Note: I was only able to include the yet to be translated story Apocalypse girls in this because of the help from u/Gourmet of gluttony, so thank you! Also special thanks to all the beta readers without your help this would have looked horrible.
Beautiful
It was another day, my sister and I left for the capital for the next 'assignment'. We usually work together on completing assignments but today is different. We are inside a city which means Meili isn't able to bring any of the combat force she usually fields with her, but this job shouldn't be too problematic.
Besides this was a low effort job, something that the woman didn't like too much. She hated the customer for the look his eyes had and would have not accepted it if he didn't pay an absurdly high amount to specifically send her, Elsa Granhiert on the job.
It was honestly a bit confusing why he wanted to specifically have her carry out the job considering her weakness to magic users. It was a nonsensical decision just like those gospel following cultists made.
Elsa: "Just have to secure an Insignia and we are given money to negotiate if required to. Kill the girl who arrives to reclaim it if required. Should be quick no~?"
A black-haired woman wearing a coal coloured cloak is seen walking in one of the impoverished areas of the capitol at night, with a little girl with Indigo hair who is carrying a small dog in her hands. They both make their way through the district eventually stopping at one of the houses near the gates, the east gate of the town was poorly maintained with no guards nearby, along with a narrow street making pursuit difficult. It was a perfect escape route. After all, their job isn't something that's conventional.
Elsa: "Given my notoriety, it would be problematic if I left to the streets, no?"
Meili: "Jeez, Els~a stop saying such things, you getting caught in such a populous are~a will only increase problems."
Elsa: "Oh dear, you're getting angry now? I really do draw a lot more attention than you do, Meili-chan your ability to infiltrate can be useful~"
Meili (pouting): You know you're recognisable and you still don't make any attempts to cover up, yo~u know it's annoying to have to travel and nights like this all the ti~me."
Elsa: "Our target will be appearing tomorrow, I won't be able to move freely at day, and you won't be able to act much on your own either. We will have to rope in someone else to get this done properly ~"
Meili: "Then find someone, my legs hurt, I am going to wait at the safe house, don't be late."
Elsa: "Oh my~ what a slave driver you have turned into."
The older sister left to find a thief who could handle the job. They had hide-outs spread across the four nations, to increase the effectiveness of the safety of the assassins. After all, 'mama' loved to be able to play with her toys. They needed to be alive for that.
The black-haired woman then reached the so-called 'loot house' of the slums. It was arguably one of the sturdier structures in this part of the capital where everything else seemed to be made of cheap wood and rags. She entered the room and left 15 minutes later with a blonde girl who leapt away with great speed. Apparently to scout out the area of her next target, the marketplace.
Elsa had a weird blush on her face as she muttered to herself, "That girl felt…warm, I wonder if her bowels would retain some of it~"
The black-haired woman made it back to the safe house after her short visit only to find Meili playing with one of the dolls she had made in her free time. Making dolls a hobby that many would find unsuited to a bowel hunter was something she would partake in quite regularly. She was playing with the doll of a certain red-haired 'Hero', the strongest knight of the kingdom, Reinhardt Van Astrea. This was just another one of the dolls Elsa made for her in her free time.
Meili who was still playing with her doll and a small mabeast she snuck into the walls looked at her and started speaking in an annoyed tone, "Now come o~n pass the dinner, I am hungry."
Elsa while eating just started small talk with her, "So how did you spend your time?"
Meili just pouted as she said in an annoyed tone, "It was bo~ring, what took you so long?"
Elsa just smiled as she said, "I had to be careful not to be seen right?"
Meili who was done eating was now braiding her hair as she said, "Trave~lling with you is sometimes such a pain."
Elsa who just got up asked, "Why~ is it again?"
Meili now done with her hair just got up and replied, "You can't move during the da~y so I end up having to do a lot of the work, and even at nights we have to move very cautiously. Sometimes you can be such a pain in the ne~ck."
Elsa just replied, "The day I found you, even you bit my neck, it was painful~"
Meili exclaimed, "Really?"
Elsa just replied, "Really."
After this seemingly normal conversation and dinner, Meili got up and started braiding Elsa's hair similarly to her own hair. It's just a part of the day they spent together, it was a surprisingly ordinary thing the two partook in.
Elsa started speaking while sharpening her knives, "My my~ you've gotten better at braiding."
Meili started speaking with an annoyed tone, "Yes, I had to! Why don't you learn to do this instead? Stop depen~ding on me for everything!"
Elsa just frowned like a little child, "But you're better at this are you not?"
The Indigo haired girl could only sigh in defeat as was done braiding Elsa's hair and left to sleep with the small dog and the doll Elsa had made earlier.
Meili, now tired of squabbling with Elsa, just asked, "Are you not going to sleep~?"
Elsa just replied while staring at her knives, "I will keep guard so that no one enters."
Meili just shrugged and turned around slowly falling asleep, Elsa just looked at her for a good moment and then turned to look out of the window. When she was walking back from the 'Loothouse' she could see several men leering at her, quite typical of the slums. Both the topic of indecent men and sisters were sensitive parts of her past that held some significance to her.
