Ragna's blade trembled while guarding the fist that crashed against it. A grunt from the attacker repelled him a ways and he grinned when Ragna remained standing. "Well now, you're still on your feet. This won't be such a waste of time after all."

Bang came to a screeching halt and gaped. "Ragna, are you okay?!"

"Stay back, old man!" Ragna's attention remained on the bulky, grinning man who would have killed all three of them if he reacted any slower. That blow packed an absurd amount of force, his arms trembling a bit from shock.

Rachel walked up beside Ragna. "Quite a loutish introduction. Has all that muscle replaced your brain?"

"Heh, my apologies. I got so excited I couldn't contain myself." His gruff voice enunciated each word in a nonchalant manner like he hadn't attempted to murder them a second ago. "You're new here, so I doubt you've heard of me. My name is Azrael." Demonic red eyes regarded them like his next meal.

Bang recognized the name. "Azrael the Mad Dog?! Ragna, Ms. Rachel, do not engage that man! Ordinary humans are no match for such a monster!"

"Good thing we're not 'ordinary' then. Besides, crazy bastard wouldn't let us walk even if we wanted to."

"You mentioned us being new. I can only assume you are in league with Izanami," Rachel deduced.

"Sort of. We have a little contract. Now that she fulfilled her end of the bargain, I'm obligated to make good on mine."

"Heh, nothin' but a dog, then."

Azrael shrugged. "They don't call me the 'Mad Dog' for barking at messengers, you know. Now, shall we get down to business?"

Ragna eyed Rachel. "Get that old man outta here, I'll draw his attention." She opened her mouth to debate but shut it after a quick thought. While this heap of muscle showed indifference toward Bang and the traveler's retreat wouldn't be problematic, the possibility of being attacked by thieves or whoever spied on them yesterday garnered worry. She complied and returned to the carriage. Azrael started to pursue the pair but a seithr-enhanced punch halted his advance. "Eyes forward, Mad Dog. Your fight's with me!"

Sword empowered by the Azure Grimoire, Ragna fended off Azrael's first series of punches, his arms quaking with each blow. Pure raw power met his strikes, steel-like fists showing no scars or scratches from clashing with the sword. Ragna's blade descended to cleave Azrael in half only to be caught between two fingers.

Back in his world there weren't many opponents Ragna deemed noteworthy, most fights lasting a minute or less. Throughout his life as a mercenary, traveling the world and encountering all manner of beings, he'd never faced a foe who made him uncertain of the outcome. That look in Azrael's eyes wasn't normal; they were filled with a sort of manic, malicious glee. Combined with his imposing presence and overwhelming physical strength, Ragna readily described him as more monster than human.

A powerful punch to the gut deprived Ragna of oxygen and lifted him off the ground, the follow-up to his jaw sending the bounty hunter flying away. Azrael chased him and parried a retaliatory strike in a fit of laughter. Ragna staggered the Mad Dog with a low sweep then brought a steel-toed boot up to his chin, drawing a bit of blood. Azrael caught his next kick and slammed him into the ground several times before hurling Ragna against a nearby tree, snapping it clean in two. He came to his senses just in time to see Azrael exude a sinister red aura before punching the ground, sending out a shockwave that tore through everything in its path without mercy. Ragna barely dodged it in time.

He tottered from the sharp pain in his gut before charging in once again, focusing a heavy concentration of seithr into his blade to combat Azrael's overwhelming power. They met in a sequence of strikes ringing across the highway. Ragna's bones cracked and bowed beneath his blows, a fierce one catching him off-guard once again. Azrael took advantage of Ragna's unstable footing to crash his fist into his jaw. A follow-up kick launched him away, but he dug his sword into the ground to catch himself. Ragna winced while trying to stand, clutching at his ribs. "What the hell?! There's no way you're human!"

"You can't be throwing in the towel already, can you? I expected you to be better than this… What a disappointment."

"What was that?!" Ragna forced himself upright. "Who the hell said I was done? I'm about to knock you into tomorrow!" He grimaced at the pain darting throughout his body like electricity.

Azrael fell silent, expression unreadable, then he smiled brightly as his muscles relaxed. "Not yet. You aren't seasoned enough for my appetite and it would be a shame to kill such a first-class dish still in the making."

"Runnin' away now?!"

"I won't wait long." Azrael started off.

"Get back here!" Ragna tried to pursue, but an abrupt gust of wind halted his advanced and whisked the man away. With his adrenaline in decline he now felt every injury he'd sustained with stunning clarity. "Son of a bitch… Who in the hell was that monster?"

