LAST ENTRY: The revelry was cut short for the Aces of Mid-Childa. As Fate was suddenly called in by Bureau Command, Nanoha was then put on leave by order of Lieutenant Colonel Hayate. In the meantime, she begins to discover the secrets hidden by the Saint Church that serves as a harbinger of the evil that lurked in the darkness of Space.
NEMO
The White Mage sighed and let out a heavily mechanized rasp that rang through her mask. As she trudged through the cramped crowd of strangers, disguised in a hooded cloak of her own, she couldn't help but shudder underneath her breath. Under yellow and foggy skies, the very air around her mired in a stygian mix of grime and sin. Even behind her airtight helmet, she could've sworn the stench of sulphuric ash and trash still assaulted her senses. The buildings that surrounded her had grown derelict from untold years of disrepair. Walls were either lined with broken cracks upon their surfaces or with grotesque graffiti and other obscene imagery that ruined the faded paint. When she looked to her side, she could see groups of small gangs huddled against shaded corners, doping themselves up with whatever drugs they came across until they passed out. The people that walked beside her kept their gaze close to the ground. Whether they wanted to keep to themselves or from an attempt to hide from the rest of the world, she knew not. Somewhere deep inside her, a small voice of a little girl cried out for these people. A remnant from her previous life, one brimmed with hope and naivete, implored the mage that she had the power to change their lives.
Suddenly, she felt someone grab her leg. A skinny man with a mohawk held out a small bag of white powder in front of her.
"Looking for a good time, man? I guarantee it will change your life," he rasped out, eyes half-lidded. His stomach was emaciated, and his arms bore many dark puncture holes. He looked as if he was about to pass out from either malnutrition or from whatever he put into his body a couple minutes ago.
She ripped her leg out of the man's grasp and walked away. She wondered why Orion had told her to come to this backwater of a dimension in the first place. Her mind raced back to their last meeting.
She remembered Orion saying to her, "Understand this, if you wish to emerge victorious in your war against the higher powers, then you will need this woman's allegiance."
The White Mage cocked her head in confusion. "Why?" she remembered asking the witch in black, "We've already defeated them all before. Have you forgotten?"
"The bureau from your dimensions, yes, I remember." Orion nodded, "However. I fear the trials ahead will prove to be far more difficult in this universe than even you or I can handle on our own."
"Because of Takamachi Nanoha?" The White Mage huffed as she crossed her arms, "Rest assured, that girl has no hope of defeating me. She will be of no threat to us."
"Do not let your hatred and pride cloud your judgment," she remembered Orion warning her, "It would be best for you to be cautious of that child."
She remembered her own indignation at the behest, glaring at the witch through scornful glass visors. Orion paid her no mind and turned her back towards her. "However, the one I'm most wary about is not Takamachi. Surely you must remember, there is another who was not present when you took on the mantle of Devil." She knew who she was talking about and remembered the look Orion gave her after saying that. A glare that pierced through her armor and struck the deepest recesses of her soul. It vexed her to no end how easily that old woman was able to do that to her.
"Fate will-" she bit her lip underneath her mask. "There is no need to be concerned about her."
"So you say," Orion hummed with a doubtful ring of her voice. "You may delude yourself, but you shall not delude me, young one. Now that you have made your presence in this realm, everything that will have transpired has shifted. The future is uncertain, and you cannot afford any more uncertainties. This person will prove to be invaluable in your journey."
"I don't want someone slowing me down," she remembered herself retorting, and as she stared into the eyes of the older woman, she remembered Orion telling her,
"Have faith in my words, child. Remember, everything that I do is for justice and for you."
Now here she was, in an unknown dimension and in a city whose name she could barely pronounce, scuttling amongst the denizen's squalor. Soon enough, she arrived at a small two-story, run-down wooden building. The windows were faded, some even cracked, and the wood had grown rotten. A simple pub, if the posters of wine glasses and cards with chips were anything to go by.
Orion said she might be somewhere in a place like this. She opened the doors to the pub, the old wood letting out a piercing creak in protest. Looking around the dimly lit room, she noticed how poorly packed the place was. At the center was the bar table, lining the sides with stools that had maybe four or five patrons with their heads down beside their drinks. She scouted around as she passed by empty booths, only to notice one occupied at the far end of the room by a small group playing cards. A skinny man that wore a wide-brimmed Stetson hat sat by an old bearded man outside the table, looking down at the cards in their hand with stone faces.
