The Sword and The Shadow

Leguna and Xeno

"Damn it!"

Leguna stood on the edge of collapse. The man had said something like that before his death and passed on just like that. It was too infuriating!

What should he do? What could he do? Gahrona was resting; he had no one to rely on. What could he do? He didn't even know where Pato was.

Calm down, calm down. The only thing he could do right now was collect his thoughts.

He didn't care about Alissanda's survival, but Kurdak and Vera were in danger as well, so he couldn't ignore this. It didn't matter whether the old man had been bluffing, he had to make sure. But he didn't know where Pato was. He had to find someone who could take him there. He didn't mind capturing an enemy soldier or local. He would make anyone who dared interfere regret it.

Even if he could make it to Pato, however, there wasn't much he could do. He was out of stamina. Even if he was in perfect condition, the best he could do was fight Saron to a draw alongside the prince. What could he do against him if he faced him alone?

His thoughts raced for several minutes. He eventually came to the conclusion that he could do nothing in this situation.

"Shit! I still have to try!"

Leguna stripped Haden and took his things. THe man even had a dimensional pocket. Leguna had wanted to buy one for a long time, but he couldn't spend that kind of money, his stingy heart wouldn't let him. He couldn't be happier to find one for free.

Everything sorted, he turned to the fainted boy in the corner.

"Your life is in your own hands now," Leguna murmured.

Much of his success was thanks to this kid. His screams had led Leguna to his pray, and had drowned out the sounds of their fight. He was most likely that girl, Latie's, little brother.

Latie unnerved Leguna. And now he faced her little brother. Were the gods giving him a chance to make up for his sin? His first instinct was to kill the kid and save himself the trouble of dealing with things properly, but he decided against it and instead woke the boy up.

"Who are you?!" Xeno snapped the moment he woke up.

He regarded the figure cautiously. He had killed Haden, so he could naturally wipe Xeno out without much thought.

"An assassin from Hocke." the young man answered, removing the shawl from his face.

"You're so young!!!"

Xeno had expected the figure to be young from his voice, but he thought he must have been mistaken. There was no denying it now, however. He could even be younger than Xeno! How had he managed to kill Haden?

"You know where Pato is, right? Take me there," the young man said.

"Why?" Xeno asked coldly.

"Because I'm stronger than you-" the young man's gaze cooled. "-Take me there or I'll kill you!"

"Hmph. I'm fine with death, go ahead."

He wasn't afraid of boiling water, so this man go go right ahead and through him into the pot. The last thing worthy of his life vanished along with his sister. He didn't mind dying now. Haden was dead, so even his revenge had been taken care of.

Leguna scratched his head. Maybe he should try a different approach.

"I saw your sister," the young man sighed.

"What?!" Xeno's eyes glowed.

"I saw your sister before she died," the young man muttered in a deep voice.

"Who are you?!"

Strength suddenly filled Xeno's limbs and he lunged at the man, grabbing him by the collar.

"I'm only a normal assassin from Hocke." the young man said, shoving Xeno's hands away. "I was there the day your sister tried to assassinate the emperor."

"What happened?! What did they do to her?! Tell me how it happened. How did she die? Who killed her? Tell me!" Xeno cried frantically.

"…If you want to know, trade the location of Pato."

"You!" Xeno's spat with bloodshot eyes.

"Listen here! I was there and saw everything. You want to know because you care. Then, you should at least understand how I feel! I have people I care about too, people I cherish, and they're in danger! I want to save them, or at least go through this with them! So, help me!"

Xeno fell silent. He looked at the young man for a few seconds and realized his expressions were genuine.

"Alright, but you have to tell me what happened first."

"It's only a failed assassination. Is it really that important?"

"Of course! It's really important!" Xeno barke seriously, "Because she's important! Anything related to her is important!"

"Alright, I'll tell you."

"You're going to trust me?"

"We're very alike. I don't think you'll lie when it concerns someone you treasure. I believe in your love for your sister."

"Thanks," Xeno whispered sincerely.

Leguna arranged his thoughts and told Xeno everything. He sugar coated and hid nothing. He told the boy everything, including how Latie tried to faze him, who stopped the assassination, what Geoffrey did to her, and who spared her from her misery.

He didn't reveal Annelotte's identity, though. He cared for her more than the rest of the world and everyone in it a hundred times over; he could not let her be put in danger.

"This… Annie… Do you know her?" Xeno asked suddenly.

"Strictly speaking… I know her really well…"

"If you help me meet her, I'll tell you where Pato is."

"What do you want to do?" Leguna asked, his words suffused with killing intent. The kid was dead the moment he reveled any bad intentions towards Annelotte.

"I want to thank her. I'm not unreasonable. Miss Annie was trying to help my sister, don't freak out."

"I'm not freaking out," Leguna snapped.

"Whatever," Xeno smiled, "Do we have a deal?"

"If you don't mess around, then we do."

"I swear on my sister's name!" Xeno vowed.

Leguna dropped his hesitation.

"Alright, I promise."

"Thanks!"

"Okay, now tell me where Pato is. I don't have much time."

Xeno didn't go back on his word. He described the town's location in detail. Leguna breathed a sigh of relief. It was less than 60 kilometers away. If he went there on horseback, he could be there in an hour.

"Thanks. I'm Leguna. If you go to Melindor, head to Blackiron Training Center and see the head instructor, Gerd. He'll bring you to see me. You're called Xeno, right?"

"Yes… Hey!"

"What's wrong?"

"Your injuries haven't healed. What are you going to do?"

"Saron's there. My friends' lives are in danger. I have to help them."

"Are they really that important? Saron is-"

"He's just an arrogant bastard! I can't beat him, but I won't let him hurt my friends as long as I live!"

Xeno shuddered and reached into his clothes.

"This is for you!"

"Huh?"

"It's a high-grade healing potion. I wanted to use it to fight Haden, but I don't need it now. You can have it."

Leguna took it and nodded forcefully.

"Thank you!"