Bloodedge: Hero Of Riverbrandt

Volume IV: Scattered Family

Chapter I: Another Destination Awaits

Morning, Present Day

Location: The Dark Airjammer, Southern Airship Dock in Chestile

"Ohh, my sweetheart, my precious little sweetheart, I'm so glad you're alright!"

For the elites that could return to the Dark Airjammer, it was now a time for rest. Dirge Nott, Jake, Narmaya, Romeo, Andras, and Samael were all present. Metal took off into the skies and had not been seen since. Scorpio dug underground to hide himself. Miguel remained on the outskirts of the kingdom with the other lizardmen. Inside of the airship, the other elites were tending to whatever duties they used to occupy themselves while Dirge Nott planned out their next strategy.

In the case of the strategist, Dirge hadn't spent a lot of time planning just yet. Ever since she got settled in on the airship, the girl had been tending to her doll. After spending the night chasing Lyrial for stealing it for several minutes, Dirge immediately devoted her time to cleaning, repairing, and cuddling with her doll. She didn't think about doing anything else as she sat above deck, hugging it close to her chest. Everyone else was below deck at the time, excluding Andras' sleeping wolf, so she wasn't worried about anybody bothering her.

"I can't believe I let that mean woman get her thieving hands on you," Dirge said to her doll. "I'm so irresponsible! To think I almost let her get away with separating the two of us. Could you ever forgive me for being such a fool?" Of course, the doll didn't speak, nor could it respond. But that didn't stop Dirge from imagining that it forgave her as she hugged it tightly. "Oh, you're too kind to me sweetheart! Sometimes I think that I don't deserve a doll as great as you. Just being this close to you warms my heart and makes me feel a feeling of bliss that no one else ever could. Is this what people call… true happiness?"

"Aww…"

Dirge jumped in surprise as he heard someone else's voice. Peeping out from the corner was Narmaya, who had been spying on the girl while she was playing with her doll. The draph was smiling brightly as she looked at Dirge Nott.

"So cute…" Narmaya cooed.

"N-Narmaya!?" Dirge was frantic as she tried to regain her composure. "W-When did you…?!"

"Oh, don't stop because of me. You go ahead and keep playing with your little sweetheart." Narmaya giggled. "I always wondered why you carried that doll around. Though, I never would have guessed that you loved playing with them this much."

Dirge's face turned red. "Sh-Shut up…!"

"This side of you is just so adorable, I can't believe I've never seen it before."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Dirge held her doll close as she kept trying to calm down. "I-If you don't have anything important to discuss with me right now, then leave me be. I have other things to do besides conversing with you."

"Now that you mention it…" Narmaya folded her arms. "I do have some concerns. That was what I originally came to ask you about."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"It's the fact that Zwei has gone missing. Ever since we returned I haven't seen her, or that other man."

"Hmm…" Dirge thought about it, and Narmaya was right. She was so concerned about her doll that she hadn't paid attention to the fact that Zwei and Terumi weren't on the Dark Airjammer. "You are right. I don't know where they could have gone, however. Perhaps ask Samael or Andras. They remained behind after all."

"That's the thing. They don't know either. Yes, they're aware that the two of them left the airship. But neither of them know where they went."

"Strange. And the only person that would know if they've left Chestile is Miguel. However, after last night's commotion, there's no way that we'll be able to reach the Lizardmen that easily. Although, if they're in the kingdom… they shouldn't have to worry about trouble considering they pass as human."

"That may be true, but… Setting aside the fact that we still don't know that much about Yuuki Terumi, Zwei is still missing as well."

Dirge sighed, as she knew she couldn't dismiss Zwei's tendencies to get into trouble and cause unnecessary problems for the hell of things. "I'd hate to admit it, but you have a point. Whether or not she's by his side, Zwei will find a way to get into trouble. I'm even more worried since both are missing."

"It worries me as well. One look at Terumi, and I can tell that he's someone who'd love to cause problems just for the hell of it. Not to mention, he's acting with his own goals. It is possible that he's gotten Zwei involved in them."

"Are you suggesting that they'd act against the Mistress?"

