Mike's Point Of View

Once Celeste-sama heads off to set up her tent, Rudder and I do our part in delivering the snake to some rather eager looking villagers.

"The Lady was in a bad mood. Think she'll be out for food?"

Rudder questions as we head off as the first ones to set up the unit tent.

"Likely not... We can ask Asher when he joins in setting up the tent though," I suggest instead. The one that knows the Lady best is Asher.

"As usual Darius and Peony stresses her out, I wish they'd just clean up their act a bit. She even created special training for them," I mutter our bitterly. Rudder just gives my shoulder a clap.

"If they haven't already understood then it's not like our words will make a big difference," he says while trying to relieve some tension.

I drop my part of equipment when we reach the area a young village boy directed us to, and pack out the parts of the tent we can. Thankfully we have most of the things. In fact... Neither Darius or Peony are carrying any part of our unit tent... as the ones carrying the most I can't help but to feel a bit miffed. I mean, if they were injured or something then I would've carried it any day... but we all know that isn't why...

"Mike! Rudder!"

Vitis' voice sounds through the village, and we both peer up from our work.

"Yes, Sir!"

Vitis was placed as the second in command in the group. I actually thought the Lady would choose Asher, but Vitis is a better pick when he isn't busy dealing with Peony.

"You're setting up the tent?" He approaches with a milder expression than earlier with Asher next to him. Asher and Vitis get along pretty well despite being in different years, but they were also under the same knight for their apprenticeship so it makes sense. Further more, they're both blessed by earth faeries.

"Of course! We're in the Lady's squad, we can't afford to set a bad example or she would look like she wants us tortured like she does when Darius sneaks about." I add a light joke at the end to cheer up Vitis a bit, but instead he glances behind us... I understand the glance...

"He's right behind us, isn't he?" Rudder confirms while turning his head. I glance behind us as well... and as expected, Darius has snuck up on us and is now showing a difficult expression because of my joke... should I try to save it? Nah.

Spence's voice chimes happily from nearby.

"Found him!"

I can't help but to wonder if those two never get tired of trying to find Darius. I mean, seriously. The guy just appears and disappears when he want. I'm not fond of him. There's even rumors that he's an enemy spy that sends information to the enemy whenever he disappears... honestly it sounds more plausible than Arven & Spence's: 'He is just shy'.

Asher plainly ignores the awkward moment. Vitis watches Darius' reaction and Arven and Spence join us in setting up the tent. Darius doesn't bring up the joke but at least helps out... as for Peony... thankfully he's on hunting... and Felix should be with him...

Soon we fall back into the usual routine.

"How is the Lady? She looked quite angry," Rudder asks curiously.

The Lady was usually in a bad mood, but not to the point she flew into a rage like she'd done with the village elder. Poor Felix would've had to get between them. Between Felix and the Lady I know who is going to get the deepest injuries.

Asher looks thoughtful as he considers the answer and hammers in another tent peg.

"Exhausted. I think the talk about the ghost calmed her down a bit though..."

He trails off.

"The Lady isn't a talkative one, is she?" Rudder asks rhetorically, and Asher pauses his hammering with a complicated expression.

"She cannot talk to us about those things. We aren't equals. All we can do is to be there." His expression turns bitter for a moment as he considers the words he just spoke.

"...Being at the top is lonely, huh?" Rudder responds more in a somber tone, but doesn't add anything further.

At this point us being here is likely more stressful than anything else. Especially Peony, Darius and for some odd reason Felix. She has a grudge against Felix. We can't find any other reason for her to dislike him despite heavy debate on the topic.

—-*—-

We're about done when Felix appears from a side alley with the rest of our things.

"I set everything up with the village and asked the Village Elder's son to keep her a bit away from Li-... the Lady." Felix adjusts his name for her as he sees all of us turn to stare at him...

"Felix... where is Peony?" Vitis gets out in something that is beginning to resemble a sneer. Not aimed at Felix of course, but at the person missing at Felix's side. Felix doesn't like being the center of attention. He likes staying around the table and mess around with the rest of us, but he's never the one that sticks out. Because of that he appears to be frozen in discomfort as we all stop setting up the tent.

Felix eyes flickers around to everyone staring at him.

"...he isn't here? He's hunting, isn't he?" Felix is talking to himself, but you can see the panic spreading.

"But we killed a giant snake, should hunting not be cancelled today?"

Usually we carry enough food to sustain us for the journey, but the Lady insists that it's good for us to hunt shortly during the afternoon. Be it fruits, berries or meat; any fresh food is good. Peony just took advantage of that... probably... I glance to Vitis who seems frazzled and about to blow. Asher looks at Vitis worriedly.

"Don't worry, Felix. I am at fault for not directly telling him we were not going to hunt today."

Felix calms down a bit, but glances towards the village entrance cautiously... then stares at Darius with a hint of relief.

