Mad God – Reborn

"Stop!" Balbeer yelled, standing at the front gate. He wasn't assigned any guard duty because, as the appointed Guard Captain, he was responsible for organizing the newly hired guards. Yet, he felt compelled to accompany and watch over them for now, and thus he was the first to step forward, and the two hired guardsmen quickly followed suit, wearing the Spire's once-famous amethyst-colored armor set. He quickly realized trouble was coming when half a dozen women in bone-white armor approached them aggressively. When the young man and his two guards stepped forward, one of the valkyries flinched, but Nuray spoke up quickly, not letting it show. These were no longer Rudrick's guards.

"Don't be afraid. They are not the same as before; those are just empty shells! With Rudrick's death, all his elite guards followed him to the grave." She said as she walked forward, picking up speed.

"We are not taking visitors. Please stop!" Balbeer raised his voice, signaling to the other guards on the wall to ready their crossbows, not taking the situation lightly.

"Better if you stand aside, boy!" Nuray shouted back, stopping a few meters ahead with her squad standing in a V-shape behind her. All of them wore winged, sharply crafted helms with long red ponytails on top, while their armor looked spotless, almost perfectly polished, reflecting the well-lit evening street. They looked like angelic warriors, ready for battle at any time.

"Who do you think you are?!" Balbeer replied, and although he was clearly afraid and trembling, his voice did not falter. He straightened and stood firm before the group, even though he was shorter than any of the women present.

"I applaud your backbone, kid," Nuray said, taking off her helmet and holding it under her arm. "But you're not even enough to stand against my breath." She added as she looked into his eyes, assaulting him with her aura.

Before his knees could crack and Nuray could force him to kneel, Sentios appeared, placing a hand on his shoulder and nullifying Nuray's attack. The pressure was immense, and it came like a lightning bolt from the clear sky for Balbeer, especially because he had no real cultivation to speak of, as he only truly started learning under Ren's watch. Without Sentios, he could have been crippled easily.

"I hope you have a good excuse to attack someone from the main family line of the Spire of Ren," Sentios said, stepping in front of the others. He knew that even the freshly hired guards were afraid now, as none of them were even close to the Harmony Realm and were only toys in front of a group like Nuray's. If nobody had stepped up, they might have fled their posts and cost Ren a significant amount of reputation.

"A family line has fallen so far that even bastards can be written into the registry?" She tilted her head, tucking her silvery hair behind her ears, while some of the others behind her chuckled provocatively, watching them, seeing no one 'pure' among their ranks.

"Outward appearance is not what defines people," Sentios replied, crossing his arms, and even as he looked patient, his eyes told a different story.

"I know you." Nuray looked him over. "You are that defeated prince from the Empire, no? The previous playtoy and lapdog of Rudrick?"

"Yes." Sentios acknowledged it without any shame. "I was a slave of his."

"Befitting role for one who betrays his own family." Nuray laughed with contempt oozing from her words.

"I agree." Sentios nodded once again, somewhat stumping her.

"Oh… so you are so used to a collar that you are happy serving your new owner? How quirky, isn't it, sisters? Isn't this what our Liege told us? That man should be kept on a short leash, as they can't control their urges? It seems she was right once again!" Nuray laughed, making the others follow suit. Balbeer wanted to say something, but Sentios stopped him with a hand and pushed him back.

"My question remains the same, woman," he said, cutting into their laughter with a calm voice. "What is your excuse to attack someone from the main family branch?"

"Even if he is one of those, I stand above him," she replied as the smile slowly disappeared from her face. "I am a direct underling of Her Highness Keina. Going only by that puts me in a higher position than any of you."

"Oh? That is good!" Sentios clapped. "Because I am the personal butler of our Lady. Then that puts me above any of the little scrubs behind you!" he smiled as his aura crept forth, turning the six's eyes more severe than before.

"You need five more of you; you do realize it, no?" Nuray asked, squeezing the edge of her helmet.

"Why? Are you afraid of the first man you come across? Are all of you only confident in beating me if you all come at me at once?" Sentios asked as he tilted his head, enraging them even further.

"I'm starting to get a feel for what kind of master you may have, refusing the invitation to our Lord's banquet."

"Invitation? It felt like an order." he shook his head. "We threw it out!"

"You…" Her face turned a shade darker after hearing that. "It is not wise to slap away a hand stretched out in kindness."

"Thank you, but we can stand on our own. No need for a helping hand." Sentios answered coldly.

