The Red Hand

"Man Akagi, did you really have to go and blow things up this bad?" Halifax sighed as she walked down one of the destroyed streets of Riftwood, admiring the crumbled buildings, ruined streets, and a general sense of despair that filled the eyes of the residents. Black Company had practically turned the entire city on its head, and Halifax could hardly believe that there weren't more casualties than there actually ways. Elna had been a bit overzealous during the attack, but generally they'd followed Akagi's orders to kill only a small portion of the population rather than initiate mass slaughter.

{Well, I guess blowing this place to hell was the point, but still...} (Halifax)

"Maybe this was just a bit overkill..." Halifax shook her head as she walked up to an injured woman and her child, healing them both with a bit of magic.

"Thanks, miss!" The young girl smiled as Halifax used magic to clean the dirt and dust off her. “My bumps are all better!”

"Please forgive me, Ms. I have nothing to pay you for your magic." The woman thanked her but was nervous. Being healed by magic was almost never free, and those who claimed to treat people without requiring money tended to require other compensation. "My home was burned down, and we lost... everything... So I don't have anything to give you..." She said as darkness fell over her eyes.

"Mama..." The young girl said as she clung to the hem of her mother's skirt, worried.

"Has the Palace not been doing anything to help the recovery effort?" Halifax asked as she kicked a rock away. “I can't imagine they didn't send healers around the city.” She figured any surviving mages would be working overtime to tend to the wounded.

"Princess- I mean Queen Feline has been busy after the attack... I can't even imagine what she's going through after that, losing her Father and Brother." The woman said as she picked up her daughter. "She did say that aid would be coming, but so far, they've done little more than provide hot soup and blankets. There's word that with the death of so many Nobles and guards, public order in the ruined city is getting progressively worse so I doubt they'd send healers into the lower city yet.”

{Power vacuums and disasters always tend to cause things like this. Akagi has no intention of lending a helping hand here either, since the more chaos in this world, the better. I'd wager that an attack like this won't do too much damage to the Gods' reputation, but its definitely going to be one of the many incidents that may eventually lead to their downfall.} (Halifax)

"You're an adventurer, right?" The woman asked as she looked at Halifax's blade. "Do you know if the Guild is going to do anything to stop these kinds of attacks from happening again? I'm afraid that the guards... or even the military are incapable of protecting us..." She said as she hugged her daughter tightly. “We... We probably won't be so lucky next time.” She'd survived by virtue of being in the right place at the right time, and figured that wouldn't happen twice.

"I honestly don't know." Halifax shook her head. "I know the guild has been trying to help out since the attack, but whether they intend to retaliate... I can't say." She figured that it was likely that the Guild would get involved, but she couldn't say how much. It was technically an independent organization with no national loyalty or obligations, but it would cooperate with various nations during a crisis.

{They complied with the order to expel and purge all Spirits despite many being card-carrying members of the Guild, so I have little sympathy for them at this point. So much for being an independent organization, but I suppose their decision wasn't surprising, given that the higher-ups knew the consequences of refusal, but it never did sit right with me. Adventurers are supposed to be above all stupid politics and squabbles, but too often, they get dragged into this world's various conflicts... and I'm no exception.} (Halifax)

"That's too bad..." The woman said with a wry smile. "But thank you again for helping us." She thanked Halifax before heading down the street and disappearing into the crowd of survivors/refugees.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to how the Guild is doing to be honest. If I recall correctly, Riftwood's Guild Master is Damion. Though whether he is still alive is to be seen." Halifax said as she strolled down the ruined street toward the center of town, and as she moved around the rubble, Halifax bypassed several distraught civilians, overhearing many of the conversations between them.

"Where were the Gods? Why didn't they help us?" (Peasant A)

"I heard that the Priests locked themselves away in the Cathedral and refused to let anyone in during the attack!" (Peasant B)

"I saw one of them run away when that crazy wolfkin was tearing apart the soldiers! He didn't even try to help any of the injured!" (Merchant A)

"You know, I wonder if that rumor that Lady Tahena was killed by that Demon Lord? I mean, maybe that's why they didn't come save us..." (Peasant C)

"Shush! Don't go saying things like that! If the guards overhear you..." (Peasant D)

{Well, your plan seems to be already working, Akagi. I guess assassinating a God in broad daylight and taking out other high ranking members of Nobility is speeding things up. At this rate my prediction might be off by a bit, the Gods might be more fucked than I thought.} (Halifax)

While listening in on more conversations, Halifax eventually found herself in front of the half-destroyed Guild Hall in the center of town. The Riftwood Adventurer Guild was one of the largest on the continent, and its massive stone and wood structure stood out as a feature of the city's skyline. Though it was currently a bit less majestic than normal due to scorch marks, holes in the wall and other damage.

