"Mono/Dialogue"

  'Inner thoughts'

  Narration

  [Message]

  Date: March 1076

  Location: Bounty hunters and mercenary HQ, Northern Kazimierz

  POV: Narrator

  A tavern has been turned into a temporary HQ for K.G.C.C contractors. This pce is quite spacious and located as close as possible to be reached from all over the country easily.

  They didn't open a temporary HQ in a mobile city due to security reasons and the fact that the countryside is in desperate need of capital investment, something K.G.C.C. can't possibly pass up.

  Mercenaries come from all over the pce around Terra, but Sarkaz mercenaries are the most common. They're a people who excelled in warfare, something that has been cultivated, courtesy of their oppression for millenniums. These Sarkaz are a belligerent sort of bunch, but they get jobs assigned to them done with the highest chance of success... until she joins the hunt.

  A single, lighter shade, grey bike had arrived and parked itself in front of the building. The mercenaries and bounty hunters that had been crowding the entrance made way for a certain Pythian dy. Those who know death daily can vividly feel how positively drenched she is with the smell of death.

  Her notoriety and certain moniker were enough to warrant that much, else you would need a painful remainder. The st incident was still a crystal clear event living rent-free inside their head.

  "Here and give me the payment as usual." Nyx said curtly while handing her subjugation proof, need to maintain her mask after all. Mercenaries are a bunch that let their abilities do the talking. Problems were solved through fist exchange and some broken bones... and death...

  And she is proficient at causing extreme amounts of pain with utmost haste. She is both respected and feared after turning several bounty hunters who tried to nab her head for a hefty bounty into minced meat while looking bored and uncaring all the same. It is very hard to forget how she killed 10 people, one for each second, who tried to mess with her.

  Another one was when she just shot through the bystander that was taken hostage. It was a real stain on her name, but also a commitment to get the heck out of dodge. Her desirability to rescue someone is so low that anyone who tries to get her with that kind of job is being questioned whether they are commissioning for an assassination in a roundabout manner.

  "Understood, is there anything else you would need?" The receptionist's nerves are being strained, she was just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill, kuranta corporate dy who got the misfortune of being reassigned here. Added to the fact of who she is talking to at the moment...

  "Hmm... I don't know..." Nyx leaned in closer, even with her bnk face, which made the receptionist subtly blush.

  "Do you have red contracts worth my time?"

  "I... Yes! There are avaible contracts that might be worth your time." She was about to get charmed... but managed to snap herself out with professionalism alone. Truly the prowess of a well-experienced wage sve is nothing to scoff at.

  "Then what might those be?"

  "A group of outws has been spotted not far from Grunwelt, while there are reports about problems regarding the increasing infestation of dire tuskbeasts near Strelz-Holt. They had been categorized as red but... with your reputation in mind, it might be no different for barely being yellow, Lady Nyx."

  "Hmm... process it for me, I'll head to the bar for now." She just left the receptionist, much to her relief due to her almost colpsing preference and the fact of how dangerous this particur mercenary is.

  Nyx is now heading to the bar, other mercenaries are also present but there is a tacit understanding not to bother each other unless necessary, something that Nyx is grateful for. Her entrance causes them to look at her before looking away just as quickly, however.

  The pce only gets rowdy by evening, usually, that is. The patrons are first and foremost fellow mercenaries, then some eccentric clients mingle with mercenaries, next would be the information brokers, and stly, the local civilians (locals or otherwise) who come now and then to requisition a mercenary or two or just zing around.

  She doesn't know how that piece of info would be kept hidden, however... Ursus army will surely report it to their high-ranking officers and people in power. Thus it was quite odd why they didn't try to spread it to potentially cause a political scandal for the Adeptus.

  'Ironically, now I'm wishing for a political shitstorm to dey or even buried the truth from reaching their leaders... but what's done is done. I gained ties and more enemies... cssic duo...'

  Nyx just approached the bartender who immediately paid his utmost attention, her reputation had made her quite a subject of interest.

  "Bartender, the usual."

  "On it, Lady Grey Serpent."

  She scoffed when someone called her that, her mercenary, or guerril warfare really, reputation was harder to control compared to her one-time saving of knights. She transferred the necessary payment, took her order, and left towards the partitioned saloon section upstairs.

  Once inside, she started scanning for a certain person, then she found him. She finally takes her seat near him. The bar is quite lively, but she can sense that several mercenaries are paying her the utmost attention subtly the moment she heads upstairs.

