Bringing the Dawn

Chapter Twenty Six

The Cistern

"All the lights go down as I crawl into the spaces

If I died on the screens

Life tearing at the seams

I don't ever wanna be here

Like punching in a dream breathing life into my nightmare.

If it falls apart I will surely wake it

Bright lights turn me clean

This is worse than it seams."

-Punching In A Dream by The Naked and Famous

Lyn's song because she hasn't had one.

93

"Darts?" A Orussian soldier asked as he approached Aurora and Piret in a little hole in the wall tavern. The place was dark and illuminated by candles as the wind and snow blew in a storm outside. Windows were shattered and snow was blowing in and figures in warm clothes were mostly trying to keep to themselves.

"Hmm?" Aurora looked at him as she held a throwing knife between two fingers. In her other hand she held a bottle of vodka which she took a swig from.

Piret crossed her arms at the man who was a head shorter than her, "Sure. But for money and with knives."

Aurora set the bottle down and smiled, "Hey, we can play doubles. Find a partner and wager. Just remember we play with knives."

The soldier, Vladimir made a face and looked around to find whoever was serving alcohol. He was skeptical, "With knives? You witches from the Northern Wolves gotta make everything a spectacle, don't ya?"

Aurora ran a hand through her short silver hair. It was long in the back and shaved on the side in an intimidating warrior's cut. She smiled, "We're just having fun. Is that a bottle you got there? I bet you my bottle I can get a triple-twenty and a bullseye."

Vlad frowned, "How do I know you're going to keep your end of the bargain?"

Piret spoke up, "Kertu, hold the bottles."

"Oh, absolutely," Kertu, the small Karlslandian girl stood up and took Aurora's bottle. "I just work here friend, you can trust me."

Kertu shot a wink at Aurora.

"Okay," Aurora danced her two knives between her fingers. "Watch."

With a sleight of hand she tucked one knife away and then made the throw with the other. It landed dead center in the dartboard. Piret laughed and Kertu contained her excitement. She tossed her other knife into her hand and smirked at the soldier, "Not bad for a girl, huh?"

"You're a witch, aren't you?" He asked and sighed hard. "Should'a figured that before I made a bet."

Kertu chuckled, "Oh, I'm a witch and I can't do that. Aurora's really good at throwing knives."

"It's not about being a witch, friend," Aurora smiled at him. "Honestly keep your bottle. We can drink together. Another drinking buddy is fine with me. Know what the secret is?"

Vlad managed to laugh, "God, you three are something. Thanks for that though... but what's your secret?"

"Well?" The Suom kissed the edge of her knife and then readied herself to throw it. "With every throw I imagine the forehead of my father as my target and..."

She threw and made her mark perfectly.

"Damn!" The soldier exclaimed.

Aurora drew two more knives and casually exclaimed, "Double eight..." She threw and made the hit."Single two." Hit again.

Piret clapped her hands, "Good aim. You just need to work on hustling more. Lost us a bottle."

The knife-thrower bowed and laughed at Piret, "Oh get off that. This is just for fun. Is there anything in life worth more than just having fun?"

Is there anything in life worth more than just having fun?

All the struggle and the coin we get is worth it if we just have a good time. A good time.

Aurora thought about that memory as she danced a throwing knife in her black gauntleted hand. She hadn't thrown knives in years but the muscle memory was there. She was standing in a courtyard in a villa underneath the morning sun. It was a cool morning and she wished she could be in her tank-top with her hair flowing but knew that was probably never going to happen again. Dressed head to toe in her Blackguard uniform with her mask and cloak... It had all happened so fast. It was like a drunken blur but throwing knives comforted her.

Several Blackguards were shooting straw targets with shortbows and giving her occasional curious glance. She threw another knife and and bounced off the hilt of the one already in the center of her target. Years hadn't taken that much from her. There was a melancholy smile beneath her mask as she realized something. The Strike Witches never knew that about her. They also never knew how good she was at checkers. How good she was at herding reindeer with the help of dogs; how good she was at getting a sauna lit and going quickly; how good she was at skiing and how good she was at knitting warm clothes for the winter. There were a lot of things she wanted to show Yoshika. She also wanted to learn from Yoshika too. How to speak Fuson; how to make onigiri; how to wear a yukata; how to...

Then she thought of her mother. Her mother taught a lot of things so she could be a good wife. She knew how to clean; cook; sew and farm. She was a hard worker and there was certainly a nice husband waiting for her back in Suomus.

Aurora threw another knife that bounced off the hilt again. She went to retrieve her knives and was instantly craving the only drink Liita had around there. Wine.

94

"I mean, I don't know," Barkhorn let her hair fall down over her face as she looked down the balcony of Maria's palace. "What am I supposed to make of something like that? She kissed me!"

Yoshika giggled, "I think that's really cute. I bet she just really likes you, that's all."

"Yuck," the knight blushed and shook her head, letting her free hair dance in the late wind under the sunset. "Who does she think she is? I barely know her and she wants to get friendly like that. Count me out, Yoshika."

The Fuson leaned closer to the knight on the balcony and nudged against her, "Really? You don't like her at all? It sounds to me like you found yourself a pretty little Roman fox."

