind who pushed him to denounce to his leaders.
- Denounce?
- Can you really see him being able to hang someone? He can't even use his ten fingers except to fondle the breasts of his girlfriend and the other gremlins he cheats on her with. So Tarkus, I know you want to avenge Thoosa, but killing him isn't the way to do it... and I don't want Princess crying over a piece of shit like that when he doesn't deserve it.
There was a great silence in the room. By the time this silence lasted, tempers had cooled and everyone was able to calm down. The Hero sat down on the table facing his interlocutor.
- I swear on my short life that if you help us stop them, nothing will happen to you on their part, you will have to pay for Thoosa, but nothing for the acts of treason.
- You act as if you can manipulate the laws of this country," Beneltig replied.
- I am the son of the Queen's late best friend, of course she will listen to me. So tell us what you know about the worshippers of Marrynelia.
It took Beneltig a few minutes of reflection to believe the hero's words, but after all, he is close to the queen, she could surely protect him and his family - despite his madness.
- It is called The Legion of Marrynelia's Worshippers..., he began.
A fan club.
- ... their members are all high-ranking government officials, there are lots of people belonging to the regent family, so all the secrets of the government, they are bound to know, every single detail that the Queen reveals: whether it's ministers, advisors, generals, soldiers or even the Queen's saints.
- Seriously?" says Lin, "I can't believe it. And there's no irony there.
- Is Knight Sawyer in on it?" asked Lelelitio with a touch of concern.
- Of course not," replied Beneltig, "he's one of the cult's enemies since he's part of the queen's faction and father of the one who stopped Marrynelia in her madness.
- Reassured? Your hero is not one of the villains," Malalalivia teased him.
- Leave me alone.
He could hardly hide his joy that Sawyer was not part of the plot against the queen, which made everyone laugh a little.
- Do you know who they are?" asked the Hero.
- No. It's impossible to know their identity unless you're at the top of the hierarchical pyramid, I just know that there are people close to the Queen and that they communicate in two dead languages: one for rituals, the other for communicating vital information within the group. One thing is for sure, they're no joke, they have fierce warriors and powerful mages. If they want to declare a coup d'état, they can certainly do so, given the agents they have in place, and what's more, this 'sect' didn't start yesterday, it's been around for at least four hundred years.
- Oh yeah?" exclaimed Lin, "that long? What have they been waiting for to take action?
- Men, equipment, a suitable territory so that no escape was possible and enough life energy to revive the Witch.
- You mean...
- The majority of kidnapped children or even adults found dead on street corners in the Nether come from them. The rest is the crime that hangs around here.
- And how come none of the queens have heard of it, nor the Grave family princesses.
- Some of them are part of the plot. Not all of them of course, in fact, there's only a few generations of queens who have been part of the cult, but the biggest secret of the group is that they've orchestrated a number of regicides without the population knowing about it, thinking of them as natural deaths.
- It's not possible," Malalalivia said in shock, "did they kill my mother?
- No, they didn't. Being a Grave, the Adorers would never have dared to attack you.
This made Malalalivia very uneasy, she did not know how to digest this information. Was she reassured that her mother had been spared from internal wars within the royalty of Sylavania, or was she disappointed that she had truly died a pitiful death at the hands of an alcoholic, even though she was one of the fairies of the legend? She couldn't answer. Perhaps it was both.
- Afterwards, on both sides, there were murders, without the cult ever being exposed. It was the Queen's insight and her powers beyond comprehension that made the Legion's task much more difficult. They would have thought they could manipulate her, but at one point she rebelled and began to make many plans that went against the Legion's vision. The coup de grace was the 'Electric Wave Telepathy Network', the electric fields that criss-cross the city and allow the Queen to pick up on every word and thought of the inhabitants of the Fairy Forest Kingdom. Whether you are a temporary or permanent resident, a simple importer or exporter of goods, she will know your thoughts.
- That's a bit of an invasion of privacy," commented Lin, amused.
- I don't think she cares," replied the Hero, "and do you know where their hideout is for these Big Cat fanatics?
- Yes, it is in...
Suddenly he stopped talking, his eyes froze and he fell to the ground, holding his neck, the Hero rushed to his aid to identify what was wrong and saw runic inscriptions around his neck, as if he was wearing a necklace. Laughter rang through the room and great scissors passed through the walls carried by some sort of ghostly women dressed in black, their eye sockets were empty yet they seemed to see them, they smiled broadly while the insides of their mouths held nothing. It was flying around our six companions.
- What are those?" asked Lin.
- Mortalis Shears," replied the Hero, "we're not dealing with crap here.