"Are you now? Let me see it then." She put on her helmet, and with a loud clang, a long, slightly curved blade sprang out from under her armored right hand, vibrating in golden light. "Stay out of it!" she shouted as she launched forward, leaving afterimages in her wake, but Sentios was already ready.

A white-golden energy surrounded him as he summoned a colossal tower shield before him, holding another long energy lance in his other hand. When Nuray's blade landed on the shield, the aura around Sentios flared, blocking her weapon before it could make contact. Then, Sentios pushed her back, forcing her to take a few steps before slashing out again, quickly and aggressively. Still, she felt like she was hacking at a brick wall as he hid behind his brightly pulsating, golden shield, taking the relentless assault and not backing down a step. When her rhythm finally slowed, giving Sentios an opening to counterattack, he stabbed his lance out from behind his shield, aiming straight at her chest.

"Too slow!" She evaded it quickly, but golden projectiles shot from the lance's energy body. They aimed at her back, forcing her to dodge, again and again, dancing around them until they finally dissipated. From the short exchange, it was clear that if they kept this up, no winner would be decided until they both put everything into the fight, further escalating the situation.

It was so that she was already raising her left arm to command her sisters to jump in and subdue Sentios. However, before she could shout the order, ear-piercing thunder reverberated across the city, and Nuray felt her raised wrist being grabbed; she couldn't move it even a little.

"I read a saying, going through the books that my late great-grandfather left behind… How did it go?" Ren's voice caressed Nuray's ear, her gentle voice muffled by the helmet she wore. "A dog in a kennel barks at his fleas… a hunting dog does not feel them," she whispered as her grip grew stronger. Nuray bit her lip under the helmet, forcing back the voice that wanted to escape from her throat after feeling her bones already cracking. "Question is, which kind of dog are you?" Ren asked as she clamped down hard, and everyone could hear her wrist snap. The armor she had on crumbled and fell to the ground like dried leaves, revealing her white, trembling fingers. All the blood was pushed out from her hand by then, rupturing her skin and letting it flow backward like a red river.

"...!" Nuray breathed heavily but didn't scream, trying to move and fight back, but a way, way stronger force held her in place.

"Mmm… not a hunting dog yet… maybe a well-behaved lapdog?" Ren murmured, letting go of her hand, flashing once again, and standing before Sentios, who had already dispelled his weapons, bowing towards her. "I'll take it over from here," Ren said, and Sentios just nodded, standing behind her with a calm expression. As she looked at the warriors, the Valkyrie group drew their weapons, stepped forward, and surrounded their injured leader.

"I advise you to rethink it," Rabout said as he walked out with a calm look, hands held behind his back. Seeing a second Spire Lord appear felt like a bucket of cold water had been doused over the group. Especially with him standing next to Ren. "Are you really ready for the consequences of drawing your weapons against a Spire Lord?" He asked with a friendly smile as their hands visibly trembled and they slowly lowered their swords. Even if they didn't want to, they had to accept Ren as the leader of one of the five spires inside Rozex. Even if she had just arrived, their previous transgression alone could warrant their heads, and not even Keina could argue with that.

"We are leaving," Nuray said, bowing toward Rabout, as everyone knew who the second-oldest was from the Naulin bloodline, even if she had never seen the old man personally.

"I think that is for the best." Rabout nodded, effectively dismissing them.

"Eh, but I wanted to invite them in…" Ren sighed, pouting a little, but couldn't draw any reaction from them. They left just as quickly as they arrived. "Well, whatever! Should I thank you now?" She looked up at Rabout with a questioning and unhappy look.

"No. They should thank me. I just saved their lives!" He rolled his eyes the way Ren usually did. "Whatever happens, Keina is still the descendant of one of my dear cousins. Even if she is a spoiled, heartbroken harpy, I am obliged to protect her to some extent."

"Huh… are you a family man deep down inside?" Ren asked, clicking her tongue.

"Maybe," came the only response while shrugging.

"Good job, everyone!" Ren shrugged, then turned around, smiling, before walking ahead of Balbeer, patting his shoulders and encouraging the young boy. "Keep it up! Don't worry. There will be a time when you won't be overpowered."

"T-thank you, Your Highness!" He bowed to her gratefully.

As Rabout and Ren walked back into the courtyard, she looked up at him curiously and asked what was on his mind.

"What did you mean by heartbroken?"