Trude burst out in laughter and pushed Yoshika away, "God, listen to you! No, I don't like her! How could I think about her when Hartmann and Perrine are away right now? It's been dark and they're still gone and I hate that I'm not there."

"What if they were here?" Yoshika asked with a nosy smile. Trude didn't have the chance to answer.

"They're fine," a voice came. A quick glance of the heads confirmed it was Eila. The wizard strutted over and put a hand on each of their shoulder's and squeezed into the middle. "I used my magic to check on them. Aurora's fine too, if not better."

"That's good," Barkhorn exhaled and eased away from her grasp. "Status report on them?"

Eila gently massaged Yoshika's shoulders much to the Fuson's silent glee. "My magic doesn't work that well. I just know they're not dead."

Yoshika sighed in relaxation and moaned, "You're good at that... but Aurora is okay? Is she going to come back to us?"

"I hope so," Eila replied. "I learned another spell too. One that may help us out a lot."

Trude stepped away from the two of them and sneered, "Really? After what she did, you want Aurora back?"

Eila continued to massage Yoshika and replied easily, "Yeah. She's my big sister. And I learned a cool new spell that could help us."

Yoshika rested her arms against the balcony and stared down below, "She was my friend."

The knight snorted, "She was a bad alcoholic and killed the last Queen of Thieves. How do you forgive something like that? She hurt you, Yoshika!"

The wizard looked at her, "If your sister did the same, would you have rescued her from Dunkelheit?"

"Chris is young!" Barkhorn shot back. "I would have lost both hands for her. Aurora was the oldest of our group!"

"Okay," Eila tried a different strategy, "what if it was your closest knight? One with a bad past and a drinking problem?"

She shook her head, "I don't have soldiers like that. You're bad at arguing so just stop. You and Perrine let that drunk tag along and that's nobody's fault but yours."

Yoshika shrugged Eila away and stood up straight and said to Trude, "Aurora was more than a drunk. Me and her became friends right away. We talked about us visiting each others homelands and learning a lot. She never spoke of bad things, only happy memories. It wasn't until recently I learned how... how broken she was as a person. I wish I could have helped more but... but... I didn't know. She was a witch before you were and had friends like we Strike Witches do. Except they didn't all make it. She wanted to be everyone's friend but she clung on to the thing that make them go away. Drinking."

Eila spoke up then in her normal casual tone, "Stop speaking in pass tense. Aurora is still alive. We'll get her back in our fold somehow."

Barkhorn stepped back and crossed her arms, "Yeah? And how do we know she won't just be a spy? She led Liita right to us. Unless she strolls up with a map to her location so I can cut her damned head off I think she would only hurt the group. A lot."

Yoshika sighed and leaned against the balcony while staring at her feet and Trude's, "She also killed the last Queen of Thieves. Francesca doesn't like her and I don't know how that will affect us finding Lucchini. Especially since Shirley is her best friend. My heart is torn to be honest."

"Yeah but Aurora's heart is good," Eila argued. "It always has been. She'll crawl out of her drunken depression and lead us right to Liita. Our resident top knight can even get the killing blow. I believe in her."

Barkhorn smiled, "Okay. But I'm holding that against you. But what were you going on about some new spell?"

Eila smiled, "Oh, you have no idea. I wanted to show Perrine first but she wasn't super thrilled with my last one. But I think we have to wait for a proper demonstration. Words can't do it justice. Just wait! It's gonna rule!"

"Heh," the knight smirked and shrugged. "Too great for your lesser companions? You forget your roots."

Yoshika patted Eila's back, "But that's our Eila. Too mysterious and strong for us to understand."

"Shut up," Eila pushed them away and walked towards the door inside. "Sanya understands all of what I do and thinks I'm as lame as a three-legged mule. Don't flatter me. Now where's Perrine? I'm hungry and want her to make me a charcuterie."

95

The cistern ran dark and deep as Perrine and her group trudged down murky steps. Erica's sword illuminated the way as she marched in front of the group. It cast eerie lights against dark walls as she held it forward. Down and down they marched with Perrine in the front. The masonry around them was getting more and more crude as they descended. It seemed a place forgotten by man that they were now entering.

"This area predates even the Colosseum." Nanako said as they descended. "We're talking thousands of years worth of history. Such a bummer those wizard assholes chose it for their dumping grounds."

Erica looked back over her shoulder, "So did this wizard dumping take place before or after the Thieves made their home in these warrens?"

"They're not warrens," Nanako pouted.

Lyn quietly remarked, "They're absolutely warrens."

"Anyway..." the Fuson warrior continued. "I guess sort of... after we were down here. I don't understand why that matters at all."

Erica shrugged and continued to lead the way with her shining holy blade. She didn't say anything in return and seemed entranced in her own thoughts. From behind Perrine, Lyn asked, "Is this sort of what your adventure in Dunkelheit was like?"

"Hardly," Perrine replied. "We had a more cohesive team, no offense to you two. And a better sense of what we were up against."

"None taken," Hartmann replied. "I don't plan to lose a hand and eye down here."

The stairs ended and they came before a large chamber too big for the paladin's sword to illuminate. The ceiling was too high to see and the entire area smelled of rotting carrion. Erica wretched and covered her arm as her sword lowered. The light shone there to show off skeletal remains of men and possibly women long since passed. Bones were shattered and thrown haphazardly. They were all a faded beige color and probably years upon years old.

