Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Stylla rammed her hands into the ground endlessly under Ed's gaze.

Her fury was apparent, with her teeth gnashed so hard that it looked like they would shatter soon.

Yet she didn't care.

She grunted and screamed to vent her frustration while digging holes in the hard, crusty dirt with her fists but this didn't help her get rid of this feeling of loss.

Was it her fault?

Should she have not brought Setkh here for the confrontation?

Would that have saved many from being killed?

Maybe.

Would that have stopped Setkh from escaping?

Perhaps.

But what was the use in thinking over it now? All Stylla could do was roar in anger at her stupidity, her blindness and grief at all that had happened today.

At the very least, she had wanted punishment for Setkh but right after Seddrik was killed by Red Rage, he and Karrun had escaped using the latter's peculiar Mind Casting technique.

That had been... crushing.

Skullius sighed.

He stood beside Red Rage above the huge crater made into the ground as the sun decided to retreat behind the cover of the horizon. Using his senses to hear the harrowing pain and anguish expressed below, he sighed once more.

"I guess she didn't care that much about that crystal," Skullius said as he sat down.

"Definitely not. She is attached to people more than objects," Red Rage replied.

Barely a minute ago, the two had reached this exact spot and looked down to give the news on what was likely to be a controversial decision.

Stylla had sighed in relief upon seeing Skullius, as the situation outside was something she had dreaded. This was not to say that she was in a ship shake mood now though.

It only took a shake of the head from Skullius for her to know that the crystal was gone and so were the attackers but she wasn't that moved by this, much to Skullius and Red Rage's surprise.

After all, as she had said, the crystal wasn't of any use to the Family anymore and unlike her father, Stylla didn't place as much value on it, especially when considering the current circumstances.

What was left of the Bryne Family, hanging on a thread that she had been knitting together constantly since her father's cursing, had been plundered further.

Many who had served the Family for years had been killed and that loud noise from earlier wasn't a jolly elephant doing a dance. It was the destruction of something important, Stylla had guessed.

The destruction was likely to be catastrophic.

All this made the red head feel... defeated.

​ "I didn't expect this trip to get so dark. I thought I'd grab a few treasures as promised and be back in Genhuis to deal with pending matters but... here we are," Skullius said with the shake of his head.

"It's funny hearing you speak so optimistically, Master," Red Rage said as he too took a seat. "I thought I'd celebrate a clean victory after showing up for the first time in weeks. Unfortunately, having to admit a loss hurts more than I thought."

"You can feel too now? Good."

In the end, Skullius and Red Rage had decided to hand over the crystal.

It wasn't that they trusted the word of the Mage but it was the fact that whatever they chose had the potential to produce the same negative outcome.

If the Mage didn't keep his word after they gave him the crystal, they were screwed as both could attest to the fact that the bastard was incredibly dangerous.

If they didn't have over the crystal, they screwed still as the man could likely stop them from escaping with his ridiculous spatial Magecraft.

It was better to choose the option with a chance at no conflict at all, after all, both Skullius and Red Rage had a lot to lose.

Thankfully, the grey haired Mage had kept his word. He didn't seem to be hung up on Seddrik's death but now, as the two met the ground beneath, they realised the man cared enough to retrieve his partner's body with his advanced magic.

Only blood stains remained of Seddrik's body.

"Well, it's not over yet. If I picked up anything, it would be the fact that these men were probably from the Severed Union. With enough fortune, we may meet them again. At least I will," Skullius said with a smirk.

Why was this?

That was because the Hybrid Luman had finally used one of the new features of his guidance field!

He had left a marker on the Mage and his bulky partner!

Now, depending on how the guidance field worked with him and his avatar, if Replicus was able to see the markers he placed with his own guidance field...

Well, this defeat wouldn't remain that sour for long perhaps.

*

Hours later.

"Alright then..."

Deep in the night, within one of the buildings that had been sandwiching the main mansion, Skullius nodded in agreement.

Stylla had calmed down.

She sat down on the couch with her body hunched over, her locked hands pressing against her hung forehead as she rapidly tapped her foot on the floor.

"Hmmm," she voiced, her eyes that had dark marks under them looking resolute.

The remaining members of the auxiliary staff that had worked for the Bryne Family for years donned sullen looks, as did the Knights who were shocked to hear Stylla's decision.

Ed also looked conflicted.

"I don't qualify as a leader. I'm nothing like my father. The main mansion is gone, along with bits of my Family that I can never recover. Bits that I won't be able to explain to my relatives. Haha. Those that still care," Stylla said with a hurting smile and sniffled. She then turned to the survivors. "For now... I only see a dark future for my Family. My father remains cursed and everything we have left is... something we can barely protect."

"It doesn't serve you well to remain with the Family like this. Leave. I'll settle enough coin for you to live the rest of your lives without trouble. Better now than later when it likely all falls apart."

"..."

There was a bit of silence as everyone digested Stylla's words.

She had decided to leave the estate indefinitely.

Quite the reckless decision on her part but this event had been just enough to tear down her flimsy resolve.

She hadn't been ready.

She had tried to look it.

She had tried to act it.

But she wasn't ready.

The weight of lives and property destroyed while she was at the helm was different when there was no one else to share it with.

She couldn't handle that right now.

She wasn't weak by any means but...

A fairly old woman walked forward.

"Lady Stylla. You would give up this estate just like that? This land has belonged to your Family for a very long time. Leaving it because you have lost all hope is—"

"Foolish? Stupid? Premature?" Stylla interrupted the woman. "Don't you see? None of it matters anymore. No one cares. My father may never wake up and I... I don't have the strength to look over this land and what it represented. Not right now anyway. Maybe someday in the future when groom myself but... for now, I'll go back to Genhuis with my father. "

Everyone was appalled.

The sudden attack that had claimed many lives was tragic and some were scarred for life but this...?

"You don't have to settle your thoughts right now. You can stay here for the time being but I'll be leaving tomorrow. Best make a decision before I leave."

Stylla then dismissed everyone after saying this, leaving only Skullius and Ed in the room.

"Please do not question my loyalty too," Ed said before Stylla could say anything.

"I wasn't going to," she said with a hollow smile. "You are the only one among the others who stayed behind without giving an excuse."

The others Stylla referred to where other Master Stage experts who were convinced to travel with the other Family members.

As if they could be vindicated in this lifetime.

Stylla then turned to Skullius.

"Is that man...?" she began when Skullius answered her predictable question.

"Yes. He's with me. A follower, you could say."

"Oh. That's good," Stylla voiced, the general spark of inquisition that any normal person would have had towards a mystery like Red Rage who was waiting outside not visible in her eyes. "Thank you. Both of you. If you hadn't come, things would have been different."

"I'm part of the Family, aren't I?" Skullius said.

"That's... right," Stylla said with another variant of an empty smile. "Since I owe it to you anyway, I might as well show you to our treasury. You may take as many things as you want, barring the coin."

'Oh?' Skullius perked up. 'So the treasury wasn't destroyed with the house or something?'

Thank goodness!

The Hybrid Luman had found it inappropriate to ask when Stylla was facing such conflict but since she pretty much confirmed it...

Perfect!

Stylla rose to do as she said but...

"Hold on," Skullius said, causing her to stop.

"Since we are Family... technically, may I pitch in an idea?"

"What is it?" Stylla asked with her sullen eyes.

The Hybrid Luman smirked slightly.

This was an improvised thought but it was worth a shot.

The original idea behind signing into the Bryne Family was protection and ease of access to resources.

Well, why not take it to another level?