Hope I didn't make you wait too long!

The plan was to originally have one big chapter, but I've decided to split this chapter into two. Consider the last two chapters prologues, and chapters 3 & 4 the Titania arc.

Enjoy!

You ever looked at death?

No, Not like walking into a room full of dead people, and I'm also not referring to some spooky personification of death itself. That'd just be stupid.

I'm talking about nearly drowning, losing your footing on a cliff side, stuff like that.

Near death experiences.

Now ordinarily, stuff like that shouldn't be fresh on your mind. We all almost die at some point in our lives, but I'd hope that everyday of your life isn't filled with close calls.

...But in that hole? When the werewolf was charging me?

There. That's when I saw death.

Of course, the fact didn't really register with me at the time, what with me being too high on the fact that I just stabbed a werewolf.

Speaking of which, I just stabbed a fucking werewolf, and I was feeling pretty damn good about it!

And I mean, who wouldn't? Things like these are power fantasies, and that fantasy became even more powerful when I actually killed the thing!

...That's the problem with fantasies though. When it's all said and done, all that's left is reality.

When I saw that blood flowing down my abdomen like a waterfall, when the pain hit me like a fucking monster truck, I suddenly remembered what I was.

Vincible. Mortal. Human. Etcetera.

And that scared me man. N-not the human part, I mean the fact that I was this close to dying. And the pain, the pain was terrifying too.

I didn't wanna feel that again. Well, I knew I would, but God I didn't want that again.

I just...I just wanna go home, man.

Chapter 3: Velvet, calm the fuck down

"Your sure that there's a supply room just beyond this door?"

"Positive!"

"And your also confident that there're exorcist guarding it?"

"Well, uh, yeah."

"You don't sound too sure about that."

Ya know Velvet, I'd feel a lot more confident about all of this if you didn't say things like that! I mean, we are doing a No-Seras run, I could use every bit of self esteem I can get!

Anyway, to recap what you missed! Me and Velvet climbed out of the shit hole and started wandering around. And, with a little convincing, I was able to get her to follow me!

So here we are now, outside the supply room. On schedule. I think.

Velvet has her brows furrowed, probably trying to figure out how we can do this without dying. Eventually she turns to me. "Give me your sword." Wait.

What. "What."

Velvet ignores my distress and continues. "We'll have to kill those exorcist first and foremost, and I can't see you helping with that sword. We'd have a much better chance if I was armed."

Oh, that is bullshit! "Uh, no? I-I'd like to have something to defend myself with thank you very much!"

"Oh?" Aw man, now she's exerting her fucking aura! "Would you rather me take it off your corpse?"

"Yesma'm." I~ never had a choice, did I? Despondently I place the exorcist blade in her human hand. Well that was unfair. She knows I'm super effective against fear mongering!

Velvet rolls her eyes, as if she didn't just threaten me with murder. "Quit your whimpering. If your right about this being the supply room, you should easily be able to run for a sword." Yeah well unlike you, I wasn't trained by a frigin master of combat!

"And what if I can't get a sword?"

"Then use your fist." Well fuck you too I guess!

Gripping the blade with one hand, Velvet faces the door. "Get ready." Kinda hard to do that when you don't have a weapon...!

She takes a step forward, the door lifts up, and-oh.

Nothing. As in, nobody is in here. Well then.

Velvet turns to me. "You were wrong." And never have I ever been more glad of the fact!

"Well is that a bad thing? Plus, looks like I was right about the first part!" I gesture to all the barrels and crates right of the room. "This is really good actually! We'll be able to gear up faster."

The daemon scoffs. "Well I'd rather you be correct next time." Without missing a beat she walks off towards a chest and starts rummaging through it. Rude.

Okay~, let's see what I can find. Some swords here, a single coin...Oh! Look at this!

Bringing it up to my face, I inspect it. It looks like a man purse crossed with a sac. It's brown, square, and seems to be made of some kind of leather. It has one large main compartment covered by a flap, and leather also looks beaten and scratched up. Still seems useable though!