Nanako stepped down last and looked at the remains, "Yeah... Lots of bugs and stuff down here. Bodies get picked clean. We should probably keep moving."

"In which direction?" Perrine asked as she surveyed the darkness. Her eyes were adjusting to the blackness but there was no clear path. She kicked a bone with her soft boot and stood silent as the sound echoed through the chamber.

"Uhh, never been down this far," Nanako shrugged. "That's up to you, Perrine."

Erica looked both ways and said, "Then which way, Noble Lady of Gallia?"

"Left," Perrine answered instantly. "With my experience you always go left."

"She's right you know," Lyn agreed.

"Left it is," Erica cautiously moved in that direction. Her feet tenderly avoided the numerous skeletons at her feet. Yet every now and then there was a CRACK as some bone shattered beneath her steel sabatons. Perrine tip-toed behind her and inhaled to draw courage from her faith. Erica was a Paladin and her sword was a light in the darkness. Behind her was Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Perrine turned around and hissed at Lyn, "Light feet! Christ! I shouldn't even have to tell you this."

Then she realized something as Lyn winced, "Sorry! I'm not so good at this sort of thing."

Erica looked over her shoulder and made a snide comment, "You're not good at a lot of things." She then saw what Perrine saw. Lyn looked back and saw the same. No sign of Nanako.

"And she's gone," Perrine frowned. "Figures her strength ends where real challenge begins. God, if Francesca is the same way then this whole journey is a waste."

Lyn faced Perrine and said, "I didn't see or hear her scurry off. So strange. Also, Erica! You didn't mean that did you?"

Erica kept moving forward on that left wall and said back, "You're fine with horses and the finest archer we have."

Perrine had to pick up her pace follow the glow left by Erica's sword. Lyn stumbled behind and blurted out, "Why thank you! I try!"

The paladin's sword was raised to reveal a faded mosaic against that wall. Her sword arm wavered and she said in jest, "Feel free to light a torch. Anyone."

"Tonnere." Perrine said softly and raised her left hand. In her palm was a glowing ball of light. Little arcs of electricity came and went from it but illuminated the area just as well as Hartmann's sword. On that side of the wall was a very ancient mural depicting clear feminine figures in battle against very fierce creatures. One was lizard monster with two heads breathing what looked like fire. The other was a horned beast like a Minotaur.

Erica gazed at the mosaics and then replied to her companions, "Nanako wasn't lying. These are inscriptions from past witches! They battled monsters long before the Neuroi showed up!"

Lyn elbowed Perrine, "Uh, how come you never used that light spell before?"

Erica said back, "This is Perrine you know. She's gonna say something like..."

"You didn't ask. We were just fine following that sword," Perrine answered and felt a sense of deja vu. She took a deep breath and sighed, "I have been what these old witches have been through. I've faced trolls and otherwordly beings. I wouldn't be surprised if-"

They all went silent as something crunched through the bones to the north, The two sources of light went to face to the right and they saw an awful sight. They looked like men staggering through the bones. Only pale and gaunt with their limbs... One creature limped forward with its left arm entirely encased in black material glowing red. Lyn shot her bow and blew it to pieces. Four more were coming up. They were murmuring in some forgotten language and drooling. Lyn's bow fired again and again before the other two had a chance to act. The bastard creatures fell down and choked on their own blood as they flailed about.

Perrine faced her rapier in that direction, "It seems the Guild tells no lies. God grant them peace for they are neither Neuroi nor human."

Erica held her sword tight and commented, "Besieged by both Blackguard and... creature alike. No wonder they're desperate. Good shots, Lyn."

Lyn held her bow close and shivered, "T-Thanks... we-we're not going further are we? God, I don't think I can take much more of this... Any further and we're-"

Perrine touched Lyn's face and met her eyes in the dark, "No, we plan to go further. God grant you strength. Lyn you need that strength. I doubt we'll face anything less awful in Paris. Stay strong."

Lyn lowered her head, "Okay. Perrine. I'll hold you to that."

Erica knelt down by one of those fallen Neroi-human hybrids. She used the light from her sword to examine it and frowned, "Remember that battle on the Rhine? The one where they scooped up Sanya and Chris from us? As well as your father, Perrine?"

"I've done a good job trying not to, but yes?" Perrine approached her.

"Looks like we found the Elite's predecessors by my guess," the paladin explained. "I'm just worried if they get back up."

"I doubt it," Perrine touched one with her foot while frowning. "The Elites at Dunkelheit who attacked us were tied to the Neuroi hive. I really don't think the Blackguards are hiding such a thing here in the cisterns."

"If only we could burn the bodies," Erica stood up and shined her sword forward. She lowered her head and sighed, "But what those Thieves said... wizards created them? There is so much blood on so many hands I don't know who is innocent anymore."

"I'm innocent!" Lyn blurted out while holding her bow to her breasts. "I've just sort of been along for the ride."

"Onward and forward," Perrine commanded. "Talking about this sort of thing doesn't get us anywhere and I doubt we want to be here late into the night."

"Sure," Erica led the way down the next set of stairs where those creatures had come from. Perrine let her spell fizzle out and followed with Lyn at her back.