Elsa could only lean back onto the wall and mutter "A day for recollection huh~" as she lost herself to her memories, still vivid after many years and what got her the name bowel hunter in the first place.
It was a cold, cold, cold day, in the northern country of Gusteko. Regarded as the absolute worst nation among the four great nations, food was expensive and in the cold inhabitable terrain, a lone black haired pre-pubescent girl was walking.
All alone after her family abandoned her because of being unable to care for her. She walked, stole, and did anything necessary to survive. Barely surviving on the scraps of those above in the society, nothing was guaranteed in this world for the girl except death. And when faced with it, one could only choose any of two things to fight it or accept it. Being born was not her fault, so she wouldn't go down without a fight, but also knew that she could die, but at least until then she would fight, and keep fighting to live.
Two weeks later she was running; running from an angry shopkeeper. She was now running for her life all because she stole a piece of bread. So she ran and kept running as fast as her sore legs would take her. The cold snow scrunched beneath her naked feet as the steps of the shopkeeper grew louder and louder. Until she got caught….
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A part of her was tired, tired of life, tired of the cold, tired of hunger, tired of the pain, all of it. As she got caught and thrown on the cold, cold, snow her thin body shivered.
The man could have killed her for stealing the food, but he didn't. He began to tug at the girl's tattered clothes, tearing them. The girl who had lost everything now fought on for the last thing she had, a shred of dignity, but she stood no chance.
As she struggled and kept struggling her clothes were torn. She kept fighting, eventually finding something tiny and…..sharp. It was a glass shard, not wasting any time she pulled at it and aimed just where she could. At the bowel of the man, she brutally cut the front of his stomach as he fell down completely powerless, and his innards spewed out, his intestines….bowels all laid out on her. It gave her something, just something she had searched for throughout life, it was warmth.
Lots of it, everything she could ask for then, as the man stopped struggling and stopped moving the girl crept out from under her, and as she placed her bloody hands on her face, this was the moment that made the girl Elsa turn into the bowel hunter Elsa Granhiert, this was when she could only utter the one thing that came to her mind what came to her mind. "What a thrill~"
It was day again, the sun rose and illuminated the entire capital. As the night which was spent sleepless in vigil and recollection passed away. It was the day of the commission, as much as she hated the customer. She did have to finish her job if she had to keep her reputation as the bowel hunter. Now that she thought about her assignment it made half sense at most. That strange man…...Roswaal L Mathers wanted to kill the candidate he himself sponsors.Perhaps he realised his reputation would get damaged too far if he supported the girl. But a job was a job and she had to complete it or face…..mama.
The last time Meili got punished for not doing her job properly it was hard to watch. 2 more failures and she might be punished again, the poor girl might not be able to take it this time around. She couldn't run from her either since getting caught would be worse. In a way both she and Meili were victims, victims of circumstances they couldn't control and now they were forced to live as they do, specifically because they have gone too far.
They had killed too many to ask for salvation, slaughtered too many for forgiveness. All that was left was to keep going on this path, to kill or be killed. For death was the only absolute unchanging thing in the world and those who didn't acknowledge it were delusional.
Unknowingly she uttered, "Taking pleasure in it can't be too much to ask now can it~"
She stood up and inched out of the hallway, Meili's smiling face reminded her of even more memories from her past; she tiptoed her way to the door, something she had mastered as an assassin, now using the skill to not wake Meili up. Meili was someone she could call a…...sister. The other defining incident of her past one involving her sisters, the featherrun family and the death of Tatiana.
As she stepped outside and sat staring at the castle she could only utter as much, "Life isn't fair huh?"Some people would spend their entire lives in luxury never knowing work, while some would die alone, having nothing. She gazed towards the northern skies as she drifted into memories for the second time on the same day.
There was a little girl, who was now being searched throughout towns. She kept running. She was being hunted across towns for killing a man. There was no money she had to bribe the officials away. She just ran, ran, ran from one misery to another. She lacked the power to fight back. Eventually only to get enslaved there she got moved between several different middlemen before being sold to a pathetic waste of a human, Holosseo featherrun. Just remembering his name caused Elsa to furrow her eyebrows a bit.
More memories came forth, he was a despicable but rich man, he had bribed the church to give him hallowed grounds where he bought slaves and put curses on them. Constantly torturing them to improve them. There were other girls there too. More would be brought in every week or so but all of them would die soon. The other 5 were the only ones who lived with her were somewhat normal. They too were slaves all with different names, Dorothea, the twins Saria and Hildea, Sithonia and Ornea.
They were all weird, but spending almost a decade there, the girl started to almost like receiving pain, almost as a means to cope. She also bonded with the other slave girls that were held captive there, in a weird sisterly notion. While she hated none of them, she hated the man responsible for all this, Holosseo the patriarch. One day the girl got a chance to get back at him. A chance to kill him. He offered his life to the girl who took it after being held and tortured by him her entire life. She thought she would find relief, a chance to escape and run away. Escape from this hallowed hell. But killing that abomination just kickstarted something worse. A ritual started with them turning into incomplete curse dolls.
