“Nice arm. How the hell did you get that from Rann’s corpse?”

  Eri sat down in Officer Amber's personal quarters, politely denying the cup of hard alcohol she offered.

  “Took some difficulty. The magic within was… stubborn,” Eri said vaguely as he flexed his new left arm.

  The light in the room fractured slightly across its surface, forming tiny, gleaming shards that hurt his eyes to look at if he focused. Beneath the crystalline surface, veins of faint blue pulsed like heartbeats, tracing geometric patterns that rearranged when he flexed his fingers.

  The limb was beautiful in a way that no prosthetic limb could achieve — translucent and sea-blue — yet Eri cared little for its aesthetic. Its function was his primary concern, but so far it seemed to afford him the full range of motion expected of an arm.

  Where his flesh had once been torn, now demoncraft met scarred skin and gave him a jointed left arm, complete with five fingers that glowed faintly with runic diagrams.

  It was lighter than the powerful crystals Admiral Rann had used — though less durable — and perfectly balanced as well. While Eri only had it for a day, it responded quicker than his previous limb and struck far harder as well.

  It even had no problem channelling his mana, so the use of his Artes — be they Dagger, Unarmed, or Demonic — would not be affected.

  “Could have just gone with a regular prosthetic,” Amber criticised as she studied his crystal limb. “The arcanotech of the present era isn’t as good as it was in the age of the gods, but your dwarven pals could have whipped you up something nice. A mechanised combat arm — blades, guns, flamethrowers, all in one limb.”

  “I considered it, but a quality arm like that takes too much time and resources to build,” Eri said, clenching his fingers experimentally. “This is faster.”

  “Hm. If you say so. People will get curious, though. I know my men are. But, much as I like to discuss more about it, I doubt that’s what you came here to talk to me about.”

  The two of them were alone in Amber’s quarters. The imperial commanding officer looked better than she did days ago. She cleaned herself up and no longer reeked of booze. Her room still stank, however, though Eri made sure not to comment on that.

  This is the celebrated Imperial Hero of the 24th Crusade, Eri reminded himself as Amber propped her leg up on the table and yawned. No matter how she behaves, she is not someone I can afford to lose.

  At first, Eri thought it was some kind of strategy on her end to get his guard down — her casual, disrespectful attitude and the unwashed stench of her room certainly qualified as a psychological attack — but Eri suspected this was just how the ‘venerable’ war hero typically was, rather than an act she specifically prepared for him.

  In many ways, Amber’s character went against Eri’s personal perception of what a hero should be — noble, brave, and selfless.

  Indeed, the woman’s every quality went against his view on Heroism — save for one.

  Amber Valance was, without doubt, the strongest Chosen on the island right now.

  \-\

  Officer Amber Valance

  Lvl 122 Reluctant Hero of the Empire

  A Sapphire-Core Imperial officer who bears the moniker of ‘Hero of the 24th Crusade’ (A title she absolutely had not planned on earning). Though she often proclaims herself to be a selfish coward, her impeccable military instinct and expertly timed ‘tactical retreats’ saved the Empire from total collapse during the debacle of the 24th Crusade.

  Performing countless incredible (and accidental) feats of Heroism, Amber’s Imperial company of fresh recruits slayed numerous Archons and rescued several stranded battalions during her desperate rush to escape the deteriorating war. Her crowning achievement came when she united the entirety of the surviving 24th Crusade and made a heroic last stand against the apocalyptic surge of demonic legions sweeping across the central continent.

  Despite facing a force projection disadvantage of three-to-one, Officer Amber managed to repel the demon legions and emerge victorious. Had it not been for her miraculous efforts, it is widely believed the Aurelian Empire would have fallen in the decade after.

  \-\

  The stories revolving around the officer were many. A nameless lieutenant who somehow became pivotal to the survival of the human race. A young woman with no noble background or known Saint lineage, who then performed miracles after miracles throughout the 24th Crusade, culminating in her legendary defence of the Aurelian Empire against a demonic horde so vast that men claimed it was the coming of the final apocalypse.