I throw the bag's strap over my shoulders. Yep, seems fine to me! This should make as a good personal inventory...

"Quite a blade..." That was Velvet, and I'm assuming she just found something. Lemme just come over and- oh! It's the, uh, sword! Shit, what was it called again?

Come on brain, ya got this! "This sword! It...hmmm, it's name started with 'storm,' but I can't remember the rest." Ah, shouldn't matter. When we run into Rokuro later on I'll just...I'll just...wait.

"....Shit."

Velvet looks over to me. "Is there a problem?"

"N-nah, everything's fine." Everything is not fine. Everything is fucked up. Change the subject, change the subject! "You, uh, taking that sword?"

Velvet responds by shaking her head. "It's too big for me, what I need is something smaller." Heh.

She continues rummaging through the chest, digging through an assortment of items and nick-knacks.

She keeps going until- "Here." Her hands grab something and she pulls it up to the surface.

She brings it up or her face and...what is that? It's just a mass of cloth and metal...are these her clothes? L-like, her main set?

I speak up. "Your gonna wear that?"

She gives me a deadpan look. "I could care less about fashion. Anything but these," she gestures to her rags, "will do."

Oh yeah, she is wearing rags isn't she? I've just been repressing the fact that she's half naked for a while now!

But yeah, like I was saying! "Well, I won't argue against any of that, but...hm." It...doesn't really matter, does it?

"You don't feel hot or cold, do you?"

She shakes her head.

"...I'll turn around to let you change then."

I saunter off to the room's top right corner and plop myself on the ground.

...Okay, so. I'm fucked.

No Seras means no freed prisoners, and no freed prisoners means no Rokuro or Magilou! I...oh my god, what do I do?

I should of just let Velvet kill me. At least then things would of progressed normally...but then that'd mean I couldn't go home.

...Was I...fated, to die?

...Huh.

Fate. What a strange word. It's almost always used in a dramatized context, like books or TV. Nobody would normally say the world on a daily basis.

And that's because it's bullshit. It's bullshit. Nothing is or should be predetermined, that's not how the universe works.

Shit looks terrible right now but...it can all still change. I just gotta roll with the punches. That's how it is right now, I guess.

I calm my nerves, steady my breathing, and wipe the sweat off my forehead.

Ok. I can make this work.

"I've finished. You can turn around now."

Huh? Oh. I turn around to look at Velvet, who's now sporting her signature outfit. Good, good, now she's only a quarter naked!

But...she does look good in black. It complements her hair. I'm not gonna tell her that though, I'd just get shanked.

Suddenly, footsteps. They get closer...!

The left-most door opens, revealing a guard equipped with a sword and shield! "What's going on here!?" Well then, speaking of getting shanked...!

I reach for my sword and-wait, fuck! Velvet never gave it back to me! Recognizing my all around helplessness the exorcist starts rushing me!

Get up get up get up! I scramble to my feet, desperately trying to get my footing, but I don't have enough ti-

"Clang!" But apparently he's too slow as well, cause Velvet came outta nowhere and started clashing her gauntlet blade against his sword! And just in time too!

"Get your sword!" Don't gotta tell me twice!

Ok ok, now where did she put it? Maybe it's-oh, right there! I crouch down next to the open chest and grab the exorcist blade at its side. Ok, now let's see how Velvet's doing!

...Not too well, actually. Granted she doesn't seem exhausted at all, but she can't really get past his shield. At this rate, he'll be doing more damage to her then she to him.

Let's fix that!

I run up to a barrel and lift it up. Ok, not too heavy for me, I can make this work! I hug it against my body so that it covers the entirety of my chest and neck.

I start moving me legs. My walk turns into a run as I begin to pick up speed!

"Incoming!" Both Velvet and the exorcist whip their heads towards me, and the former leaps out of the way.

The ladder doesn't, on account of him being slow.