  Now she is just rexing in her seat while waiting opposite the Kuranta man. He smiled amicably and initiated the conversation between them.

  "How is business?"

  "Raining, flooding, the usual patterns."

  "Your work ethic is cut above the rest I have met so far, I would not even doubt you of forming a PMC group."

  "I despise paperwork, I can command but I'll always prefer to be a grunt."

  "It is usually the other way around."

  "Well, I'm hardly usual."

  The man then scans his surroundings without making it too obvious. He started messaging Nyx through his PT, he continued his idle talks with her.

  "It would be better to be a PMC then."

  [Are you still considering our proposition?'] his message was read by NYX, she pyed along.

  "The PMC huh... why should I?"

  [I'm, but there was that certain cuse in there, care to eborate?] Nyx replied through text

  "Being part of PMC usually covers anything you need while having more opportunities towards potentially high-profile clients. Legitimate contractor of a PMC will also reduce the amount of negativity compared to being a mercenary..."

  [Sure, you're technically a free contractor but will be receiving aid from us on par with an official operative. Also some monetary benefits and access to several stashes of inventory.]

  "Fun, you're skirting around the negatives..."

  [And that implies I would be without backing on the surface, effectively throwing me away when things go awry. I don't see why I would want that.]

  "Heh, how careful of you. They're just infe-"

  [Perhaps you can work officially?]

  "Infected or not doesn't matter, we'll all die in the end."

  [Then, I have no interest in becoming someone else personal janitor for now.]

  "Indeed, we can all die..."

  [Very well then, the st thing we need is you turning hostile to us. A master in Guerril Warfare would be an annoying foe to fight.]

  The man just smiled amicably and left his seat after paying his tabs. Nyx stays where she is to just cool off for a while. Joining a PMC does have its merits but she is reluctant at the moment. Then regarding that man...

  "..."

  Nyx was not at all surprised that some groups had been coming forward to recruit her. She didn't know what kind of group for this one exactly. She just knows that a man called Zeny, a pseudonym or codename most likely, had contacted her after a masterful dispy of outws massacre at Westerptz.

  Kiril had cautioned her about a certain group but she has no proof that man was a part of it.

  One thing is certain, she is being viewed as a potential pawn, a useful tool, or most likely, a threat. It might be best to leave Kazimierz soon, she would miss Nelka but she had pnned so with her safety, and by extension the vilge's safety, in mind.

  Seeing that she is more or less done cooling off, she starts heading downstairs back to the public section of the bar. Once again, eyes are being subtly kept at her.

  Seeing a stool vacant near the wall, she sits there while leaning against the wall.

  Nyx took a sip while listening to hushed conversations and gossip all around. She can listen and eavesdrop when she puts her utmost attention to it.

  "Londinium is a mess, there is a power vacuum in there. Duke on Duke duking it out on the street..."

  "Lungmen? Yeah, I know Lungmen. The pce was allegedly a paradise of inclusivity, but I say that's hogwash."

  "Did you know that rebellions are springing up in Ursus? We could make some quick buck there."

  "Oh, that? I heard the old emperor kicked the bucket. The new moderate emperor had rallied several armies to oppose the Warhawks, mainly the sixth armies... or so the rumors crow on."

  "I also heard that Ursus put down an infected uprising, good riddance I say."

  "Shh, don't say that out loud. There are infected mercs here too."

  "Will you bet again on the next Kazimierz Major?"

  "Yeah, it is quite predictable nowadays. I can net 80 thousand Heller if I bet correctly."

  "LMD worth keeps multiplying, Lungmen is becoming a financial powerhouse."

  "That's her right? She is gorgeous... you think I have a chance?"

  "Sure, if you wanna lose your little Jimmy then go ahead. At least you will be more useful for the local morgue that way."

  "Fucking Sanktas... their guns are hel expensive, even a box of their ammo would cost me an arm and a leg."

  "Speaking about Sankta, Sarkaz devils have a hate boner on them. Which is why when either met, blood will flow 9/10 times."

  Just the usual drabble and ramblings, but she did note an interesting conversation...

  "What about the gig in Sargon? The Padishah agree with our proposed payment?"

  "Yeah, he promised us the gold bars."

  "Sweet, to think that just sitting around making a parameter could net us a hefty stack of gold bars."

  "I know right?"

  Sargon is it? The things Nyx knows about that region is that it works akin to Bedouin tribes in the desert and Aztecs or Mayans for their jungles...