The tone of the Hero's voice was one of concern. These ghostly beings were almost invincible and extremely dangerous. Their ancestors, the Sinful Scissors, were less tough. For once the Hero found himself in a very complicated situation, since up to now he had never managed to kill a single one. She ordered her companions to flee while he found a way to defeat them. He was about to take Beneltig, who was in agony, by himself, but no sooner had he bent over his body than one of the two opponents tried to cut off his head. He stopped the blade of their giant scissors with the strength of his hands but nothing could be done, despite his heroic strength they were stronger than him, he was going to end up with his body cut in two.
He is saved in-extremis by Malalalivia who has come back to rescue him and Lelelitio who is following her closely.
- I told you to leave!
- Except that these things go through walls, I don't want the children to be in danger, she justified herself.
- I'm going to take Beneltig upstairs to identify what kind of runic spell he's been cursed with," said Lelelitio.
The Mortalis Scissors laughed in a shrill voice that made the eardrums of everyone in the room twitch.
- Ah, because you think he's going to get away with it?" one of the two monsters asked in a surprisingly masculine voice, "That ignoramus thought he could betray us with impunity, he's going to pay the price," the voice laughed.
- He should have already suffered his spell, but interference didn't allow the spell to be activated in time," said the other Shearer in a voice that was also male, "so you're forcing us to kill you too.
Magical interference? Another trick of the Hero. But how did he do it? He had no idea, but it suited his case well since it wasn't learning a technique that required magic.
The human and the fairy distracted Beneltig and Lelelitio to escape, the elf inscribed a rune on the door to seal them in the room so that neither monster could escape through the walls. The hero and Malalalivia rolled to the bottom of the table, time to quickly think of a plan that would allow them to defeat these flying reapers with sharp scissors.
- Have you ever met any talking Mortalis Shears?
- Never," replied the Hero, "as far as I know, they have no words. This is a first for me. And don't ask me how to beat them, I haven't the slightest idea.
- Don't worry about that. I do. I just wanted confirmation that outside there were no such monsters with a conscience.
- Why did you do that?
- To make sure we were dealing directly with the child abductors who are talking to us. Follow me.
He did not have time to obey her as she pulled him from the table, the two Shears chased them and the Hero and the fairy princess each ran in the opposite direction dodging their scissors. For a brief moment of respite, the princess explained to him how they would proceed to defeat them.
- If you want to beat them, you'll have to break their scissors in half," Malalalivia told her.
- What are you saying? Their scissors regenerate every time you destroy them, it doesn't matter.
- I did say break in half, they're vulnerable when they only have one scissor in each hand and their faces become breakable.
- Are you kidding?
- Of course not.
- If I'd known, I wouldn't have jumped so many times when I saw them," complained the Hero.
- But make sure you don't get caught between their blades or have to fight them off, they'll use your own strength against you.
- I understand.
The Hero slid under the table and attacked the Shears that faced Malalalivia. The intangible savants, he passed through it and jumped on the nut that secured the pair of scissors, and with his heel, he tried to undo the joint of the weapon but it was not enough, the scissors were far too strong. The ghostly creature threw him against the wall and tried to stab him in the chest, but was stopped by a stone wall that formed between the Hero and it.
- Come here," called Malalalivia.
In the short time that the monster was distracted, the Hero took the opportunity to join the fairy, she told him to hold out her hands.
- Solock, goddess of the earth and nature, lend me your strength and allow me to strengthen our limbs: Metallisation of the limbs.
The arms of the fairy and the Hero became as hard as steel. She performed the same spell on their legs and they both went back to attacking their attackers.
The Hero threw the table at his opponent who passed through it, the Scissor raised her scissors so that they would not be hit by the table, at the same time the Hero who had used the table as a diversion used the wall to throw himself in the air and kicked the scissors to the ground and broke them into four pieces.
- But I told you that you had to break the nut that binds them, not break them completely!
- The blades of the scissors settled first before she could reassemble them, which gave me time to destroy the mask that would serve as her face.
And as suggested by the Hero the Mortalis Shears regenerated the blades of her scissors but as the Hero intended, it would prevent her from reassembling them, so she would find herself fighting it in a way she was not used to: with a sword. The Hero took the broken scissor blades and thrust his fingers through them to make a kind of knuckle-duster sword.
Ingenious, thought the fairy, but will he really be able to defeat her in this configuration, especially since we're in a cramped space?
She was underestimating the young boy far too much. He had also thought about that. The gunfight he was playing with his enemy was to his advantage since the Shearer's blades were far too big for her to face him properly and thanks to Lelelitio's spell, she couldn't make herself intangible to go through the walls and attack him by surprise. Finally, they were not trapped with them, but it was the other way around. At least, the situation had changed.