AN: Greetings!
And it would seem fellow user "Night Vanguard" has once again given me that inspiration jolt, as this Chapter is now named after the "Metal Gear Rising" song of the same name...as well as this Arc's theme being "Collective Consciousness" also from MGR! Good suggestions sir, doing the lord's works.
Anyways, the war continues here! So please, ENJOY.
Arc Three: The Bloodstained Roses War
Chapter Ten: It Has to Be This Way
He fired.
The blast of the ring shot out and completely broke through Priscilla's skull. Every single content within that head of hers shot out and littered the ground. Several innocent bystanders were now covered in blood and-
Priscilla was still alive.
"Huh?"
Priscilla was walking by her knight, when that very same helmeted man turned around and sliced at Subaru.
"TSK!"
Subaru jumped back and fired a barrage of blasts from his ring, and though they did not connect with Al, who carried Priscilla away to the side of an alleyway...it blast apart a storefront, sending the nearby civilians into a panic. Subaru roared out viciously, having missed the intended targets.
A nearby stationed knight, tried to lead the populace away, but even he trembled, when he saw Subaru float up and glow crimson red.
Subaru focused and aimed his ring where he saw Al and Priscilla hide behind. He fired a buckshot blast, breaking apart large sections of the wall, showing blood scattering as well.
Then he could see shadows moving through the alleyway.
"WHAT?!"
The wall he shot apart was fine and there was no longer any speck of blood on it.
"What the hell is this!?"
He chased after the fleeing duo, flying through the sky with his hood coming off. Priscilla now quickly looked behind her and saw Natsuki Subaru was flying after them.
"IT WAS YOU!"
"DIE!"
Subaru hurled out his viscous napalm-like blood at them, of which Al seemed to summon a earth wall to protect them.
Futile.
The wall melted instantly and the boiling blood engulfed the both of them.
But Subaru saw them turn the corner.
"AGAIN?!"
Once again, Subaru witnessed their deaths only for it to be seemingly reversed and their fates escaped.
Subaru roared out, frightening nearby residents and shopkeepers.
Priscilla aimed her fan and swung down, a carving light sweeped at Subaru, he dodged it, and it instead sliced several nearby houses and buildings in half.
Subaru then created his chainsaw construct and rocketed himself down.
He attempted to attack Priscilla, but Al jumped at him, swinging his sword.
Noticing this, Subaru backed away but tossed the chainsaw construct. Al and Priscilla dodged it, but both saw it dissipate, noticing too late they were both impaled by long spear constructs. Subaru snarled at them as he gripped the spears, lifted them in the air and swung them into a nearby carriage, crushing it into pieces...
Then saw they were standing in front of him, still alive.
"FUCK! WHO IS DOING THIS?!"
They both focused as Subaru sneered at them.
"WHICH ONE OF YOU IS DOING THIS?!"
That was when he saw Priscilla fired a beam from her fan, Subaru returned fire from his ring and the two beams collided. The resulting clash made every window nearby shatter and several storefronts, carriages close to them bend from the blast.
Instantly, Priscilla saw that the rumors about this man, were no exaggeration.
And just as quickly, Subaru flew away at shocking speed.
"HE RAN AWAY!"
"Princess, we need to get off the streets! He may come back!"
"...TSK!"
Al hurried Priscilla off as they made a beeline to their exuberant carriage. The knights all kept everyone back as many of their officials looked at the damage that was done...including a certain red haired knight.
"What happened here?"
"Sir Reinhard! It seems one of the Royal Candiateds, Priscilla-sama, was with her knight…when the Red Lantern, Natsuki Subaru got in a fight with her. As you can see, this is the damage, quite severe."
Reinhard was disheartened to hear this and looked around the scene of the battle, witnessing the devastation around him. He even became quite disturbed when he saw a small demihuman child being carried away, having been hit in the head with debris.
Now it was public knowledge that these two camps, were at war.
Genau landed in a clearing near Irlham Village. Glancing around but also sniffing the air, he was on high alert.
He took steps forward and kept up his guard-
"Oh! Genau-kun!"
He looked further ahead and saw a certain little girl skipping happily towards him.
"Sssssister Petra."
"Heya! How are you?"
"Um, good."
"What are you doing out here?"
"...Out for a sssstroll."
Petra was close enough to him, for her to give a cute smile to the Wolgarm.
"Wanna walk with me? I got nothing better to do."
"I don't think that-"
"-I'll give you this piece of jerky."
As she said that, she whipped out a huge scrumptious looking jerky, shining in the sunlight.
Genau made an annoyed expression.
With an annoyed expression, Genau chomped away at his jerky.
Walking with him, was Petra humming happily as she kicked a pebble.
"Genau-kun, how is everything at the mansion?"
"Bussssy. Sssssister Emilia and the otherssss are working hard for their Ssssselection."
"And you?"
"Eating. Working. Usssual."
"Heh, that sounds like you."
It became quiet between them as they made their way through the dirt road...until Petra brushed her hair, asking timidly.