"Terumi is simply doing as he pleases. If that goes against what she desires, then he just might. And Zwei… she's been a loose cannon ever since we found her. After all, she tried to kill her when they first met."

"That may be true. However, you've seen how well that worked out. Zwei may be an imbecile, but she isn't that foolish as to oppose the Mistress twice."

"Speak of the devil, and she will appear!"

Dirge Nott and Narmaya looked up as they heard Zwei's voice coming from outside. The door to the airship opened and the doll girl walked inside, Hazama right behind her.

"You know, it's quite rude to talk about someone behind their back," he said.

Dirge Nott rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Now, would you care to explain to me what the two of you were… doing… off ship…?"

Dirge and Narmaya's eyes slowly shifted behind Hazama, the man not paying them any mind. The two noticed something peeking out from behind Hazama, and it looked like a tail swishing about. Dirge took a step forward, and the owner of the tail stepped out from behind the man. Dirge and Narmaya were surprised as they laid eyes on the new girl that appeared before them; the serpent queen, Medusa. After she and her sisters were beaten by Terumi and Zwei with little effort, surprisingly, the girl had been spared from being killed. Instead, she was taken along with the two as they returned to the Dark Airjammer, even if it meant that the Demon girl had to be dragged through Chestile on the way there. The snake girl stood confidently with her hands on her hips.

"Hey!" Medusa greeted the two ladies.

"U-Um… Hi…?" Dirge was still processing this. Hazama and Zwei leave for a whole night and when they return, they've brought back some random girl. No warning or anything. This was something she hadn't predicted would happen. "What's… Who is this woman? Where did you find her…?"

"Oh man, the two of us had some fun last night!" Zwei exclaimed. "We were just taking a little stroll outside the kingdom's borders, then we ran into snake people and had one hell of fun brawl! Long story short, we won, and now these three ladies are gonna be staying with us for a long, LONG while."

"These… three?"

Zwei gestured to the door, which was still wide open. Once again, Dirge and Narmaya were met with another surprise and given even more questions. Standing in the doorway were Medusa's older sisters, Euryale and Stheno. The former had her arms folded and leaned on the side of the doorway while the latter stood up straight with her hands on her hips. The two elder siblings had been eyeing Dirge Nott and Narmaya ever since they showed up.

"How long have they…" Narmaya said to herself quietly.

"Yuuki Terumi. Explain," Dirge demanded an explanation from the man. "What the hell did you and Zwei do in a single night that resulted in you bringing three new women aboard the Dark Airjammer?" The strategist turned and looked at Stheno and Euryale. "And you two, get inside and shut that door already. It's a miracle nobody's focusing on you considering how much you stand out."

The two siblings stepped inside, Euryale shutting the door behind them.

"Allow me to introduce these three," Hazama began explaining, gesturing to each of the snake sisters as he mentioned them. "Zwei mentioned it already when we ran into a group of snakelike humans just outside the kingdom. These three are their leaders. Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno."

"A pleasure meeting you two," Stheno said.

Euryale just scoffed.

"As for why they're here…" Hazama continued. "The youngest one here is my… I believe the term that Zwei used was 'familiar' if I remember correctly."

"That's the word," Zwei confirmed.

"Your…" Dirge immediately knew what Hazama was talking about. "You mean that… while we were fighting Ragna the Bloodedge and his allies, you went out and forged a contract with a Gorgon?"

"Contract?" Hazama questioned her curiously, not knowing what she meant.

"It's the term used to describe the bond shared between a familiar and the master that they served," Narmaya explained. "It means that your souls have become one in a sense. Though, you're still separate beings despite that… I'm afraid I don't understand this topic fully myself."

"I see. Well, I can inform you that it's nothing like that. Hm, perhaps simply saying she's a servant would be more accurate, yes?"

"What on earth would somebody like you be interested in getting a servant?" Dirge questioned. "Somebody with your abilities wouldn't really benefit from this, now would you?"

"I suppose you're right. Though at the same time, I believe you could use the extra assistance couldn't you? After all, you didn't have much success in capturing Ragna the Bloodedge last night, now did you?"

