Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World! - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Seifa Brahn
She’s an older woman, with long, stark-white hair braided down one side of her shoulder. Her posture is impeccable, her expression unreadable. Skado stands at her right, and another attendant – a sharp-eyed woman with dark skin and an ornate rapier at her hip – stands at her left.

Barns sits relaxed, one leg crossed over the other – he lacks the leader’s refined and deliberate poise, but Barns has never been one for social etiquette in either of his lives. Osmond and Eldrie flank him, standing like statues.

“Wanda, please – can you grab the dossier we have on the Sentinels?”

The commander of Lantafort ushers to the dark-skinned woman on her left. The woman, Wanda, quickly bows and exits to the office behind them.

“Where are my manners,” the commander says, forcing a smile. “I am Commander Seifa Brahn. As your colleague, please feel free to call me by my first name.”

Her eyes pass over the three men across from her, taking time to inspect them each thoroughly. “Skado may have told me your names, but that is no reason to forego the pleasantries. You are all my honored guests!”

Her voice never rises above normal volume, but there’s an eloquent high in her voice as she speaks, holding her arms out in a welcoming gesture.

Barns looks left and right at his associates, before realizing he’d probably be the one to introduce himself first. Of course.

“Er, well…I’m Barnacles, but everyone calls me Barns. Or at least, I want them to.”

“And who is Barns?” the astute commander asks with a gaze that peers through his very soul. It’s not intimidating in any way, but it does cause Barns to feel a bit tense. Like every word he speaks will be weighed with great significance.

“Well…I’m the legendary hero,” he says, scratching the back of his head and snickering to diffuse the tension. “Second in command of the kingdom of Dimartino – my best bud Clancy is the king. Guess I should mention, Clancy is a crab – but not a regular crab. He’s uh…you know, six feet tall and can talk.”

Seifa Brahn blinks her eyes slowly, absorbing the information. It seems nothing can phase her.

“I see. And am I correct in assuming that you were not born as Barnacles? For you carry the weight of someone quite different. And there is a hint of an accent on your voice. A formality – one that contradicts your casual nature.”

Barns gulps. ‘She picked all that up just from one or two sentences?’ he thinks to himself. He’s seen how observant Skado can be but this woman is next level.

She smiles at him, amused. Like she can hear the racing thoughts in his mind. She finds them humorous.

“You’re right,” he says. It’s not something he’s talked about much with others – his first life. While it’s a part of him, he’s still always been Barns in this life.

“I was once known as Lain of the Flame Clan. Among my people, I cultivated a power that was unheard of even among my clan. I named it ‘Rebirth Flame’, and it is the power to reincarnate whenever I wish.”

Eldrie jolts as he hears this. He had no idea about Barns’ past until this moment. It’s enough of a reaction to draw Commander Brahn’s attention.

“And you?” she says with a smile. “I can tell from your eyes that you must have quite a story to tell.”

Eldrie hesitates for just a moment too long, and suddenly everyone in the room has their full attention on him. Quivering slightly, he divulges what everyone is wondering.

“My name is Eldrie from Ordella, and I used to be a vampire, until Master Barns saved my soul. Adon and Adea, the Master Vampires, were once thought to be unkillable, but this man right here found a way.”

Eldrie rests his hand on Barns’ shoulder and keeps talking. “And in my left eye, though I do not know how, I have managed to steal their powers.”

Eldrie flips his fluffy hair and reveals his blood red vampiric eye. For the first time, everyone is able to get a good look at it. Dark lines spread from his pupil in a burnt flower pattern over his crimson iris.

“You seem nervous about it,” Commander Brahn notes. “As if the power of the vampire is something you feel should be shamed. But worry not, Eldrie. So long as you can control your power and fight on behalf of humanity, there is no shame. And your eye is of little concern to the people – or do you forget that you marched in here alongside a full-bodied demon?”

Eldrie’s breath catches in his throat as he looks over to Osmond. She has made an excellent point – he was so concerned about hiding away his eye that he didn’t even realize how Osmond must feel. The demon cannot hide his gray-tinged skin, the cracks on his flesh, nor his prominent horns.

“I suppose that’s my queue,” Osmond says, giving the Commander the side-eye as his attention is still directed at Eldrie. “I am the great Demon Lord Osmond, consort to the incomparable Princess Maria Dimartino, the love of my cursed life. I exist for her pleasure, and she has pledged her full support to Barnie boy here. As such, he speaks for me, ma’am.”

As Osmond talks, the dark-skinned woman Wanda returns with a leatherbound binder filled with papers. Commander Brahn takes it quickly and begins to rifle through the pages.

“Thank you all. As you know, with me today is Skado, the head of my Exploratory Force. He is a warrior of great renown in Lantafort. And Wanda here leads the Interior Army, tasked with defending Lantafort from any and all threats. Now, I must tell you something of great importance, for I fear it may be a point of contention. The Sentinels who work on behalf of Emperor Yharan are aware of the existence of the Hidden City of Lantafort, and in order to secure the wellbeing of our city, we were forced to make a deal with them.

“To put it frankly, we are prohibited with interfering with the Sentinels, and in exchange they have guaranteed us that we can live in peace from them. And so I must ask you plainly – what is it that the Sentinels seek?”

All eyes are on Eldrie again, and the pressure sets in. He can’t tell a full lie – not here. It would be far too obvious. But he could tell a half-truth.

Seifa leans in closer in anticipation of Eldrie’s words until he finally speaks. “The Sentinel that attacked is named Donatella, and she stated her mission was to kill King Clancy.”