"And how is Subaru?"
"...Alright, a ton of work for him."
"He does work himself to the bone."
"Exactly."
She giggled as she was twidling her fingers.
"Has he...said anything about me?"
"..."
Genau glanced at her very quickly, noticing her timid shy expression, he sighed internally.
"Only that he'ssss glad you're okay."
"...So, he does think about me."
She beamed with an overwhelmingly bright smile.
Just as Petra was about to ask him more…
Genau tensed up, stopping his movement. Petra noticed this and tilted her head, watching as he slowly turned his head sniffing the air. Soon she stopped too, just to see what was happening. He looked to the forest nearby them, and growled softly. Petra saw this and got quite scared, a small wind blew around them. She could feel the stillness in the air, as well as her heart beating faster, making it almost hard to breath. Genau growled louder as blood floated out of his mouth.
"Genau...kun?"
"Run."
"What-"
"RUN!"
Genau jumped over the fence and dashed ahead, encountering a cloaked man.
"OH SHI-!"
"GRAGHH!"
Genau puked out his blood, melting off the man's head. He then felt another cloaked man coming to slice him to ribbons with wrist blades, but Genau flipped in the air and kicked a pole construct through his head.
Still floating, he then perked his ears and narrowed his eyes, sensing the two making a run for it in the trees. Genau flew after them.
As one jumped off a large high off branch, he was tackled by Genau, making him crash into a nearby tree, the poor spy's body was a mangled mess, arms bent in awkward positions, his legs twisted and his face a bent mesh of blood.
The other spy panicked, but noticed too late that Genau had flown around and was staring eye to eye at him.
"FULA!"
The windblade missed and Genau created claw constructs that stabbed into the spy's face, killing him.
As he landed on the ground, he watched as the gems they had on, keeping their presence hidden to normal Ma-Beast rolled to the ground. They were quickly eaten up by the other Wolgarm in the area. Genau flew out of there as-
"KYAAAA!"
"SSSSISTER PETRA!"
Hearing the scream, he flew faster, watching as two armed men were attempting to quiet Petra. Genau dashed down and chomped off one knight's head before spinning in the air, creating spike constructs on his tail and slamming it against the other helmeted knight's face...decapitating him.
Three other knight's came out of the bushes and faced off against Genau, who simply roared at them.
"Sssssister Petra, stay close."
"O-Okay."
Petra nervously hugged Genau, just as the knights charged forward, their swords glowing brightly.
"Foolsss."
Raising his tail, his ring aimed at them...and shot out thin lines of constructs, all of which stabbed through them easily. He lifted them high in the air and slammed them to the ground, leaving pools of blood underneath their corpses. The two then heard commotion up ahead, and Petra easily became frightened as Genau knew where it was coming from.
"The village!"
"Momma! Poppa!"
"Hang on!"
Petra held tight to Genau as he flew forward, finding just what they would expect, three carriages parked at the entrance of the town, with all of the villagers gathered in the center, by unknown armored men.
Genau flew to the back of a house and let Petra down.
"Ssssstay here, I will kill them all and ssssave your friendssss."
"Be careful."
Genau nodded….and with mind numbing, unrelenting speed, dashed forward and sliced of the heads of four men with a curving slice construct, gathering their attention finally.
One mage fired balls of light at Genau who simply skipped around the attacks at insane speed, before actually flying THROUGH the mage, covering himself in guts and blood. One large mercenary with a war hammer brought it down on Genau; it broke apart on impact, before Genau hopped up and used his fangs to tear apart the man's neck.
Several other mercenaries slowly begin backing up, hoping to take some hostages...most of them got killed by Genau hurling out his napalm blood. Still, two soldiers took Petra's mother and a little girl hostage.
"Kyaa!"
"Uwahh!"
Genau lowered his stance and snarled ferociously at them.
"LET THEM GO!"
"J-Just stay right there! We'll kill them! We swear we will! G-God it can fucking talk..."
"Let them go...and you won't die horribly."
"B-Big talk from some oversized dog."
Suddenly a hideous red aura surrounded Genau's body, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
Killing intent?
Madness?
No.
It was Rage.
"DO NOT CALL ME A DOG."
Just as they had to time to forget their fear, cloth constructs wrapped around their hands holding their swords, nice and tight. He then yanked with full force, completely breaking their wrists. As they screamed out in pain Genau, rushed forward, the sight of his entire body pitch black, covered in a red aura….and only the white specks in his eyes being seen...made these two regret everything that led them to this moment.
Genau tackled both of them away, making the two ladies fall on their knees, but safe and sound.
Keeping his promise, Genau first went to one mercenary and sliced apart his eyes.
"EYAGHHHHH!"
"PAIN. SSSUFFER!"
Genau then bit off his arm, then, wrapped his entire lower abdomen in wrapping constructs and pulled with all his might...tearing him in half.
The mercenary could only gasp painfully and weakly, as he cried over seeing his intestines and organs laid before him. Genau walked away and to the other mercenary crawling away...Genau hopped over and bit him in the crotch from behind.
