Chapter 1
The city of Mannheim was eerily beautiful that night. While the moon was dark, the sky was full of stars which shone down ever so slightly. Regardless of the darkness, a young man walked alone down the street towards a warehouse quarantined with police tape. His hands were buried in the pockets of his overcoat while his hair was disrupted by the autumn night breeze.
"Yeah," he said quietly to himself. "This is the spot."
The von Brandt family had paid him good money for this job, so there was no backing down now. The lone man walked up to the tape, knelt to the ground and placed two fingers on the concrete below.
"Spur, Ein," the lone man whispered aloud, closing his eyes.
Suddenly, he could see the entire warehouse's layout down to every detail. The ventilation, the pipes, the structure… it all came to him like a vision. Once he was satisfied that the building had not been disturbed in several hours, he opened his eyes, ducked under the police tape and stepped inside.
The door had obviously been forced open. Most likely by local police, he thought. Stepping atop the mangled metal door made a sickening creak that echoed through the empty concrete building. In such a large emptiness, the few objects that remained stood out. There was a single shipping container with a mattress and several discarded cans of food. Outside that, was a metal office chair pushed to the side and an overturned metal table with several bullet holes in it.
"Suspect was surprised, but not ill-prepared," he mused.
Looking to his feet, there were several chalk outlines of the unfortunate officers who attempted to arrest the suspect, accompanied by a large assortment of bullet holes in the wall surrounding the door. Sighing, the man proceeded closer to the shipping crate. If his intel was correct, this scene confirmed his suspicions: Ezren von Brandt, heiress to the von Brandt minor magus family, had indeed been kidnapped.
What was curious, however, was the captor in question. They appeared to be alone - the vector of the projectiles seemed to originate from a single spot. The only real cover was the shipping crate and the table. There were bullet casings only near the table and the front door.
The investigative man knelt down near the opening of the crate. A padlock had been hastily unlocked and discarded, key still in place. The captor must have retrieved Ezren when the police arrived. But, how did they escape? The man's eyes caught glimpse of an amber glow reflecting off some of the dust on the floor in between the two combatants. Some sort of smoke screen? There's no sign of conventional smoke bombs or anything, however. He looked towards the rear of the warehouse. Behind was the River Rhine. There must have been only one way out in this situation.
The scene unfolded in the investigator's mind in a matter of seconds. The police charged in, the captor quickly dispatched them, created a distraction and escaped with their prisoner… into the river. The question now was who was the captor? Were they truly alone? While there were quite a few bullet holes in the door frame, they only seemed to originate from the table.
Wait a second, he realized, some of these aren't bullet holes…
His concentration was broken by what sounded like a large bird calling through the night.
"What on earth is that?"
Then, he caught a glimpse of something…
"Magnificent…"
#####
This new moon will only last so long, Astolfo thought. I'd better make use of it while I can…
Morning drew near, and once the new moon was over, Astolfo would revert to his senseless, carefree self. Though still functioning, he had trouble focusing and planning anything in this state. Still, once it happened. It felt… right. In a way, Astolfo disliked being this deep in thought. He prefered to roam the world without a care in the world. For now though, he had a purpose. He knew he needed to at least catapult himself in the right direction. Towards a place where he can do some good. Towards someone who may need him.
Looking down at the Germanic city gave him fond memories of Holy Rome. Once he would adventure through these lands, bringing glory to his king and peace to his kingdom. He chuckled at the thought that he was once again venturing for such a goal.
The Hippogriff landed near the River Rhine in what looked to be the least populated part of the city, amongst some abandoned industrial structures that once fueled war years ago. Though this was still a time of mages and magic, a mythical beast flying through the night sky still isn't the most discreet way of travel. Astolfo hopped off the back of his faithful companion and petted its feathers with a smile.
"You're have to stay here for awhile okay?" He said. "We don't have the luxury of spirit form anymore. This is the real deal, okay? This is our second chance."
Astolfo noticed his hand was trembling once again. Was he speaking to Hippogriff or himself…? Regardless, he took a deep breath and reached into the bag on the saddle and retrieved a set of his favorite clothes. He smiled at the purple and black outfit - a memory from his time in Trifas with Sieg.
"Time to ditch this armor for the time being," he said. "Gotta blend in. When in Rome and all that!"