  When the war finally ended, her Core blazed Sapphire, and she had more confirmed Archon kills to her name than any other junior imperial officer in the Empire.

  When Eri had read her stories in his childhood, he had been half-convinced she was Saint Ariane reborn, even if the Church and the Empire had already tested otherwise. The officer’s ludicrous background had reflected the heroic woman who killed him while he had been the Fourth Demon King — a nameless peasant girl from the rear end of nowhere, somehow emerging at the Empire’s crucial time of need and saving it from destruction.

  However, meeting her now… She was not who he expected.

  “I have a question, if you will indulge me,” Eri started. “Why is a hero of your status guarding a lowly imperial logistic outpost? If I recall, you were initially in command of the entire imperial force when you left Kaldreach.”

  “‘Hero’, my ass,” Amber grumbled to herself. “The Imperial Army just slapped that worthless title on me because every other commander in the war was dead. I was the only one smart enough to run before we all died.”

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  “And in doing so, you saved entire battalions' worth of soldiers. Tens of thousands of soldiers that later became essential in that heroic defence you led against the invading demon legions,” Eri pointed out. “The title of Hero is not unearned. Your command of strategy saved the Empire.”

  Amber grimaced. From below her table, she pulled out a bottle of liquor.

  “Do you always have that ready?” Eri asked, exasperated.

  “If we are going to talk about history, I need to get more drunk,” she grunted, twisting open the bottle.

  Eri sighed and reached for her hands, gently settling her bottle back on the table. “Alright, I get it. Let’s not talk about the crusade. Tell me instead why you are here. Why is the Coalition wasting your talents guarding this insignificant outpost?”

  “It’s hardly insignificant. This outpost maintains the supply lines between the mainland and the inner seas of the Slaver Isles.”

  “And when was the last time any of Kaldreach’s warships came out from within the Slaver Isles for resupply?”

  Amber grimaced. “Three months, at least. There have been no ships ever since we received news that the Noble Houses' fleet was destroyed.”

  That meant, effectively, all of the surviving Coalition forces save for the imperial military were stuck inside the Slaver Isles, overwhelmed by pirate forces.

  “I understand the imperial military was tasked with the matter of maintaining Kaldreach’s control of the Slaver Isles’ outer perimeters while hunting down Pirate Lord Drake,” Eri said. “But the situation has drastically changed. Your strength is desperately needed within the inner seas.”

  “You make it sound like I’ve been slacking off. I was the one who brought the Coalition a foothold in this stupid invasion, you know?” Amber snorted. “Burned dozens of pirate ships, established our supply lines, and secured the outer seas from those damn pirates. Even fought that creep, Oleander, for a while.”

  “I’ve read the reports. You lived up to your reputation for… unorthodox strategies.”

  The woman had been trying to flee Oleander’s undead capital ship when her vessels passed by a patch of shallow reef unknown to both factions. Oleander’s enormous vessel was grounded, becoming a sitting target for the imperial fleet to shoot at.

  “Don’t mince it. I know I was a coward,” she sighed. “Still, it paid off. Blasted a good chunk of Oleander’s zombie dreadnought, as well as a quarter of his fleet when they tried to protect him. He still got away in the end with his flagship, though. Pretty sure that necromancer has me on a deathwatch at the moment. Have you ever seen what he does to his captives? It’s not pretty.”

  “You claim your achievements are all born of cowardice, but no coward I know could do half the things you can,” Eri pressed. “If nothing else, the men of the imperial military respect you. If I am to gather them to make a proper war fleet, I need your help.”

  “Get everyone you can, then rush to the Coalition’s aid, huh?” Amber exhaled. “Won’t work. Tried that already. Drake has these seas on lockdown. I’ve been stuck in a battle of attrition with her for the last three years. Her dreadnought can’t be tracked or traced. For what it’s worth, I believe the ship travels alone. Whatever magic veils her only covers the capital flagship. The rest of her fleet is broken down into raiding parties and can be countered against, but her dreadnought, the Flying Hind? Damn thing shows up wherever it wants, destroys isolated fleets, then disappears.”

