Crimson Flags & Razor Blades

Blood and Ash

The citizens of Bremen held their breath. Rather than the sound of birdsong, the dawn brought with it the ringing sound of blades being drawn and the chilling cries of The Kid's hunting party. With her band standing on either side of her, Millie stood unflinching, her red cloak shining like a crimson banner in the rising sun.

The initial confrontation was extremely violent. Jack, the obstinate beast of burden, engaged in a whirlwind of kicks and blade work against twin mercenaries. They were formidable opponents. There was a blurring of their movements, with each one mirroring the other with lethal precision.

Jack's strength started to wane as a result of the fluid brutality; he received a blow to the side and a slash across the flank. However, at that precise moment of vulnerability, a whirlwind of claws and black fur suddenly began to emerge. Luna struck, her dagger sinking into the back of one of the mercenaries as she shielded Jack with her slender frame. She was as light as a wraith.

When Rusty crowed from a great height, it was not a victory but a warning. An eerie reverberation of a child's laughter reverberated through the alleys; the silent bomber had been set free. Rusty, whose feathers were ablaze in the early morning light, searched urgently.

In the midst of a swarm of hens, he recognised the young boy, who was diminutive but crafty. The coop that was nearby was ripped apart by a flash, a spark, and an explosion, which caused Rusty to fall backwards. This was not a child at all; rather, it was a weapon that was wielded with tremendous skill.

Gunner, whose instincts were raging, gave up his search for The Kid and went in search of Luna's agile form after she backed up Jack for a while. They were facing the enormous bodyguards who were holding them together. For the sole purpose of safeguarding their young master, two mountains of muscle were honed from the ground up.

With his scarred muzzle twisted in rage, Gunner confronted their encroachment. This was the battle that he was familiar with, and with each bite and block, he experienced a symphony of pain coming from his old injuries.

While Luna was evading their grasp, her sharp claws left bloody trails across their flesh as she darted beneath them. After that, she used a knife on her mouth to slash through the vital points of the ankle of the towering bodyguard who was standing against her. The process of dying was excruciatingly slow, and each inch that was gained resulted in the loss of blood.

Millie confronted the Kid by herself. His youthful appearance was deceiving, and his movements were a jumbled mixture of rage and grief. A pair of gauntlets that had surgeon knives embedded within them were utilized by the Kid as his weapon against Millie’s knife.

The venom of vengeance dripped from his weapon with each blow that he delivered. He growled at her, "You!" and said, "You stole my opportunity for glory! Willy was weak, and the Society saw his failure. On the contrary, it was I who ought to have bathed in your blood and established my reputation as the Wolf Slayer!”

Through his words, Millie's rage was fueled. Within a world of shadows, this was not a battle but rather a twisted play for power that was taking place. With her knife forming a protective net around her, she spewed out, "And what glory is there in tormenting the innocent?"

“Innocent? In this world where the king is corrupt, nothing is innocent, you incompetent fool! The Kid laughed excessively. “Even you,” he paused. “You were just a whore!” 

However, the Kid, in his state of desperation, disclosed his fatal flaw. Due to his overzealous lunge, he was left vulnerable. In that split second, a figure hurled himself between them—the old shoemaker, Felix, jumped on the scene and held the Kid’s body. It was supposed to be an opening for Millie to fight or flight. “Run, Millie!” Felix shouted. A poison claw that was intended for Millie found its mark on his back, which caused his cry to be cut short.

Time seemed to fracture. Mille's scream was unable to rise above the din of the battle. Jack managed to bring down one of the twins, but he was badly injured before he could bring down the other. Last but not least, Luna and Gunner finished off their monstrous adversaries by snarling together.

Rusty, with feathers that were scorched, cornered the Silent Bomber, who was terrified. On the other hand, it was the limp form of the shoemaker, with his eyes pleading for forgiveness even as they dimmed, that shattered something within Millie.

She rushed forward with a roar that was nothing but pure agony. The Kid, too late, realized his folly. Millie's knife found its mark, burying itself in his eye. As he stumbled backward, a scream erupted from his throat, and only one of his goats, the twin assassin who had pulled back from Jack, broke her formation in order to protect their injured leader. "I am sorry," she said to her twin, whose neck was broken by Jack’s trample.

The horns sounded to retreat. Amidst the carnage, it was an empty victory. A mournful wail could be heard coming from Rusty's crow. The sobs of Luna's wife reverberated throughout the ruins as she knelt down next to the static shoemaker.

The Kid had escaped, his thirst for revenge unsated. Children were reported missing, having been taken away by the bandits in the midst of the chaos, which served as a terrifying reminder of their precarious position.

Bremen bled. As the sun began to set, it cast an eerie crimson glow on the fallen, and it bled with defiance as it did so. There were battered figures all around Millie as she knelt among the debris. There was Luna, who was licking her wounds, Gunner, who was breathing heavily at her side, Jack, who was limping but not bowing his head, and Rusty, who was perched warily on her shoulder. Fear and grim determination mingled among the citizens of the town as they emerged from the shadows.

The battle was far from over. The tendrils of the Grim Society continued to slither through the darkness. Bremen was a scar on the land, a fragile sanctuary born of resilience, but it was a sanctuary that Millie intended to transform into an unyielding fortress.

She would make her name a curse upon the lips of those who would dare prey upon the weak. The Red Flag Riding Hood is gone, and long live the Wolf Slayer.