Hahn's Punishment

Vaelyn walked up to Ozlo and whispered a few things into his ear. She ripped her Lieutenant Badge from her chest and said a few more incomprehensible words. Then she rushed away. Ozlo turned towards Andrew who had been watching from nearby.

"What was that all about?" Andrew wondered.

Ozlo shrugged. "Vaelyn just stepped down as Lieutenant... and suggested Hahn take her place."

"That's strange..."

"Indeed," Ozlo agreed. "I wonder why she quit."

"Maybe there's foul play at work," Andrew stated.

"Possibly..." Ozlo said. "How about we go search Hahn's tent?"

"Alright."

They both hurried over to Hahn's tent, with Andrew clutching the hilt of his sword, which sat protected in its scabbard. The loose tent billowed in the wind, the entrance flap opening and closing, over and over again. Ozlo and Andrew went inside the tent to find Hahn sitting on his sleeping bag, reading a book. Ozlo stepped forward and Hahn suddenly realized they were there with a jump.

"Ozlo! Andrew! What are you two doing here?" Hahn asked.

"Can we just do a little search of your tent? Vaelyn did something earlier today and we're checking everywhere."

"You think I told her to step dow- er... as..." Hahn had a brief look of panic in his eyes before pulling a Valiance out of its holster on his belt. He shot at Ozlo and Andrew, then ran past them to the outside.

"Hahn, quit now or face bigger punishment!" Ozlo yelled.

When Hahn kept running, the duo followed him, dashing at top speeds.

"If only Noah was here, that guy could basically fly!" Andrew called to Ozlo while running.

Ozlo gave a grunt and pushed forward. Then, out of nowhere, a bullet whizzed by Andrew's face.

"Sorry!" someone yelled.

Andrew turned around and saw Mary chasing after them, trying to shoot down Hahn. Another bullet zoomed by and struck Hahn in his leg. He fell to the ground almost immediately, clutching his gastrocnemius, which was bleeding. Ozlo caught up to the wounded man and put him on his shoulders. Together, Andrew and Ozlo walked back to the camp. Eventually, Mary joined their walk.

"Been quite awhile, hasn't it, Mary?" Andrew said.

"Yeah..." Mary agreed. "So much drama around these days... Can't have a simple conversation without a bullet flying past you."

Without warning, very ironically, a bullet flew past the group. Andrew turned involuntarily to behold a pair of shining yellow eyes staring at him from the forest on the west side of the camp. Immediately, the figure retreated, dashing away into the forest.

"What was that? Is karma finally coming to get me?" Mary growled.

"I... I think it was just one of the recruits... yeah... they must've misfired..." Andrew lied.

"Whoever shot that is getting a serious warning..." Ozlo said. "I might have to put them in the timeout corner."

Andrew and Mary both stopped to look at Ozlo.

"Well, you know... we don't really have a jail right now..." Ozlo stated. With more strange glances, he continued, "Let me figure things out, thank you very much."

"Sure thing..." Mary agreed.

"Yeah..." Andrew added.

The trio continued back into the camp.

Interrogation

Vaelyn stepped through the opening of Ozlo's tent, where Andrew and Ozlo both stood looking down at Hahn, who was tied up. A piece of cloth gagged him as well. His eyes glinted with a sharp sense of anger at the sight of the former Lieutenant come in. Ozlo walked over to meet Vaelyn.

"It's ok, Vaelyn. This rat won't be doing any more wrongs," Ozlo assured.

Hahn attempted to talk, but ended up almost choking on the gag.

Vaelyn hesitated, "Uh- Ok... Um- I just forgot, I have to do something- bye."

She hurried out of the tent. Ozlo thought he understood what the problem was, but he was horribly wrong. He then turned towards Andrew and told him to rip the gag from Hahn's mouth. Andrew did as he was told and pulled the wet piece of cloth from Hahn. He threw it on the ground, wiping his hands on his shirt. Ozlo looked Hahn straight in the eyes.

"What did you do?" he interrogated.

Hahn was gasping for air when Ozlo asked the question. After a few seconds, he replied, "You want to know everything?"

"Yes," Ozlo growled.