"When younger, Keina was promised to Rudrick as a bride. She should have been Queen," he explained after collecting his thoughts as they walked through the gates. "It was even before Rudrick became King."

"Knowing what I know about him, I think she just dodged a bullet." Ren smiled, crossing her hands behind her head while she began looking up at the night sky, walking beside him at a leisurely pace.

"Not really. Rudrick would have less control over her just because of her background. Both of us know that was not something he would have endured."

"Oh, that is for sure. So, he canceled the marriage?"

"Not just that." Rabout sighed with a weird smile. "He chased out his own father, claiming the throne for himself. Of course, the 'chasing out' was not that simple. Yes, he defeated his father, but to prevent the whole branch from falling into chaos, they changed places. Rudrick became King of the Naulin Kingdom, and behind the scenes, his father led the Spire and brought the Enjins and Ironclaws under one roof. He was one of the bigger players in the whole plan that aimed to overthrow Zelig."

"Well, shit… You really do know a lot!" Ren whistled, unaware of these nuances.

"Of course! I lived long enough, and recording history is a family hobby for me!" He laughed. "Anyway, after becoming King, Rudrick immediately canceled the marriage. He said it was his father's will only, not his. That way, he could take on any wife he desired and subdue them the way he liked. Keina did not take it very well…."

"She should have. Marrying a psycho is not a good prospect!"

"She is a bit… weird. Plus, she was raised to be Queen one day. Since then, she has completely turned around and waved her 'girls only' flag into everyone's faces. She even gathered a big following of women who are fed up being treated as inferiors."

"That… I can understand," she sighed, shaking her head and thinking a little.

"That is why I am not too harsh on her and her followers. They are just… too fired up. They have too much rage inside and must let it out a little."

"You speak about them like a grandpa about his misbehaving grandchildren!" Ren teased him.

"I do; Keina is not even half my age." he nodded with a smile. "So please, don't make it too hard for her."

"Haaahh… I won't, as long as she doesn't cross some lines. But if she does…! I'll spank her."

"Ahahaha! Good, good! That may be what she needs. I won't interfere in that!" He laughed heartily, but then his voice became more serious.

"But watch out for the other two Spires…"

"Hm? Why? Are they more dangerous?" she asked with a clearly unbothered look on her face.

"One of them is a purist. If you think Rudrick was obsessed with bloodline, you haven't seen anything yet. The Spire of Corvux not only breeds its own people, but also eliminates the 'defectives' and dominates the minds of family members who aren't pure. Just to make them into slaves."

"Well… their weird hobby, at least it stays within the family..." She spread her arms, almost making Rabout trip on the steps leading up to the Spire.

"Hah! Okay, okay, okay, it's a seven out of ten!" He chuckled, making Ren freeze in place, watching him with quickly expanding pupils. "Hm? What?" Rabout looked at her, not understanding the sudden surprise.

"N-nothing… It's just… I usually rate bad jokes the same way…."

"Of course you do; you are a Naulin!" He grinned, slapping her back.

“Hahh… o-okay, khm, so? One Spire takes familial love onto a new level… and acts snobbish, if I got it correctly? The other?"

"Not just snobbish! They see everyone else as lesser life forms. The other... It is the Spire of Malevick. They are pure warriors. They are descendants of the forces that Zelig used to battle against Aerthus's Empire. Since the peaceful days started, they have been preparing for when they are called upon once again. They are mindlessly loyal to Zelig himself. Honestly, they are more like death soldiers than a proper branch family. If you want my opinion, they are going to be used to mutually destroy themselves with you."

"Huh… thanks for the heads up, gramps!"

"No problem!" He patted Ren's head, which felt weird yet warm to her. "You are a bright girl of our bloodline. Rudrick was onto something to send off your mother. Imagine if you inherited Aerthus's affinity and ours at the same time! Damn, maybe even the Corvux branch would have been tempted to try roping you in." He laughed jokingly.

"Ugh… not good!" She shook her head, still letting Rabout pat the top of it. "Then I would be like them and have had to marry my own brother!"

"Hmmm… I keep hearing about your husband repeatedly; enlighten me, please."

"It's… a long story…" she said, turning towards him at the top of the stairs with a soft but sad smile. "Let's go in. I'll brew some coffee and tell you everything… It is a long story."

"Sure! I've got time." Rabout nodded, followed her inside, and spent the rest of the night with her, listening to Ren's tale until she reached Rozex.