"It seems the man has left." Rachel's voice startled him as she descended opposite him. "I feared you two would carry on like rabid dogs until the other was rendered unable to bark any further."

"Shuddup. Hold on, I thought you left with the old man, what're you doin' here?" Ragna asked.

"Oh, I remained in the great empyrean for observation purposes and sent Nago and Gii to keep the trader safe in my stead."

"The hell is a great empyrean?"

"I was in the sky above, you dolt." Rachel pointed up in a "duh" fashion.

"The sky? Wait a sec, you're telling me you just watched?" Ragna glowered.

"Did I not say so? Besides, my entry would not have had any effect aside from sullying my dress. You had noticed his leniency, correct? If he were to engage you with all his might in your current state, I doubt you would have lived to hold this conversation with me."

"Please, I could take him."

"You can continue this tough-guy charade all you want. The fact that you would have become a fleshy jelly pastry on the grass was inevitable." Ragna shuddered at the mental image. "In all likelihood, we will encounter that man again. Until that time comes, we proceed per instruction to the Kingdom of Illia and pray by that time our powers return to what they once were."

"So it's you, too, eh?"

"It is just my conjecture, but I believe our bodies are still acclimating to this foreign world. Fighting seems to be the most expedient method if you feel lighter than when you arrived."

"Kinda. So, fighting makes us stronger, huh?" Their attention shifted to Bang. "Guess those stuffed toys aren't just pillows and meat shields."

"However irksome, they are quite useful. Sometimes I think they adore punishment constantly acting like fools, and I am not one to ignore the will of my servants. A master must give their servants a treat every now and again." Rachel started off toward Bang.

"So, I'm traveling with a sadist… great."

Bang leapt off his horse and rushed to meet them. "Are you okay, Ragna?! What happened to the Mad Dog?!"

"Easy, old man, I'm fine. That guy turned tail and ran."

Rachel smirked. "Did he, now?"

"I'll punch you."

"Well, what matters is you are alive. Come, we may have gotten a bit sidetracked, but we can still make it to the next town before nightfall." Bang returned to his saddle as Ragna and Rachel climbed in with the cargo.

The roads became busy now that the Mad Dog no longer stalked them. Bang wished passing merchants good day and safe travels, a simple gesture that meant a lot in this turbulent time. Traveling was no joke. Thanks to Izanami's presence, running into thieves or ghastly beasts was inevitable, so good wishes went a long way. The world had become one in which only the fittest survived; Rachel and Ragna had witnessed this firsthand. If not for their intervention, Bang would have literally and figuratively been left to the wolves. As the sun began to dip behind the horizon, heralding the end of their day, a small town Bang announced as Greenstone came into view.

The town seemed barren, a stark contrast to the previous one. Bang was at a loss for words, not because he was surprised. He'd seen this kind of thing far too often. A few residents huddled in alleys and street corners watched them ride by, eyes trained on the supplies. Ragna knew those desperate looks; people like them would do just about anything to survive. He moved his hand to the hilt of his blade.

Closing in on the guild hall, the quiet hum of the ether-lamps lighting the cobblestone streets rose to a merry clamor, a strange contrast between the guild and the city. Bang suggested they acquire a more detailed map for their prolonged journey, so they headed into the guildhall. They were shocked to see its members drinking and eating to excess while there appeared to be a famine going on just outside, like they'd entered another town entirely. The place fell silent as they approached the bar, earning the attention of the barkeep. "Can I help you?" He sounded calm and courteous, but there was a hint of disdain in his gray eyes. It was a look that said leave, you don't belong here.

"We were told there was a topographer here," Ragna said.

"You need a map? Anything specific? Political, physical, economical?" The barkeep gestured for them to hurry up and pick one.

"Political," Rachel answered.

"Good. That will be eight hundred zol, all in silver please."

Ragna's brow furrowed. "Come again?"

"Did I stutter? Eight hundred for the map. Map-making isn't easy so be thankful I don't charge you more for it. Unless you can't cough up the cash?" A few chuckles came from fellow guildmates.

Rachel's eyes narrowed to slits. "We are terribly sorry, but we were told maps costs a little less than that." According to Bang they were no more than a few coins. "Have we received faulty information?"

"Without a doubt. We're a guild, and thanks to no jobs coming in because of difficult travel, exchanges like these are how this guild keeps running. It's business, nothing personal. If you don't have the money, you can either leave or get a loan."

"A loan, huh?" Ragna snatched the fat man by the collar of his shirt. "You tryin' to fleece me?"