The little girl once again, ran like she always had in her life, she ran to the only middle man who ever showed her a shred of kindness, Oliver. "If they don't find me they won't try the curse completion." She originally thought they wouldn't try to complete the curse dolls. But even there was just more bitterness. She chose to escape because even though they weren't sisters she wasn't going to attack the people she lived with some degree of amiability for almost a decade. So she fled to Oliver the slave trader. Elsa believed the other sisters shared this sentiment because of their common hate towards holosseo.
But that was the sentiment that was farthest from the truth, a mere idealistic line of thought for the cruel world, the eldest sibling chose to come after her first. Dorothea was the first one to break her trust. She was seen as the weakest among the others and it was only natural she chose to attack Elsa. it was close, a very close call she barely hung onto her life as she managed to kill…..one of her sisters. This however wasn't the last sister she would kill.
Now back again with Oliver, Elsa heard that she was looking for a good owner for a girl; who got sold to her. The girl Tatiana was now mute, she was beaten to the point by her previous owner that she couldn't speak anymore. She was also feral and had trouble communicating in general, despite all she had to go through she still had more kindness than most people Elsa ever met. Elsa eventually took a liking to the little girl growing closer to her treating her like her own little sister. Oliver too was determined to find a kind master to sell her to so that she won't have to suffer anymore. She would live much better at the hands of a kind master than at the hands of a slave seller and a murderer. Almost everything was looking up for one of the few times in her life. But once again there was nothing but even more sadness.
This time by the siblings Saria and Hildea, They sent a mabeast after Oliver and Elsa because he chose to give her refuge, Tatiana died protecting Oliver. Overtaken by rage Elsa slaughtered both of her sisters painfully. Unlike Dorothea, she was able to annihilate the twins after absorbing the soul and advancing the curse. Elsa's strength just grew after absorbing the souls of the twins. Her abilities were now reaching an incredible level as her abilities now far surpassed what most humans could reach in their lifetimes.
Elsa left for Sithonia she knew that if she didn't kill her now Sithonia would probably come after her later. Ornea was probably dead with how much more level headed she was. So she goes after her to stop her. She meets Sithonia who also wanted to kill her. She asks Elsa to kill herself, but if Elsa knew one thing, she was going to fight till the very end, On seeing this Sithonia does attack Elsa, but there was no hate in it, just desperation. She kept trying but Elsa had absorbed 3 souls. Sithonia was no match, At the end, she just begged for release to be killed and absorbed rather than left alive. Sithonia needed the power of the cursed doll to escape….mama. Not wanting to return to her.
At the first mention of that name, Elsa's face displayed slight hostility before subsiding completely.
She kills Sithonia on her own request but felt something off to the black-haired girl. One soul was still alive, she still had her final sister Ornea left, she found out that Sithonia poisoned Ornea in an attempt to stand a better chance against her and this Mama. Ornea didn't die but was reduced to below human mentality, she had no desire anymore and was reduced to a status like Tatiana. Ornea had no reason to kill her, nor did she want to finish Holosseo's goal. In the ultimate decision to both spite Holosseo her tormentor's life goal and to give something to her last sister. The girl Elsa Granhiert left Ornea in the care of Oliver. She then chose to run and leave the town.
Elsa decides to leave all of this as she is about to leave the woman Sithonia dreaded and begged for her life to be taken. Capella Emerada Lugunica, a woman who went along with the Alias Mama the one who tormented Sithonia cornered her in the village. She proposed or rather a one-sided agreement. She either lets Elsa go or kills the entire village she was in. On one side there was the free life she always wanted but at the cost of the only man who ever showed her kindness and a person Tatiana gave her life to save and a girl who she could call a sister. On the other hand, they get to live while Elsa chooses to fight, perhaps ending up like Sithonia. Elsa breathed as she pondered on the choice and to honour the little girl who gave her life to protect someone. She looked up and agreed, the girl who chose to run away from her problems but couldn't could now only choose to fight. And keep fighting until the very last day she can fight.
She had chosen to fight everything all her life even after what had happened, the Featherruns, Capella, being abandoned, along with several unsavoury events throughout her life. In Meili, she saw just an image of herself. She too was abandoned because her blessing attracted mabeasts. Abandoned and raised as a feral child she was captured by her. Capella probably wanted her or something to do with the watchtower in the Augria dunes. To save her from mama's cruelty she had no choice but to take Meili in. And now she loved her, almost as her own sister. She had turned from just another orphan in gusteko to the GUT HUNTER.
The black-haired assassin left for the evening to do rounds across the slum to check for guard activity. She left some food for Meili and told her to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. If she could not return in the given time Meili was to search the empty houses near the loot-house. Her mind had already started planning on the course of action after the commission. There would be a decent chance a large search would be ordered at the discovery of the crime and they had to be sure they weren't anywhere near when that happened.