I smash into his shield, sending him colliding into the floor and wall behind him!

And Velvet, ever quick on the draw, drives her blade into his neck.

Velvet pulls the blade of the guy's neck and reclines it back into her gauntlet. "Roundabout, but it'll do." That was the idea, yes! But, uh, all that aside.

I look towards the exorcist. He's dead.

"Having second thoughts?" That was Velvet.

Ah, I appreciate the sentiment, but... "Like I said. I don't really have any alternatives." Even if my mind's screaming otherwise.

Anywaysanywaysanyways. "Let's get going. I don't wanna be around when more guards show up."

I open the door, Velvet a little ways behind me, and continue on.

...This place doesn't really have any architecture, does it? Hey, that's a conversation topic right there!

"This place doesn't really have any architecture, does it?"

But Velvet, of course, doesn't give a Shit. "This is relevant how?" Ow. Okay.

We enter an open room, and would ya look at that! Something that isn't dark and dreary soon!

It looks like an orb of colors. Probably magic or something of the like. Seras never did give a name for there's things, did she?

Velvet is rightfully perplexed! "What is this thing?" Okay then, let's if I can actually remember...

"Uh, something something, it's a special mass of mana, and they're associated with Malakhim." Or not. God, of all the games to be isekaied to, it had to be the one Taft I never played...

I turn to Velvet and give her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, that's all I know. You should try to collect them though. They might be useful for something."

Well despite my less than stellar explanation, looks like I got the job done. Velvet makes a hum of understanding and walks up to the orb. She reaches her hand out to it, but-

"Ting." Oh, well no shit it's magic! The thing frigin became one with her body!

I voice my confusion! "Freaky."

"I've seen stranger." Your arm is strange!

The wandering continues! Starting to get a little stir crazy though.

God I swear, if I turn another corner and all I see is a hallway with torches, I'm gonna frigin hurt someone!

"What's with that look on your face?" Not Velvet though! She'd just hurt me back...

"Fine, I'm fine." I assure her. "Just...getting stir crazy."

Ok, ok, moment of truth. We turn the next corner and-

...huh. I-it's a hallway, yeah, but not just that. Looks like there's a bigger room at the end of it. Progress!

Me and Velvet make our way to the hallway's end and...huh. No, no, wait a second.

I thrust my arm in front of Velvet. "Wait a sec. Guards, I think."

Velvet's head darts to the right. "This way." Together, we push our bodies against the wall. A second passes. Then-

"Did you hear?" Abbey guards. Two of them. "The watch tower around the island is off limits now. They say the ground's too weak and could collapse.

The second pipes up. "The one that goes around the watch tower? That's all right, nobody uses it anyway."

"True. But it was a nice shortcut to the docks." Oh~, now that's juicy. I actually remember something like this happening in the game, but listening in on their info in person makes me feel all sleuthy.

Velvet gets into a pondering pose of her own, probably thinking about how cool she feels as well.

Footsteps. Another guard, I think. "A number of guards have gone missing. It would seem we have intruders on the island."

The three exchange some words, probably saying how great they are and shit. Glory to mankind and whatnot. Then, they each disperse into their own direction.

...A second passes. Then two. Then three. Right, coast is clear I think.

I walk past Velvet and into the room's center. "Well then, looks like we got our escape route..." I'd sound happier if it weren't for the fact we don't have Seras...

B-but like I said, I'll make this work!

Hopefully.

Velvet walks up beside me, her hands crossed on her chest. "We might have a plan, but not the resources." She locks her eyes with me. "Do you know where the prisoners are being stored?"

Hm. It was on this floor, wasn't it? "This floor I think. You wanna free them?"

She nods her head. "We'll use them as a distraction. The riot they'll cause will give us the window we need."

Yikes. I~ just won't say anything. "We can try that, I guess."

"Then let's go." Somehow, her voice sounded even more resolute.

A women on a mission indeed...

Mechanisms whirl, groan, and clang.