However, at the very back between two women in low cut dresses sat a figure garbed in a buttoned-up black coat that reached down to her legs. A long dark scarf wrapped around her neck, with the fabric reaching down her back like a cape. Her head was covered behind layers of dark bandanas that hid the entire top of her head and covered her mouth and nose. The only thing visible was the pair of eyes looking down at the cards in her hand.
The Mage felt the swell of pressure coming from her. Orion told her that she would know when she found the person. The heavy aura of magic was a clear enough indicator for the mage. As she walked up to the group, she could feel eyes from the few patrons following her. When she arrived at the table, the person with the hat regarded her with a question.
"Sumthin I can do for ya, strangah?"
The Mage nodded. "I have business with her," she said as she motioned her head towards the masked woman. At this, everyone in the bar inched their fingers for their holsters attached to their belts and hip. The girl in black finally looked away from her cards and up at the person who interrupted her game. Red burgundy eyes regarded her with a raised brow.
"Well, I'm sorry, pal. But we're in the middle of a game." The older gentlemen said calmly.
"Not any longer," the mage gave a terse reply. "Step aside."
The man in the hat quickly stood up from his seat. A small firearm slid out from under his sleeve, and he pointed the barrel directly under the Mage's chin. This prompted the rest of the canteen to raise their weapons. Their guns were mass-based, with no traces of mana present. Something that could be found on her home planet.
"Listen here, ya cheeky cunt." The man leered directly in front of her helmet. "I don't think I like yer attitude. Who do you think ya are, barging in 'ere and ordering us around like a pack of dogs?!"
"It's all right." The red-eyed girl raised her hand, and the tension in the room immediately dissipated.
The mage felt a shock of lightning course through her body as she heard the woman speak.
It was muffled by the bandana covering, but something about it made her insides twist. The man that held her at gunpoint relented and lowered his weapon with a scoff. Soon, everyone else did the same in putting away their respective firearms, including the two women that sat beside the red-eyed stranger. When the tension calmed, the woman calmly motioned towards the seat opposite of her.
"Please. Sit."
The Mage's glare lingered for a second before she acquiesced. The two men moved to stand at the side of the table to make room for the cloaked newcomer.
"Sorry about that," The masked woman apologized as she slipped her cards across the table to the bearded man, who in turn started to shuffle the entire deck. "Not everyone who asked for me has been pleasant folk," she said as her eyes scanned the mage over. "I see you too wish to hide your face from the world. Smart choice. Few will judge a person for choosing to hide their past here." She snapped her fingers, signaling the bearded man to slide one card face down to both herself and the armored mage.
The White Mage stared at the card in confusion. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"You said you wanted to discuss business with me, right? Well, I figure, why not have a little fun along the way? While we play, we can discuss your proposal, and if you win, I'll be more inclined to accept your offer."
"I didn't come here to play games with you." The Mage said with a growl to accompany her words.
"House's rules, friend. You came to me for help; the least you can do is make the visit interesting."
The White Mage sighed and shook her head. "Have it your way."
"Very good!" The masked red-eyed woman exclaimed joyfully. She motioned for the man to deal her with the second card. The game commenced; the two players placed their hands on top of their cards as their eyes clashed against one another. "So, what troubles you, friend?" The woman asked as she took a peek at her cards.
The Mage caught the card across the table and took a glance at it before she placed it face down. "There are a couple of important items that I seek, and I've been told that someone like you would be instrumental in acquiring them," The Mage said.
"Oh?" The woman hummed in an almost playful tone and caught the third card sent her way.
"Bounty hunting, subterfuge, planetary-wide smuggling operations, and surveillance," The Mage continued as she caught her third card. She already began to calculate the probabilities in her head in relation to the ones she currently held. "From what I hear, you've made yourself an enemy of the TSAB for almost a decade now."
"I wouldn't say the bureau and I are exactly close friends." The woman agreed. "And I am to assume that they have what you're looking for?"
"Yes." The Mage simply said.
The woman let out a whistle, "Sounds expensive, friend. They aren't prone to share."
"Money will not be an issue." The mage expected that compensation would be a factor sooner or later. "There will be plenty for you to plunder in the aftermath."
A fourth card was sent to both players.
"And just what are these things you're looking for, exactly?" The woman asked as she reached out for her new card.