"What do we even call those things?" Lyn whispered to the two of them and kept her bow ready.

"Ghouls?" Hartmann shrugged.

"Works for me," Perrine nodded. "At least that Thief said they don't come back. Though I'm not so sure."

The stairs only descended some twenty meters and led to into a chamber with only a single masonry catwalk across. On both sides of the catwalk the floor descended ten feet down into murky water. From the light of Erica's sword they could see ancient grates that served as drainage against the walls on the far sides. The footing was slippery and the place stunk of mildew and decay. The path continued on a short distance before reaching a corridor barred by a rusty gate.

"All that water must lead out somewhere," Perrine looked over the side and wrinkled her nose. It wasn't the worse smell ever but it was truly awful. "I'm surprised it's not completely flooded from centuries of rain and disuse."

"That would have saved us a trip," Lyn sighed and stopped as she saw a ripple in the stagnant water. "Girls, I saw something move in the water."

"It was probably your imagination," Perrine said back.

Something moved on the other side and caught Perrine's attention. Lyn squeaked in surprise, "There it was again! Didn't you see that!?"

"Yes," Perrine nodded and swallowed hard. "Kind of wish I had not."

There was a large crash as a rusted gate closed the way they had come in. They were stuck on this slippery passage on both sides with something moving around in the water. Perrine's rapier was drawn in a second and she swore, "Damn it! Is this some sort of set up!?"

"N-No," Lyn meekly raised her hand and pointed at a stone she had stepped on that had slid into the ground. "I think I triggered a trap."

Something growled and the water on their right splashed as a creature slowly breached to reveal itself. The growl was more a gurgle as it rose but slowly became something more akin to an ear-piercing note. Not quite a scream but just as truly awful to behold. The top half-was humanoid to an extent. A woman's body but a horrible face of a matted hair like seaweed and a maw of sharp teeth. In lieu of arms its sported tentacles that were clearly Neuroi material. There were dozens of those things.

"Dear Father in Heaven," Perrine was breathless. She couldn't tell if this was an abomination like those men they had fallen on the way down. This was a creature of nightmares that shouldn't have existed. The water was rippling in multiple places as half a dozen more tentacles emerged. They were all some four meters long and looked strong enough to shatter bones easily.

"We're not dying in some sewer," Erica held her sword forward.

"N-No..." Lyn was shaking and barely able to hold her bow. "I c-can't... I..." She fell to her knees and began sobbing. "T-This is too much"

Her weakness was enough to provoke two of those Neuroi tentacles to fling at her at incredible speed. They were fast but Erica Hartmann was faster. The paladin swung her sword and screamed, "Dues Vult!" Her blade cleaved part of one off and sent the rest of the abomination thrashing and spraying black blood. The other tentacle slammed into her and sent her flying into Perrine. Perrine barely managed to catch her friend. Erica had the wind knocked out of her and immediately spat out blood as well as a bottom tooth.

"Lynette! Not the time!" Perrine screamed and helped Erica up just before three tentacles came flying at her. She raised her rapier and screamed once more, "Tonerre!"

There was a blinding flash as a bolt of lightning shot from her hand and blew the beastly things apart. The arc bounced off the far wall and came back at her feet. Mildewed stone was blasted away and Perrine nearly fell into the dangerous waters. The monster gave a shriek and sank itself under again. Then it was deathly quiet.

"Erica!" Lyn came rushing to her friend's side. "God! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Erica tried to stand straight as blood trickled past her lips. She winced and spat more blood, "Think... broken ribs..." She spat another tooth out.

Perrine had her rapier raised and was walking in a circle with it pointed at the water, "Where are you!? Show yourself you Godless son of a bitch!"

Lyn raised her bow and shouted as well, "Come on you monster! I'll show you what happens when you hurt my friends!"

Their leader was beside herself in anger, "If Francesca or Nanako knew about this beast... I swear I cannot be held responsible for my wrath!"

Erica spat more blood but was stable. She steadied her sword and was looking around as well, "It's cowardly if anything. We need to use that to our advantage. Lyn, you have to be more precise than ever now. Do you have the courage?"

Lyn gave a determined nod, "Maybe not five minutes ago but I do now! I won't let that thing hurt my fri-"

She was cut off as a darting tentacle slapped her square in the back from the left pool. Her boots slipped and she was sliding right off the edge. Perrine was the first to act and had to drop her rapier to grab Lynette's arm to stop her from falling. Gloryhammer fell practically right where she had been standing. It was a struggle but Perrine managed to pull her up. She turned her head to face the other side and saw the entire thing breaching out of the water. More than a dozen tentacles and some sort of feminine face that may have been beautiful long ago. Its maw opened to reveal jagged teeth all longer than any of their fingers or hands. Tentacles flailed as it lunged at the catwalk. At that moment she heard Erica scream, "Sturm!"

A massive gush of wind checked the monster and the paladin flew at it like an angel of death. Her sword swung upwards and cleanly sliced its jaw off. A disembodied tongue flew about as it let loose an ear-piercing screech again. The whole thing fell back into the water and disappeared again. Erica stood in place panting with her sword in the same spot it was when she had finished the strike. She smiled a smile missing teeth and gave the other two a thumb's up.