"Well, it sure has seen better days." Halifax chuckled as she slowly peaked inside, passing by a few exiting adventures. "Then again, the fact that it is standing at all is probably a good sign." As she entered, Halifax noted how busy the Guild Hall was. It had been a few days since the attack, and from what she was told by Nima, a flood of nearby adventurers poured into the city to provide relief and public order. The Guild Hall was filled with all sorts of adventurers from all over the place, and there were higher-ranked parties that she recognized.

{No Burning Light? That's surprising. I would've figured they'd be all over this. I wonder how Nier is doing anyway. Its been a while since I saw him and Kat.} (Halifax)

"Either way I'll probably run into them at some point. But I wonder where Damion-" Halifax's words were interrupted as a loud voice pierced the air.

"Everyone! Please quiet down and listen!" A shorter pink-haired woman wearing a standard blue and red guild uniform yelled from behind the counter. "We need at least two teams in the Eastern District to help with rubble clearing and recovery efforts! All parties who have access to Earth Magic should report to Delra for details, and anyone who can use Healing Magic needs to head upstairs to Rudolf! We don't have a lot of time to mess around and every moment counts! I've had at least three reports from the Guards of people trapped under rubble, some of whom are still alive, so let's get moving!" She clapped her hands, causing everyone to start rushing around to get to their stations.

"Good to see that she's just as reliable as ever." Halifax laughed as she walked up to the scrambling woman, who was busy barking out orders and pushing paperwork onto other Guild Members.

"Get those documents done ASAP! We need to make sure we're keeping records of everyone we find so that we can turn it over to the Palace." The pink-haired woman said to a younger male Guild Member, who fumbled his words before running off to get work taken care of. "And this is why I never wanted to take his job..." She sighed as she turned around, catching a glimpse of Halifax but ignoring her.

"How's it going, Arna?" Halifax asked as she leaned on the counter with a smirk on her face.

"Oh, just fucking great." Arna sighed as she turned off to the side and started going through paperwork. "Damion fucking died in the attack, so here I am left to-" She paused as she did a double take, looking at Halifax again as her eyes went wide in shock. "HALIFAX?!?" Arna's screaming caught the attention of everyone else in the main hall, causing all eyes to go to the Divine Blade. As a well know adventurer hearing her name made the entire guild hall pause for a moment.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Halifax laughed as she flashed a toothy smile.

"Is that the Halifax?" (Adventurer A)

"Yo, I think it is!" (Adventurer B)

"Holy heck! If she's here, then we've got nothing to worry about!" (Adventurer C)

"Did she come to help us destroy the Cult?" (Adventurer D)

{Rather than destroy it, I've become friends with its fluffy, evil leader...} (Halifax)

"THANK THE FUCKING GODS!" Arna bent over the counter and pulled Halifax in closer. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you! Holy hell I've been saved!" For the first time since Halifax walked into the Guild, the look on Arna's face wasn't that of overwork and misery, instead she had a look of relief and seeming to be holding back tears of joy. "Things have gone to hell, Halifax! Look at this place! Its a mess!" She pointed to the hole in the ceiling.

"I mean you're still running half a Guild at least." Halifax snickered. “So it can't be all bad!”

"You're... Well, at least you're sense of humor is still intact." Arna turned to another Guild employee and informed her that she was taking Halifax into one of the private rooms upstairs for a bit. "Come with me for a minute. I need to talk to you about things."

{I bet you do.} (Arna)

"I have no doubt you've got lots to tell me." Halifax said as she and Arna headed up a creaky staircase and into the only intact conference room, each taking a seat across from one another.

"Apologize for the lack of refreshments, but I've got little to offer at the moment." Arna said with a wry smile. She would've normally offered Halifax tea as a courtesy, but with the current situation that wasn't possible.

"Don't worry about it. I've never been that into the formality thing anyway, and with the way things are, it's even less important." Halifax said as she kicked her feet up on the table. "So, do you want to tell me what happened? I'm aware that the city was hit hard, but why are you running things? Where is Damion? Shouldn't he be leading the proverbial charge?" She had a hunch that he was dead but wanted to ask anyway for confirmation.

"So, listen..." Arna took a deep breath before explaining. "I've been working here for fifty or so years, and during that time I've seen Damion deal with all sorts of enemies. Hell, I watched that man take down a Dragon with his bare hands." She chuckled as she recalled that fight.

"I remember that!" Halifax commented. "It was one of those young ones that he wrestled into submission when it attacked the Capital. Man that takes me back, that was like thirty years ago I think."

{It was pretty cool! That crazy bastard did it with little more than his own strength and some rope!} (Halifax)

"Yeah, it was really something..." Arna gave a bitter smile. "He was easily the strongest person in the Riftwood Guild, and I always said that if he really wanted to, he could've easily been granted Mithril status..."