"Have you heard of the Lost Logias called 'Jewel Seeds?' The Mage calmly asked as she picked up her card. The other woman's hand froze and hovered over the card sent her way. The Mage noticed her eyes widened with shock and the slight tremor from the woman's fingers. It was a subtle tell, but one made her raise a brow behind her helmet. A full second passed before the woman regained herself and picked up the card.
"I know of them, yes. There was an incident that took place over planet ninety-seven around sixteen years ago," the woman said, her usual whimsical tone suddenly turning somber. "A woman tried gathering those seeds for herself in an attempt to bring back the dead. It caused such a stir that stories of it still linger to this day."
A fifth card was sent their way, and the two players reached over to grab them.
"You're well informed. Good." The Mage lifted the end of her card up and peeked at the picture underneath. "The Bureau currently holds most of these seeds within their possession. As of right now, their whereabouts are unknown to me, but I've been told you have ways of acquiring that information."
At this, the masked woman leaned back into her seat and folded her arms. Her eyes scanned the white mage in front of her with a narrowed glare. She looked down at the five cards in her hand carefully and sent two cards back to discard to the dealer. When the dealer gave her two new cards, she warily asked, "Do you know what it is you are asking for?"
The Mage was silent and kept her gaze down at the cards in her fingers.
"One single Jewel Seed is enough to destroy a planet in the wrong hands. With all of them together, they could easily tear apart the entire Dimensional Sea. That woman put a lot of lives in danger that day by trying to play God." The woman finally showed her hand, slamming the cards face-up on the table—a jack of spades, a king of clubs, and 3 aces of clubs, spades, and diamonds. A strong hand of three pairs of aces. "So tell me, why should I even bother helping you, let alone letting you leave here alive?" She asked as she leaned against the table.
With the threat now certain, the rest of the patrons drew their weapons and aimed them at the mage once more. The Mage slowly looked around the room, her back against the corner, surrounded by armed assailants on all sides. The air was heavy with tension as the audience around her quietly held their fingers close to their triggers. She took three cards out of her hand with a smooth and slow demeanor and sent them to the bearded gentlemen aiming his gun at her head. He eyed the mage warily but took the cards with his free hand and sent back three new ones from the deck.
"Precia Testarossa was a fool," the Mage started. "She was too blinded by her grief and failed to see the truth, that you cannot bring back what you have lost; you can only move forward for a better tomorrow. She chose to cling to a dying past and paid that mistake with her life. I am stronger than her, and I will do what needs to be done."
The pub patrons looked at one another with a questioning glance. The woman narrowed her eyes further at the mage's words.
"So you say, but there is a bit of a problem. Half of the Jewel Seeds were lost in the Garden of Time. There's no bringing them back."
"That will not be a concern." The White Mage said before she extended an open hand forward. From her fingers, twelve glowing blue crystal shards danced in the air. The woman was taken aback at the spectacle, a whispered gasp muffled against the bandana wrapped around her lips.
"Son of a-!" One of the bar patrons yelled out; startled by the seed's sudden appearance, he aimed his gun and squeezed the trigger. The woman quickly threw a black knife from under her sleeve at the precise millisecond before the bullet left the chamber, knocking the gun's aim off course. The shot managed to graze past the white surface of the mage's helmet.
"Hold your fire!" She yelled out, overtaking the shot that rang out in volume. At her word, the whole audience lowered their weapons. "Those serial numbers match the seeds still currently in the Bureau's possession. If even one of those were to disappear, I would've known," The woman said as she leaned forward onto the table. "How were you able to accomplish this?"
"As I said. I am stronger. The TSAB has fallen to me before, and it will do so again."
The woman in front of her could only stare in awe at the glowing crystals that hovered over the Mage's palm. She shifted her gaze to the Mage before she asked with piercing crimson eyes, "What are you?"
"A Devil from beyond your time." The Mage said. The shadows of the room seemed to loom over her at that moment, highlighting the glow from the visor of her helmet. "There is something I wish to protect, to ensure that they never be harmed again. For that, I require the seeds from this timeline to open the gates of Al-Hazard. However, due to certain...complications, a steady hand is needed at the time. A feat that shall be depended upon you, should you accept this task. However-" She started as she stood up. The rest of the crowd raised their weapons once more in retaliation.
"Make no mistake. My presence here is merely a favor upon the request of another. Whether you join me or not, or if you so choose to make promise of your threat, it doesn't matter to me, but know this-"
She threw down her cards onto the table and revealed a hand of ten, jack, queen, king, and an Ace- a perfect flush of red hearts. "The TSAB will fall one way or another."