As she left the hideout she saw that the time of confrontation was near, the black-haired boy in weird clothing did, in fact, interact with the little girl she hired eventually they both left for the loot house. She could only lick her lips as a light blush covered her face, "you look like you're not from here~, I wonder what your guts feel like~"
Elsa meanwhile hid her presence and pulled out her knives as she knew her target was now nearby. The information given to her was very specific and detailed, finding her wasn't difficult either as she stuck out like a sore thumb with her regal white and purple clothes. She could clearly be assumed to be a noble based on her attire. Her appearance on the other hand caused the streets to go empty, a silver-haired, purple-eyed half-elf. An appearance similar to the witch of envy, the greatest evil ever. The Information given by her client further confirmed her identity. Also, it wasn't 'that' time yet.
Elsa stood still, watching carefully at her target but there was quite a distance between them and the girl was communicating with spirits. Attacking now had a very problem, a lot of witnesses, they would only make future operations troublesome. If she showed any hostility now there was a chance for the entire operation to fall apart, so she decided to stay her blade until later. It's always better to finish a job indoors, isn't it? She was an assassin, not a fighter and while fights did interest her she would rather not put her sister through all that ever again.
The girl made her way to the 'loothouse' and stepped in leaving the door open allowing for a clear strike, Elsa could only mutter against her breath, "What a child." She took out her blade and aimed at the girl's midsection and took off leaving a small cloud of dust behind. She had honed the art of being absolutely silent over the years as an assassin. Her being an incomplete curse doll boosted all of her physical parameters far beyond ordinary as she accelerated rapidly, but right before her strike, the black-haired boy yelled. SHIELD HER, PUCK.
At that command, a shield interrupted Elsa's blow as her knife clashed against it. This which would have been decisive otherwise was now ruined, she flew across the room as she landed on a table. She narrowed her eyes at something, he knew? Gaining attention from everyone across the room. She could only smirk as she licked her lips, this just got more interesting~
The silver-haired girl was shielded by an ice shield. A spirit materialised near her and began speaking, "That was a bit closer than I expected. You saved us."
Everyone in the room looked at the crouched attacker as she got up and began to converse in a nonchalant and creepy manner, with a…..blush on her face as she spoke, "A spirit. that's a spirit, right? How wonderful. I have never dissected a spirit's stomach before."
The warm girl from earlier interrupted her as she said, "Hey, what do you mean by that?"
"If the item's original owner is here, we can hardly negotiate. So I have changed my plans. I shall slaughter everyone here. You failed to see your job through to the end. You talk a big game but you do terrible work. You really are just another slum dweller." As the bowel hunter said this the little girl had a mix of anger and fear on her face. "Do I look scary? I like that face"
The black-haired boy began defending her, "Don't get your kicks from picking on a little kid, you guts loving sadist! Felt is doing her best to live strong… just because your plan was thrown off, you think it's over and flip tables? Are you a kid? You should value life more. Do you know how much having your belly cut open hurts? Well, I do!" As the black-haired boy blabbered out, Elsa could easily say he was just buying time, something she saw a lot, but a lot of things he said made no sense. Interesting prey we have today~ the bowel hunter thought to herself.
The boy then yelled, "Done buying time for you, Puck! Get her!" Elsa could only smirk as the best part of the job, the final bout began.
"We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? My name's Puck. Remember my name after you die." The spirit created several hundred Ice shards and fired them at the Bowel hunter, she merely pulled her cloak up as she got encased in ice completely immobile. "That man even equipped me with the perfect gear to take her down."
But the air around was still thick as the sense of death still hung about in it, The bowel hunters voice resounded once again, "One should always be careful~"
Her cloak dissipated with the mist from the Ice as she just walked out smirking as she ran towards the Silver-haired girl while licking her lips and holding her blade. Wind shrieking as she accelerated through the confined space. Once again aiming at the bowel, seeking warmth.
As she got closer the silver-haired girl manifested a shield to block the strike as sparks flew from the interaction, she said, "Don't underestimate a spiritual- arts user." The cat spirit then began to shoot shards at her, The bowel hunter just backflipped out of the way. Easily.
The bowel hunter just dodged the strikes easily, almost like child's play, It was terrifying, like a hunter seemingly playing with its prey before devouring it. The spirit and the girl kept shooting Ice crystals at the bowel hunter who cut them or dodged them with ease clambering onto walls, jumping on tables. "Spirits don't normally appear like that even in gusteko, is that a Great Spirit? I wonder if they have bowels."
"For a girl, you're well accustomed to battle." The spirit said it tried to hit the agile killer, but it was proving a nigh-impossible task for any side to win. The spiritualist couldn't hit the bowel hunter and the bowel hunter couldn't get close to the spiritualist because of her spirit.
"My, it has been a while since I've been regarded as a simple girl." And it really was over a decade from when the little girl Elsa chose to seek warmth, seek the warmth of guts, the thrill of combat and the life of a beast.
The bowel hunter and the spirit exchanged banter as the hunter dodged all the Ice she could and cut any shards that she couldn't. The noise of clattering Ice filled the room as the air got laden with mist. It wasn't quite noticeable but The Bowel Hunter had a small smirk on her face as she licked her lips almost in anticipation. "It's going to be that time soon."