"N-no, I wouldn't do anything like that! This is a legitimate business transaction." He tried to regain some of his composure but Ragna's tightening grip made that impossible. "Thanks to Izanami, making proper maps has become difficult and it's only right for those who risk their lives be compensated accordingly, right?"

"You mean like the residents of this town?" Rachel stated, spying a few men standing with weapons in-hand. "They could not pay your ludicrous costs and were told to take out a 'small loan' to cover it. Some went as far as making these maps for you, correct?" She had noticed some people with injuries that could only have come from adventuring in the wilderness.

"T-that's—"

"Can I help you?" came a hostile voice. A tall man stopped in front of them. He carried a longsword on his back and the stench of liquor wafted off him. His muscles were tense, eyes focused on them, battle ready.

Ragna was perfectly calm. "You can. We came lookin' for a map and this guy's rippin' us off. Know where we can get some decent service?"

"I wish to inform you we are a little low on funds, and to spend it all on a cheap map that could lead us in the wrong direction and be our undoing would be foolhardy, wouldn't you agree?" Rachel said, rousing a few growls and grumbles from the guild members. They hadn't even tried acting cordial.

"I think you'll find we deliver whatever is asked of us without fail, little girl. You want a map, we got it, and we don't take kindly to foreigners who come in and start roughing up our members. So if you want a map, the price just jumped to nine-hundred silver. A fee for bruising our barkeep." He cracked his knuckles and Ragna just smirked.


"Everything is there. Thank you." Herman, the trader Bang came to deliver his goods to, bowed in appreciation. He glanced at his fellow merchants loading the cargo onto their cart. "You took a lot longer than expected. Trouble?"

"Yes, and I may have lost my life if two travellers did not come to my rescue." Bang looked in the direction of the guild where an absurd amount of noise came from.

"They must be having a great time. Filthy pigs…" Herman spat.

"What has happened here? Did Izanami strike?"

"No. Sometimes I wonder if that might've been better than having those guild dogs drain us dry with their 'loans'. People can barely afford a night at an inn and have been dragged out of their homes by the mayor who just watches." Herman sighed deeply. "I pray for the people of this town."

"As do I." Bang extended a hand. "Safe travels, friend. May your voyage be a secure and bountiful one."

"Yours as well." The hunchbacked merchant joined his friends in pulling the cart away and Bang checked off the last box on his notepad, noting the ruckus from the guildhall had also ended. He approached his cart but paused when he heard rustling. Thieves? He pulled a knife from his pocket and snuck around to the other side. Bang quickly pinned the thief the the ground, knife to their throat, but the body was too small to belong to anyone other than a child.

"Luna!" A small boy's voice called out before its owner jumped on his back. "Let my sister go!" While not too strong, the abrupt attack stunned him long enough for the child beneath him to escape. Bang freed himself from the boy's clutches and he fell with a thud, hitting his head quite hard on the concrete.

"Sena!" The other child rushed to her brother's side. They were definitely related, both sporting peach-colored hair and cherubic faces, and they couldn't be older than ten. Big teary green eyes glared at Bang. "Look what you did, you pedo!"

Bang gasped at being called a pedo but refrained from retorting and attended to the more pressing matter. "I have bandages and ointment in my cart."

"Luna and Sena don't need some pedo's help!"

"I understand you are frustrated with me, but I won't harm you. The more we argue the worse he might get. Please..." Bang shared a brief staring contest with the small child while she weighed her options. It was clear she didn't trust him, but she nodded eventually.

"If you try anything, you're dead."

Bang took Sena from Luna's reluctant arms and made a proper place from him to lay in the cart. Luna held him all the way to the inn. Quickly Bang paid for a room and rushed the unconscious youth upstairs. He laid the child gently on the bed and checked for bleeding, relieved to find nothing but a lump that needed ointment. Luna swiped the bandages from Bang and wrapped the wound herself, complaining he was taking too long. Sena's eyes fluttered opened and he gasped seeing Bang. "Calm yourself. I won't hurt you."

Sena didn't buy that until he noticed Luna securing the bandages around his head. "Luna? Are you okay?"

"Luna is fine and you will be, too." She ripped and knotted the cloth.

"Where are we?" Sena asked in a low tone of voice, a bit sluggish from the headache he had sustained.

"The inn of this town. I, uh, wish to apologize to you. I didn't mean to cause harm to you or your sister."

"You had a knife to Luna's throat, liar!" she snapped.