"AGHHHH! OH GODDDDD! HELP ME! PLEASE! PLEEEEASE!"
Genau shook him around tearing into his flesh further and further. Tears streamed down the young man's face as he reached out for any of the villagers to help him. They all just backed away, horrified at what they were seeing.
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRRRRRY! HELP ME! OH GOD! NOOOO! NNNNNOOOOO! HELP ME!"
Genau dragged him and lifted his body, fangs still crushing his testicles and slammed him down, before freeing his teeth. He then used his horn to flip him over and jumped at the chance to nibble on his throat.
The man still gurgled in pain. All the more as Genau took his time biting small bits of his neck off. Before his fang felt a small string like tissue, so he yanked it.
His vocal cord.
Once it was torn, the man let out high pitched whistle noise instead of his usual voice.
This was a sound, no one in that village would ever forget, for the rest of their lives.
The man's whistling softened until it was no more...he died.
Genau sighed as he then quickly saw the two other carriages were high tailing it out of there.
"SSSSHIT!"
The Red Lantern flew forward, leaving Petra to run and hug her mother...but even she saw that her eyes were not the same. Everyone there, minus possibly Petra, would be traumitized by the savagery of what they saw that day.
Genau slammed straight into the back of the first carriage. He began biting and slicing everyone to bits in this surprise of an attack, one man tried to jump out of their fast moving transportation, only for his foot to be bitten hard, making him get caught in the Ground Dragon's wind nullifying field, slamming hard on the ground head first, destroying it instantly. Genau saw there was no point so he dropped him, making his body break apart as it flung around at the ground.
The carriage's tarp was now covered in splotches of blood and claw marks, an indication of what occured to the fifteen people inside.
Genau dashed to the driver's seat and spat his blood at their face, burning it to cinders, with the reins being untaken, he decided to fly forward and cut them, freeing the Ground Dragon.
Then making large rope constructs, he wrapped them around the undriven carriage and hoisted it high into the air, flinging it at the still fleeing carriage. It hit its mark and crushed the carriage to pieces, right as they made it out into the clearing out of the forest.
Genau slowly floated over and right on top of it. In the wreckage of the attack, he could see these fourteen men hurt or simply dead, pieces of wood imbedded into different parts of their flesh. He looked to his side and saw a survivor crawling away, even with a leg missing.
"Sssssorry."
"I ONLY NEED ONE."
Genau barfed out a heavy stream of his blood, burning the survivors into char.
"EYAAGHHHHH! AIEEEEEE!"
"DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE."
Genau hopped away from the dying enemies as he slowly chased down the fleeing man.
"No Please…"
Too tired to move any further, he felt Genau's paw hold him down on the back of his head.
"I need you to talk."
"I-Information…?"
"EXACTLY."
Genau played with the back of his head, pushing it with his paw, softly play biting it with his fangs, even if it still drew blood.
"Lie to me, and I will kill you oh ssssso brutally."
"F...Fine."
"Who sssssent you here?"
"P-Priscilla...Priscilla Barielle."
"Okay then, you were here to?"
"S-Set up a base of operations nearby, to ready a mounting invasion."
"Invassssion? To our territory?"
"S-Sure."
"...Anything else?"
"Nothing I can-"
A crimson construct of a sword pierced through his head, silencing him.
"Kept my promisssse. You died painlesssly."
Genau moved away and used his radar system in the ring to detect two more individuals moving to the mansion. He flew up and back to the village. Landing in the centre, he looked at the clearly dazed villagers, now terrified seeing Genau's white furred face, drenched in blood.
"To your homessss now."
"Genau-kun."
"The camp that ownssss this territory issss in the middle...OF A WAR!"
The villagers began to panic hearing that they were now in the middle of a conflict...of which-
"They are probably here to kill the half-elf! Roswaal was crazy to-"
"-BE QUIET!"
Genau silenced any detractors and spoke viciously at them.
"Thissss has of little concern with Sssssister Emilia. It concernssss Brother Sssssubaru and the enemy, Prissssscila Barielle!"
"One of the other candidates?"
"Ressst asssured! We will not allow any of you to be in harm! WE WILL KILL OUR ENEMIESSSS AND BEHEAD THAT WOMAN! NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKESSSSS!"
"...ah."
"THEY HAVE MADE A HORRIBLE MISSSTAKE, ANGERING US RED LANTERNSSSSS."
Genau floated up and saw them, two large armored individuals making their way to the mansion...so he made a crosshair constract and aimed the ring on his tail.
Two loud shots later, the two armored individuals who broke through the gates of the mansion had their head split open, spraying blood up like a fountain...they slumped on the gates and died.
Rem and Ram saw this and headed outside, sure enough as they did, Genau landed close by.
"Genau! What happened?!"
"Like I ssssaid before! It'ssss happening! The war hassss, sssstarted!"
Rem held her breath realizing the severity of the situation at hand.