As Elsa heard about the time limit she spoke with a mock frown, "Just when this got interesting, what a bore,"
The spirit just replied, "That's what sucks about being a ladies' man. The girls just won't let you sleep. But you know, staying up late is bad for your skin, so we should wrap this up!"
Elsa dodged a strike and tried to jump away but she found her foot stuck on some ice that prevented her from moving. Looking at the Spirit almost with a blush.
"I wasn't just randomly throwing those around." The spirit slowly flew down and sat on a smirking Emilia's shoulder.
"Does this mean I've been had?" The hunter shrugged without a hint of fear on her face with a smile on her face, unafraid of the consequences of being killed.
"Goodnight!" Puck shouted as Emilia prepared a powerful magic attack with both hands.
The spell sent a barrage of pointed Ice towards the bowel hunter as she just stood there until the final moment at the absolute last moment she ripped her foot off to free herself from the Ice and jumped out of the way of the attack.
"My~ how lovely, I thought I was going to die." Elsa's bare foot was torn from her attempt to free herself from the ice, it had a pool of blood beneath it. Her flesh was torn and looking grotesque and painful. The bowel hunter had no change in her expression though only a mild blush. She was used to this, far too much, to the point that even pain only provided pleasure.
"This feels wonderful doesn't it?"
"You're going away?" Elsa pouted. She just took a piece of Ice from the floor and stuck it to her torn leg as the two just fused together because of her regeneration brought on by the curse doll making a new shoe of sorts.
"Well, that is very unfortunate," Elsa said as charged at Emilia.
The spirit arts user created 2 shields and started moving them around her blocking every hit the bowel hunter could throw. "She is a half-elf of quite some age, still….how inexperienced, just a helpless child." The hunters' weapon and the Ice clashed, releasing sparks as the bowel hunter went around her trying to get an opening. This went on until she got an opening enough for a quick kick. She sent the spiritualist flying into the rotten wood shelves at the back which then collapsed on her.
Seeing the spirit arts user out of commission Rom the giant charged at her with his bat. The bat swished through the air in wide arcs and quick swings in hopes of hitting her. But he wasn't thinking about something, in comparison to the bowel hunter. Rom was weaker, slower and less durable. As such jumping into a fight with her was akin to suicide. "While I prefer younger people looking at old guts once in a while can't hurt right?"While he seemed to have some sort of training, it was obvious his body was no longer able to keep up with her. He swung the bat at her but she disappeared. Rom looked up and found Elsa standing on the tip of his bat.
"You are so strong, I was able to do this." Elsa only smirked as she aimed a swipe to cut his head off. While she would rather prefer the other prey nearby, he was being troublesome.
"Not happening!" Felt quickly threw her blade in the air, hitting Elsa's own, making her miss Rom's neck and cutting deep into his shoulder instead. Sad at the unclean kill, Elsa dropped on top of his body with an annoyed stare. "How annoying!"
The Bowel hunter just uttered, "You bad girl…" Felt recoiled in fear.
"You have neither the resolve nor the strength to fight, you should have at least stayed in the corner, making yourself small." The bowel hunter taunted her.
The bowel hunter charged at Felt. As she stood defenceless not moving. So she has chosen to accept death~ As she brought her blade down at the girl for killing her she got rudely interrupted again. The black-haired boy dived in the way and pushed the girl out of the way of the strike. The silver-haired girl got back up and shot ice at her in an attempt to distract her.
The bowel hunter just had a smile on her face, "This is the second time today."
The bowel hunter once again charged at the spirit arts user, who blocked one of her swings but before she could attack again. The black-haired boy interfered again by swinging the fallen Giant's bat at her. She turned around and jumped away. "Constantly interfering with my job without expecting consequences is too rude now isn't it?" She then tried to stab the boy in the face but missed him narrowly. He then yelled,
"Now! Go, Felt!"
The little girl ran to the door, the bowel hunter just smirked and pulled one of her hidden knives and threw it at her, as she uttered, "You think I'll let her go?"
As the dagger flew towards the girl, the black-haired boy interrupted her again by kicking a block of wood in the path of the knife, saving her. The bowel hunter had an annoyed expression on her face as she kicked the boy away. This was annoying to her because it interfered with her job and she as a weak child received help from a stranger. While Elsa as a child was abandoned by her very family, life is unfair isn't it? she thought to herself.
The boy just smirked as he fell back as he stood up once again as he rubbed this in her face, "You let one get away."
"For once, I do feel a tiny bit annoyed."The bowel hunter said with a dissatisfied face. "Now I will have to wrap up this quickly"
" Don't forget about me." The spiritualist girl just shot another shard of Ice which got blocked without any effort. She just replied, "By now, I am quite tired of that game. Do you think you can still keep me amused?"
The black-haired boy conversed with the spiritualist as he turned back and faced Elsa, now fully invigorated he said, "I'll kill you shitbag! I won't let you play your trump card!"The boy yelled as his eyes lit up with conviction."I'll blow you away, I'll get my happy ending."