  “But she’s not unreachable. Due to her activities over the past four years, we have extensive data on which fleets went missing and which remained untouched as they sailed past these waters. She only picks fights she can win. We can exploit that.”

  “You want us to ride on a smaller fleet to lure her out,” Amber hummed. “We have her frigate, too, so that might piss her off enough to come after us. Still suicide, though. Going against a dreadnought while we are at an inferior naval strength is not a good idea.”

  “It will only be inferior in her eyes. We have hidden weapons under our sleeves. Take our biovore corvette, for example. Its guns are vastly stronger than what its size would suggest.”

  “That alone is not going to be enough.”

  “No, it’s not,” Eri agreed. “But I have more secrets to play. We will win, I’m sure of it. After her ship is crippled, we will board it and kill her. And that will be the end of Pirate Lord Drake.”

  Amber looked unconvinced. “Risky as all hell. What’s the Fox stance on this?”

  “Kalisa?” Eri blinked. “Um, she’s supportive. I think.”

  Amber sighed. “Going to be honest, I was hoping to just hole up here until High Command finally gives in and sends a rescue fleet for us. Jumping into a fight with the odds against my favour is not my style.”

  “Yet you find yourself in them all too often, anyway,” Eri said, thinking of her feats in the 24th Crusade. “You thrive when the odds are not in your favour.”

  “It’s luck, and nothing else. You and all those idiots in this castle think too highly of me,” Amber muttered. “Thousands of Imperial troops in the West, scattered across dozens of minor outposts and isolated ships. Our hold on the Slaver Isles is tenuous. High Command will realise that soon. The order for a full retreat will come in, and I’ll get to go home. Hopefully, this time I can find a safe and quiet post until I retire.”

  “As you wait here, your men are dying,” Eri pressed.

  “Men die all the time. If you are concerned about that, then maybe you shouldn’t have spearheaded this stupid coalition, Eridane Elathion.”

  Eri winced. Her words hit hard, both as shock and guilt.

  “Yeah, I know who you are,” Amber idly said. “Looked you up when I was thoroughly drunk off my ass last week. You are the boy prodigy who became a Chosen at nine. Killed a Silver-Core Demon in your trial. Took down Gunther Stormcaller when you were just a Copper Core. Saved House Elathion from ruin. Sealed the Ruby-Core Hellgate at Lake Violet. Repel the Duskcrowns’ assassins four years ago. Decoded their uncipherable documents. There’s a bunch of other impossible shit too, but I think I’ve tickled your ego enough.”

  “You… How do you know all that?” Most of that information either circulated in rumours or was kept highly secret under Lord Draevan’s and Peythra’s efforts. Most people outside House Elathion never knew the true extent of Eri’s feats.

  For Amber to just suddenly bring all that up casually… She had been stuck in her room the whole time. How did she learn all this?

  “You have a ridiculous reputation for someone your age. Reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger, and the idiotic messes I keep falling into,” Amber answered vaguely. “That’s why when you said you’ll take down Lord Drake, I believe you. Problem is, while you are making yourself loudly known as a new shiny piece on the game board, I’m trying to stay hidden from those assholes above from noticing me again.”

  “You… What? What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t know?” Amber frowned at him, as if she had just realised something.

  Eri frowned. “Know what?”

  Her piercing eyes seemed to study him for a moment.

  After a few seconds, she sighed. “I’ll help you.”

  Eri blinked. “Just like that? I thought you didn’t want to.”

  “I still don’t. I really fucking don’t,” she said tiredly. “But chances are that if I continue to sit my ass here, something terrible is going to happen to me. Fate’s a piece of shit if they don’t get their entertainment, and with the Fox here, that goes for double.”

  “That’s… great?”

  “No, it’s not. We’ll have more trouble thrown our way with the two of us together. I’ll get my gear in order, you get yours, and you’d better pray hard enough that with our combined bullshit, it will be enough to overcome whatever idiotic mess that’s going to come crashing our way.”

  Eri didn’t know what to make of her words. They made no sense.

  But he had her cooperation. That was enough for now.

  Nothing like Saint Ariane at all, he nodded to himself. This woman is just crazy.