Lyn got to her feet and retrieved her bow. She winced at the sensation of kneeling down after taking that blow and somehow managed to joke, "How many body parts does something have to lose before it gives up?"

"Ask Trudey," Erica chuckled. "I think that probably did it in. Hard to eat people missing most of a mouth, right?"

"But the real question is, what is that thing?" Perrine asked as she slowly approached the far gate that originally blocked their passage. She looked back and said, "Maybe my magic can break it down. This is where Barkhorn would have come in handy."

"Hey, let me try," Lyn suggested and raised her bow. She fired at a shot at the bars and instantly they shattered and broke apart. It left a sizable hole but no real entry. She blinked in surprise, "Wow, that actually worked. Let me just shoot our way through."

"That's our Lyn!" Erica cheered and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

Perrine nodded with a smile, "You're always an asset."

The Britannian girl blushed and stammered, "O-Oh not really. J-Just stand clear and I'll take care of this."

She fired several more shots and managed to blow the gate off the hinges. There were cheers for her and they pressed forward. All very glad to be done with that hellish encounter against a thing that should not have been. On the other side were a short set of stairs leading up.

Perrine did have to mention, "With our guide gone, it may be quite a chore getting back. That is some way of thanking us from the Thieves Guild. Either way, we'll make it."

Erica went to take the lead but Lyn touched her shoulder and raised her bow, "Let me go first. Anymore Ghouls we see I'll blast them away!"

"That's the spirit," Erica shrugged but didn't protest.

Perrine followed in the back as they made their way up the slippery steps. She had barely taken one step when something swiped at her feet from behind.

96

"Ho hum, the little witches are off on some quest," Liita Kunze sang to herself as she descended down a very dark passage way with companionship of her newest champion and some renegade Thief looking to make some real coin. She still wore her black dress but this time opted for some heavier black leather boots for the less than sanitary conditions. Torchlight shone behind her as her companion illuminated the way from the middle down a secret passageway he had shown them.

"I gave them just the story you asked. More or less it was the truth," Raphael explained as he followed the other two and held the dim torch. "They should be going through the route you showed on that map. But God, a map of the cistern, where did you find such a thing Miss Kunze?"

"A little trinket we nabbed from the last Queen of Thieves," she casually replied. "And I do mean we."

She turned to touch the silver mask of her newest best friend. It was a white and red Fuson wolf mask that both obscured Talvi's identity and did wonders for intimidation. Talvi wore a hood over that white and red mask with her silver hair bound tightly behind. She was adorned in black brigandine with hood and cloak. There was a Neuroi sword at her side that was sure to shatter any Witch's weapon they came across.

"Aye," the Thief nodded. "Know that I will only follow so far. I didn't lie to those girls about the abominations down here and I want no part of them."

"Oh that's hardly a worry," Liita giggled as they came to an intersection going four ways at the bottom of the stairs. "They recognize strength and hierarchy. They would never attack one of their own."

"God, this better be worth the pay," Raphael said and reached for his flask of vodka at his hip. As he spoke that Talvi person seemed to stare at their feet; but the moment he popped the top that mask was upon him. He nervously stammered and offered it out, "W-Want some, Mr. Talvi?"

The flask was snatched out of his hand and Talvi turned around. They lifted their mask and gulped it down like it was fresh water. There was quite a few swigs left and Liita's assassin downed it in seconds before tossing the flask aside.

"Now, now," Liita chided her companion. "You still have work to do. Keep your head level."

Talvi finally spoke. And to Thief's surprise it was a woman's voice, "I will."

An Elite Blackguard that was a woman? The Blackguards were getting desperate. Raphael spoke gain and frowned, "We're going down towards a dead end. The only thing down here are some valves and such that control the waters. Nobody knows how they work."

"I do," Liita remarked and reached back to hold Talvi's hand. "A turn of a valve should change things in our favor. Talvi, you're the pinnacle of what we've achieved with the help of the Neuroi. Wizards before us left a lot of mistakes down here. We're going to unleash a rather large one. Let it do the work for us. When we do face them- they will probably be down a member. Perhaps Perrine will die in that battle, how would that make you feel?"

"It doesn't." Talvi replied and looked away despite her mask. She then asked, "Who is that Nanako we saw? I didn't ever see her when I was with the Witches."

They entered a room that overlooked a body of water mostly obscured by darkness. The landing they entered featured a single rusted valve. Liita walked over to it and looked at the water, "Our friend lurks in these waters. I'm not strong enough, would you kindly?"

Raphael frowned, "God! You want to open to gates for the Siren! This is not what I signed up for! This isn't about killing those Witches, that monster will kill all the Thieves!"

"Talvi?" Liita gestured at the Thief.

Aurora drew a throwing knife from her belt and hurled it at Raphael's head. The blade struck straight into his forehead. His body went limp as the assassin went to retrieve the weapon. She sighed and remarked, "He was better dead. I hate liabilities like him. Men on both payrolls who go with the highest bidder. Charlotte is the same."

Liita smiled at her, "Aurora, you're learning fast. I really think I made the right decision with you. Go on then, turn the valve. We're going to make the Strike Witches suffer for coming here. For how they treated you."

