Armin's features cracked from the impact. His mouth and nose dripped crimson.
"Just one?" Arista questioned.
"No. Multiple punches to the face till his features broke. Even his teeth seem to be aching and his jaw is severely bruised."
"Say no more."
Over and over, Arista smacked Armin's face with brutal punches, breaking his features. She shifted his jaw, broke another tooth from him and rendered his face a mess.
"Is that enough?" She questioned after a continuous set.
"More than enough. His shin seems to have been kicked with brutal force."
Arista drew back, and with bone jarring force, she marched Armin's shin, causing a crack.
Armin's screams and cries that had now dimmed from the continuous brutal assault could only make the ears of those present.
He had lost all strength and couldn't even express his agony properly.
"All that's left are deep cuts. One's on his right arm."
As Arista attempted to make a deep gash on Armin's arm, Omaya, who had kept silent and watched from the sides, voiced out.
"Let me," she said, smiling eagerly. "You know I'm the best at this one."
Still pinning him to the wall, blood dripped steadily from Armin, pooling on the floor beneath him.
Arista moved to the side, giving Omaya access.
Omaya lifted her hands, shifting her long, wide sleeve backwards to reveal her hands. In her right grasp were obsidian stones, gleaming softly. They were carved sharply like the head of an arrow, sharp and deadly.
And in her other hand was a black, small flexible rubber like a band. She wore it over her right thumb and index finger, stretching it like a bow.
Then, with mastered finesse, she drew the black stone over the rubber like you would an arrow over its bow.
She positioned it straight toward Armin's arm and—
SHOOT!
She fired it.
The black stone pierced Armin's arm, burrowing deep into his skin till it was covered. Then, gently, she tugged on the tiny tread attached to the stone she just fired.
It was a white thread, faint and quite transparent. Only when one peered hard enough could one see it.
Without mercy, she roughly pulled the thread, tearing out the sharp stone from Armin's skin. The area opened up, deep and wide.
Blood streamed from the opening, the inside of his flesh now open to the eyes.
"Where next? Please list everywhere."
"Two on his left thigh, one just above his waist, two below his underarm....."
Seira listed all where Koul was cut deeply and Omaya saw to it that she paid it back in full.
Before they finished, Armin lost consciousness.
Done, Arista retracted her hand from his neck, allowing Armin to fall to the floor with a loud thud.
That was how the knights had left Koul to the ground a while ago.
"What do we do? Should I treat him?" Seira asked, voice filled with pity for Koul.
"I don't think you should," Arista replied, approaching them. "He's someone who would get upset over being aided by girls, so why should you? He might wake up and direct his anger at us for helping him."
Seira and Omaya nodded, affirming Arista's words.
"He'll get treated by the physician, that's for sure," she paused when she reached Koul and Seira.
"But then again, his injuries are plenty and severe."
"Umu! Umu!" Seira nodded her head repeatedly.
"Although your healing methods would cause him an equal amount of pain or more, I think you should heal some of his wounds."
"Well, there's no gain without pain. He'll get severely hurt but will be healed, so I say heal him!" Omaya shrugged, cleaning her blood soaked stones.
"Yes yes, it's better I heal him. And he's unconscious so I doubt he'll feel the pain intensely."
"Let's go."
Without a glance back, Arista started leaving. Omaya followed, leaving Seira behind with Koul.
"What about the knights?" Omaya asked, referring to the knights still glued to their spots.
She was a talented. And with one of her abilities, she had trapped them to that spot.
"Release them once we leave. They'll be the ones to care for their prince and make sure he doesn't die."
After this, Arista paused and turned to the knights.
"Make sure you leave here with your so-called prince the moment you're all released. And be sure not to do anything stupid until he awakes."
She turned back, walking away.
"Was that to make sure they don't put us in trouble by telling their king we hurt his son?" Omaya asked.
"Yes. Armin wouldn't want his father to know this. It'll be a shame, after all, that he was beaten by a woman, and a fight is started because of that."
"Cool! We get to get away with this," Omaya cheered.
"Hey! Who will carry him?!" Seira called out. Unlike the two, she was no combat veteran. She was a healer.
"Who else? Carry him, haha," Omaya chuckled.
"We both know that's impossible!" She cried.
"If you can't carry him, just drag him along," Arista advised.
Not that the advice was a good one.
"I'll do just that."
But Seira would heed it because they were…. well…. unusual.
As Seira started dragging Koul across the floor to meet up with the other two despite his injuries, a broken Yumi cried from behind.
Her voice was shaky, her body trembling as she was overcame with confusion.
"Why?!" She questioned, mildly angry. "I thought we all hated him, so why?! Why do all this for him?" She cried out, desperately wanting an answer.
They all paused. Arista turned back, and approached Yumi who trembled at her approach.
"We do," Arista replied quietly. "But we cannot condone disrespect of this level in our own kingdom."
"If he will be judged for his wrongs, let it be from God. And if it cannot be so, then at least by a righteous person. You and I know your prince isn't far from the type of man Koul is."
Arista paused briefly, staring down at Yumi who remained on the floor.
"You made your choice, didn't you?" She continued. "You ran away to the neighboring kingdom. To a man you deemed better. Not that we're blaming you or anything because you're right to want to free yourself from this bondage. But you see something, Yumi…"
Arista crouched low, leaning into Yumi as if she wanted her words to fall directly into her ears.
"Why do you keep waggling your tail back in a kingdom you saw no light in? Walking its walls like you belong in it. Is it some kind of delusion? That you still hold power here despite already leaving?" She questioned calmly, peering deep into Yumi's eyes like she could see far beyond it.
"Manage the kingdom you've chosen. Bear no interest in this one. Only plot against it when you're sure you can succeed because I…. show no mercy."