"That may be true…"

"And if I'm offering Medusa and her sister as aid, are you really in a position to refuse?"

"I am. It doesn't really matter to me who you bring to 'help' me. As far as I'm concerned, this is all part of some Machiavellian scheme that you're putting together behind the scenes. A servant's job is to be beneficial to their master after all. I know the reason isn't really to come to my aid. So why don't you come clean, Terumi? What angle are you trying to play?"

"You're just full of questions, now aren't you?" Hazama shrugged. "Very well. Let me put it like this; I'd prefer not to fight, if I can help it."

"Excuse me?"

"I may be skilled and all but to tell you the truth, I'd prefer to avoid conflict if I can. It just so happens that when I came across them, this little one took an interest in me for some reason. I don't know why though. But because of that, I've decided to let her stay by my side. In exchange for getting what she wants, she's become my servant and will act as my sword, if I may be so poetic."

"So she's nothing more than a scapegoat or meat shield to you?"

"You'd be wrong to compare her as such." Hazama put his hand on Medusa's head. "I can assure you that this girl can handle herself well enough that I'd entrust her to fight for me."

The snake girl puffed out her chest proudly. She stared at Dirge Nott, who glanced back at the girl out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey," Medusa said. "How about you quit pestering Mister Hazama? We're all on the same side aren't we? You'll just destroy yourselves before you can do whatever you're doing!"

"Mister Hazama…?" Narmaya repeated.

Dirge sighed, growing slightly frustrated. But Medusa had a point. She doesn't have the time to stand around going back and forth with Hazama, and she could use the Gorgon sisters to her advantage, at least for right now.

"Very well," the strategist said. "I suppose that's a reasonable explanation and therefore, I'll accept this for now. Any more time I spend debating this is valuable time lost. I already have my hands full with the fact that several of our allies have been scattered and cannot rendezvous with us. Figuring out my next plan of attack will be troublesome at this rate."

"Oh, speaking of allies…" Hazama said. "Those bandits that you acquired earlier and used. What do you plan to do about them? The majority of them were rounded up and arrested after all, and I'm willing to bet that some of them will point fingers towards this ship, thinking that the military can protect them from a Demon like you."

"Shit, you're right…" Dirge had nearly removed those humans from her mind entirely. "I almost forgot all about them. It's good that the military has taken them out of my hair. However, if they point fingers then we'll all have unnecessary trouble to deal with."

"Perhaps now, the Dark Airjammer should leave Chestile and remain in the skies," Narmaya suggested. "I don't think they'll pursue us if we're gone."

"It may be too soon to do so. Knowing him, Scorpio will have retreated underground. While we could find somewhere to rendezvous with Miguel and Metal, it'll be harder to contact him." Dirge starts to walk back below deck. "And it would be too troublesome to try and have the Airjammer change disguises. This power is already taxing on the airship. Not only that…"

"Looks like she'll have a lot of work on her hands," Hazama said. "It's best if we don't bother her."

"Then what do you intend to do?" Euryale spoke up.

"What any normal person would do after a long night." Hazama starts heading below deck too. "This is where we rest. You three… do whatever."

"You're just going to let them roam around freely until you need them again?" Narmaya questioned.

"Think of it as an opportunity to get to know their new friends or something. Have fun!"

Narmaya still found all of this suspicious, but she didn't bother to question it any further than Dirge for now. She knew that they had much bigger issues to deal with.

Location: The Saint Illustrious, Western Airship Dock in Chestile

"Noel's your… sister…?"

On the Saint Illustrious, Ragna and Aguil had been alone while the others were out exploring the kingdom or handing some other business. During their conversation, Ragna learned that he wasn't the only one who had been brought into this world. Aguil mentioned that not only was Noel in Riverbrandt, but he and Lyrial have met her. And they know which way she went. The boy was surprised at what he was told, as he knew that Noel only mentioned having a single sibling. And they've already met Jin.

"Wait, but…" Aguil said to Ragna. "You said that you had a sister named Saya though…"

"I know, but…" Ragna replied, sighing. "Dammit, it's complicated. My memories are still a mess, but I know for a fact that she's my sister. Noel, Saya, they're the same person."