Ram kneeled down to speak more clearly with Genau, suprisingly.
"How many?"
"I think I killed at leasssst forty ssssso far, didn't count that much. But we both know that won't be the lasssst of them."
"Agreed, we need to prepare!"
Just then Subaru sonic boomed down to them, floating for a moment before landing and running at them...with Emilia's cloak still on.
"Brother Ssssubaru! DID IT-"
"-NO I FAILED! DAMN IT! I COULDN'T ASSASSINATE PRISCILLA!"
Rem felt her heart stop when she heard Subaru say such a thing. But Ram understood.
"But that would've ended this war! How could you not kill her?"
"There is a complication I never saw coming, we need to discuss it inside….WHAT HAPPENED TO GENAU?"
Clearly enraged thinking that his companion was hurt Subaru furrowed his brows.
"Relax Brother Sssssubaru! Thisssss isssss not my blood."
"What?"
"Come insssside, we have much to talk about. Hurry!"
Subaru nodded and everyone rushed inside, all of them would trade info, just as Roswaal and Beatrice had also returned.
It was now nighttime, and Rem looked out the window out into the darkness of the forest.
"Anything Nee-sama?"
"No, there isn't anything suspicious, my clairvoyance proves that."
"Okay, so the ones Genau killed were the only ones then."
Everyone was now in the Comfort Eagle watching as Rem and Ram came in, finishing checking if anyone was out there.
With their conformation that Genau killed off the team Priscilla sent, Subaru tapped his foot and growled, blood swimming out of his mouth.
"Subaru."
"Emilia?"
Emilia stepped forward and was face to face with him.
"Subaru, please tell me...that we can stop this."
"No. No we can't-"
"-Why?! We sent the letter right? Asking to open up communications with her?"
"We did, and look where it has led us. She is certain to attack again, so we need to face this at value."
"VALUE? We just discussed how Genau just killed a platoon of men in front of the villagers!"
Genau sat up.
"Sssssister Emilia, I did what wassss necessary."
"Not trying to even find a way to end this without bloodshed?"
"...That'ssss the only way to win a war."
"...I didn't want a war."
"Well, sssssorry, but it isssss going to happen, regardlessss of what any of ussss desssire."
Emilia felt a sudden sense of unease as she could see herself reflected in his red ominous eyes.
"Genau, what do you want?"
"...Honesssstly?"
"Please."
"Ssssink my teeth into that womanssss neck. But I'll take the sssssecondary prize, of eating up her sssssacrifices."
"YOU ARE CALLING THESE MEN, SACRIFICES?"
Emilia was simply frustrated with Genau's words.
"...If they face us Red Lanternsssss, then of courssssse they are going to die."
Emilia was going to say something, obviously with absolute anger in her voice, when Beatrice stepped between them.
"EMILIA! GENAU! ENOUGH, I SUPPOSE!"
"...!"
"Right now, we are in a precariously dangerous situation. Once that other candidate finds out her men died, she will step up her attempts to defeat us all, I suppose. And with Subaru informing us, that her knight has some sort of time based magic...then we need to plan carefully, I suppose. Understand?"
"Yes, but...H-How did things get this far?"
Subaru sighed allowing blood to rise out of his mouth.
"Emilia, I do wish things didn't get to this point, but there is no looking back now. What's done is done."
Subaru walked over and held both of her hands, intertwining their fingers together.
"It has to be this way, otherwise, everyone here could die."
"..."
"Do you want that?"
"...No."
"Then please, help us."
Emilia weakly nodded, and so Subaru let go of her hands and faced everyone else gathered there.
"Tomorrow morning, half of us go on the defensive….the other half, on the offensive."
Everyone agreed, but Rem noticed Emilia still shaken to the core about everything. So with this declaration, they began work on defending themselves and possibly launching a counter attack.
The next day, she had arrived.
"Yes, hello, I will be joining you as of today."
"Sarah, Remendis, right?"
In the private quarters of Roswaal, Subaru sat on a chair, with Beatrice on his lap and Genau napping next to them.
Roswaal himself was at his desk, with Rem and Ram standing by him.
In front of them, was a golden haired woman, short, but with an alluring beauty even if she had serious green eyes.
Subaru looked over and pulled out a drawn portrait Roswaal handed him, there he saw the uncanny resemblance this woman had to her grandmother Carol Remendis, who was once a servant to Roswaal J Mathers and current servant to the Astrea Family along with her husband Grimm Fauzen.
"Can I ask something, Sarah-san?"
"Yes, you are free to do so."
"Well, two parter. One, why join us if you were already technically apart of the Astrea Team?"
"...For that, I would say I wanted to find my own path in life, and of the team that would be most qualified to my skills, I chose the Emilia Camp."
Subaru scratched his hair.
"Are you not afraid of Emilia?"
"Incorrect, I believe her character should be judged, not what she is."
"Glad to hear that."
"Yes, may I ask why Emilia-sama is not here?"
"She's with the Great Spirit Puck, training outside, feel it's best not to bother her."
