Vanya's eyes somehow seemed narrower following my bold proclamation. No doubt, my words seemed to be shaping the vision of me that she had in her mind. Nonetheless, I had no real intention of really bowing down to the woman.
"So you plan on doing harm to Astana?"
"You know, Vanya. People are a product of their environment in many cases.-"
"Answer my question. Plainly."
The elven woman snapped once she cut me off. Although I had planned to delay my response for a bit longer, she was not a fan of that approach. I honestly did not know how to respond to her question. Considering that I had aligned myself with Claire and her goal, I could potentially foresee a time where Claire and what people may consider "Astana" would be on opposite sides. If I answered no here, then I would stand on the grounds for a potential tarnishment of my character in the Arch-Captain's eyes.
It is not like my character is positive here anyway, but I think that more trouble would come my way if that were the case. However, my inadequate response prompted a reaction from the woman. Once again, the annoying sting of her shattered blade dug more into my skin.
"I understand. Let's just say that I have no vendetta against this place. Although you have sought me out to harass me, and I have been discriminated against. I assume that will be a trend in the future."
"Heed my words. If you raise your blade against Astana, then I will introduce you to mine for the final time."
The warning of the Arch-Captain hit me like a splash of ice water. Had I been a lesser man, then perhaps I would have tolerated her blatant threat. The scent of iron became more prevalent in the air.
Carried by the light breeze peppering our bodies, that same red broth dribbled down the hilt of her weapon. Though in this case, she had not initiated it. It was nothing more than a mere annoyance, but I had performed a magic trick for the now surprised elf. My palm had made her blade disappear.
A scoff escaped my mouth as I loomed over the smaller woman. Likely, she had encountered this type of thing, but she held my eyes with the sincerity of her warning.
"You will not like the outcome of that encounter. I am Mark. I will do whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want. You can introduce your blade as much as you would like. Just ask your friend what happened last time that I was attacked."
"I am not them-"
"But I am him."
Vanya would look perplexed at my response, but that seemed to be enough to satisfy her. At that moment, the blade that had made its home in my palm had been removed. I couldn't prevent the ever-growing smirk from stretching across my face. I could have given the Cheshire cat a run for his money in that regard.
With my hand free from the blade, I began focusing on closing the wound that had opened up. Sure, it was my fault, and I wanted to try to intimidate her; that didn't work. I could sense that perhaps this approach was not the best one. Her eyes locked onto my own before I found myself staring at the back of her silver hair.
"I will be keeping my eye -"
Although I could assume the following words in her statement, something more pressing popped up. The rowdy people inside the building became even more rowdy than before. At one time, it was peaceful enough that Q and I could converse with each other. Now, the shouts of the drunkards inside were enough to gather both of our attention.
Although I wasn't much of a partygoer, given my busy work schedule, I knew that something out of the ordinary would have had to happen to provoke such a response. It was like a wrestling crowd going wild for an event unfolding within the squared circle.
Vanya saw that this was likely something she had to witness, but I found myself blocking the doorway into the building. If the burning eyes weren't an indicator of her thoughts of my actions, then the frown was. I don't know why, but I felt the need to run interference. It was a compulsion, out of instinct. It was similar to the feeling that I had when encountering that crystal cluster inside the cave earlier today.
"What are you doing?"
What was I doing at that moment, indeed? I had no clue and functioned merely on the whim of a sudden compulsion. I began racking my brain in that moment to come up with the best answer to her question.
'Let's use that strength of yours to have some fun in this world like we did in Infinity Unleashed.'
The statement I had just said to Q rang inside my brain like a gong. It was then that an idea occurred to me, and my years of life spent consuming superhero and anime media came together. Staring into her eyes, my body tensed, causing the fist of my non-dominant hand to clench. Noticing the sudden change, she tensed up, and instinctively, she jumped back a few inches.
"Say, I have questions for you now as well, Mongrel. I want to know why Kitsunes are deemed as demons. Everything. Explain, and I just might spare this city any calamity."
Although I did not really hold any desire to do anything to this city, I felt that playing into this narrative in her mind that I was a threat was a solid idea. After all, I proudly proclaimed that I would be the Devil himself. I doubt she understood what I meant, but she should be able to piece together a version of that being in her mind.
The response I got was something that I did not expect. Recoil scattered throughout my body, and my head was displaced from its original position. Although there wasn't any real pain, it was like a brick wall running into me. When my senses came back together, the fist of the Arch-Captain had imprinted itself onto the side of my face.
My eyes widened as the woman landed a stiff blow onto me before I had been able to react. I was flabbergasted as I genuinely did not see her move at all, but her fist had been aimed at my face. Yet, there was one thing that she did not expect, nor did I.
"I eat those for breakfast.", I proudly proclaimed when I returned to my senses.
Unlike the powerful blows of the Lynx, Vanya did not send me flying. It was a good thing, too, since I would have been launched through the glass of the doorway and garnered more attention than I would like.
Hell, there was not even an indentation in my skin from her attack, but I decided not to counterattack. Instead, my hand moved up towards my face, and out of instinct or discipline, she bounced back once again. My goal was to adjust the placement of my glasses on my nose, and once I accomplished that, they returned to their natural position behind my back.
The Arch-Captain was indeed fast, but my smirk revealed that we both discovered my edge over her. Her face went blank as she observed my actions with the utmost care, but there was not much to analyze. I was winging it on the spot.
"You are no normal beastkin. Who do you work for?"
"So it seems, but that is to be expected. I had planned to keep it a secret, but you are… different from the rest as well. You pack quite a punch, and your speed is definitely superior to mine. Perhaps you could defeat me here if you are willing to endanger the non-combatants here. Sure, there are heroes of the battle here, but I am merely a construct. Expendable," I fabricate.
A sense of excitement fueled my actions, and I began crafting my role in our narrative on the spot. Considering that she would not know that outright, I was free to say and do whatever I wanted. As such, I chose to portray myself as a more serious figure. My tail puffed up, like a scorpion's tail, and hovered over my shoulder.
"I will choose to ignore your attack on me, but I suggest that you keep your nose out of my business. An eye on me will likely get put out."
I started with a firm tone to showcase to her that I was serious. It seemed to strike a chord with her as her stone brow turned liquid before my eyes. My suggestion turned it into a wrinkle. I would continue,
"There is darkness hiding in plain sight in this city. I have only been here for half a day, and I already can see it. The fact that you have been here longer and either is complicit or ignorant of it is equally as shameful."
"What are you talking about?"
'I got her...'
"You are an Arch-Captain, a pillar to this city, but you refuse to save your city from itself. Your town leader is sick and sequesters herself in her manor of gold. Yet, I bet that people who look like me die sick in the streets. They are looked down upon and demonized, and I bet those that are sick of it are destroyed, and now their destroyers are celebrated as heroes. Yet, the ones they fight for are spat upon and ignored by those in power."
To her, my words must've seemed like the ramblings of a madman, but since Mordred was suspicious of Claire, that meant that we would be watched further. This is my chance to put pressure on that foul-smelling bastard and his asshole brother. I must turn the determination of their guard dog onto them and steer it to bite the hand of her master.
"Ya know, if she were here, then I would curse that, Lady Ana. Too bad she isn't."
The eyes of the Arch-Captain widened to near cartoonish lengths. Her serious demeanor crumpled as she ate my words up like she was starving. I could see in her eyes that she didn't trust me, but I was indifferent to it. I couldn't care about it, but I chose this path. I did what Mordred wanted me to do. I leaked that secret to one of his high-ranking soldiers.