"So have I lived up to your standards?" The Elite Blackguard commented as she approached the valve. She looked at her hands and arms and didn't feel much different that before.

"Above and beyond," Liita hugged Aurora from behind as she worked the valve. "I truly love you. We have a very lucrative future ahead. You have so much potential that only I can help you achieve."

Aurora turned the valve and watched water go rushing through the gate. As the water passed through she saw a massive body from some creature go with it. In a flash a great tentacle clad in Neuroi substance reached out and snagged the Thief's body. The monster followed the stream and was gone in an instant with Raphael. The Suom stepped away and reached for a flask that wasn't there. She asked, "Mistress? What did I just unleash?"

Liita took her hand again to lead her away, "A beast of ancient legend. A lot of mistakes were made by a lot of Blackguards and wizards some years ago. The Siren is their greatest failure. Yet she was one of their first volunteers to be changed as I changed you. A lot of abominations lost their minds in the process. Siren was one of the first but now we can use her against the Strike Witches. Now now... Let's get our minds off such ugly topics."

"I saw it," Aurora took her hand and followed her. "Who went down here? Perrine for sure... I'm sorry. I just don't want to see some of my old friends die."

"But we have to stop them," Liita continued to lead her back to the intersection. "We came down here for a reason. You're strong, Talvi. You can defeat any of them. If you don't they won't hesitate to kill you. They hate you for what you did. Remember?"

"Yeah," Aurora lowered her head as they progressed through the cisterns. "There's a couple of them I wanna rough up."

Liita giggled, "A couple? My dear they're out for blood against you. I have so many spies. I know how they feel. Yoshika hates you for what you are. Your own sister despises you. They're on the losing side and we. You and I are going to overthrow Neuroin. Not the Strike Witches, us."

Aurora stopped abruptly. She had to yank on Liita's hand to stop her. Behind her mask she shook her head, "You speak many truths but at the same time you're grasping at straws."

Liita spun around and frowned. Her anger radiated like a heatwave and Aurora knew the extent of her wrath. Her smile was gone and she snarled, "Am I? Who are you to accuse me of anything!? If it weren't for me you'd have drowned broken into pieces in the Tiber!"

The assassin laughed and Liita stepped back. Shadows and glowing blue lines formed around her. She hissed, "Don't you mock me! I can end you as fast as I made you who you are!"

Aurora reached out and took her hand, "Liita. I meant no disrespect. You're just wrong in one regard."

Liita flinched back and hissed as her magic dissipated, "And what would that be?"

"Lead the way," Talvi encouraged. "Lead on, Mistress. I'll follow you wherever as your champion... but to disregard Eila is straight foolishness. To regard her as an enemy... Liita you need to rethink your plans. Eila would never hate me. No, that's not right. Regard her as a rival. She'll take your place."

Kunze took a step back and took a deep breath, "Yes, of course. Eila already met the Red Jewel... She's a major threat to my power..." Liita turned around then laughed in a cheerful voice, "But she'll turn to our side! I'll make her kiss my bare feet and beg for my attention! She is nothing compared to my power! Haha!"

Aurora shrugged, "Don't we have some sort of mission, Mistress? Something about a map we had to get?"

97

"Perrine!" Lyn immediately turned around to help her friend. Some black Neuroi thing gabbed at Perrine's leg and was trying to drag her back. Lyn grabbed her arm and immediately it was yanked away. Her rapier clattered down the steps.

Erica turned around and went rushing down. She shouted, "Okay! Round three!"

Lyn was first as she rushed down to their previous catwalk. She held her bow and looked in each direction. The water was murky and disturbed. Perrine had gone under? God! That was about worse case scenario. Lyn held her bow ready and swore, "Come on you damned monster! I got something for you!"

Erica smirked as she raised her sword, "You kind of sounded like Trude for a second."

"Shut up," Lyn was swiveling with her bow pointed back and forth. "Where is she!?"

On her left the murky water wasn't so murky anymore. Colors danced and electricity arced upwards. Something splashed a lot and suddenly Perrine's body was flung high into the air. She ragdolled against the ceiling and fell into the other side of the cistern. Lyn saw the beast surface for a second and immediately fired her arrows. Black blood and shards of Neuroi fragments shot up from the water. There was a moan that almost rumbled that catwalk. She immediately spun around and barked, "Erica! We gotta finish it quick"

Perrine grasped at the edge of the catwalk. Soaked in sewer water and gasping for air she pleaded, "End it now! Kill this damned thing!"

Lyn raised her bow, "Ready as always! Come on you piece of shit!"

Erica twirled her sword, "Leave our friend alone!"

Perrine shakily got to her feet and was missing her glasses. She pat out she spat out sewer water. Shakily she breathed, "Give me my rapier!"

Erica tossed it to her. Perrine twirled it and brushed away the dirty and soggy hair from her face. She was panting as blood from a cut atop her head mixed with the water on her face. It painted her face an ugly orange-red.

Behind them the water rustled and the three spun on their heels to meet the Siren. Erica immediately raised a hand and shouted, "Sturm!"

A huge gust of wind shot forth and splashed them all with nasty water. The Siren was thrown back against the far wall with tentacles flailing helplessly. Lyn's bow fired over and over again blasting the thing away. Tentacles were broken apart as it gave a hellish shriek. It tried to lunge forward one more time.

