It took a lot of preparation.
Baron Drott eyed the Homunculus in the healing pod, growling in distaste.
The fortress they "found" him was at the frontier of Synclair empire with Myrka's kingdom, and it grated him that he was ordered to come all this way just to run an errand.
But orders were orders. And, with their sect focused on gaining more influence in Synclair, it only made sense to recruit a strong soldier.
Even so, this was a risky move, even for the Archbishop.
If the reports from the Cradle were right, this homunculus could be a great addition, but also a danger for their operation.
They registered his first signs of consciousness before being indoctrinated in Myrka's military program, so, when Archbishop Lowan found about this, he knew he had to have the boy.
Their spies in Myrka made sure that he would get this mission. One in a high Ether zone, with the suffering they inflicted in the nearby city, bringing the bodies of those peasants closer to the fortress.
Naturally, death clung there, and, where there is death and Ether, there's a possibility of an Umbral rupture.
"Herr doctor, shall we leave?" He asked the old man, eyeing him with distaste.
The doctor was a corrupt mage, and a powerful one at that. His talents were useful for Falabrek's sect, and they were useful to him, which made them impromptu allies.
For the time being.
"Calm down, young one… We still need to extract his loyalty card." He then waved his hand, forcing a cut to open in the carotid, blood freely flowing in the water.
With a grunt, he forced a black liquid out of his body, in it was the loyalty card. Then, he healed the cut, leaving no scar.
The black, ink-like liquid tried to attach itself back in the body, but, with a single wave and use of his Palladium magic, he teleported the blasted thing out and stepped in it, killing the card.
"Such disgusting things… I wonder how they can live with such apparatus on their bodies." He almost spat in disgust, choosing to leave at that moment. "We'll need to depart soon, lest Myrka discover our activities here."
...
What a shitshow.
If Lady Lenna Linster had to pick a description for what was supposed to be an easy mission, that would be the one most apt.
The loss of almost an entire squad, including their leader…
This'll just spell more problems back home.
She ordered a small platoon of soldiers to go there, to make sure Vincent, was really dead, but couldn't find a body.
The best part was that, since demons can't survive under the sun, they still had to make sure those two were dead, since their bodies were vaporized by sunlight.
They had other ways, but it was such a drag that she wanted to scream.
Her frustration just increased when remembering one of the squad members, Bernard, saying with full certainty that the leader was still alive.
It was an unshakable faith, one that forced them to seek any signs of life for hours, lest he doesn't shut up about it.
They thought of looking at the infirmary, where there were the healing pods, but it was completely busted, the fire from the Molotov completely melting anything there.
She cursed it.
Esper homunculi weren't only difficult to create, they were also her responsibility.
She treated her battalion like any aloof official would, but she still cared for them. Her house was, after all, sired by a homunculus. They were like her family, so this hit her hard.
It was the first time she lost an entire squad. Men who she knew, not personally, but still felt their loss. She gritted her teeth, using that frustration and anger to fuel her ambition.
She hated demons.
Always did.
They took her mother, they took her grandfather, they took countless innocent people… And since coming to the field, she hated them even more.
Each consequence she saw of their actions was more than enough to justify that righteous fury inside her heart. So, with a sigh, she eyed the report she was writing.
She knew the reactions would be catastrophic, and it would mean more headaches for her. Dipping the pen in the ink, she decided that it would not happen again.
Not on her watch.
...
After that mission, the young homunculus threw himself on training.
His anger, his wrath at this injustice, kept growing as he tried to rationalize what happened. We were supposed to win!
Their mission was an easy one, but demons complicated the matter.
He kept slashing and piercing, forcing his frustration out of his body.
His heart bled at the memory, his fear consumed him, and his brother paid for it.
Screaming, he felt the thundering rain even as his lungs burned at the exertion.
It felt worse than before. The pain didn't subside, the anger kept clawing its way out. He wanted to kill something, but lady Lenna ordered him to stay in camp.
Even with all his training, he wasn't ready for the real world. It was his weakness and cowardice that made this.
He should've kept his ground. Now, they lost an entire squad…
He tried to argue that it didn't make any sense. Why would the demons keep the other squad members' bodies lying there while Vince's disappeared, but no one listened.
They just looked at him with those eyes, filled with pity.
He roared again, ending a sequence of slashes, and his body gave up.
"Hey, bud… you doing alright?" Looking at the speaker, he eyed Jesse and growled.
"What do you think? Do I look okay?"
"No need for hostilities" he said, trying to placate the young homunculus as he sat down, eyeing the clouds, lit with thunderbolts. "I understand… It's not the first time I lost someone to them. I won't ask you to not be angry, nor will I try to convince you to stop training… But you can't let it consume you."
"He was my brother! I can't simply…"
"They were also my brothers! All five of them, we were part of the same squad initially! Now, only I remain…"
He eyed Jesse, the rain pouring as if to hide their tears.
"I'm… I'm sorry."
"Don't be… Trust me, it'll get less painful as time goes on. There's no problem in grieving, but don't let it consume you…"
"Does this pain ever go away?"
He turned to Bernard, giving him a grim smile.
"Pray that it doesn't" he answered, eyes full of conviction. "The day it does go away is the day you lost yourself… I saw many good men forgetting why they picked up their arms for the first time… Trust me, it'll be better if you don't ever lose this pain. Hold onto it, grab it with all your might, but don't let it slip."
As they looked at one another, time passed, until…
"Would you look at that, the rain stopped."