*Archi deVon Versi*

  Archi had learned how to fight from a young age, her father having foreseen her eventual joining of the ritual expedition had wanted to give her the best chances possible. However, he also wanted her to play the perfect lady, and learning how to swing a sword was about as far from that as possible.

  She had brought up to her father the impossibility of fighting well in the dresses that were in fashion, had even had quite a heated argument when they were packed in her wardrobe for traveling. What kind of idiot would enforce noble dress code on a ride through demon territory? Archi’s father apparently, and for the sake of appearances, she also had gone unarmed, with strict orders to do nothing unless it was absolutely necessary.

  Now she was standing with a sword she had pulled off a corpse, blood soaking into her dresses sleeve as a soldier coughed up blood and died.

  “Ah, thank you for that.” The Hero had caught his breath and did not seem particularly bothered by the fact I was holding a sword… But then he glared at it suddenly.

  “Wait a minute,” Lucas sounded more exasperated than angry, which Archi took as a good sign. “You mean that I stepped in front of you for nothing? You should have told me you could fight, you are probably better at it than I am!”

  “It isn’t very… Lady-like…” Archi responds, a little surprised by his reaction.

  “As if I care about your backwards culture,” Archi had hoped he would become less rude as time went on, and Lucas had… But it was not by much. “If only we could find some kind of ranged weapon and then we could fight together… Well in halls like this the magic I am using is basically impossible to counter, so the only threats are people that get close…”

  “Compared to that magic, a sword seems like nothing.” This was the first time Archi had killed anyone, she had ended a life, taken all of his years and ended them. It was… A heavy feeling, she felt like she was going to puke. Lucas’s magic made her feel the same way, the way he dispassionately slaughtered groups and causally confirmed each kill by stepping on their necks… Occasionally, he would sigh and mutter about the waste, but Archi doubted he actually cared about them on an emotional level. At least, not very much.

  “Yes, well…” Lucas continues onwards, limping slightly. It must have been quite the painful hit, he did not seem like a strong man, and by all accounts Lucas wasn’t, but Archi had to admit that he could take a beating. He had been injured several times since she saw him summoned, and eventually had shrugged them all off, generally cursing the whole time.

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  “It might seem like nothing to you, Lady Versi.” He rarely addressed Archi by her first name as he did Terrasen, but it didn’t seem that it had anything do with familiarity with either of the women. When asked, he had said that Terrasen was easier to pronounce than Almistraus, and that Archi reminded him of a character from a comic in his world and so preferred to call Archi something else. “However, this magic is not so strong as it seems. In a room or corridor, where the air hardly moves and there is little interference, it can be rather effective. But if we were outside, especially if the wind was blowing, this particular application of magic would be useless.”

  He had hardly been learning magic for a week, and now he was massacring an army. Restrictions on use or not, Archi simply didn’t think Lucas realised just how terrifying he was. She could only imagine what it would be like when he gained full control over his power. The worst part was, no one really understood half the things Lucas said. Julian had been pestering him with questions since they met, and when Archi asked about it Julian had admitted that much of it was simply beyond his understanding, even when Lucas tried to break it down for him.

  “Regardless, now I don’t have to watch so closely over you both.” Lucas laughed slightly, then winced and coughed. His ribs might be more hurt that Archi had thought. “Terrasen, you won’t be pulling out your own skill now would you? This would be the time.”

  “Regrettably,” Terrasen replied smoothly, “I am only skilled with a bow, and is not quite an accessory that goes with my dress.”

  Lucas paused and turned to look at the two ladies, a strange look on his face. “You mean to tell me that both of you had skills with weapons and failed to arm yourself before a coup d'etat because of fashion?”

  Lucas did not understand how important noble fashion was. Each dress, ornament, and jewel could speak volumes in the noble world. In a game of subtlety and intrigue, being armed with a sword was tantamount to flipping the game board and jumping on the table. The political damage of two ladies from high ranked families being armed might do more damage than being killed flat out, at least their families could gain some political pull with the deaths as leverage.

  Lucas did not give Archi time to explain however and started moving again, shaking his head.

  If Archi was honest, she didn’t know if she could have helped Lucas against her cousin even if she was armed. The relation might be relatively distant, but Tyr had been family. This whole affair had left a bad feeling in her stomach, though she tried not to let it show in her words or on her face.

  Archi did not have to fight again on their way to the throne room, but she kept the sword anyways. She should throw it away, but now that it was in her hands she felt more concerned for her own safety than etiquette. It was far easier not to pick up a sword, knowing you would have to fight if you did, than it was to drop a sword when you knew they would cut you down regardless.

  Lucas used his magic on two other groups along the way, Archi would never, as long as she lived forget the horrid look on the faces of the dead soldiers. She would never forget the sound of them gasping for air and clawing at their throats and the stones around them. Archi had felt shaken killing one person, how did Lucas so calmly end s many?

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