"He never cared about any of that stuff." Halifax waived her words off, noting that he had no interest in the rank. "His only concern was the Guild and making sure it ran smoothly. Having a fancy status plate meant nothing to that man..."

{That was probably his best quality too. Not many people can resist being given Mithril status. It basically makes someone the equivalent of a Duke, which does make it hard to acquire, but the perks would basically take anyone and turn them into Nobility.} (Halifax)

"Yeah..." Arna gave a warm smile.

"Well, I think he was also concerned about you too." Halifax snickered, causing Arna to stutter.

"W-W-W-What are you talking about?!?" Arna said as her face turned red. “H-H-He was never one to like me like that!”

{Wow, I'm not sure what's worse. You're acting just now or Yumi's when she tries to deny wanting to pet the kitty.} (Halifax)

"Come on, there isn't a person who came to this place that didn't know you and him were shacking up on the side." Halifax laughed as she blew open what was likely the worst kept secret in the Guild. "You were his cute little buttercup." She winked. Arna was a half-dwarf, which basically meant that she was a more long-lived and tough human. She'd taken a liking to Damion not long after she'd come to Riftwood, and it wasn't long until she'd developed a Silver Fox complex for the century-old man.

"Nooooo..." Arna put her head in her hands in embarrassment. "I thought we hid it perfectly."

{I just want to bury myself in a hole and die...} (Arna)

"But enough about your love life." Halifax got the conversation back on track, not wanting to derail it too much. "What went down with Damion?"

"Halifax..." Arna slowly looked up at her. "I watched the man I love... The man who I'd thought to be invincible... I watched that bitch toy with him..." She growled, her eyes filling with anger and hatred.

"One of the attackers?" Halifax asked, pretending not to know anything about Black Company.

"It was that blonde-haired woman. One who I think called herself Hitamaguchi." Arna practically spit as she said her name. "Damion fought her one on one, and while he put up a good fight... In the end, it wasn't even a challenge for her. She played with him before... Before ending him in one swift stroke..." Arna reached into her pocket and pulled out a small golden pocket watch. "This is all I have left of him... She burned away his body with some kind of white flame that she used to power up her attacks..." She clutched the watch between her hands. "This... This is all I have left of him..."

{Interesting, I suppose that confirms what I thought. Those former players given powers are far more powerful than the people of this world. Damion was incredibly powerful and highly experienced. He was not as strong as most combat-oriented Demi-Gods, but good enough to give most people a run for their money, but when put up against one of Akagi's suped-up players, well... As I saw with Avahn and Zephiria, even I have to take such fights seriously to win.} (Halifax)

"I'm sorry, Arna..." Halifax said as she leaned over the table and put her hand on her shoulder. "Its... I know it's probably been a lot on your shoulders... Losing him... Dealing with the aftermath..."

{It really is too bad it had to come to this, but in the end... In the end its just what needs to happen... Arna and Damion enforced the Spirit Purge and contributed to so many of their deaths. I know that neither enjoyed it, but as Akagi put it the 'just following orders defense' doesn't protect you when its time to pay the piper.} (Halifax)

"That idiot... He just had to go and die and leave me to clean up the mess..." Arna said, laughing quietly. "But it's fine... I'll just have to work hard enough to fill his shoes as the new Guild Master." She said as she smiled for a moment. "But... I'm surprised to see you here more than anything. Everyone said that you fell off the face of the earth a few months back, and even before the attack, a number of Guild masters were frantically trying to find you." She was worried that Halifax may have died, however remote that possibility was.

"Oh? Why were they doing that?" Halifax asked, deciding to avoid answering any questions about her whereabouts.

"I don't know the details, but apparently, the Gods wanted to talk to you." Arna said with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "H-Halifax... Listen... I know... I know that you have some kind of connection to them, so tell me..." She gulped. "Do... Do we really have a chance against this Demon Lord? Will the Gods be able to beat it? Will this world be fine? First, we had the Spirits and the Magical Disasters, and now... Now we've got a Demon Lord!" She started to tremble slightly.

Halifax took a moment to answer, shifting her jaws as she debated in her mind. On one hand, she wanted to reassure the girl that things would be fine, while on the other she didn't want to lie to her and give false hope, especially when she knew that Akagi would prefer that she sow more chaos. After what felt like an eternity of internal debate, Halifax made up her mind and spoke. "Honestly... I'd say you'd best prepare for the worst-case scenario, Arna." She said, deciding to be honest but in a way that wouldn't make Arna suspicious of her. "The Gods... I think they will have their hands full with this one." Her words froze the Guild Master on the sport and caused the room to fall eerily silent.

“Y-You're serious?” Arna's eyes went wide. She didn't anticipate Halifax telling her that things may not go the Gods way.

{The worse part about it is that that was the nicest way I can put it and was as honest as I can be without explicitly saying the world's fucked.} (Halifax)