Berserk : The Deviant

"Can we join you?" Griffith asked kindly as they reached their table and Barkha replied that he had no problem with it with a smile. 

Judeau: You're even more impressive than the last time we met. 

"Do we know each other ?" Barkha asked curiously and Judeau told him that he was part of the small group of mercenaries he had spared for a fee years ago in Tudor, which got Barkha thinking and eventually remembered them. 

"NO WAY !! So it was you ? The legendary Midland Falcon Troop was actually the band of brats I let slip away that day. I had warned Boscogn of your talent before I left.

You made your way here and even managed to recruit my brother (points at Guts) and my dear Ros.

I had completely forgotten about your existence and even the name of your leader at the time so I apologize for not recognizing you…" Barkha told them with a smile while Casca and Judeau who were unaware of his connection with Guts were shocked to learn that they were brothers. 

"Wow, Guts' monstrous strength doesn't really surprise me anymore knowing that you are brothers… what a disco very !" Judeau said while scratching his temple. 

"Adoptive brothers, they're not of the same blood and it was Barkha who trained our dear Guts…" Griffith said while pouring himself some beer. 

Barkha: Orh, I only taught him the basics. 

Guts: It was hell on earth ! 

"Did you know ?! Why didn't you tell us anything Griffith ?" Casca asked him with displeasure because even if Barkha had forgotten them, he had been an enemy who almost exterminated them. 

"First, because it was none of your business and second because I don't see how it would have changed anything to the hatred you have for Guts since the beginning." He said to Casca while drinking his beer and she looked away and Judeau shrugged his shoulders. 

Ros: How did you find us here ? Why ? 

"He sent people to follow you, they were competent enough but not enough to properly respect the distances of a tailing station." Barkha said while eating. 

"Oh, you realized that in just a few moments when you met Guts and Ros ? You never cease to impress me, honestly. I came to find you simply to meet you to see what kind of man you are " Griffith told him sincerely while smiling with his eyes closed.

Barkha was a very high level assassin even among the geniuses of the Bakiraka clan with his superhuman senses so obviously it had been easy for him to spot such low level spies.

"Congratulations on convincing your king, that was a very clever speech because you knew what would have happened if you had attacked me, didn't you ?" Barkha asked him with a sinister smile. 

Griffith : You would have killed us all with almost no effort. 

"Ah, I would have... (chews) I would have hurt Guts and Ros (chews) but they would have stayed alive if they had attacked." He replied while eating. 

Ros : It's nice to know how much you think of us. 

"You seem pretty sure of yourself when you say that you would have beaten me." Guts told him and Barkha looked at him for a moment before laughing, he was laughing so much that he ended up coughing until he cried because of the food he swallowed the wrong way. 

 "Can we know what you were talking about before we found you ? He came to ask you to leave with him, right ?" Casca asked Guts who only shook his head. 

Griffith : Casca, what they were talking about doesn't concern us. 

"Griffith is right, especially since the aggressive tone you have doesn't help at all. Besides, I don't think Guts can leave us just because he saw his brother again" Judeau said while putting his hand on Casca's shoulder. 

"So you're going to be disappointed because he told me he was going to leave, Guts is going to leave and abandon the falcons..." Casca said and they looked at Guts while listening to that. 

"It wasn't up to you to tell them that..." Guts said angrily while looking Casca in the eyes. 

Judeau: She's joking, huh ? Are you really going to leave us ? 

Griffith:… 

"When I joined the hawks I gave my conditions and I could leave whenever I decided. We spent good years together but the war against Tudor is over and my sword is no longer needed here, Griffith has achieved his goal and you will become nobles… I must continue on my path." Guts explained to them and Barkha not wanting to be bored with this kind of subject wished them a good evening before leaving for the brothel, it seemed that they had things to say to each other so he took his leave. 

"He's really more friendly and easy-going than I imagined…" Judeau said as he watched Barkha leave, he had made a pleasant impression on him.

Casca : Griffith, you have to convince Guts to stay and I know you can do it… 

Griffith:… 

"I already explained why I plan to leave and it's my choice, I don't see why it bothers you so much given the attitude you had towards me. You should be happy, you'll be able to become Griffith's sword again…" Guts told her calmly. 

"You really are an idiot, you know that at l'est ? Water has passed under the bridge and…and we've gotten closer, right ? You're important for me…for the group…for Griffith." Casca said while turning her face away and Ros couldn't help but smile while listening to that, Casca had feelings for Guts and she didn't even realize it herself yet.

"A duel, like the time you joined the falcons..." Griffith looked Guts in the eyes like a predator. 

Guts : Don't do that. Can't we just drink and reminisce about our times as brothers right before I leave ? 

"You know me well enough to know that I always get what I want one way or another and there's no way I'm letting you go. If I can't keep you by renewing our agreement then I'll have your submission by force.

Don't think you're the only one who's grown stronger over the past four years..." Griffith told him coldly and Guts looked at him before sighing and getting up from the table.

"Tomorrow at dusk on the big hill outside the city we'll settle this... this is not how I wanted us to part but you just proved to me that I was never a friend to you but an investment despite all these years and our discussions... it's fair game I guess." Guts said as he left and Casca stood up to call out to him in vain, Ros also stood up to leave but looked at Casca.

"It wasn't up to you to tell them that, see what you've caused. I'm also leaving the falcons to go with Barkha and Guts is right, our separations shouldn't have happened like this... congratulations my beautiful bitch..." She said looking Casca up and down before leaving too while Casca collapsed crying on her chair.

Judeau: Griffith I think-(interrupted) 

"Don't tell me what to do Judeau, Guts belongs to me and I won't let him go..." Griffith told him almost in a daze with his gaze fixed on where Guts was sitting.

Judeau was quite shaken to look at Griffith like that, it was the first time he saw Griffith in this state and especially for someone who was so unreachable. 

That night, the snow fell and it was a rather strange night for those who were at this table in the tavern.

Guts was walking in the streets of Wyndham to observe the people with a pensive air as if he was discovering this city through its inhabitants for the first time.

As for Judeau, he was sitting by his window watching the snow fall, Casca was crying in her bed and Ros, Ros went to join Barkha at the brothel to join him with the three prostitutes he already had in his bed. 

That same evening, despite the snowfall and the cold, Griffith was in training gear outside as he waved his saber.

He rarely trained despite his exceptional talent but under no circumstances would he allow their duel to end like the first one, Guts was his and his alone.

Unfortunately for Griffith, his current state blinded him because he was so obsessed and possessive of Guts that the idea of ​​defeating him made him ignore the real gap in current level between Guts and him (This Guts is as strong as when he first met Silat, it was his level when he faced Wyald).