"Seems you have a bit too much energy." Elsa just had a twisted smile on her face, Lively people always have the warmest guts~
The black-haired boy and the bowel hunter then began swinging their weapons, but the difference was obvious "Well, there's no doubt you'll be the first caught in my web." Elsa was about to strike him but an Ice shard ruined her aim.
"Nice cover!"
The spiritualist girl managed to knock her aim off on the strike, annoying. She turns around to have the black-haired boy put her back to the girl, stopping all resistance. She then starts slashing down on him, his forearms, legs, eventually closing in for the bowels.
"Ouch, damn it! How do you like this?! "
The boy tried a feint by lifting the bat only to go for a roundhouse kick, but for a person in the business for so many years, this was too obvious. Let alone at such a low speed, but the prey was now sufficiently warm and Elsa was getting bored she just caught his foot like it was nothing. Her face now bore a twisted smile as she said, "I caught you~" She giggled as she got his response, The boy has accepted death~
The boy just waited for his leg to get cut off as she was holding it firmly.
Just as she brought down her knife on the weirdly dressed boy with intense eyes there was a loud crash and as the roof collapsed a commanding voice could be heard.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
The boy pulled his leg and escaped having recognised the owner of voice immediately, as the smoke parted and the moonlight entered the room what revealed itself was a man who gave the impression of a pillar of fire. People who didn't have any experience couldn't perhaps feel it, but the stronger one got the more you could feel your distance from him. Just one of the few people in the capital who could ruin her chances at the job. The knight among knights Reinhardt Van Astrea.
Elsa could feel it, her heart was starting to beat harder as blood rushed to her face, her senses screamed that he was not just any knight, but she was going to test the waters herself; her lust for combat was going to be satiated…...soon.
The red-haired knight just turned around and said, "Shall we put an end to this?"
The sword saint then turned around and started conversing with the black-haired boy from earlier.
They seem acquainted, did he plan this beforehand? So the customer was right about him, just wish he gave a more detailed explanation, I wouldn't have played around as much now would I?
He now turned back to Elsa as he gauged her, "Black hair, black clothes, a blade unique to the northern provinces, there is no mistaking it. You are the Bowel hunter, even known in the capital as that of a dangerous individual."
Elsa's heart started beating faster, "I have such interesting prey today! How wonderful!"
Elsa just smiled as she said she always wanted to meet him, "Reinhardt, Yes a knight among knights one born among a line of master swordsmen, How remarkable for all of my opponents to be so fun~"
Reinhardt just stepped forwards casually as he said, "There are many things I would like to ask you, I strongly suggest you surrender."
The bowel hunter just assumed a stance as she said, "You expect a starving predator to resist such choice, juicy prey."
The Red-haired swordsman just requested the black-haired boy to step away. As he moved away and the field was clear the scuffle began as the Bowel hunter charged towards the Swordsman.
The red-haired knight just stepped forth as he said, "I would rather not use violence on a woman"
Just as he said this he stepped forward his mere step creating a whirl of mana halting the bowel hunter giving an impression he completely made her freeze in place, he then swung his leg sending her flying towards the right side of the room. The earlier pressure and the fear that the bowel hunter had built in the room had almost vanished with his presence.
"That felt…...wonderful!" Elsa just smirked manically as she started to get up from the floor, "Just as the rumours say… No, you're even better."
Her heartbeat got faster;
The sword saint just replied with a worried expression, "I'm not sure I'll meet your expectations."
Elsa retorted as she shrugged her injuries and stood up, "Aren't you going to use that sword at your hip? I would love to experience its legendary sharpness."
The sword saint replied in an almost sad tone, ''This sword can only be drawn when needed. The fact that it hasn't left its sheath, means that this is not one of those times.
Elsa responded in mock hurt, "I do believe I have been underestimated."
The sword saint calmly replied, "It's an upsetting judgment for me, as well. Therefore,"
Reinhardt kicked a sword lying on the ground which flipped, perfectly landing perfectly in his palms. He then held it in his hand as he said, "I shall take you on with this instead. Do you object?"
The Bowel hunter smirked and almost had a blush as she said, "No, it is wonderful. Wonderful! Do entertain me please!" She then moved at an almost instantaneous pace causing dust to fly across right before being stopped by her knife clashing with the sword Saint's blade. It broke the kukri knife and the blade flew and perfectly landed in between the sword-saints fingers as he spoke again, "If you've lost your weapon, I strongly suggest you surrender."
The bowel hunter just took a look at her broken knife as she threw it away, she then charged at him without a weapon. But the black haired-boy warned the sword saint of a second knife. As predicted she pulled a knife hidden behind her back and swiped it at the Sword saint. She would have almost cut his stomach had he not been fast enough to step back. The black-haired boy once again knew something he shouldn't have.
She cast a glance at the black-haired boy as she thought, You're becoming more and more interesting of a target, I wonder what your bowels feel like~
As Elsa fell a bit back she continued, "But I don't have a mere two fangs, would you mind if we start again?"
The sword saint once again replied courteously, "If I divest you of all your weapons will you be satisfied?" Elsa's mind ran through some memories of her struggling like a little child with no one, no weapons, nothing to rely upon. She could only smirk as she gave her response to both the question and her life.