"Tonnerre!" Perrine screamed and let loose the strongest bolt she could. A blast of lightning struck the abomination straight in the chest. The water lit up with dancing sparks of blue as the Neuroi parts of the beast began to explode into shiny shards. Perrine stood panting watching the monster die as her friends held her up.

The Siren slowly sunk into the water and ceased to move. Erica nodded, "Down for good. We did it, girls."

"Where did it come from?" Lyn asked as her hands shook. "The Thieves talked about monsters but that was... God..."

Perrine shrugged her friends off and began stepping towards the steps upwards. She wiped the remainder of gunk off her and frowned, "Just another Neuroi beast. Just less tame and far more awful. Neuroin is beyond any sort of forgiveness."

Erica followed and commented, "The Wizards had a part in all of this. I mean, they're so fast to jump on board with this sort of magic. I bet Eila would know more."

"She wouldn't!" Perrine shouted back hard enough to make them flinch. "Eila would never be part of something like this! Eila would..." They reached the top of the stairs and Perrine began vomiting at her feet.

Lyn held on her and calmly tried to soothe her, "Let it out..."

"It was so gross," Perrine could barely stand. Lyn held her and helped sit down at the side of the wall. Erica raised her glowing sword and immediately the three of them wished she hadn't had done that. The chamber was littered with bones and bits of Neuroi material clinging to the walls. To their right was a stairway leading up through a narrow tunnel. Ahead was a passage of ruined stone going even further. Yet growing between some of the bones were little white flowers with pretty broad petals. Perrine wiped the blood and muck off her forehead and held her hand against a gash just above her hairline and commented, "Omens of omens. Those flowers in a place like this."

Erica nodded, "I heard Minna say something about these kinds of flowers before but I wasn't paying attention. The scary thing is there's no way to tell how recent any of this carnage is. With all the rats and creepy crawlies bones get picked clean real quick. Is this from a month ago or twenty years? I haven't seen much in the way of spiderwebs."

Lyn groaned and held on to a soggy Perrine, "Stop talking like that. I really hate this place and want us to be done. Where's Nanako or Perrine?"

"Good question," Perrine looked about and sighed deeply. "I suppose they'll show up if something didn't gobble them up. Tread respectfully as this is a Witch's Grave."

"A what?" Lyn tilted her head and didn't look very thrilled at the idea.

"They say these flowers grow where Witch's fell and weren't put to rest properly," Perrine told her and let her go. She readied her rapier and added, "Sakamoto told me in Fuso there are ghost stories about them. I doubt any of that holds real truth but after all I've seen I'm hardly a skeptic any longer."

The Britannian girl whined and shook her head, "Stop telling me things! I keep thinking this place can't get any worse then you make comments like that!"

Suddenly a familiar voice came down the stairs on the right, "Heeey! Is that you three!"

There was the sound of light footsteps as their guide Nanako finally caught up with them. She was panting and out of breath as she came hurrying down, "S-Sorry for ducking off like that. I had to regroup with Francesca and make sure the old traps and such were turned off. Someone already turned the valve in the eastern wing to open up the floodgates with the Siren monster. Since you three are up here does that mean..."

"It's dead," Lynette confirmed.

"Wait; wait wait," Perrine wore an incredibly mean scowl as her boots crunched across bones as she went to face this Nanako face to face. "There was a way around that little killzone with that hellbeast and a way to keep it from getting free and you went the other way without telling us!?"

Erica did a casual yawn and wiped some blood from her lips. She shrugged, "Well, that does it. Quest over. It was fun, let's go back to the palace to meet our friends and tell them how much of a dangerous waste of time this was."

"Sincerely," even Lyn was frowning now.

"No! No! No!" Nanako quickly waved her arms. "It... It wasn't like that! I barely know these warrens-"

"You said they weren't warrens," Lyn interjected.

The Fuson girl ignored Lyn and continued, "...and only just realized that we were heading in this direction. I knew Francesca was nearby so I had to find her to make sure you all were safe. When I saw those ghoul things and I panicked, okay? Uh, for what it's worth the two of us did some spying work and found out something that would make this all worth while..."

"Oh do elaborate," Perrine was face to face with her and looked full on frightening with the blood dripping down her forehead and the squint from her lack of glasses. "By the way, where is that little hellion?"

"She's up ahead," the Fuson thief composed herself. She took a deep breath and explained more clearly, "I thought I would be just up a couple passages and back. This place is a maze and only Francesca knows it well enough to move around quick. I- she tried to get to valve on the upper east wing but someone beat us there. That horrible bitch Liita Kunze was there with some new assassin. A traitor on our side led the way but... I think it was Aurora who was that assassin... she killed him and let the Siren go. They're looking for a map left by the last Queen of Thieves' sister in her tomb down here."

Perrine restrained herself and took a step back with crossed arms. That was definitely some things that didn't quite add up in her mind. It was a feeling of too much all at once; a feeling she was all too familiar with.

Erica instantly was skeptical and spoke up, "Two things... no, three. What sort of map is down here and why didn't you tell us about it? It obviously has to be important if Liita is going dungeon crawling herself to find it."