After motioning for Hippogriff to lay low in the factory basement, Astolfo began changing behind the assembly line. Doffing his armor, he revealed his slender frame beneath. While it was something he was proud of, it was liberating to be out of that armor from time to time. As he kicked off his boots however, he heard something behind him. Instinctively, he pulled his white fur cloak around his body and dropped to defensive stance.
"Reveal yourself!" Astolfo shouted. Though his face went from red from anger to a deep blush of embarrassment when he saw the intruder. It was a young man, close to Astolfo's own age, with shining white hair and rose colored eyes that seemed to reflect the color of Astolfo's cheeks. The rosey eyed man quickly put up a hand to his face and stepped back.
"My apologies," he said calmly. "I was just looking into something I saw out here. Did you see something… flying around this area?"
Astolfo froze for a second in thought, but then clutched the fur cloak closer to his body. This only extintuated it even further, however, making him even more flustered. What is with this guy? He thought. Why is he so… gah…
"Could we um," Astolfo muttered, "have this conversation after I change?"
"Oh," the man said. "Right. I'll wait… over here."
Awkwardly, the man took a few steps behind the assembly machine. Astolfo sighed and let his cape fall to floor once he was sure the man was out of sight. He reached down to his clothes and began to get dressed. While pulling up his black stockings, he found himself uncomfortable with how quiet the man had gotten.
"So… you said you saw something flying?" Astolfo said, breaking the awkward silence. "Like what, a plane?"
"No," the man said plainly. "It may sound strange but… I could of sworn I saw a huge bird. I know that sounds odd, but… it's in my nature to look into odd things."
Ah, crud, Astolfo thought. "Yeah that's weird alright. Sure you haven't had too much to drink, friend?"
"I've been sober for awhile. But the night is late, I suppose. Say… what are you doing out here at this hour?"
"I… I could ask you the same!" Astolfo shouted back.
"You already did…" the man retorted.
Crap! Astolfo thought. "Well… you didn't explain yourself very well!"
"Right," he said. "Fair enough. I was investigating a crime scene and I got distracted. Now your turn."
So blunt! Astolfo felt the need to hide his blush even though he was out of sight. He felt like this man could see right into his soul from a mile away. Why was this guy so straightforward? He'd never met someone so…
"A crime scene?!" Astolfo said, pulling his purple jacket over his striped shirt. "What are you, a cop?"
"No," the man said. "More like a private eye, I suppose you could say."
"Right, well…"
Astolfo took a step out from beyond the assembly line, straightening his short, black skirt. He put his hands behind his back and leaned forward with a smile, his pronounced canine showing.
"...how about we start fresh?" astolfo continued. "My name's Astolfo! What's yours?"
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"... Otto."
Otto was slightly taken aback at the figure before him. Astolfo's feminine figure was even more apparent in the small shirt and short skirt. It was… surprisingly cute. The masculine 'O' in their name threw Otto off, however.
Behind Astolfo's feet, Otto noticed what looked like discarded metal gauntlets and boots.
"Oh I get it," Otto said energetically and a hand to the back of his neck. "You're a cosplayer! I don't know of any convention going on now, but I suppose there are cosplay parties around."
"Cos...play?" Astolfo said, cocking his head to the side. Suddenly he stood defiantly and pointed a thumb to his chest. "I am Astolfo! One of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne!"
Otto clasped his hands together, suddenly looking less serious and more like a child. "Oh! That's your character! From the Carolingian cycle, the French tale."
"You know… my story?" Astolfo said quietly.
"I um… read a lot." Otto responded.
Astolfo smiled warmly and put out a hand to Otto. "Nice to meet you, Otto." The name reminded Astolfo of one of Charlemagne's sons. A child destined for greatness. Right… I'm a… 'cosplayer' I suppose…
"Likewise," Otto said with a smile in turn. "Nice to see someone who appreciates good literature."
"Right... So, what are you out here to investigate?"
"I um… It's a long story. Why are you out here all alone?"
"Also a long story." Astolfo quipped quickly. After a short pause, he looked to the ground and added, "I don't have anywhere to stay actually. I haven't really thought this through I suppose."
"You mean you're camping out here on the streets?!" Otto said. "You don't have a hotel or anything?"
Astolfo made the motion of pulling out pockets, even though he had none. "No money, heh."