Her heartbeat grew faster;
"If I lose my fangs, I'll use my claws. If I lose my claws I'll use my bones. And if I lose my bones, I'll use my life." The bowel hunter declared as she started to move rapidly reaching speed past that of sound as she jumped across the loot-house off the walls, the floor, the roof, hitting the Sword Saint from every angle not going just for the bowel anymore. A sign that she was now serious, having shed off her wish for a better chance at victory. Her heartbeat was hitting its maximum as she divulged completely into it, the joy of hunting, the joy of living like an animal, the joy of feeling….. Alive!
She could see it, the absolute joy being so close but out of reach. She could almost feel it, a twisted sense of love blooming inside her, but something kept it from fulfilment. Either it was the laidback stance Reinhardt adopted or the absurd distance between them making this hardly a fight. Not indulging in battle like her, it felt distanced and impersonal almost like he hated it. "A fight is not nearly as fun, if both parties don't want it, now is it?"
Soon there was a shout from a black-haired boy, "I don't know it but do your thing, Reinhardt!" Once that was done Elsa halted seemingly analysing the situation as Reinhardt adopted a fighting stance.
"Oh, what will you show me?" Elsa asked, almost blushing as she watched the mana being sucked into his sword.
The sword saint merely replied courteously, "The Swordplay of the Astrea family."
Elsa just had a smile on her face as she said, "The Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert."
"Reinhard Van Astrea, of the line of master swordsmen."
As he said this and brought down his sword there was a flash as the light that illuminated the loot house. As it dissipated there was an explosion as anything in its path got erased to nothing. Destroyed, deleted, lost, forgotten leaving not Elsa nor her shadow behind. The bowel hunter felt it. Her very essence being destroyed to nothing. The bowel hunter died.
As everyone calmed down and started talking to each other, there was still someone alive or rather alive again; piecing themselves back from almost nothing it honestly felt a bit disgusting but amid the rubble, through the cursed doll she was born again, Elsa Granhiert was back, but her head rang as she started to lose her sense of self. As her psyche body and soul conjoined back together she saw through the gaps in the rubble, her target dazed exhausted and without her spirit, with the sword saint far away. Judging no better time she charged as the Spiritualist girl.
The sword saint noticed he can't reach me, the girl hasn't noticed and won't move. Just then she noticed the boy stand up and run in as he picked the Giant's bat,
"SHE WILL GO FOR THE GUTS"
The boy was able to block the hit, The now annoyed bowel hunter could only utter, "He got in the way again!" This was the third time she got denied this evening. The third time she got denied the few joys she sought after. After the boy blocked her hit, the sword saint rushed and quickly stood in between the two. Elsa just leapt back and stood on the top of a wall as she said. "Soon enough, I'll disembowel everyone here, till then take good care of your bowels~"
"I would have loved to feel your bowels but I guess I won't be able to." In actuality she had to escape, The sword saint's hit was enough to kill her several times. She was in actuality incredibly annoyed by the group. The only thing that kept this day from being a total nightmare was the fact that she got into a fight with the sword saint. She herself needed time to recover, as she almost lost her entire sense of self to the strike while most of the damage she sustained from the explosion was fixed; the place where she took the hit head-on wasn't closing up by itself. "This became far more troublesome than it should have been, didn't it?" she said to herself as she barely made it back into one of the empty houses and collapsed. Meili would be there in a while.
She just kept bleeding all over the floor, as the wounds refused to close the stop in blood flowing was also slow. The room which was already filled with a heavy stench got mixed with the stench of blood making it nauseating. Outside a search had already been organised but the soldiers and the slums residents hated each other and refused to cooperate which bought some time. Eventually, she heard a creak from the rotten door as the stench in the air reduced a bit.
It was Meili but instead of talking about the escape, she began, "E~ww. It doesn't just smell like an old house, it smells of blood too, do~esn't it."
Meili started speaking with a scrunched nose,"...You really need to quit sleeping in filthy places like thi~s."
Elsa just replied with a mock frown, "...It hurts me a little that you're so amazed by it."
Meili now continued, "Of course I'm amazed by it. The outside is in a complete uproar, after a~ll. It looks like everyone is running around searching for you, you kno~w?"
Elsa wanted to describe the event in higher detail, but Meili dragged her along to the safehouse to fix her up to an extent, since she wasn't able to heal herself.
They finally made it back to the safehouse, Meili began talking annoyed by Elsa's state, "Well, we won't be able to use this place anymore, wi~ll we? The smell of blood is really strong, and though it's too dark to see, I'm sure there's blood all o~ver."
Elsa said with a mock frown, "Oh dear. It almost sounds like you're saying I've used it poorly."
Meili, now annoyed, just rolled her eyes as she said, "How else should it so~und? It's Elsa, after all, so you were dancing here all covered with wounds, ri~ght? There's no doubt blood was flying everywhe~re."
Elsa just replied with a smile, "You sound like a child who's come to see how things are. ...Well, I won't deny it."