"Yes, understandable."
Roswaal smiled at the girl...just as she noticed.
"Roswaal-sama, forgive me for asking this...but what happened to your arm?"
The room grew tense and quiet...Genau opened his eyes and locked them with a clearly nervous Roswaal.
"Well, we had an incident in a certain sectiooooon of my territory. And sooooo, with the help of Subaru-kun and his teacher, we solved it. Buuuuut of course not without some complications.
"Yes, I see...wait, teacher?"
"Of coooourse, Subaru-kun is a Red Lantern, so we had a visit from his master, Atrocitus."
"Yes, forgive for saying this of his master, but that is a very hideous name."
"Ohohoho, he'd like to hear you say that it unnerved you."
She nodded confidently and looked at Subaru and the now awake Genau.
"Yes, I recall, Natsuki Subaru is a 'Red Lantern'...no one told there was another one like this, um, Genau, right?"
"Yesssss, nice to meet you Sssssister Sssssarah."
She easily hid her fear in witnessing the Wolgarm Genau speak to her.
"Yes, let us work together then."
"Exactly."
Genau wagged his tail, putting Sarah at ease.
"Before we move on, Sarah-san, you should know-"
"-This camp is at war with the Priscilla Camp, correct?"
"...So you knew."
"Most of the Kingdom knows, I heard there have been pans to reprimand you both, but-"
"-Heh, it'd be like trying to hit two snakes for fighting, you might end up getting bit by both of them."
"Yes, something like that."
"Good, at least we know that the Council won't get in the way. Anyways, pleasantries aside...Welcome aboard, Sarah Remendis-san."
"Incorrect, it is my pleasure, Natsuki Subaru-sama."
She did a small bow, all the while keeping up her usual stern composure.
Roswaal hummed a bit, all the while looking at Sarah.
"Noooow then, Sarah-san, let us have you take a tour of the mansion."
As Sarah got up from her seat, Genau hopped over, still wagging his tail.
"I will take you."
"Um."
"It'll be fun."
But as Sarah was about to accept-
"We can go to the garden, then the kitchen, then the meat locker and-"
"-Enough, I will go. If we let you run freely you'll eat everything not nailed down."
"Boo, Boo."
Genau humphed, as Ram walked to be beside the two of them.
"This way Sarah-sama."
"Yes, Thank you. Excuse me."
The three left...leaving Subaru, Roswaal, Rem and Beatrice.
"Roswaal, and the hiring process?"
"Well, we aaaaaare still processing through the right people. It shoooould take no longer than a week or soooooo."
"Okay...now-"
Subaru licked on his canine tooths and peeked down at Beatrice.
"How is IT coming along?"
Rem tilted her head, wondering, but also dreading what Subaru was inferring to.
Beatrice sighed as kicked her legs playfully, laying her head on his chest.
"It is taking a lot of work, but Betty thinks it can be done in a few days, I suppose."
"Good."
He patted her making hold his shirt playfully.
"Do you think it'll work Subaru?"
"It has to, it's probably are best bet in all this."
"If it does, even I would dread being on the other side, I suppose."
"Take your time and work with Roswaal on it, okay?"
"Okay, I suppose."
Subaru left with Rem, the maid's face clearly pondering on what Subaru was planning. Beatrice got herself finishing lookign over some notes with Roswaal, leaving i hurry to catch up with Subaru-
"Are you alright with thiiiiis Beatrice?"
Stopping at the door she turned her head.
"What is, I suppose?"
"I mean, you are his spirit. Haaaave you nothing to say about what is going on at this moment?"
"Ordinarily, Betty would have no interest with a conflict that had nothing to do with Betty."
"Then tha-"
"-However."
Roswaal raised his brows, as Beatrice looked at him with a passive stare.
"Subaru and Genau are very important to Betty, just as Nii-chan is, I suppose. And if this army wishes to bring harm to them, then Betty will also strive to crush them."
"...Is that all?"
"...Betty believes in what Subaru is doing."
Beatrice turned her head back to face the door.
"That is all?"
"And...why have yooooou not told him about me?"
"The fact that you are the original Roswaal? Using his magic to transfer his essence into his descendants and taking over their bodies, I suppose? You really think he'd be the best person to inform?"
"Annnnnd that is meant to be?"
Beatrice finally turned the knob and opened the door.
"Betty knows her Subaru well, I suppose. So let me give you piece of advice: NEVER TELL HIM THAT. Keep it a secret between yourself and Betty, I suppose."
"...And suppooooose I didn't?"
"...He'd castrate you for starters, I suppose."
Even Roswaal felt a tinge of unease knowing the truth of the matter….Natsuki Subaru probably would do that to him.
"I...will take yoooour advice to heart, Beatrice."
The sorcerer put on a big grin.
Beatrice simply closed the door behind her, leaving Roswaal alone to look over his papers, closing his eyes, letting only his golden one, to reflect the papers in his vision.
The tour of the mansion continued...