The door shifts, lifting up into the ceiling, revealing-

"Who in blazes are you!?" That was Velvet, and yeah, I see what you mean!

The guy on the right is your run of the mill exorcist, uniform and everything. Only different thing about him is that instead of a sword and shield, he's got a spear and shield instead!

As for the other one? Intimidating, that's what he is!

He's jacked out in full metal armor, no uniform or sentai outfit bullshit. He even has an actual sword, which is pointed! The horror dude, oh the horror!

...His helmet is just plain goofy though. How does he even see?

Velvet quickly recovers from her shock, her eyes turning to steel. "I'll take the big one. Can you handle the one on the right?"

W-well, it's now or never! "Yeah yeah, I'll be fine!"

Cue battle music!

Two-handing the exorcist sword, I charge the spear wielding guard! I hope your ready man, cause imma wack the shit outta you now!

The guard rears back his spear, getting ready for a thrust.

Ok, how should I go about this? Well I can go and do that. But maybe I can do this? Yeah yeah, I'll go with this!

I change the grip on my sword, making it's blunt side face the ceiling. Aw man, your not ready for this! No one ever is!

The exorcist thrust his spear, but I duck below preemptively! My grip on my sword tightens. I swing it up and-!

"Guh!" Its hits him right in his crotch! I'd be cringing back if this same guy wasn't trying to kill me!

The guy crumples onto the ground, dropping his spear and shield in the process. "Guh. Guh." Poor guy's just kinda writhing on the ground. I wouldn't wish this fate upon anyone.

...But hey! Survival of the fittest!

Using the blunt side of my sword, I hit him the head.

"Ah!" Sorry.

In the legs. "Bah!" Sorry...

Again in the head. "S-stop." ...Man. I...I don't-

"Shink." ...A blade is driven through his head.

I look up to see who else but Velvet Crowe. "That's not how you hold a sword." Yeah...I know.

"I-I feel like I'd do a better job if I tried to just...wack them." God, I probably sound stupid.

She's looking down on me. "A sword is a sword, use it how it was intended to be used."

I...god dammit. I hate this. "I don't wanna kill anyone."

"Then your a liability."

"...Does that mean you'll kill me?"

"You still have your uses, so no."

"...m'kay."

With her little pep-talk over with Velvet walks up to one of the cells and peeks inside it. She then turns back to me. "How do we open them?"

Yeah, sorry to say but... "You don't."

Oh, Velvet didn't like that. Her face gets all scrunched up. "Explain."

I really should of told her this sooner. "See those big blue locks? The obviously magic ones? As far as I've seen, they can only be broken with magic. That, or a Malak."

Ah fuck shit, now she's walking up to me! "And you didn't tell me this earlier because...?"

Oh god, I seriously feel like I'm being scolded by my mom, a feeling that shouldn't even be possible! "I had the same idea as you before, back in the supply room. But then, I realized that we didn't have any magic and...ugh." I am...so stupid.

I run my hand down across my face. "I just thought that, well, I'd come up with a solution by the time we got here."

Velvet opens her mouth, probably about to call me an idiot or something, but I swiftly cut her off. "-W-which I have! We can take the exorcist clothes, and disguise ourselves. T-then we can go from there!"

"That sounds idiotic!" Fuck man, now she's raising her voice!

"Well do you have any better idea-"

"You said you needed a Malak?" Wabawhat?

My neck practically creeks toward the room's entrance. There is...no way. No way that...!

"Well." Seras struts up to the center of the room. "You have one right here."

Velvet doesn't take too kindly to this series of events! "SERAAAAAS!" Her blade springing forth from it's gauntlet, Velvet leaps into the air and thrusts her sword down upon Seras!

Seras doesn't rise too kindly to this either! With a flourish of her hand, her palms flash with color-

"FWOOM." And a wave of fire crashes into Velvet!

"RAH!" The flames push Velvet back onto the ground, eliciting a roar from her! With the grace of an acrobat she hits the ground feet first and steadies her footing.

