It took Darvus and I about forty minutes, and a couple of breaks to reach the outskirts of the base. I was drenched in blood, not all mine, but mostly. I was super lightheaded but needed to get back.
My phase two wasn't active anymore, but my phase one was, just in case we ran into any trouble. I was feeling the effects of keeping my Serpent's Will active for too long, it was getting harder and harder to move my body.
"We are almost there." I told Darvus as we stood out front the bases door. "Open up!" Darvus banged on the doors, and a peep hole opened up.
"Oh my god!" It quickly closed, and the doors began to open. "Lance Bairon!" The soldier called out, and I saw the Lance in the distance as the doors opened, come running out of a tent. His eyes went large when he saw me, and then they shifted to the body behind me, floating.
I nodded my head, telling him it's who he thinks. "Everyone, inside of their tents now, unless you are part of Virion's or Princess Tessia's team!" Bairon shouted, and then came flying over to the door. "Leave as well." He told the guard as he landed.
"Who is ---" The guard was looking at Uto, and Bairon waved him away.
"Lance Bairon, I'm assuming everything went according to plan, seeing how you are okay." I spoke first, the Lance was just staring at me. "What?"
"How'd you, do it?" He asked simply, and then Tessia, Stannard, Caria, Victoria, and Callias came running down to us. Lance Bairon quickly moved out of the way, and Tessia came running up to me.
"Veer!" I embraced her hug, as I saw Darvus lay Samantha's body on the ground. "You're okay!" She let go of me and held my cheeks. "Don't you ever knock me unconscious again, I could have helped you."
"Oh my god." Victoria said, as Tess turned and saw Samantha's body. "Samantha..."
"No." Callias ran his hand through his hair. "How?"
"A Retainer." Darvus said, and everyone went silent. "He almost killed me, but luckily, Virion healed me before I died."
"So, you truly did fight a Retainer?" Tess asked, as everyone turned to me.
I spun and pointed at Uto. "Meet Retainer Uto." I gave Lance Bairon a look. "We should all go back to the castle and get this man in a cell."
"Veer..." Tess grabbed my shoulder as she looked at him. "What did you do to him? His eyes are gone, his arm, his leg?"
I released my phase one and toppled over slightly. "He deserved it." I looked at Bairon. "Uto here, is the one who brutally murdered Lance Alea."
Lance Bairon's eyes widened again. "Are you sure?" I nodded. "Let's get him back."
"But that doesn't mean you should do the same to him." Tess wasn't happy with what I did to the Retainer. "Veer, that's awful."
"I'm with her, bro." Callias agreed with her. "But I am happy you are okay."
"Same." Caria placed a hand on my shoulder, let's get you back.
We all began to walk to the portal, and as we got about halfway, my legs gave out on me, from exhaustion. "Veer, are you okay." Tess asked me, as I sat there on my knees, looking up at her. "Come on, I got you." Tess bent down and swung my arm over her shoulders.
I felt my vision start to darken as I stood up, and then, just like that, I lost consciousness.
---
Callias Fleet
"Veer!" The Princess exclaimed as Virion's body went numb.
"He passed out, he'll be fine." Lance Bairon said as he started to walk away from the group. "Wait here, while I go and get Olfred."
The Lance went inside of a tent, and I went over to Tessia, trying to wake Veer up. "Let me carry him." I told her as I bent down and attempted to grab him.
"No, I got it." Tessia picked the boy up in her arms, and his body laid in them sprawled out. "He thinks he needs to protect me, because of my relationship with Arthur, but I should be the one protecting him."
Veer's brother, Arthur and the princess are dating, I don't really know what's going on there, nor do I really care. "All he wants to do is win the war, you can't blame him." Stannard spoke from behind me. "He didn't want you to fight the Retainer, I see why, look at him."
"Stannard is right, Tessia." I told her. "This guy killed Samantha and almost Darvus, if you were there, it might have been you."
Lance Bairon stepped out of the tent, Olfred's body floating behind him on electricity, and he came over to us. "Let's go." He turned to the Retainer's body on the ground, and electricity built up under him, and he started floating as well next to Lance Olfred, or I guess, just Olfred.
Tessia walked along with us, holding Veer, looking at him, like she thought his pain was her fault. We stepped into the portal that led to the Floating Castle, I recently stayed at, and immediately in front of us was Commander Virion and some man with a third eye I didn't quite know, but he felt strong.
"What happened?" Commander Virion asked, looking at Veer, we all bowed to him before answering.
"This." Lance Bairon had the two bodies float in front of them. "Virion took down a Retainer inside of the dungeon, and Lance Olfred was the one that set everything up. There is a lot that needs to be discussed, the dwarves are not all with us."
Commander Virion looked speechless as he stared at the Retainer, the other man spoke for him. "I suppose we do, bring Virion to the medical bay, Tessia." She nodded her head and started walking away.
"I'll go with her." Caria spoke up. "Darvus, you should too, Veer healed you, but I think it's best to get you checked out."
"Yeah, come on." Stannard grabbed Darvus's arm, and the three of them followed after Tessia and Veer. I stood there, with Victoria, who was holding Samantha's corpse.
"I'll bring Samantha to the medical bay and prepare a burial." Victoria told me and followed behind them.
"I guess I'll stay here, if that's fine with you all." I asked, and I got a head nod from Commander Virion who was still in shock.