"Ram-dono, I have heard that, this camp is hiring mercenaries and the like…"
"You are well informed, Sarah-sama. Yes, we are in the process of procuring an army."
"And the process?"
"...Not going well, the prejudice against her is quite evident."
"Yes, not even mercenaries are willing to work with a half-elf."
"We'll manage, Roswaal-sama and Barusu will make sure of that."
She nodded and looked over at Genau..
GRRRRRWWWL.
"I'm sssssso hungry."
"You damn glutton."
"A full belly will get you through all tribulationssss!"
"Only a glutton like you would say that."
"Tch. Sssssaying that because you can't cook."
"Tch. An animal that can't even descent fine cuisine, should just keep his mouth shut."
"...Can barely ssssteam potatoes."
"Oh shut it."
Ram and Genau looked away from each other in annoyance, Sarah quietly hid her giggles seeing the two allies quarrel.
Eventually Emilia met with Sarah, and was more than happy to meet someone who did not judge her based on her ancestry.
Puck nodded happily as he watched over Emilia patting a suprised Sarah on the back.
The next day, Sarah practiced with Genau on fighting.
Subaru was meeting with Roswaal and Beatrice in the Comfort Eagle on their project.
Emilia worked on her studying, per usual.
Rem and Ram tidied up the mansion.
Dinner came and Genau tried to eat dessert before anything else, only to get reprimanded by Ram, everyone laughed seeing Genau stickign his tongue out at Ram, with the Maid glaring at the Wolgarm.
Except Subaru, his smile vanished...replaced with a somber frown...he knew this was not to last.
It was now six days later, several carriages were moving through the forest roads, heading to a small village called Dunharrow, which was also apart of the Roswaal Territory.
But just as they were about to make it out of the forest and into the clearing before the village...the riders saw something shining in the forest around them.
And with that, they were all torn apart by light bolts.
With the deed done and the carriages coming to a stop...the seven Lewes Clones came out with Subaru looking over the situation. He nodded to himself and looked at the clones.
"Take their bodies, bury them in the hole.
The clones nodded and began dragging them to a large shallow grave. Dumping their bodies, and the bodies of at least forty men were piled in before they had dirt and rock cover them. Subaru then grabbed some sacks of weapons and scrolls and handed them to a clone.
"Take this home."
The clone took the bag, bowed and ran off.
Subaru took a deep breath, blood floating out of his mouth.
"It's a good thing the Trials gave me the ability to control these gals...just wish they could do more…"
He then saw the other clones awaiting orders.
"Okay, go and protect the mansion."
They bowed and then, rushed off to fulfill their task.
With a small breeze blowing by them, Subaru sneered out into the sky…
"Hope Genau and Sarah-san are doing okay."
Flying through the air, Genau was with Sarah Remendis, carrying her in a dome construct.
"Yes, we should be near the intended mansion, soon enough."
"Okay."
Seeing the lavish mansion within the capital, they made a curving motion in the air to land on building that was across the street from it.
Sarah knelt down and looked around, seeing the tight security.
"So many guards on patrol."
"Ssssshould we just kill them?"
"Incorrect, this would only attract them to us. We need to be discreet and get what we came for."
"Exactly."
Sarah jumped down and found a manhole cover, opening it, she motioned to Genau. He jumped in with her not far behind…
They walked for some time, with the waters running by their feet, Genau using his ring to light up their path.
"You are quite accepting of your tassssk, Ssssssister Sssssarah."
"Yes, I've trained all my life to be of use in any way possible."
"Even if it meanssss killing?"
Genau looked back at her and scrutinized her up and down.
"Of course."
"Well, asssss long asssss you underssssstand."
"Emilia-sama and Subaru-sama are both my leaders and with it, they have my utmost protection. Especially since he is considered a legend now."
"And me?"
"...Yes, sorry, nothing yet."
"Boo."
Genau humphed, sticking out his tongue from the side of his fangs, making Sarah giggle a bit.
Then they both stopped and found themselves right at the spot they needed to be in, Genau carved a hole in the side of the wall and began making a path with his napalm blood, though cramped, they would be able to make it inside.
After a bit of travel...he aimed his beam upward and carved a hole above them, before he made careful hook constructs to push the hole upward and they both leaped up.
Now finding themselves inside the Priscilla Mansion.
"Yes, grab the documents and make sure not to get caught."
"Exactly, let'sssss sssssplit up, meet back here."
"Well...Yes, don't do anything rash."
The two split up and went to opposite sections of the hallway. Sarah turned a corner and entered a room, avoiding detection. Genau made his walking across the ceiling and looking down at the guards walking around. He then saw a room so he floated down and avoided sight. He closed the door behind him with his back leg. He then sniffed around, trying to find anything. He ran to a desk and used his fangs to open all the drawers, finding nothing of importance.
As he licked his lips, he turned around...just in time to see a young boy with pink hair and red eyes, staring at him.
Genau stiffened up and took an aggressive stance. The boy trembled a bit, a took a small step back…
"Sssssh...don't."