Velvet's head snaps to face Seras. "Where is he!?" Shoot first, ask shit later. So is the creed of Velvet Crowe...!

I slowly start backing away. I'm certainly not involved in what these two have with each other...right? Right?

I mean, I did promise to help Velvet with shit. And if she were to die on me...

...Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck fuck it!

I start stepping toward the two's vicinity. "I'm involving myself in this!"

Velvet looks over her shoulders and back to me. "You are not!" Did I mention she's got crazy eyes? There's this freaky glint to them.

Seras, in contrast, nods her head. "Then a partnered exam you must both past! Now fight..." What the shit? The temperature in the room frigin jumped! Is she not gonna hold ba-

"Or I will kill you!" C-cue battle theme!

Velvet is the first to act, rushing Seras and attacking her with a flurry of kicks and slashes! But Seras ain't having noneof it! With the grace of a dancer, she weaves and dodges through most of her attacks.

Light started gathering in Seras' palm, and Velvet, picking up on the visual cue, jumps back and away from the ensuing wave of heat!

All of that, and all Velvet had to show for her efforts were a few cuts on Seras' dress. Ah shite, she really did tweak the difficulty! Fucking balance patches man!

Well, my turn! I start running past Velvet and towards Seras. With a yell, I swing my sword...!

-And miss. No big surprise.

And you wanna know what else isn't surprising? Me getting frigin owned. Seras sidesteps to the left, and fucking punches my hip! "Your posture is horrendous." Ow, fuck, it's always the sides!

But she doesn't stop there! Quicker then I can perceive she kicks my legs! "Your posture is uneven." Yeah, fuck you too!

"Your not even holding your sword correctly!" She haymakers my hand, causing the sword to fly outta my hand and unto the floor behind me."

And finally she...shoves her hand into my chest? L-like, she doesn't even hit me-

Light

Heat

Pain.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckowowowowowowow.

I...I think I just zero-to-deathed.

I think I'm just gonna lay down here and...uggghhhh.

...I move my arms around and-here, here it is. I reach for my sword and grip it. Pretty convenient that this is where I got chucked...!

I still hear shit going on. Lemme just, shimmy-ouch, uh, shimmy my head over there.

...Well would ya look at that. I'm greeted by the sight of Velvet and Seras still duking it out. Well, it's more like a game of cat and mouse. The ladder is still in ultra instinct, and Velvet can't hit Seras for the life of her.

...This is my fault, isn't it!? Ok, lemme try...this.

My body practically screams as I pull myself back on my feet. The fact that I can't even feel most of myself helps, but I digress. I rear back my hand, the one with the sword in it...and chuck it!

Granted, the throw wasn't exactly strong on account of my body being crippled, but I got the job done! The sword careens through the air, right towards Seras!

Seras, on account of being not human, is able to fucking catch the blade...

Giving Velvet the window to finally slash her good!

"Guh! Seras groans, staggering back and clutching her new wound. But Velvet on the other hand...?

"GAAH!" She pushes herself onto Seras, making the two fall onto the ground with a "thump!"

Ah yeah, I did that! I'd be dancing right now if all I was feeling wasn't pain.

Ok, ok. I start staggering over to their little pile, getting a closer at them look in the process. Velvet's on top, and has her blade to Seras' neck, explaining why the Malak hasn't blown her to kingdom come. Good for her!

"You must trust me...The both of us strive toward the same goal...!"

"Your the reason why Laphi is dead. I have no reason not to kill you."

Ah, they're talking about that. Okay, how to approach this?

I make my presence known. "We still need a Malak. I don't think killing her will do any good."

Her eyes jut to me and damn, if she was crazy before she's frigin delirious now! "Shut up! This...This doesn't concern you."

She really just pulled that card, didn't she? Well, if your gonna play that game...I'll just play a completely different one!

"Velvet. What if she just went to hell another time?" Check. Mate.

"Pardon?" Velvet.

"Pardon?" Seras.