"I… don't believe I follow."

"Honestly, I don't blame you. But I need you to believe me here, kid."

"This just seems strange to me… When Lyrial and I were with Noel, she told us that she had a brother. As in a single brother, not two. We've met him already, so that just makes me even more-"

"Wait, you've met him? You mean Jin?"

"Yes, that's correct. Wait… You mentioned that you had a younger brother by the name of Jin… By… any chance did you mean-"

"Jin Kisaragi, I did."

Now, Aguil was even more concerned and confused. "That's… Noel's older brother too. I don't get it… Maybe… Noel had amnesia too? No, that wouldn't make sense. She seems to remember everything else about herself, but she never mentioned having someone named 'Ragna' as a brother…"

"Aguil, I need you to trust me on this. I need you to take me to Noel and Jin. I have to see them for myself and see what's going on."

"Noel, yes I do know where she's headed. As for Jin, I'm afraid not. It's been nearly a month since we last saw him. We don't know where he is."

"So he'll have to wait. Then where's Noel?"

"Noel went back towards Vier-Galla, a city that's east of Chestile. She wanted to keep investigating things following the incident of Demonic Androids hunting down Jin and herself. However, even if I flew you towards the city, it'll still be a while before we reach it. When we came back to Chestile from there, the trip was a week's worth of length, possibly a little bit longer. And by now, it's been about a week since Noel left. And I don't know if she'll head further east or not."

"In other words, we're pressed for time if we want to catch up with her… and that's IF we can even catch her." This wasn't an opportunity Ragna wanted to slip by. A week's trip however, would be pushing it. It didn't seem possible to catch her if she chooses to not stay in Vier-Galla. But Ragna didn't want to not make an effort. "That just means we need to get off our asses and leave right now. I don't want to not try and catch Noel. I need you to take me to this place, right now."

"I understand your concern, but…"

"But what?"

"Are you sure that you don't need a moment to think this through? It's not like we'll have Master and the others as backup if anything happens. The two of us will be on our own if we can't find Noel, regardless of if Master and the others come after us."

"Why don't we just try and get everyone here and then take the airship to this Vier-Galla?"

"Not every city and kingdom has an airship dock I'm afraid. Vier-Galla doesn't have one and there isn't one we can use that's close to it like Chestile's."

"I see…"

Aguil could see Ragna really didn't want to let this pass by. He wanted to see his sister, Noel, as this was the only chance he had to find someone else from his world that he could trust. Jin's elsewhere after all, so this was his only choice. Eventually, the boy sighed and smiled.

"I don't know if you're telling me the truth in full or not," he said. "But judging by your actions… Noel must really mean a lot to you, regardless if you're actually brother and sister."

"She does."

"I understand. Very well, we'll give this a shot. I'll lead you towards Vier-Galla in hopes that we can catch her."

"Thanks, Aguil. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. If it was Lyrial who was lost and I had any chance to find her, I'd take it, no matter the cost. I can't fault you for wanting to do the same to someone important to you. But do you think you could give me a moment before we leave the Saint Illustrious?"

"What for?"

"I don't want to leave unannounced before Master gets back. It's looking like she'll be a while longer, so I was going to write a note for her telling her where we're headed."

"Hey, do whatever you need to before we go. Just try not to take up too much time, alright?"

"Don't worry! It won't take me long at all."

Location: Somewhere Underneath Chestile

"The tunnels continue in this direction. Keep moving, men!"

After Scorpio's attack on Chestile's soldiers, the scorpion demon retreated underground, filling the hole at the surface as he dug tunnels to escape. He spent the entire night digging an elaborate system and using it as a hiding spot below the city, hoping that he'd meet with Dirge and the others sooner or later. The following morning, earth elementals from the military came and forced a path down into the hole so that soldiers could enter. Several groups entered into the tunnels, using fire magic as a way to light the way as they searched for the Demon in hiding. The majority of them were mages and magicians who specialized in fire, water, and ice, the former to act as a nullifier to Scorpio's main element, and the latter two to fight and strike him with the element that he's weaker to.