"Then maybe we should start with... hmm... How 'bout Feron's death?" Hahn smiled.

Andrew slugged Hahn right in the side of his head at that.

"What was that, Andrew?" Ozlo asked, surprised.

"Sorry... I just couldn't contain myself..." Andrew sighed.

"Thanks for the new battle bruise, dude," Hahn chuckled. "Anyways, where were we? Ah yes, Feron's death. Yeah, Vaelyn killed Feron."

"No way!" Ozlo snapped.

Hahn countered, "Yes way! I believe you lost a gleaming yellow sword, correct?"

"Yes..." Ozlo was confused.

"Well, Vaelyn stole it. I saw her with it, standing above Feron while he slept on the night of the assault," Hahn explained. "Now, unfortunately, I was not a goodie-two-shoes that night either. I made her a deal. I wouldn't tell anyone about what I saw if she did thr- er two things for me. 1: She would step down as Lieutenant and let me become her successor, and 2. She would give me that fancy sword."

Hahn couldn't risk telling Ozlo about how he had asked for Vaelyn to kill him; that would be the last straw for the Captain of the Spiral Order.

Ozlo was deep in thought. Then without warning he stated, "No. You're just a deceitful troublemaker. I can't believe I actually had to ponder that preposterous claim. Andrew, re-gag him."

Andrew grabbed a new cloth and gagged Hahn again. Hahn tried getting the gag out of his mouth, but it was tied too tight.

"Get him over to the Guardian Tent, and get one of them to, well, guard him," Ozlo demanded.

Andrew pushed Hahn forward, while holding the rope that was binding the crook's hands together. Andrew ushered him all the way across camp to the Guardian Tent.

"Hey, you." Andrew called to one of the guardians. "Watch this man for me, alright?"

The guardian saluted and grabbed Hahn's rope. He pulled Hahn into the tent, leaving Andrew alone. As Andrew walked back to Ozlo's tent, he kept thinking that what they did wasn't right... maybe Hahn was telling the truth. As much as he now hated the guy, Andrew could've sworn Hahn was sincere. He shrugged off the thought, and continued walking.

*^*^*

Jason rubbed his shoulder. He had just woken up from his deep sleep. The medic at the table by his bed had told him that the operation had been a success and that it had been about three days since he was last conscious. The medic had also explained what had happened through the course of those three days. Andrew had become a Lieutenant, another knight named Vaelyn had stepped down from the Lieutenant position, and a third knight who wanted to become Lieutenant had been arrested.

"So much drama," Jason had thought.

His chest felt better; it was easier to breathe now. The operation really had been a success. Jason felt like he hadn't been injured in the first place. He leaned towards the medic.

"When do you think I could get outta this little hospital?" he asked.

"2, 3 days," the medic responded.

Jason let out a great sigh. "So I just have to sit here?"

"Sadly, yes." the medic frowned.

"Darn."

Jason laid back and closed his eyes. Sleeping was about the only thing he could do.

Suicide

Greg drove his sword through the gut of the wolver cub. He backed away from the corpse, wiping his forehead. That had been a long fight. The wolver had attacked Greg while he was heading to get some water from a nearby river. Greg had whacked it with his bucket, but that hadn't done a thing. After realizing buckets aren't good for fighting, Greg had drawn his Calibur and the fight went on. After a great amount of time, Greg had won.

He retrieved his sword from the wolver's body and slid it into the scabbard on his belt. He then slung the dead body over his back; he'd eat well tonight. Greg picked up the iron bucket and ran down the hill to the river. He dipped his hand into the cold, gushing waters. After cooling himself off a bit, he took a sip. The refreshing liquid cascaded into his mouth, deliciously quenching his thirst. Greg then grabbed the bucket and dunked it under the water. He waited a few seconds before lifting it up, a full and heavy bucket.

As he was turning around, he heard a rustle in the trees behind him. Thinking it was another wolver, he ripped his sword from its scabbard, swinging it around. Then he saw it. A pair of glowing golden eyes. He stared at them for a bit, but then the eyes disappeared into the forest. Greg hurriedly picked up the bucket and started speed-walking back to the Spiral Order camp. After a long period of screaming in terror at the simple things like the wind moving bushes, Greg made it to the camp. He immediately ran into a tent and handed the bucket of water to the person that had asked him to get it. Then he dashed to his tent and laid down on his sleeping bag.

