Hunter Sky

B2: Chapter 3 - Undercover

The next few weeks after the banquet ball, tensions rose even higher between the nations. For two whole years, trading routes had been cut off due to the Southern Pirates and Ylisean army ships intercepting the goods and materials at sea, taking it all for themselves and killing the captains with their crew.

As a result of this, Altea could not receive the goods it needed to sustain its people, and famine began to cover the land and their crops were spoiled. The livestock also suddenly picked up a peculiar disease that made them unsafe to eat. Was this all just mother nature's punishment? Or was there something else responsible for it?

One dark and gloomy night, deep in the rocky snow-filled trenches of Valkyria's northern border, grains of snow rained down from the skies, among the white wind sailing through the air.

A boat slowly loomed upon the icy waters, floating past the rocky burgs sticking out of the sea, approaching a ledge of snowy rocks near the shore. The shadows of the rocks stretched out across the waters, hiding the boat from the wary moon and the Valkyrian coastguards as it blended into the night.

Three shadow-tainted figures rose from the boat, one particular figure with silver hair which illuminated in the moonlight and stood ahead of the other two, blending in with the snow itself.

They scaled the rocky ledge walls and made it to the surface where they could see the layout of the land. The wind blew violently and the moon illuminated its light sparingly upon the land from the overcast clouds.

Two Valkyrian guards on patrol spotted the shadow-tainted figures in the glow of the moonlight, but they could barely make out a distinctive image of the figures as they approached them.

One of the guards yelled to the figures as she held her sword, "Halt! Who goes there! This area is restricted!"

As they approached the figures, they saw the reflection of the moonlight glistening upon silver steel. The shadow-tainted figures drew their weapons. Surprised, the watch guards also drew theirs.

"Are you Valkyrian?! You are trespassing! State your business immediately!"

As the watch guards interrogated them further, the silver-haired figure with blinding speed shoved a katana through one of the guard's head, and she fell to the ground. The other guard got startled and was about to yell for backup, but another shadow-tainted figure suddenly appeared behind her and held her mouth.

The figure spoke softly with a feminine voice, "Can we kill this one Sensei?"

The silver-haired figure nodded to what seemed to be a female, as the moonlight hung on the edges of its slender curves.

The other guards on patrol behind a large snowy slope heard a loud agonizing scream echoing through the land, followed by the distant howls of wolves.

The other watch guards ran over the slope in the direction of the noise, their footprints carving into the thick snow as they ran. But what followed next was the cling of swords and horrific screams.

Next to the shadow-tainted figures stood a pile of Valkyrian watch guards stacked on top of each other, covered in blood, drenching the now red snow underneath them. With a swarm of white breezes sailing by, the shadowed figures vanished into the night, leaving behind evidence of a bloody carnage in their wake.

Three days later, news of this incident traveled many miles over the seas and reached the shores of Altea. General Caldwell walked with haste down the royal halls of the castle, on his way to King Raul's chamber with great urgency.

Sir Caldwell flew upon the door, "Sire! I have some concerning news."

King Raul stood up from his desk with a furrowed brow, "What is it?"