Chapter 14: Conflict

                                    

                                          
Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi
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--Streets of Ken-
It was a common sight for bandits and thieves on the streets to avoid the off-looking people. One could never know what they could be really capable of. They may be mages, foreign agents from different kingdoms, and even a member of the clergy. The last thing anyone wanted was to offend the Church. 
But this dark elf-looking guy couldn't be any one of them. He didn't have an escorting party with him or even a horse, making it improbable for him to be a foreign ambassador. He wore not a single sigil belonging to the church or the goddess, so he couldn't be a Templar or a member of the ecclesiarchy. Which only meant that he was either a rich traveler or a rogue mercenary. 
His clothes reinforced that idea of the latter. 
When the idiot had the audacity to sleep with the boss' girl, then he knew; that the guy would be dead in a matter of days for his disrespect.
That's what Nito thought when he tried to mug Archer, hoping to get in the good graces of the top brass of Kuroinu. He called his henchmen, making sure they didn't wear anything associating them with the Kuroinu and tailed the man. The first instance felt quite easy; he didn't run or scream for help—though Nito would have preferred that he did. It would have made the entire thing more fun before they killed him.
When he pressed his blade against his neck, the leader was just waiting for the guy to crumble on the floor, begging for mercy while he pissed his pants. His sadistic side was yearning for such a moment. The power to hold people's lives in the palm of his hand was so… addictive.
Yet things went completely south after threatening this man. Gasping in pain as he felt his bones break under immense pressure, forced to gaze at the now hoodless white-haired man before him, and let out a pained cry for his men to attack this man.
"...I shouldn't be surprised, things like these always tend to happen."
Archer tensed himself; prana surged beneath his skin, covering every imperfection in his bones, muscles, and skin—strengthening them beyond anything humanly possible. The leader—who he still held by his wrist—shouted for his allies to come to his aid, yet they wouldn't get to him on time. 
If possible, Archer preferred to not kill any more people if necessary. Even if this freedom was false, he didn't want to go through the senseless slaughter he would witness every single time during his deployment by the Counter Force. He grew numb and somewhat detached from these things but never brought himself to feel indifferent and despised them with all his heart.
He hated unneeded killing and violence in general, but when push came to shove — he wouldn't hesitate.
Right now, these people weren't just regular thugs, they were associated with Hicks and the Kuroinu. They were most likely mercenaries who disguised themselves as low-life thugs just in case they would get caught and for their action to earn the ire of Vault.
Archer could twist his reasoning to any story he wanted, self-defense or accident. But at the end of the day, he would stay true to his duty and take out his targets by any means necessary.
'They brought this upon themselves, I hold no regret.'
He closed his heart and his mind. No matter what happened after this, even if he got caught by the Knights, he wasn't letting them go. Probably even doing Maia a favor, not like the possible corrupted system which was controlled by the Kuroinu would let anything happen to their men if caught.