Italics indicate thinking

Bold is for attacks

Sven's POV

"I've arrive Miss." I said landing next to her in the cave.

"You're late." She glared.

"We were held up more than expected." I frowned "Have you had any luck finding what you were looking for?"

"No." she said clambering onto my shoulder to sit "And now I walked though this damn cave and my shoes are all muddy, unacceptable."

"I'll clean them thoroughly." I smiled before blinking "Miss do you sense that pressure?"

"Yes." She bit her thumbnail "Hurry it up would you."

"Of course, hold on tight." I said picking up my pace.

We came out into a larger cave where we saw Tomo with a young girl and a gravely injured boy.

"I won't let you take her!" Tomo yelled.

"Oh my, who knew you'd turn out to be as headstrong as the two of them." Lady Katja smirked.

"Katja-san! Hana-san! Sven-san!" she gasped.

"It's been a while." Hana laughed.

"You're looking well all things considered." I smiled "But it would seem you've gotten into quite the situation."

"Are you here to interfere with us Copper User?" the Meteora agents who had attacked Tomo asked.

"Oh heavens no." she smiled "After all aren't we on the same side, I merely came to witness your considerable fighting skills used to pick on little girls. And frankly I can nothing from helping those two."

"Miss." I raised an eyebrow.

"Katja-sama shouldn't we?" Hana asked.

"My goodness why?" she rolled her eyes "In helping Astarte I gain no reward, as far as I'm concerned the scale isn't tipping in anyone's favor."

"Nice speech girl." The Meteora agent said "But you're not fooling anyone you're just too weak hearted to pick a side. That lack of conviction will lead you nowhere but a whorehouse where you belong, but that's a Romanov for you they talk big and run their mouths because everyone knows all they have left in this world is hopeless memories of past glories."

"Bit your tongue." I glared "How dare you speak ill of Lady Katja."

"Sven." She shot me a glare and a wicked smile "I have a feeling my scales just shifted"

She jumped down and stomped her foot "You are a Meteora extermination squad correct, you processed a small village in Bavaria correct, was that you?"

"That little hamlet, yes we purged them and sent them to the lord." A man said.

"Then I've decided." She walked passed me and look back at them "Your sentence will be death. SVEN! HANA!"

"Yes Miss." We both attacked.

"HRRRA!" I slammed my sword down and sliced a man in two.

"Magdalen of Thunder!"

Hana roared out and let off a shockwave of lightning that fried anyone I didn't slice in half.

"HMPH!" I swiped my sword to clean of the blood "Execution complete."

"Good." Lady Katja jumped down "Now that that's been taken care of Tomo it'd be best if you come with us. Sven…is the wind blowing?"

"I feel it a bit." I said.

"No…I won't let you take them, not Astarte-sama or Tomo." The girl in the gas mask walked up to us "Rouge…"

How does she know that name?

"Milk-chan!" Tomo gasped.

"Milk?" Lady Katja looked back "I recall meeting you in Japan during the incident at the Sanctuary."

"Yes…" the girl breathed in deeply "But we met before that, when I had that other name…that false name"

The girl removed her mask to show a young youthful face with a large scar that went from the bottom left of her face to the top right above her eye.

"I hate that name, Blanc."

This girl…was from the school.

"You're saying your name was Blanc?" Lady Katja hummed.

"Do you know this girl?" Hana asked.

"I'm merely saying I knew a girl named Blanc, and as coincidence she was also an Atomis user of Hydrogen."

"Miss?" I looked at her questioningly.

"But this is not that girl, Blanc is long dead." She said looking off with no emotion.

"The fire at the villa burned for days." I explained "There were casualties, one of which was a girl with soft pink hair, I passed that body in the forest before Gijou arrived."

"It's simple actually." Lady Katja hummed "What we see here is but a Regen. A manufactured soldier of the Project, I'm amazed they got on into the Adepts."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The girl put her gas mask on "I am Milk, I have always been Milk."

"You're annoying me, as a matter of fact your mere presence disgusts me." Lady Katja snarled "The dead should have the courtesy of staying dead! SVEN!"

"Yes Miss!" I dashed in and pulled my sword back.

"HMPH!" the girl blasted me back with gas.

"It's too humid." I said blocking with my shield "She's focusing on the dripping water."

"There is no Blanc, there is only Milk." The girl mumbled "Astarte-sama gave me that name I will protect her."

The girl started making bubbles appear.

"You are not my friend." She hissed "You're just a liar like the others."

"MAMA!" Lady Katja popped all the bubbled with her puppet but Milk detonated them into an explosion.

"Katja-sama!" Hana tackled her while I blocked.

"I will keep my promise." Milk said summoning a wave of water "I…am not a liar!"

"Miss!" I put my hand out as the water slammed down around us and filled the cave.

The current…it's too much!

I got pulled under and slammed around the room, the blood on my armor washed clean as it bent and broke off from the battering I took. I managed to right myself and open my eyes, I couldn't see anyone else but I managed to surface.

"HAAA!" I gasped quickly for air "ACK MISS?!"

I coughed as the water kept gushing out around us.

"AHH!" I saw a head of blonde hair surface, struggling to swim

"Miss!" I reached out.

"GAH!" she threw her hands towards me "I can't-."

"Come on!" I stabbed my sword into the wall "RAAH!"

I snapped my free hand shut around her wrist and pulled her into my chest.

"I've got you." I whispered.

*SHIFT*

"Crap!" I hugged Lady Katja close as my sword was dislodged and the two of us were roughly tumbled like clothes in a washing machine, eventually floating out to the sea.

"HM!" I pulled us onto a small rock outcropping "Are you okay Miss?"

"Ugh…" she mumbled having passed out from the flow.

"Ha…ha…I don't see anyone else, no Hana, no Tomo, and not even that other girl" I panted resting Lady Katja's wet head in my lap and smiling "But you're in one piece, that's all that matters."

The way her wet dress was clinging to her body, it was…so enticing.

"Miss…" I ran my hand on her face "Perhaps I should get you out of these wet clothes so you don't catch a cold…"

Before I had a chance to act on that desire a Helicopter shone a spotlight down on us.

"Seems rescue is here."

AN

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Pick Up Point- Chapter 88

Till Next Time!