Suikoden VII

Chapter Two: Part Seven

Note: Chapter Two should be completed by tonight.

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Chapter Two: Part Seven

"The beast has returned."

Bhayankar's return to Blutkrieger was not a grand entrance. The Sarcosuchus merely slinked his way back into the Crypt from the same underground passage he had transverse out of. Despite his monstrous size, his body had its limits. When Albert and King Franz descended into the Crypt to see Bhayankar, they found the beast slumped against the southern wall near the passage it had returned from. His breathing was shallow and his eyes were closed, but Albert knew that he was still awake. "There's blood," he announced, pointing to the left side of Bhayankar's mouth. There was a noticeable smear of blood there.

"Is it Astraea?!" King Franz said, rushing forward. "Did he snag her like I commanded him?!"

That's too little blood for a body, Albert thought. "We shall see, Your Majesty."

King Franz boldly stood close to Bhayankar's jaw and stood to his full height. "Bhayankar," he commanded. "Open your mouth."

Bhayankar may have been a wild beast, but there was a reason he had remained under the possession of the Reiser Royal Family for so long; despite his ferocity, Bhayankar knew to yield to the highest commanding Reiser royal. Albert did not know how the Royal Family had such command of a Sarcosuchus—especially given his current condition—but it was a feat that amazed him.

And true to his nature, Bhayankar opened his eyes and looked at the King. And as commanded, he slowly opened his jaw wide.

Albert joined King Franz to look inside Bhayankar's mouth. He did not expect to see a mangled corpse resting on the Sarcosuchus's massive tongue, but they nonetheless saw an object inside the mouth. "An arm!" King Franz shouted. "He got Astraea's arm!" He excitedly reached into the mouth, not caring of the danger, and hauled the mangled limb out with both hands.

That's a man's arm. The thought barely finished in Albert's mind before King Franz shouted in rage and dropped the arm onto the damp floor. "You damned, stupid animal!" he shouted at Bhayankar. "You were ordered to bring back Astraea! Not some poor bastard's arm! Useless beast!" He punched Bhayankar in the underside of his jaw.

Rage flickered in Bhayankar's eyes, but Albert knew the Sarcosuchus would not have the strength in the moment to retaliate. Not that he would against the King, but he knew that Bhayankar would be very angry when he recovered. "I blame myself for this, Your Majesty," Albert said. "I had thought Bhayankar's tie to Princess Astraea—"

"Do not give her that title," King Franz snapped at him. "She is undeserving of it!"

"Of course, I apologize," Albert said. "I incorrectly assumed that Bhayankar would be able to find and claim Astraea anywhere."

"It's fine," King Franz scoffed. "Bhayankar is a stupid beast, after all! Being locked down here, hand-fed traitors...he has grown soft! He needs to face more combat!"

Albert looked down at the arm lying on the floor. The hand was clenched tight around a still-intact sword. "We should prepare for any backlash related to...this."

"We'll blame Astraea for that," King Franz said dismissively. "Damn it all! I should have never given Genevieve a seventh child! Things would have been much better if we had stopped at six!"

Albert said nothing to this, but knelt down and pried the fingers off the sword. He held the hilt in his right hand, and blade rested in his left palm as he stood up. "Good craftsmanship," he observed. "Some wear on the blade and the hilt. This is an old sword, possibly over thirty years old."