"Oh…" Otto said quietly. "I um… You could… You want to crash on my couch?"
"Um… Um…" Astolfo blushed again and looked from side to side. "You literally just met me. Are you sure?"
Otto shrugged. "I like to think I'm good at reading people, and you seem alright. Just down on your luck, I'm guessing."
Astolfo sighed. He really didn't plan this, did he? Without Sieg's supply of mana Astolfo's form was restored to a more permanent, corporeal state by the Holy Grail. While this meant he could remain on Earth after the Holy Grail War, it also meant he was essentially human again. He couldn't hide in spirit form, and had to eat and sleep to maintain energy. While still retaining many of his powers and resistances, he still had to deal with many mundane problems now.
"Yeah," Astolfo said, looking at the ground. "I'd rather not get into it…"
"No need," Otto said quickly. "Just… if you need a hand, I don't mind giving it. Let's get you inside. You like hot tea? That should warm you up, you must be freezing."
Astolfo looked up at Otto's rosy eyes and found himself momentarily lost in them. He wasn't sure if his knees were shaking from the cold or something else.
"Tea sounds… nice."
#####
Arentina let out a sigh of relief as the city retreated from their rear view. The red dyed tips of her white hair covered her face when she looked up, prompting her to blow it away. To her side, the von Brandt child was sound asleep, bundled up in a small blanket. Arentina shivered at the cold breeze of the river - the metallic replacements in her arms felt like piercing ice against her flesh. She could take the blanket from her hostage, but frankly even she couldn't bring herself to steal from a kid. As Arentina finally relaxed, the small motorboat engine began to sputter out as they drifted down the river.
"Oh, C'mon!" she shouted, kicking at the engine with a metallic clang. "You damned machine!"
The force of her new leg ripped the engine block from the chassis and sent the machine flying into the river. The color from her already pale face drained into a ghostly visage, accompanied by a pitiful look of regret.
"Woops…"
Ezren stirred, rubbing her big, brown eyes as she looked up at Arentina.
"You broke the boat," the girl said matter-of-factly.
"Did not!" Arentina shouted. "It was already broke!"
"... So what do we now?"
Arentina looked around. They were essentially stranded in the middle of a freezing river, slowly drifting downstream.
"Tch," Arentina let out. "I can't risk anyone finding us here. We need to move."
She reached into her satchel and pulled out several multicolored mana crystals. Her red eyes fixated on them for a moment, hesitating. Arentina could feel the pulsing in her heart every time she grasped these. Her body telling her more, more, more. She shook her head and grasped the crystals until they began to crush in her hand. What a waste, she thought. Leaning over the ruined motor fixture, she began to sprinkle the mana dust behind them.
"Entzünden." She chanted, setting the dust behind them briefly ablaze - a prismatic explosion. It was enough to propel them forward and then towards the shore. "Hold on, little one."
Ezren, for better or worse, quickly grabbed ahold of Arentina, like a child clinging to their mother. The brown haired girl trusted too easily, Arentina thought. Still, it made Arentina flinch with a strange feeling and need to protect her. This isn't for Ezren, she reminded herself. This is for Aura…
The boat accelerated; faster and faster it moved towards an uninhabited shore. Arentina instinctively grabbed ahold of a yelping Ezren as the two were flung from the boat and into the nearby woods. Grabbing ahold of each other, they went tumbling down a small hill and into the heart of the woods. When they finally settled, Arentina quickly let go of Ezren and begin wiping the dirt off her leather jacket and magenta scarf.
"Gah!" Arentina spat. "Stupid boat. Stupid woods. Stupid cops!" She stopped herself at the last comment. She felt her fingers twitch at the memory of her mana crystals cutting through the arteries of those men. Why did they have to be there? I covered my tracks - no one was supposed to get hurt! How many… how many lives will it take? she thought to herself, biting her tongue. She gripped her fists tighter and tighter, until her nails began to dig into her palm.
Ezren got up with a curious look. Walking up to Arentina, the little girl grabbed the troubled woman's hand, holding it close.
"What…" Arentina whispered, snapping out of it. "What are you doing?"
"It's cold," Ezren said quickly, looking straight ahead. "We need to find somewhere to stay."
Aretina's jaw fell slightly. What's with this kid?