The silence lingered for a while as all eyes were directed at the Mage upon her declaration. Soon, whispers started to emerge upon the patrons.
"What the hell is he talking about?" one of the members questioned to which there was a reply of, "Is it even a he? Can't tell with all that hazy shit from the helmet..."
"Different dimensions? Like time travel or something?"
"You don't seriously believe this crazy talk, do you?"
"That son of a bitch must be outta his mind, wanting to go to war with the entire Tee-sab."
"Ha! I say let'em. You won't see me tearing up over some dead Middie's."
Amidst all the chatter, the masked woman's gaze fell onto the table, her eyes hidden behind a bang of golden hair that slipped from underneath her bandana.
The old man leaned towards her and whispered something to her as he regarded the mage with a raised brow. "Ey' kid. Want me to put a bullet through this one's skull?"
The entire ambiance of hushed chattering died down as the sound of soft chuckling rang throughout the pub. Soon enough, the only sound that could be heard was the increasing volume of rumbling laughter. As all heads started to turn towards the source, they only found the masked woman hunched over on her seat as her shoulders quivered.
"Hey, Boss?"
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Her head reeled back as she howled a fit of laughter towards the heavens; a palm covered her eyes as she held her stomach with her other hand. The audience around her looked on in shock, and even the Mage found herself bewildered. The fit went on for several minutes, as the woman's chest convulsed and heaved desperately for air, only to be expelled a second later. Eventually, the laughter died down. Her eyes downcast, hands clasped together, she uttered, "That old crone told me a day like this would come. Said something about confronting my destiny. Never thought she meant something like you, though…"
She looked up and smiled at the Mage with those peculiar crimson eyes. For a split second, the Mage hoped that the girl would decline her offer so that she could leave this backwater dimension and never have to look into those red orbs ever again. The girl leaned back into her seat and cushioned the back of her head with her arms.
"Very well, you've got a deal. Tell Lady Kae that I'll agree to play whatever game she's got going on," She said and gave a mischievous wink. "Name's Nemo. We'll be in touch."
The Mage stood frozen for a moment before she gave a stiff and awkward nod. As she proceeded to turn towards the door, Nemo called out to her.
"Hey, what should I call you?"
The Mage stood with her back facing Nemo. She nudged her head towards her shoulder but refused to meet the other woman's gaze. "Call me whatever you want." She promptly marched out of the pub with those final words, making the wooden door panels creak in protest.
"That so…?" Nemo mused while she rubbed her chin. A small grin formed behind the black bandana covering her face as she remembered something the Mage said. "Then I'll be seeing you, Devil-san."
Now that the deed was done, the armored mage looked to find a place where she could use her teleportation spell discreetly. It would do her no good to draw any attention to herself out in the open. As she passed a corner into a secluded hallway, the sound of pedestrians and passerby's grew quieter. Unfortunately, the silence held no comfort for her. A storm raged within the Mage's core. Even as she walked through the darkening streets, she could hear the intense beats of her heart with each step she took. Between each beat, she heard that woman's voice. For some unfathomable reason, her thoughts kept coming back to her meeting with Nemo.
"That woman..." she whispered.
She did not trust her. From the way she dresses to the way she speaks, it was clear that she was one to hide things from others. Even her name was an obvious alias. But in the end, she could only realize that these were just excuses to hide the fact that she harbored hatred towards the woman. She barely held her composure in that pub. Even thinking about her made her grow nauseous. Her hand went to the wall as her body started to lose its balance.
[Master?] Raising Heart voiced.
A-and just listening to her talk. It was all so… so-!
Her hand desperately clawed at the edges of her mask before she ripped it off her face. She retched forth a volley of violent coughs and vomited up a pool of blood that painted the walls with crimson ichor.
[Master!] [Sir!] Both Raising Heart and Bardiche chimed with concern.
"Ugh," she spat the taste of iron out of her mouth as her body let out shuddered breaths. She raised a shaking hand to wipe the blood from her lips and stared at the red mark that marred her gloved palm.
"Mana poisoning," the mage said, her natural voice echoing to her devices. "A slight disharmonization between my body's mental link to the suit's Psycho-Frames."
[Are you alright...?] Her device queried with uncertainty.