"Should I find and fetch him?" Felix offers hesitantly to ease Vitis' anger... but Vitis just shakes his head.

"I'll have a talk with him when he returns."

As usual Vitis treats Peony as a special case. A special case of idiot if you ask me. It would be better if he just stayed in those mountains he does so well in.

Felix joins into setting up the tent, and starts putting our things inside.

I glance to Darius again.

I don't get people like Peony and Darius. Is it so important to them to stick out? Is it so important to be special? Is it not enough to just give your everything for what you want to protect?

"Hey Darius..."

He looks up from his tent peg... I hadn't noticed till now, but he has rope around his wrist... were you guys trying to put him on a leash?

Seriously?

Are you guys taking this seriously?

"Why do you always sneak around?"

I never actually found out. I just found it annoying. Perhaps it'll be easier to convince him to stop once we know he reason. Though 'habit' is quite hard to deal with...

Darius hesitates for a few moments... and as he does he... gets a bit uncomfortable...

"I... wanted to... hoped to be like a shadow guard..."

...

..

.

"Like one of those red bastards? What by the god are you doing in the Celeste army?"

I don't care for the fact that I cursed at the House Salender knights. Those guys are sneaky and always send glances at you. He wants to be like one of those arrogant bastards. In the end he just wants to stick out and be cool. Is he 5?! The Lady has been quite clear in her opinion of the sneaking too! She always looks at him like he's a danger too!

"I grew up near Castle Celeste, so of course I wanted to join the Celeste knights," he replies sullenly.

"That's not what I meant. A bastardly coward of a shadowguard doesn't belong in an army that charges right into the enemy. We've no need for a coward that runs off to hide or uses us as living shields while using puny little daggers. The only reason you're even in the army, is because you're blessed with a strong wind fairy, and you're good at wind magic." I sneer out at him. Am I to stand next to a weakling that just want to stand and laze behind their lord like a spy? The Lady doesn't even want one.

Darius stands up and puffs up a bit.

"I am not a coward! And I tossed the dagger to hit its eye with magic!" Darius defends himself and slowly brings my blood in a boil.

"And what use did that have?! It smells where people are! Those daggers of yours have no use in a war where wind magic runs rampant! Use your sword you Fopdoodle! You just want to stand on the safe backline and use your pretty little silence magic, but there is no frigging use for that! You need to be LOUD!"

Darius gives me a venomous look, that kind of look of someone who will try to stab you in your sleep.

"I am not a coward. I just want to guard you from those trying to sneak up on you," he responds with a surprising calm. Of course he is just being a scobberlotcher.

"Then look! The Lady is better at catching those guys than you'll ever be! If you want to go die while hiding in the shadows like a wimpy cur then off with you! I'm not going to stand shoulder by shoulder with a cringeling!"

Darius stares at me with that poisonous look again, but doesn't confront me. I bet he has some excuse up his sleeve for this too, so I press him further.

"What? Got something you want to say? Or are you too cool of a 'shadow guard' to say it?"

Darius takes a deep breath, acting all patient though his eyes says he's about to snap.

"If you don't want to stand by my shoulder then that's fine. I don't want to be near someone as rude as you either," Darius speaks back calmly as if trying to calm the situation down.

"Like anyone else would stand by you. You're more of a pet than a knight. You even have the leash to match."

Darius' body stiffens and his shoulders rise with tension. He has just about had enough, and I don't care. We don't need someone stuck in the dream of a five year old.

"I'm taking a walk." Darius tries to make an escape to avoid a fight. After all that he's just going to leave it at that. He's just going to keep sneaking about while looking like he's going to stab someone in their sleep. How am I supposed to trust a person like that?

"Crawl off to your ditch, coward," I spit at him as a last aggression.

Darius freezes. His shoulders rise and sink for a moment before he turns around and walks back to me.

"If you want to fight so bad I'll fight," he sneers back at me, bastard."

I give the first hit without hesitance.

—-*—-

By the time everyone else pull us off each other we've beaten each other up quite well. Rudder and Vitis talk me down a bit, while Arven and Spence calm down Darius.

I growl as I wipe off blood from a broken nose, and conclude that Darius is in just as bad a condition as I am. Actually worse. The guy specializes too much in sneaking and magic, so his front up fighting skills aren't that good, and front up fighting is exactly what we will be doing. He'll end up getting us killed by following a dream at a time like this... and even though I try my best, I am not strong enough to make up for it.

"So clean up your act," I spit out at Darius together with a bit of blood. Vitis appears between us and grabs my broken nose roughly and pulls it back in place mercilessly, easily getting a scream out of me.

"He heard you, Mike. Now calm down," Vitis says rather calmly... I want to tell him they only let it get this far because, they agree with me, but I hold it in. That said Peony should getting the beating he's begging for as well.

A little while later Vitis started both Darius and I, on Felix's usual morning training as punishment.