"I..." Nanako bit her lip and blushed, "...Francesca will fill you in on that later. We really gotta be secretive. That map can do a lot of good for Rome. For the Thieves and the City."

"So that's why you never mentioned it," Perrine gathered. "But we're feeling like fodder to meet this goal of finding it. I understand now. Royalty in your guild is buried here and the wizards and Blackguards mess it all up with their experiments. We clear the path and you take the goodies. Am I wrong?"

"Sort of, yeah," Nanako answered. "You three were supposed to clear the route out and crush the Neuroi monsters. Francesca can grab the map and we all meet the King of Thieves. If you want this bond between the Duchess and Thieves to work then we need that map."

"What is a map to?" Perrine asked.

The Fuson backed away and looked at her feet, "I can't say. It's really important though. If the Blackguards get it then... I guess Rome is doomed."

Erica suddenly spoke up, "You mentioned Aurora. We never once mentioned her name around you. How do you know who she is?"

"She killed my-!" Nanako shouted then stopped herself. "She killed the last Queen of Thieves. How could we not recognize her? It had to be her! Look! Her and Liita are going to the main tomb to snag that map up! It's a disgrace to the graves there and they're going to ruin everything. We have to move!"

"I would say our objectives change like the wind," Perrine commented and twirled her rapier in her dirty hands. "Yet the winds change much slower." She looked at her companions. "Do we trust her words?"

Lyn took a deep breath and answered, "With a grain of salt. If she's true with her meaning then we need to press forward. Sirens and monsters be damned."

Erica chuckled and patted Lyn's shoulder, "Look at you. So brave."

The archer huffed, "I've been weak many times in my life. Now is not one of them."

Perrine shot Lyn a smile and complimented, "I brought you for a reason. You're a warrior soul with a kind heart."

Erica raised a hand, "My question. They're taking another route, yes?"

Nanako nodded.

"How did they know about it? We didn't we take that route?"

The thief explained, "They muscled the map out of a traitor Thief. An ex-wizard who worked down here when this all happened. He was killed by that assassin. Was Aurora good at throwing knives?"

"Not that I know," Perrine answered and tilted her head.

"S-Sort of..." Lyn raised her hand. "Perrine, remember that inn in London we stayed at?"

"Hardly," Perrine said back.

"Aurora and Yoshika were spending time that night," Lyn told her. "Yoshika told me Aurora played darts with some other people there before going to bed. She told me Aurora made some pretty high wagers and was throwing knives into the dartboard.."

Perrine rolled her eyes, "Yes, and I am good at playing chess and and crochet. Doesn't mean anyone who can do those sort of things is me. What happened to Aurora was only two nights ago. It's absurd to think she would become Liita's personal honor guard and assassin in that time."

Erica rolled her shoulders and stretched. "Personally I hope it's Aurora. Means we can kick the shit out of her and leave."

"Erica!" Lyn gasped. "She's our friend! How could you say such a thing!?"

Perrine looked towards the crumbling passage north and said, "Erica speaks truth. I wouldn't kill Aurora if I met her. Between the three of us there is little she could do. She was never that great of a fighter. Best cause scenario it isn't her and we do what we have to do. Worst is it's her and we have to rough her up and..."

"Then what?" Erica asked as the four them began approaching the northern exit. They were all avoiding the flowers.

Perrine focused on her feet as they progressed, "I don't think she is beyond forgiveness. A broken soul can be fixed. She can make amends if she sobers up."

Behind them Nanako said in a low voice, "No, someone like that is beyond redemption. She'll only do more harm if kept alive."

"I'll be the judge of that," Perrine said back. She suddenly raised her rapier as dark figures with glowing outlines appeared down the tunnel. More of those ghouls. Probably more than a dozen. She looked at her companions and ordered, "Unto the breach once more my friends! Erica flank left and I'll do right! Lyn that should set you up a killzone! Nanako just make yourself sparse!"

Erica's sword glowed its holy light and she laughed, "Rodger! Let's rough 'em up!"

Lyn raised her bow and had a smile on her face too, "Gimme a shot!"

To Be Continued

Tastychainsaws Nonsense- Took me a few times to get this chapter right. I thought this bit and them meeting the King of Thieves would be more condensed. I guess we'll have to wait to the next chapter for all that nonsense. I guess when you hit the 8.5k word mark you just have to wrap it up somehow.

I love this story and want so bad to finish it. It's always in the back of my head and I have so much cool shit I want to do here. I want to be honest and explain why it was so easy to write Book One in nine months and why Book Two has taken years and why Book Three is going to take longer.

Going back I wrote the character of Aurora because I love broken and tragic characters. I love the grizzled type who has seen some shit. She was a blast and I was really happy to see the positive feedback with her. I started writing Bringing the Dawn when I was nineteen and I'm twenty-four now. Through those years I've literally seen myself take on all of Aurora's weaknesses. I'm a bad alcoholic and it's done so much damage to my life it's unreal. Book Two is supposed to be Aurora's fall and redemption and it's much harder to write when that key theme hits so close to home.

Mostly because I lost my editors due to the fact I'm a drunk waste of space. The main difference between me and Aurora is there is no redemption arc for me. I'm a fucked up addict. I'll keep on writing this and I'm glad people keep on reading.

Sorry for being honest.

-Tasty