"I'm fine." She said with certainty in her voice. Her head turned to see a broken window. Within the grimy reflection was a face that she hid from the world so long ago. The eyes that were once blue as the sky and round with innocence now glowed pink from suppressed mana that surged through her body. Her hair, once the color of vibrant chestnuts, had changed into a darkened red as they danced in the wind. But everything else remained the same as before. Before her entire world broke. "I'm fine..." she repeated, emphasizing it again to herself. She picked up her mask and stared into its interior for a second before donning it once again. There was a sound of a high pitch wail of air being sealed as the mask fully locked itself into place.
"Let's keep moving. Orion has a lot to answer for." The Devil Mage said with the unnerving yet familiar metallic synthetic edge to her voice. She was about to leave until she heard something farther down the alleyway.
"Please...please don't." She heard someone say. A woman, from the sound of it, alongside another smaller voice. They were crying.
"Or what?!" Another voice was heard. This time male, and from the sound of it, very angry. "Ain't no one here around, y'know."
It was not her concern, yet her body was compelled to move forward and find out what was happening for some reason. The small voice from before returned, begging her to interfere and help. The voices were coming from a little corner that broke off from the alleyway. When she turned the corner, she saw two smaller figures, a woman and her daughter, from the looks of it, dressed in clean white clothes huddled against the brick wall in fear. Standing a couple of feet away, a large dark man in ragged and dirty clothes cornered the two. In his hand was a switchblade, a small glitter of light shining along its razor's edge.
Sir p-please, we didn't do anything," The older woman pleaded as she held the girl in her arms and away from the attacker.
"Exactly! You people never do anything but sit on your asses and live fat and happy lives while everyone else here lives in shit like this!" The man snarled, shaking the knife in their direction. "What you're feeling right now is how we live every single day."
"M-momma-"
"Shut up, little bitch!" He yelled, and the mom and daughter huddled closer to each other. A depraved chuckle left his mouth. "How's the other shoe feel? Ain't so good, ain't it?"
"My husband...lobbies for programs!" The woman argued as she choked back her tears. "Our family gives back to the community!"
"It ain't enough! You and your husband are all the same! Just part of the system that's keeping everyone else down! Well, now it's my turn to be on top." The man started walking forwards. The little girl cowered into her mother's embrace. The two closed their eyes and awaited whatever it is to come their way. The sound of incoming footsteps halted the man's approach. The woman looked up to see the man turn around.
"Who's there?!" The man yelled. The mother looked further ahead to find someone with a hooded cloak standing at the other end of the alleyway. Any other features were hard to detail due to the dim lighting, all except for the faint pink glow underneath the person's hood.
"What are you looking at!?" He all but barked and waved his knife. "Better step off there. Ain't nothing for you to see here."
The man's words seemed to have little effect as the person began taking small and slow steps forward. "Back the fuck up!"
The person stopped until they were a few feet away. "This ain't your business! You better step back" The woman could only hold her daughter tighter. She felt anxious and confused as to what was going to happen to her and her daughter. Just then, however, she heard a voice whisper to her.
"Listen to me." The voice said.
"H-hello?" The woman whispered out loud, only to be scolded by the voice a second later. "Shh, don't say anything. I have his attention at the moment but don't draw attention to yourself. Relay everything to me through your thoughts."
"M-My thoughts?" She spoke mentally. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes." Currently, the person still had her attacker's attention to them. "Ya scared?! Yeah, you fucking scared, huh?! What you going to do?!"
She soothed her child by brushing her hair comfortingly. "You're going to save us, right?"
A response wasn't given immediately. The only thoughts the mother could hear were hers alone.
"You just gonna stand there and stare, you freak?!"
"Hello?!" She cried out, desperate to hear a reply from the stranger. When it did, however, her heart only sank back into panic.
"No," The stranger simply replied. The woman bit back a sob as the terror she felt returned. "What?! Please, you can't just leave us here!"
"I can and will. I will move not a step further. Once that man turns his back to me, you will never see me again."
At this, a fresh cascade of tears poured down her cheeks. Her grip on her daughter tightened, making the girl wince in pain and look up at her mother. "You can't..."
"I will not save you. That's not my place. I can, however, give you the power to do so."
Something began to move within the woman's peripheral. The drainage pipe right next to her started to glow pink. The person took a sudden step forward to keep the thug's attention on them.
"What?! Do something! Do something!"
Through some unknown force, the pipe was dislodged from the wall and placed in front of the woman.