The tunnels were deep, and complex. Earth elementals were relying on the ground to lead the way and carve a path not only forward and down, but also back so that they wouldn't be completely lost underneath their kingdom. They weren't having much luck so far, just walking around in circles. A certain group found another area of tunnels that had been hidden by the Demon, and kept going in that direction, as they seemed to have found a lead.

"Dammit, these guys are good. They're already onto me."

The scorpion in question was still in hiding, using his tunnels to try and avoid the guards. Scorpio, while strong and dumb at times, was smart enough to know large quantities of ice and water would stop his flames. He'd rather not risk getting captured if they could put up a fight and freeze him, so he continued to run, covering his tracks by destroying part of the tunnel system he dug out.

"There seems to be a bit of loose rocks here, sir!" one of the soldiers called out as they hit another dead end.

"Leave it to me," the earth elemental said. Using his abilities, he forced the rocks back into place and revealed the path hidden by Scorpio. "This demon is trying to cover his tracks and slow us down. He must know this place like his own tail if that's the case."

"Hah! Not really," Scorpio thought, being nearby as he heard them talking. "I just dug this place out and I'm lost. Anywhere that doesn't have the bright light from their fire is where I'm going. Anywhere away from them. Other than that, I'm as lost as they are. Maybe even more than them, now that I think about it…"

"Let's search this way," one soldier said. "I don't think we've been in this direction."

"Crap!"

Scorpio slowly backed away from the corner and made his way down another corridor. Just as he left, the light of fire illuminated the area as the soldiers walked through, finding the corridor that Scorpio fled down.

"I think I just heard it coming from this direction," said the fire user. "It must've gone down this tunnel to keep running."

"For something as big as it is, this thing moves fast," another soldier said. "No wonder it was able to dig all of these tunnels in a single night. We can't let that thing escape us and get into the city."

"Signal the other squads," another soldier ordered, obviously the unit's captain. "We'll prevent it from coming back this way and push it into a corner."

"Yes, sir!"

Several of the soldiers used magic to contact the other groups in the tunnels while the others pressed on ahead after the demon scorpion. Scorpio growled quietly, continuing to walk through his tunnels.

"I'd love to just turn around and maim every last one of them," he said to himself. "But I can't risk it against that many Ice elementals. Especially not in a kingdom that specializes in the use of magic. Damn these humans and their abilities, I thought they'd be a big joke! Learned my lesson when my tail started to freeze from the inside-out." Just thinking about it made the scorpion demon shiver. "Not a pleasant feeling." Swinging his tail, he sealed off another portion of the tunnels to slow down the humans if only for a little while. "Dammit, I gotta find some way to get in contact with Dirge and the others. I can't stay down here for an eternity."

The scorpion demon kept walking, trying to think of a plan to escape the human's grasp.

Location: Trebel Train Station

Elsewhere, far away from Chestile was a small city named Trebel, just outside of Vier-Galla. Small still doesn't accurately describe it. Most people don't live there, and mainly work. The main reason is because the majority of the city is made up of a train station that runs from Trebel to the western district of Vier-Galla.

"I'm here…" Letting out a loud sigh, Noel plopped down on a nearby bench, setting her luggage on the ground beside her. For the past week, the girl had been walking from Chestile all the way to Trebel by herself. After a long journey, she was exhausted and sat down to catch her breath. "Aguil and Lyrial told me that it was a long trip back, but it felt even longer by myself…"

The girl closed her eyes as she rested. Opening them slightly, she could see that the train hadn't yet arrived at Trebel. She wasn't sure what time it was, but judging by the people gathered around the station, the train would be arriving soon. Noel felt relieved that it looked like she made it on time.

"I doubt Jin and Tsubaki are back here," she said to herself. "I hope everything turned out well for him…" Noel couldn't help but worry about her brother. She and Jin went their separate ways for now over a month ago, but knowing his inability to fight, she was worried about if he's alright. "He's out there doing the best he can to find everyone else who's here. I just couldn't sit around and let him do all the work."

Noel looked up at the sun rising over the city. She smiled.

"I wonder… what's the rest of Riverbrandt like…"