"I would like to hear everything." Commander Virion turned around and spoke again. "Lance Bairon, bring them to the dungeons, Callias, please come with me and explain everything you know."
"Okay." I answered, not having a choice.
"Oh, and Bairon, try not to let anyone see them, I want to keep this on a low for now." The Commander said as the three eyed man followed him, and I walked slowly behind. "So, Callias, I can't get everything from you, and since Virion is out cold, I want to hear your side."
"Of course." We walked in silence as we entered the council room with no one else in it.
They took their seats, whereas I stood in the middle, and waited. "Now, tell us everything, young man." The three eyes man asked me.
"It all started when Stannard came back and told us about how Princess Tessia's team was attacked inside of the dungeon, Veer and Samantha ran in to save them on their own, not knowing what was inside." I paused and then continued as I thought about what happened next. "When I found out, I ran it, and caught up to Samantha, who told me, Veer killed multiple Alacryans already, and when I caught up to him, Tessia was out cold in his arms."
"And why was that?" Commander Virion asked.
"Veer told me she had to leave, and that he made her fall unconscious so I could carry her out. Knowing Veer, I did as he said, I knew whatever the reason was, he wouldn't do it unless he had to, and that was the last time I saw him, Samantha went with him." I recalled the events, and if I had gone with him, Samantha would be alive, but I would most likely be dead.
"I see, keep going." Commander said.
"I returned back, and a little later, Lance Bairon showed up with a soldier from this castle, who turned out to be Veer, and then ----" I was cut off by the Commander.
"What? What do you mean a soldier from the castle turned out to be Veer?" I could see why he was confused; I mean, I still had no clue.
"From my knowledge, it was some sort of clone he made that was spying on Lance Olfred." I think he said clone, or something like that.
"A clone?" The three eyed man said. "He is able to create clones?"
"Unbelievable, that's how he dealt with the situation then, he took on the Retainer, knowing that I sent Olfred there to help out, but he also knew Olfred wouldn't help him, so he got Bairon to deal with him." The commander shook his head. "That kid is truly amazing."
"That's pretty much all I know, sir." I still couldn't believe it; Veer took down a Retainer by himself.
"We should discuss what Virion did to that Retainer, he mutilated him." The three eyed man spoke, and that's when something else came to mind.
"Oh!" I exclaimed, and the two of them turned to me again. "I forgot, that Retainer is the one who killed Lance Alea." I watched as the Commander's eyes widened. "That's what Veer said."
"Then, that's why." I never saw her body; I also didn't know about how she died.
"I don't know how he defeated a Retainer though." The three eyed man said. "The fact he was also able to plan out a way to deal with Olfred, it makes me wonder what's going on inside of his head."
"I agree." The Commander spoke, as the two faced each other.
I felt out of place now, I think I should leave. "Umm, should I go now?"
"Oh, yes, thank you for reporting, we have much to discuss, you are welcomed in the castle for as long as needed." The Commander told me, and I bowed to him.
"Thank you." I turned around and exited the room. "Yeah, that wasn't scary at all." I said out loud to nobody, the guard I passed just stared at me. "Don't mind me, I am talking to myself." I sent him a smile, and then continued walking down the hall toward the medical bay.
I'm still trying to process everything, so today, Veer took down a Retainer, our squad took out Alacryans, and, and Samantha died, thinking about that causes chills to run down my back. Any one of these days, I could go down as well, it could have been today.
I found Stannard, standing out in the hall alone, and walked up to him. "Stannard, what's up?"
I stood next to him, and the door to a room was open, inside was Tessia, Veer, and his family. "Nothing, trying not to be a bother, Caria took Darvus to get checked up, and I'm just laying low for a little."
"I'm sure you can go in there." I told him, as I took a step towards the door. "They don't mind."
"It's fine." I nodded to him and went inside.
"Alice, Rey." I said as I entered the room, and they turned to me.
"Callias, what happened to my boy?" Alice immediately asked, and Veer was on the bed, in his underwear, but the thing I noticed was the marks and cuts all over his body, his skin was pale, like he lost a ton of blood.
"I'm sorry, Alice." I spoke with an apologetic voice. "There wasn't much I could do."
Tessia stood up and walked over to me. "Don't say anything about the Retainer yet." I nodded my head, and she sat back down. A doctor walked in, and started to wrap Veer's body, even though they were just marks and cuts, nothing too serious, the number of them was what surprised me.
"He'll be fine, his wounds are all healed." The doctor smiled at Alice. "He'll be up and going most likely in the next couple hours knowing him." He must have been in here before.
"Princess, what did this to him?" Rey asked her, I noticed that his sister was sitting in the corner of the room, alone, staring at the ceiling, I think she was crying.
"I'm not allowed to say, I'm sorry Mr. Leywin." Tessia should have lied and said mana beast if we wanted to keep it a secret. "You'll find out from my grandfather, I'm sure."
"Can you at least tell us what happened to whatever or whoever did this?" Alice was crying as she looked at Tessia and me.
Tessia went to speak, but I cut her off. "They're taken care of Alice, Veer took them down, he only fell unconscious when he returned to the base." The picture of the Retainer's body raced into my mind; Veer beat the holy shit out of him. His face was bruised, he had a leg and arm gone, wounds everywhere, and no eyes.
"Good." Rey had an arm around Alice, who was holding Veer's hand. I felt bad for lying, but I couldn't disobey an order.