  'It might be a good idea to pay my alleged homend a visit somewhere in the future... why am I heading straight towards a problematic region is something I can never understand...'

  'I must come clean with Nelka... even if it would make her hate me.' Nyx has been denying her violent peculiarity after the song she had sung before for years. She can still feel that a good chunk of herself is still left trapped in the maze of her mind... one side tugging and pulling one another… or that’s the good scenario, god knows what will happen when she snaps.

  While also recalling the very mess she caused years ago beneath the earth. It would be prudent to accept it else she slip towards the path of no return...

  "Welp, back to work." She downed the rest of her drink, it was not alcoholic actually. Only an idiot would drink liquid courage or stupidity in the middle of work, Nyx values her work ethic the most.

  Definitely, without a doubt, not because she is a lightweight nope, not at all, definitely not her reasoning.

  Thus the Pythian dy is back on her janitorial shift of mowing grass gigs...

  Location: Wdirosa, Northern Kazimierz.

  POV: Nelka Ramona.

  "... You're leaving?" I can feel my heart breaking apart. I thought that she would never leave now, she had been accepted here. She is one of us.

  "Sorry, it has been long overdue. I was never meant to be here for long..."

  "..."

  "I... hope nothing is wrong with that... right?" Her face is bnk but I can see her anxiety brewing within her gaze.

  "Well... can we just talk... truthfully... without anything in between, just for the two of us?"

  Nyx inhaled sharply then nodded while answering in a quieter volume of voice, totally unlike her usual voice devoid of fluctuation.

  "... Very well..."

  We then walk in silence towards my house. Father had recovered for the most part, but he is now crippled due to his left foot that must be amputated due to gangrene. Jan had taken up the mantle of chief for Wdirosa.

  The vilge has become quite famous due to our action of repelling Ursus army contingents on our own. That is quite an important piece of information, especially when a lot of vilges were left devastated by Ursus' scorched earth policy.

  On one hand, the nobles are paying more attention to us while giving some much-needed help with a noticeable priority level. On the other, we are under scrutiny and being propped up for public news and what entails our fame.

  We lost people years ago thus putting us in a pinch, but the Knights had been helping with our vilge recovery, some of our militia was even offered a pce as squires.

  Mr. Tymoteusz had been inducted into a Knight Order and is now undergoing training. The campaign knights had corrected me that the Knight Order is a step above the Knight Club.

  The difference is that the Knight Order can act as an army while the Club can't. There is another reason, a Knight Order needs a Primus in charge, or else they would be demoted back to being a mere Knight Club.

  Our fields which were devastated had been recovering. Some soils are still dangerous to traverse, courtesy of mines being pnted when Ursus retreated for good. It is still quite hard to spot every single one, just yesterday we found some that thankfully didn't explode.

  My musing had been cut off when we finally reached my home. I open the door and look inside, no one is there. Father must be doing some paperwork in city hall, he reasoned that he could still work just fine, honestly that father of mine is too stubborn...

  "Sit down, let's just… be truthful…" I told her, unconsciously raising my voice a bit. I'm still holding on to hope...

  She did what was told, and now I'm sitting right across the table from her seating. We just sit there in awkward silence. I sigh weakly to break the ice.

  "Hah... what made you leave?"

  "I... my presence will harm this vil-"

  "I LOVE YOU! AND I DON'T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT THIS SO-CALLED HARM!" I shouted with tears that were now streaming freely down my cheeks.

  Nyx said nothing, she closed her mouth while I kept mbasting her with my grievances.

  "WITHOUT YOU I WOULD HAVE DIED BACK THEN! WITHOUT YOU THIS VILLAGE WOULD BE DESTROYED BY THOSE DAMN URSUS SOLDIERS!" Calming down a bit, then I continue.

  "What about Lina? She will be hurt more than I do along with other children, you're their surrogate mother or real aunt at this point. What about Jan? He looks up to you, he was getting better at leading thanks to your advice. Then what do you think Immanuel would feel? He looks at you like his own child... a child he never has... AND YOU ARE THROWING THOSE AWAY DUE TO SOME EXTERNAL HA-"

  “The fuck do you know? Girlie?” I flinched hearing her tone, so ft and dry, mirthless and filled with hate… her eyes had gzed over, and I could feel her contempt fring within her eyes that glowed amber, erasing that pleasing and serene pink hue with red full of hate… for herself.