The boy took another step back, but Genau simply began growling at the terrified young child. The boy soon began gritting his teeth...and as he then began moving his hand; red wrapping constructs covered his mouth and neck. He was pulled forward, but a snapping sound was audible when this happened. Genau let the boy slide to him and began sniffing him.
"...Oopssss."
This young boy, had died, his neck twisted to an awful marking on his little neck. Genau wasted no time and bit the boy's hand, sucking on the blood. Gnawing it a bit, he spat it out and tilted his head.
"I can ride a carriage? Meh."
Learning of his new skill, he then quickly made his way to the door, but made a claw construct stretch behind him and push the boy behind the counter, hiding his body.
Genau poked his head out the door and found no one around...so he made his way down the hall, kicking close the door behind him.
Sarah found another room and shuffled through any drawer she could find, until she opened a larger bottom drawer that was filled with papers. Quickly she flipped through them, until she pulled out three specific ones, rolling them up and putting them in her sack, she hurried to the door, closing all the drawers to draw no suspicion. She opened the door and was face to face with an armored guard. Before he could react she palm thrusted his chest, then jumped in the air, catching him between her legs, spinning a bit before launching him to the ground inside the room. She then used her metal forearm armor to whack across the head, knocking him out. She saw another so she elegant twirled, before hopping up and kicking the air and spin kicking him into unconsciousness.
She then ran across the wall and found herself looking down more guards running to inspect the noises made. She kicked off the air and jumped over them and ran down the halls. She then saw Genau running for it opposite of her, seeing his fangs covered in blood she had to ask.
"What did you do?"
"Sssssomeone spotted me, sssssso I killed them before they alerted the others."
"Did you hide the body?"
"Yup."
"Yes, did you hide it somewhere blood wouldn't be spotted?"
Genau stared up at her, before he opened his mouth wide.
"Oh. The carpet...Oopsssss.'
"YOU FOOL."
Sure enough some guards that were inspecting the rooms earlier, saw a trail of blood on the carpet of the room, which led to the discovery of Schult's body.
Putting the estate on high alert.
Genau and Sarah were heading to the meeting place, only to see countless guards observing the hole they left. Genau roared out as he zipped through the air, using his puked out blood to kill most of them. One guard tried aimed his sword upward, only to have his arms sliced in two...by Sarah, who had her forearm blades out and ready. She then skipped forward and twirled on foot, the spin made the blades slice off the guards head. She then sensed the other one coming forward, so she spun and lowered her body elegantly, cutting off his legs. Before using her blades in a sweeping motion, akin to scissors to decapitate him.
Just as they saw their chance, the hole was plugged up, by Earth magic. Up ahead, they saw a mage and three more guards, this time, with large battleaxes. Sarah got herself ready, only for Genau to jump into the air and make, crossbow constructs, firing them rapidly, littering all of them in arrow constructs. The mage was the only survivor so he shot out an earth spike, only for Genau to fly past it...so the mage made an earth dome around himself, Genau landed next to it and sniffed. So, Genau laughed a bit before making a giant hammer construct and swinging it wide, to break the dome into pieces, the mage fumbled a bit before Genau aimed his tail, firing a beam that split his head down the middle, making both sides flap around like a moist fruit. Genau kicked the corpse away and growled. All the while Sarah was awestruck by it all.
"Yes, so this is, the power of a Red Lantern."
Sarah shook her head snapping out of it as she saw more guards coming very direction.
"Yes, Genau-san! We have to leave now! But we need to find a path or exit!"
Genau roared out loud as Sarah and all the other guards were stunned by it. He looked at the wall ahead of him…
"WE MAKE A PATH OUT OF HERE!"
Genau made giant ram horns in front of himself and dashed forward, the power behind it, made him begin crashing through the walls, knocking away guards and sending concrete, wood and glass everywhere. Sarah followed behind, slicing apart any guard that didn't get knocked away. Soon, they made it outside, destroying the outer walls. Both of them charging in energetic splendor.
Priscilla was in her usual throne room ordering people around, especially-
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
"What is that?!"
"Priscilla-sama! The intruders are escaping! They...They have began breaking through the walls and are making it to the outside!"
"TSK!"
That was when Al showed up...holding something bundled in a blanket, with blood staining it.
"What the heck are you doing Aldebaran?! We have an emergency and you hurrying off bringing us a dirty bundle like that?! Just what-"
"-PRISCILLA."
Hearing the seriousness in his voice, she gave him a chance to speak, even if it annoyed him.
"Priscilla-hime….it's…"
He trembled a bit, before he finally looked into her eyes, even with his helmet on, the shaking in his voice still there.
"It's Schult."
"...!"
Her eyes widened as she looked at, feeling herself well up some emotion within her, even almost moving her hand to reach out to him, but, she stopped herself.
She hid her face with her fan, seemingly proud per usual….yet she turned away from them, looking at her throne; everyone could see her other hand gripped into a fist.
"FIND THEM. KILL THEM."