He was involuntarily hyperventilating. Small tears were dripping from his eyes. He didn't know what that thing was. But all he could remember were its piercing yellow eyes, the ones that bore into his soul. At that moment, Andrew walked by the outside of Greg's tent.

"Andrew!" Greg called.

Andrew whipped around, and saw Greg lying down in his tent. He hurried in.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Andrew looked Greg up and down.

Greg shook his head. "No... I just..." he took a deep breath. "I... I saw it... oh my Vog Andrew... I saw something!"

"Calm down, Greg. Calm down," Andrew said. "What did you see?"

"Two... two yellow eyes... they looked like they were ready to kill me!" Greg explained. "But then they went away... but I was really worried... I think it may have followed me!"

"Did you say yellow eyes?"

"Yeah!" Greg took another deep breath. "That's... That's what I said..."

Tons of thoughts raced through Andrew's head. "I saw those eyes too... a day or two ago..."

"What were they doing here?" Greg wondered aloud. "Who's eyes were they?"

*^*^*

That night, Vaelyn stealthily slipped through the entrance to Ozlo's tent, with Slicer raised. She tip-toed over to his bed and pointed the sword at his throat. Then she stabbed him through, straight in the middle of his neck. Ozlo's eyes flipped open, and he stared at Vaelyn for a few moments. Then his eyes shut. No cries for mercy were heard. No screams of pain. Just blood. Tons of blood trickled out of Ozlo's throat. Vaelyn left the tent.

*^*^*

The next morning, Andrew woke up and immediately decided he would tell Ozlo about what he and Greg had both seen. He walked out of his new Lieutenant Tent and strode across the dew-covered grass over to Ozlo's tent. No one else was awake. At least, no one in Andrew's view. Andrew lifted the flap into Ozlo's tent and was taken aback by the sight. Ozlo was lying on his side, and his neck was dripping blood over the side of his bed. A pool of dark, scarlet blood was all over the floor next to the bed. Andrew ran over to Ozlo and before he knew it, started crying.

He wept for quite a bit, then looked at Ozlo's neck wound. He recognized the cut. It had definitely been made with the same blade that had been used to kill Feron. And Andrew had a suspect.

He angrily threw open the tent flap and drew Feron's Leviathan. Andrew stomped across the wet, muddy ground to Vaelyn's tent. When he went into it, he saw it was deserted. But in the middle of the room, on the ground, was a glimmering yellow sword. Andrew yelled and whipped around to see the back of a figure disappear into the forest. Vaelyn.

He dashed out of the tent and ran after her. He ran through the branches and jumped over the roots of the trees, ignoring the pain he was feeling. The only thought he had in his mind was that he had to get Vaelyn. She was in his sights. She turned around and saw Andrew raging towards her.

She ran faster. Then Andrew started catching up to her. They were only about ten yards away from each other.

"Stop, Vaelyn! Stop now!" he shouted.

Vaelyn saw a tear drip down Andrew's cheek. She was overwhelmed with guilt all of a sudden. She ripped a Voltech Alchemer from her belt and turned around towards Andrew.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

Then she aimed the Voltech Alchemer at her neck.

"I'm so sorry..." Vaelyn cried.

Then there was a blast of light as a single bullet flew from the Alchemer and drilled through the top of Vaelyn's neck. She fell to the ground, and her face smashed into the dirty hillside.

Vaelyn was dead.

Hello?

Sorry for the inactivity.

Kinda stretching out the wait till the summer because I've been working on an entry for Tev's contest.

...I said, wait till summer. I'll be pumping the chapters out faster by then.

I also have a 5 day weekend this week for memorial day though... maybe I will get one out.

Eh, I think I might take a break from SK... The fanfic'll be put on hold for even loooonger...

CHAPTER SIXTEEN IS FINALLY OUT, AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH IT.

I sure am.

:D

:D

Well of course, I only have like three people actually reading my fanfics. :/