  “N-Nyx?” My voice quivers in fear, but my heart bleeds seeing her heartbroken smile. I can observe how her eyes’ color keeps darkening.

  “Yeah that’s right… the moment I show myself, the absolute piece of shit that I am, you fuckers just chickens out… This is what I am…” She sighs, and her smile turns to a frankly terrifying scowl… I can feel the stabbing look she gave me… so why are you looking so desperate?

  “Tell me… girl… what sort of lunatic can ugh after shooting a damn nobody who got caught up with her shit? I’m that lunatic.” She smiles, a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes which are burning with shame.

  “Tell me…” Her body starts shaking, her hands are clenched so hard I can smell iron seeping through. She fashioned herself as this unflinching and self-assured woman… so why are you looking so vulnerable now?

  “… What good is there for me to stay here? I’m a fucking time bomb.”

  “Y-you’re not…”

  “I’M NOT FUCKING WHAT?!”

  “…”

  “I had skinned a man alive, I had colpsed a whole dam, and I had done numerous wonderful sins within these 4 years! Is that what a normal person actually look like?!” She stood up from her seat, a manic glee was now adorning her face.

  “Oh, you should have seen how I made a brother beg for his little sister to be allowed free! Both of them said that they were raiding a caravan since there was no other choice! Hah! Good jokes, I had heard that numerous times! Guess what I did? I allowed the sister to go… if she was willing to shoot her brother. Long story short, they declined and died as a good pair of siblings!”

  “Or that one time I leveraged a piece of shit who double-crossed me, I fuckin’ cut a stomach open and filled it with Originium explosive then telling the poor sod to be a good chap and die! Hahaha! That shit was hirious when the PoS’s fellow shits gather around only to explode into a blood bits!”

  “But! But! But! I had yet to find a better masterpiece than when I caused a family of svers and kidnappers to get torched to death! God that was cathartic seeing how I orchestrated that they all died a gruesome death! I just incited the local popuce with pieces of evidence of what they had done beneath those shitty amicable faces of theirs!” A perverted glee… that’s what I can surmise… my disgust starts to rise, but my pity ever more so.

  “The dad was seen hanging on the ceiling with his entrails around his neck! The mom was red hot in the firepce, well-cooked! Their retives were being poisoned with smoke haze, and their children… C-Children… G-God… w-what have I-I-I done…” Terror dawned on her face. Her manic glee is gone, and her eyes starting to turn pink once more… but that only made her disgust, self-hate, and shame all the more visible.

  Nyx colpsed where she once stood not long after. My body already moved towards her, I could feel how her body grew feverish but paradoxically cold, she by assailed with terrible tremors and seizures. Her eyes shaking in terror, and her face is paler than ever.

  “N-Nel… I-I can’t remember… God, why can’t I remember!?” She starts crying while breathing roughly, every eave of her chest seems to be her gasping through punctured lungs. I can only imagine what she had gone through, and even then nothing will compare to what she had witnessed personally.

  “I know that the family deserves it! but the children… god… I…” Her hands are clinging to me, and her nails are digging into my skin, but I can’t help but pity this woman. She sobbed and sobbed, and sobbed for god knows how long… When her tears finally abated, what was left was a woman with an empty smile pstered on her face.

  “You have heard it right? I’m a monster… I don’t even deserve to cry for what I had done… So please… let go of me…”

  “No…”

  “Please, Nelka. The st thing I wanted is to hurt anyone from here…”

  “… Freya lost her husband in 1072, and you helped her. Teaching her how to knit and make simple things… look at her now, she doesn’t have to worry about her 3-year-old child being left hungry.” I caress her cheek softly.

  “…”

  “Then you have Valushin, he lost his leg, right? Who taught him how to move, how to make his life easier, and even more importantly taught him how to become our proficient sentry? It was you, right?”

  “… I…”

  “The point is… you might be a monster. You might be the worst hypocrite we all know… but you’re also the reason we are still alive at the moment. Maybe I, Father, Jan, Lina, and, hell, Immanuel himself might had been killed.”

  I gently pull her into an embrace. She squirmed for a moment, before letting herself be supported by me. Her eyes are still downcast, well I can’t have that.

  “You might be a monster, but that also means that you can be better. It will come slowly, or it might never even happen… but remember that you always have a choice… and you have us, as well as we have you. You had sunk low, so the only way now is up.”