"'Kay."
"IF NOT. BRING THEM TO ME, SO I CAN EXECUTE THEM PERSONALLY!"
"Understood."
"...Put Shcult on the table over there."
Al did as told and laid the bundle onto the table, also beginning to grip his hand into a fist.
"Can't believe it bro...TO THINK, YOU'D GO THIS FAR."
His eyes shining inside his helmet, as an aura of power surged around him.
"You die for this, Natsuki Subaru."
Genau and Sarah made their way through the cloud of debris...but were stopped by sudden slicing shockwave that cut up the ground ahead of them. Looking to the origin of the attack, they saw some guards walking along the grass of this estate, being led by two people.
First a dark hooded spindly man, with claws and sharp teeth...long lanky legs while wearing a skin tight black suit with metal pads covering certain parts of the body.
The other a large person wearing what one would say was a hug person, easily nine feet tall, dragging with a large warhammer, and himself adorned in golden armor with horns on top of the helmet.
"Thessssse guys?"
"Yes, this is bad. I know those two!"
Genau took up an aggressive stance as he snarled at them.
"Who?"
"The one on the left, wearing the hood...he's 'Twin Blade' Mathrafal, a commander in the Vollachia army. Yes, and the other, he's a well known champion Gladiator even in Lugnica; Chiron Monoton. Both are no easy foes, and they appear intent on not letting us leave."
"If they want to fight. Then let'sssss give it to them."
"Wait, the plans have gone awry, we should leave now!"
"Doesssss it look like they will let ussss leave? That attack earlier wassss to stop me from flying away with you. Well?"
She clicked her tongue noticing Mathrafal pulling out a double sided sword.
"Incorrect, I suppose not."
Getting her forearm blades ready, just as Genau roared letting massive chunks of blood float out of his mouth….the two were ready for combat.
Meanwhile, at the forests outside the outskirts of the Magrave territory.
"Captain, what should we do?"
"Hm, let's keep this up for now, but remember keep the distance significant between us and the Magrave territory, we don't want to end up like the last team."
A certain orange haired cat boy, named Tivey Pearlbarton was given the task of being with several of his own men and others provided by Crusch Karsten to look over at the mansion from afar, hoping to gather vital information.
Gazing from this very distance, he could barely make out the village…
Coming out of the nearby carriage, one of countless hidden by the brushes of trees and shrubbery...emerged an old man with grey bluish hair in some traditional dark colored armor. Tivey noticed him and nodded
"Oh hello there, mister…?"
"Conwood, just Conwood is fine."
"Well Conwood-san, I'm glad we have some extra hands on board."
"Not at all, I am glad to be of service."
It became quiet between the two, before TIvey decided to talk.
"So, why are you here?"
"Hm?"
"I mean, for my case I am merely serving my lady's orders in keeping watch on the activities on the person called the Red Lantern. But you?"
"...Hm, I have nothing profound like saying, 'I do this for my master', not at this age."
He smiled, before dropping it and staring off into the mansion which was far away.
"I do this, because...I have to make up for it."
"For?"
"Originally we were going to be joining a force to take down the White Whale, avenge the friends we lost to it and the destruction it had wrought onto the world...but-"
"-Natsuki Subaru got involved."
"...Yes, he took from us our revenge, insulted our master and has now plunged this country into a utterly dire conflict. He's, a threat akin to a Witch Cultist…"
"But you mostly do it for payback, right?"
"...Heh, caught me there."
Conwood stretched out his arms and sighed.
Lowering them again he looked at Tivey.
"You should be careful you don't grow up to be an old hogwash like me Tivey-dono."
"I am always the careful commander, so you have nothing to worry about, Conwood-san."
Fixing his monocle all the while smirking up at him, the two exchanged grins.
"SIR! WE FOUND SOMETHING!"
Hearing the scream, the two made a run for the origin of the sound, sure enough, they found some mercenaries there, including a sloth demihuman squatting down to look at something. They made their way through…
...they found a little girl, pink hair, blue eyes, in long tattered rags for clothes, too big for her, gazing up at them all.
"Little gal' are you lost?"
The girl looked and noticed Tivey and Conwood, before tilting her head.
"She seems out of it, maybe some runaway or something."
Tivey narrowed his eyes, as he could of sworn he heard a clicking sound.
Conwood scrutinized this girl, sensing something amiss.
Beneath her long arm sleeves, was a conversing mirror metia, on and being used.
In the forests, closer to the mansion itself, were two white cloaked individuals saw their mirror transmitting and thus closed it. Knowing which one it was, they both knew which direction to head to.
"The Western sent Lewes clone, she's found intruders, we have to go."
Removing her hood, Ram looked to the other person next to them, who stood there, looking up at the orange evening sky.
"Let's go...before it gets dark."
Taking a deep breath the other person, gripped her chained weapon.
"Yes, Nee-sama."
Rem looked to her sister and nodded, with a tired, blissless expression.
The war persisted on.
TO BE CONTINUED…