"Now, pick that up."
"What?" The woman stared at the heavy metal and rusted pipe. Her daughter whimpered into her sleeves, eyes closed to the world around her.
"That is the power to take control of your life and to save your daughter's. It's all within your reach. All you have to do is take it."
Her hand started to reach out to the pipe. Everything was happening so fast, yet at the same time, her world seemed to move in slow motion. Her arm trembled with fear and hesitation as her fingers touched the cool metal. The thug screamed again at the stranger, and the woman's arm darted back to her daughter's side in fear.
"I can't!" The woman sobbed.
"You will." The stranger's voice thundered in her head. "There is no other path for you. Look up ahead. Notice his eyes; bloodshot and pupils dilated and the way his arms swivel. Note the slightly slurred speech. Intoxication. Dulled inhibitions. Heightened aggression. His mind is in a fight or flight mode, and his back is to the wall. Do you really think he will let you go after I leave?"
The woman froze as it dawned on her what was told.
"If you won't take up arms and fight, then you forfeit your life. More importantly, you forfeit your daughter's."
Her eyes shot open, pupils dilating as she heard the stranger's voice. She looked down at her daughter briefly before eying the heavy pipe before her once more.
"That's right. He will kill you both, but what's to say he wouldn't do more on top of that?"
Her arm crept towards the pipe. At last, her fingers made contact upon it's cold and rusted surface, curling around its handles until her knuckles turned white. Her breathing turned ragged, no longer from the heavy sobs that shook through her body, but from the anger and fear she drew upon at that moment.
"And once he's done with you, who knows what a man like him may do to your daughte-"
The woman leaped from her position and roared a primal cry as she swung her pipe down onto the man's head. The sound of metal hitting bone rang throughout the air, and the man was sent down onto his knees. He spat out a curse-
"Fucking whore!"
-and attempted a swing with his knife at his attacker, but the woman did not let up her assault. Immediately, she swung down the pipe with even greater force onto the side of the man's head. The impact made him drop the knife in favor of shielding his face with his arms. His forearm cracked from the weight of the metal, his fingers broke when he tried to protect the back of his head.
"Ugh! Yo chill- Okay, stop! Stop!" He begged as his eyes started to drip with blood, but the woman continued on without a shred of hesitation. Her eyes turned wide and manic, her arms relentless with swing after swing, adding strength with every second that passes. With every hit, a roar escaped her mouth- a primal cry released that serenaded the air, but for only the stranger and her daughter to hear. The man no longer had any strength to hold his arms up as they dangled to his sides, rendered nothing more than limp muscles with bones sticking out.
"Please! No more! You're killing m-!" His pleads were interrupted by the pipe that smashed into his jaw and knocked it out of place. His body hit the floor unceremoniously and no longer made any movements to protect himself. The mother repositioned herself in front of his head and continued to swing her pipe onto his unprotected skull. The sounds of bone soon gave way as the skull finally caved underneath the weight of the heavy lead pipe. There was a sound of a sickening crack. Bits of bone shards began to decorate the once pristine white outfit the mother wore. An explosion of brain matter shot through the air, dotting the brick walls with red. A splatter of blood splashed onto the little girl's stupefied face, who only looked on in horror at her mother.
"M-mama…?"
The White Devil observed the scene before her. Like the serpent upon the tree, she pushed Eve past the boundaries that destiny had ordained for her- and showed her the truth that few could handle. But it had to be done. The woman- a random stranger she did not know and never will- had taken her life back in her hands. She will never again let anything happen to her or her loved ones ever again. The Mage turned her back around and walked away through the night of the alleyway. The wind pushed against her cloak that sent the fabric dancing around her figure-the darkness illuminated only by the faint glow of her visor. As she stepped away from the scene, the only thing that could be heard were her footsteps and the growling cries of a woman to accompany them.
Author's note: I am a filthy liar. Sorry to those who have waited so long for a new chapter, especially after saying that I was going to start updating more frequently. I've been going through some rough spots lately, but I'll do my best to keep this story going and hopefully entertain you guys. I already have chunks of the next chapter written so hopefully I'll be able to get that out in a timely fashion. Anyways, sorry again to those that have waited, and thank you to those who just read this and have gotten this far. It truly means a lot. As always, please leave your thoughts in the review box. Any feedback will be appreciated since I am still learning how to write. Seriously, any feedback even if negative. I won't get defensive. Maybe. Probably not.