  "You’re fashioning yourself a sadist, right? If we look back at the war, I can see the truth in that. More importantly to me, however…” I leaned my face closer to her she started blushing red… my… how cute~…

  “You're still the kind Nyx I always know right?” She nods timidly... look at her getting all shy now...

  "You're implying that your peculiarity is uncontrolble, so why did you take care of the children with utmost attention and care, shouldn't an uncontrolble person cause problems soon enough? Sounds like your peculiarity being uncontrolble is bogus to me. Then wouldn’t a real complete piece of dung just spat at everyone who asks for help, and even then demanded outrageous reward? Were you like that?" She said nothing, but shyly shake her head… Ugh… I want to kiss her so bad…

  I lead her towards a pce where we can sit, we are now sitting on the sofa next to each other. I let her head rest on my chest. Lovingly embracing her... heh, look at this girl acting all needy now...

  "You're not uncontrolble. You're confused, dear."

  "Confused?"

  "Yes, if going on a journey would help you find yourself then make peace with your peculiarity... then go ahead... just know that... even If my love goes unanswered... you're still someone dear to me."

  "...."

  "Then the stuff about fooling us all with what, that soddy masks of yours? Well, I don't care, the fact that you're being fully honest just made me feel special!" I beamed at her... and she ughed while crying... I also ugh... this dy is quite expressive when her true self is not hidden behind some pitiful mask.

  "Ha ha ha... hah... people usually get mad when being fooled you know?"

  "Well, I'm indeed mad. But you're our Nyx, so I'll you off the hook if you're the one cooking dinner this time around."

  "Sure... you're now... yes... my best friend..." ugh! I take some damage... is this the famous friendzone’d people keep talking about?

  "Urkh... guess I failed huh?"

  "That you did, my dear best friend..." this woman... heh

  “Although…”

  “Hmm? Mmmfh!?” She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She- She-

  “Nelka? Hello~?”

  “Y-You idiot!” I can feel my cheeks burning, damn this sinful woman!

  “Hmm? Pfft… Hahahahaha!”

  “Heh… Hahahahahaha!”

  Then we just ugh pleasantly... getting rejected feels... weird? Bad? I don't know, or I'm just in the coping phase. Well, I did get my answer. It hurts yes but she should consider me someone special, hopefully.

  That night when Father and Jan return home, they notice a fluffy atmosphere. When inquired about what happened I just pinly stated that Nyx would leave the vilge. Father and Jan were not surprised, they are still quite sad, however.

  Nyx had also met her father figure. After coming clean with him too, she shyly called Immanuel "dad", the tter couldn't hold his joy and started hugging her tightly Nyx also had the most peaceful expression ever, her face truly showed how badly she needed parental figure.

  Then Immanuel starts lecturing Nyx for a whole day about what not to do in Mobile City, what she can and can't do regarding her arts solo training, and all kinds of stuff. She listened attentively, not caring about me spectating the whole thing.

  I just grinned on the sideline at her expense. It's quite surreal seeing her usual aloof and indifferent expression (mask) being so meek openly. Need to get used to it, I guess...

  The next day she said her farewells and predictably her departure was deyed for a whole another week since the children pleaded and wailed for her to stay.

  I let the kids have their fill of their Aunty Grey. She also promised that she would send letters every now and then. She then reassured us that she would be back somewhere in the future...

  [END OF CHAPTER]

  Author Note:

  Hello this is me, myself, and I, the author who suck at writing drama.

  This is the most cking part that I admitted. It was too forceful before, so I changed it into a gradual but rapid descent into mental instability. Go ahead and bash me or something…

  Also, what did she do to Nelka? Who knows~....

  The mercenary contracts will be marked with colors.

  Blue: Minimal-risk, usually menial tasks such as patrolling a vilge.

  Yellow: Minor-risk, usually survey and limited combat.

  Orange: Average-risk, combat-oriented, and re-subjugation plus expedition.

  Red: High-risk, combat-oriented, charting unknown regions, or guarding vital positions.

  Bck: Fatal-risk. reserved only to eliminate a highly dangerous target.

  Grey: Risk level varies, Specific commission without mercenary HQ mediation.

  Update as usual.

  Also, FUN FACT! Immanuel is younger than Nyx's real age.

  How old is Nyx? Well.... Only counting how many years since she woke up, she is 7, more or less. :D

  Ciao.

  (P.S: A certain faction had prepared the necessary documentation on Nyx in case she gone apeshit.)