There was a large wound running across Elsa's body from right under her throat to her navel, and it couldn't close up. It was the direct stop where the blade hit. While the rest of her body got destroyed in the blast. It had patched up seemingly from nothing.
Meili seemingly in pity continued,"...That looks like it hu~rts."
Elsa just replied while quivering and still having a smile on her face, "Yes, it's painful. Isn't it wonderful?"
Meili had a troubled expression as her earlier pity disappeared, "Don't be thinking I'll agree with that sort of twisted co~mment. But, whether or not it's wonderful, I'll agree that it's stra~nge. Is your 'blessing' not working?"
Elsa clarified, "It's 'that' sort of wound, perhaps. I wasn't able to have him use the 'Dragon Sword', so this should just be an ordinary wound, but….. that boy himself must have that kind of power, then."
The flow of blood was indeed stopping, but there was no sign that the wound was closing. For natural healing ability that was a natural result, but both of them understood that nature didn't apply here. The problem was some ability of the individual who inflicted this wound on Elsa.
Meili now curious, while wiping the blood off of Elsa asked, "So? You duelled with the 'Ma~ster Swordsman'?"
Elsa replied with a slight blush starting to overtake her face, "Yes, that's right. He was just like the rumours… No, even better than the rumours."
Meili was seemingly surprised by her response, "Wow, re~ally. Were the insides of his belly better than the rumours too?"
Elsa just laughed at this, "Well, I wonder too. After all, I wasn't able to do a thing to him. Ahaha."
Why she would be smiling after suffering an entirely one-sided defeat, Meili couldn't comprehend. However, that wasn't all that Meili couldn't comprehend.
"...There's someone that even Elsa can't defeat, the~n."
Meili who was still in disbelief continued, "Somehow or other since Elsa's been able to kill everyone up to this point, I was sure you could kill anyone except Mama~."
To that Elsa gave a reply with a frown, "You've overestimated me. Even I've lost, haven't I? It was a few years ago, but I lost to the kimono boy in the Vollachia Empire, after all."
Meili defended her view by saying, "That fellow was just an escort; you killed the target just fine, di~dn't you? …...Also, I looked into it, and it seems he's the strongest person in the empire, you kno~w."
Elsa was now blushing as she said, "Oh my. In that case, I've lost to both the strongest in the kingdom and the empire. Wonderful, how wonderful."
Rolling her eyes at Elsa's reaction, Meili took a small bottle out of her clothing and began applying the white mucus in it to Elsa's wounds. A faint, irritating odour filled the air, and Elsa growled slightly in the back of her throat as her wounds were traced with the mucus.
Elsa inquired, "What's this?"
Meili replied while starting to run something on Elsa's wound, "Its mucus from a water slug. If you fill a wound with this, it heals up re~ally good. Even a small amount is poisonous, but Elsa won't really die a~nyways."
Elsa just played along as she said, "Quite so. Please continue. Once that's done, we do need to leave this place behind, don't we?"
Meili still applying the mucus continued,"It would be troublesome if the guards fou~nd us. The more of them you kill, the more trouble it beco~mes."
Elsa's face flushed as she said with a smile,"Oh, but in that case, isn't it more likely that the Master Swordsman would show up again, perhaps?"
Meili had an annoyed expression as she said,"Well, then, I'm even more oppo~sed."
Rebuking Elsa's self-indulgence, Meili noted 'All done.' as she finished applying the mucus. She hid the bottle back in her clothing, and picked up the ragged tatters of Elsa's clothing from the floor."Well, you won't be able to wear this anymo~re, what are you going to do?"
Elsa just replied with a smile, "It's just bits of cloth now, after all. I don't really mind that, of course…"
Meili just replied, "If you're just going to wear those rags, I really don't want to be seen walking with yo~u."
"How cold." Elsa shot a reply.
Meili started begging, "If you don't want to be told that, at least put some clothes on, ple~ase."
There was a ten years difference between the two, but from their interaction, there was no way to tell which of them was older. Accepting Meili's point, the nude Elsa paused in thought. And then, she just asked her"Wait here for a little bit."Saying that, Elsa, still nude, briskly walked out of the room. Meili watched her go and then decided to clean up the room a little while she waited. They would probably have to come back here, and all this blood would leave evidence and if they came back here it would be a mess to clean.
Meili could only huff and say, "Jee~z Elsa causes so much trouble everywhere"
It was, at least in theory, a hideout. Elsa might have had a change of clothing set aside. Five minutes later, she heard screaming from the outside as her hopes got destroyed. In her mind she could only think as she ran to escape the place, "Elsa did you kill a bunch of people for their clothes?!"
The two sisters now ran again. One with a small mabeast Meili snuck inside as a wig to avoid being caught and the other one following her annoyed because of her haste. As they escaped from the gate they had planned ahead of time. If the information from the conversing mirror was right they would have another interaction….soon. At least they could avoid mama for a while by going directly to the next destination. Elsa just looked back peering towards the direction of the loot house as she said, "Now keep your bowels healthy for me, they're beautiful aren't they?"