Haha~, they're both equally confused! Time to drive it home! "Well there's obviously alotta things you gotta consider. Like how for one, she's willing to work for you. I'm assuming she did something terrible to you, but you'll get more use out of her if you let her tag along anyway!"

I start waking around them. Moving helps me think! "There's also our current predicament. We need someone to break open the cells, a-and she's volunteering! Just saying, it'd be better to kill her when our lives aren't in immediate danger..."

...Huh. I sound like an asshole. But like, I'm pretty sure it's the only language Velvet can understand, so it's fine I guess.

O-oh! And there was this one other thing too! "Also, aren't Malaks, like, enslaved by-

Velvet cuts me off. "That's enough." Huh?

Her eyes dig into Seras'. "...From now on, you work for me. You fight for me..."

Ever so slightly, her blade caresses Seras's neck.

"And you'll die for me. For Laphi. Do I make myself clear?"

"...Yes." Seras accepts. Not like she can't.

Velvet pushes herself off of Seras and back onto her feet. She smirks. "Not one, but two willing tools in one day...must be my lucky break."

Ho, funny ya mention that! "Speaking of breaking! Seras, wanna help with the wacky magic locks?"

Seras, who's by now gotten up herself, turns to Velvet. "Would you first like to give a speech to the prisoners?"

Right-o, while she does that I'm just gonna-hmm, plop myself on the floor. I've been doing this a lot since I came here, haven't I!?

Let's see now... burnt chest, pain, hips are in pain, head hurts, pain.

...I think it's safe to say that I'm in immense suffering!

A series of sounds akin to glass breaking pull me out of my reverie. I'm assuming those were the locks being undone?

...Yup, it was! I bring my head up to see the blue seals gone and the jail doors gone, followed by a flood of inmates stamped-ing!

Someone frigin lifts me up by my armpits and sets me on my feet! I turn around and-oh, it's Seras.

"You shouldn't be on the floor." Yes yes, your concern is appreciated, never mind the fact that your the one that pwned me. "Forgive me, I should of healed you sooner." You can do what?

Setting me on my feet, Seras steps back and points her finger at me. There's this green light from her finger and-

Woowooowoooo! Woo baby, what was that? Other than the fact that my brain feels like mush, I feel...I feel great!

I start moving my arms, rubbing my chest, and shaking my legs. Fuck man, I'm frigin pristine! I-I can feel things again!

Velvet, who's already started walking towards the rooms exit, shouts at us. "If your done fooling around, let's get going! We've wasted enough time as it is..."

Seras starts following behind her. "Our ship is at the back docks. I assume we'll be trying to find a way there?"

Velvet nods. "Via a shortcut under the watch tower, yes."

...So. Seras. Yeah. "So. When did you get here?" Might as well start trying to wrap my hand around this while I have the time...

Her reply is instantaneous "A little over an hour ago. I had planned on breaking Velvet out of here...Alone. Imagine my surprise when I found her containment cell empty."

"Mhm." I don't really have anything to add to that.

So...it was just a coincidence? She showed up on this particular day by chance?

I-if I'm trying to convince myself that fate is non-existent, the universe is doing a pretty damn good job of convincing me otherwise...!

I, uh, need a breather. In the last twenty four hours I have been nearly eaten alive, stabbed, burnt, and wombo-comboed into oblivion...! Wanna what I need? A nice, pleasant, quiet stroll through the-

"Dear me, not a word of apology!?" Or not, that's fine!

Author notes:

I thought long and hard on weather or not Seras should could come and join the party at Titania anyway, despite the events of the last chapter. I eventually decided yes, cause I really couldn't see how else I could make this chapter work otherwise.

In other news, I think I have a pretty stable update schedule going. Until further notice, chapters will be released weekly on either Sundays or Mondays.

Also, 10K words! Woohoo! Not much, I know, but we all gotta start somewhere.

Next chapter: Velvet and friends play Roblox Jailbreak (now with more Magilou!)