20 - Crimson Requiem

When the crowd finally disperses, only we remain, encircled by about twenty hooded figures draped in blood-red robes that brush the ground. Beneath their hoods, they wear matching red masks shaped like fearsome demons, complete with sharp, elongated fangs and two narrow slits for the eyes. Each one is armed with a long dagger, except for a single figure wielding a menacing halberd that radiates authority.

Shit… this reeks of an ambush! And who the hell are these people clad entirely in red?!

«We have no reason to kill honorable soldiers like you!» proclaims the hooded figure wielding the halberd, her firm, resolute voice unmistakably female. «Surrender your weapons and hand over Princesses Ayra and Daphne without resistance. I swear on my honor that your lives will be spared if you comply!»

«Watch out, that's the Silver Fury!» exclaims one of the soldiers, visibly worried.