"W-well, I… yes, I did—but I would never use a weapon on or permit violence against a child! Please understand, I thought you were thieves." Bang tried to calm the girl down but she continued to debate, stopping when her stomach rumbled. With a confident nod, Bang made an offer they could not refuse. "How about I buy you two a meal?"

Sena scrutinized him. "And then force us to pay it back?"

Bang shook his head, disgusted that they'd endured something like that already. "I would not dream of requesting so much from two so young. We started off on the wrong foot, so let me make it up to you. Buying you dinner is the least I can do. I'm sure your stomachs will finally stop growling, if that is any consolation."

Luna blushed when it gurgled again as if telling her to shut up and say yes. She sighed in resignation. "Fine. Luna still doesn't trust you, though."

"Haha! As long as you two leave with full bellies it matters not if you trust me, only that you are satisfied. Luna, stay with your brother and I will order food." Bang left the siblings to their own devices. Once Luna heard Bang reach the bottom of the steps she grabbed Sena's hand.

"C'mon, let's go!"

"B-but Luna, he went to buy us food!"

"Do you really think that old scruffy pervert went to buy us lunch out of the kindness of his heart?! He's just going to use us like everyone else does!"

Sena shook his head. "Luna, we can't go on like this… We'll starve to death if we don't get a proper meal. Besides, he didn't show any kind of ulterior motive. Maybe we can trust him?"

"We can't trust any adult! Did you forget what happened already?" Her brother clutched the blankets. "Then you should know we can't trust anyone but ourselves."

"Then what do we do? We can barely walk anymore."

There was a long pause. "...We'll kill him, and take everything he has." Sena's eyes widened at the suggestion. Luna picked up the small knife Bang had left on the table. "No one will care if that old pervert dies. Look at all that food he has! We won't have to worry about it ever again. We can sell it for zol, too!"

"But… that would be murder."

Luna froze momentarily at the word, then she swallowed a lump and nodded. "L-Luna knows. It will be like killing an animal, that's it. One more pedo off the street won't bother anyone."

"Then we'll be no different than the people who killed our mother." Sena gave her a reprimanding look. She'd always been the fire and he the water. Little by little his placid gaze stuffed her intentions back into the recesses of her consciousness. Sena took the knife from Luna and pulled her in for a hug.

"Dammit… this sucks!"

"It's okay."

"No, it's not okay!"

"Yes, it is." Sena rubbed the back of her head. "I want you to promise me you won't talk like that again."

"Fine…" Luna sniffled. Hearing approaching footsteps, she pushed herself away and wiped her eyes. When Bang walked in with two bowls of food in hand, he noticed Luna's slightly redden eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Luna is fine! She doesn't need some scruffy old man worrying about her!" She sniffed once, then again, detecting the scent wafting from the hot bowls. Bang handed the siblings their food and smiled as the pair ate with gusto. In what felt like seconds they finished the meals and sighed contentedly as if they haven't eaten in months. Judging by their frail frames he suspected that was the case.

"That was delicious. Thank you." Sena gave a proper bow.

"I-It was alright. Thanks."

"It was my pleasure. May I ask for your names properly? You called yourselves Ms. Luna and Mr. Sena, correct?"

"Luna never told you her name! Oh… well, she might have."

"Haha! Such vibrant children." Bang refrained from inquiring of their parents. If travelling had done anything for him, it was deducing information from the smallest details. When young children like these ran about without supervision in a place like this, it meant two things: their parents had abandoned them or they were dead. "My name is Bang Shishigami. You may call me Master. I also accept Brother."

"What?! Hell no, pedo!"

"Thank you for the meal then, Mr. Bang."

Bang smiled and patted both their heads. "Get some sleep you two. I'm sure it has been a long day."

Luna shook her head to remove his hand and glared as he made his way to the door. "Don't go touching Luna, creepo!"

"Luna, Sena, there is nothing more saddening than hearing things like murder uttered from a child's mouth so easily." The siblings hushed and flinched at that. "If you like, I wouldn't mind if you joined me. I swear to you, I mean no harm, but the choice is yours."

"W-where are you going?" Luna asked

"My home. I have enough space for a few more passengers, if you wish to come. That is all I wish to say. Good night." Bang flashed a warm smile before retreating to his own room for the evening.

"So, what do you think?" Sena asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Going with Mr. Bang. Should we?"

Luna was about to bark a "hell no" but his words forced some rational thought into her brain. "Luna doesn't know… Can't we think about this tomorrow?" She turned off the lamp, set their bowls on the table, and crawled beneath the sheets beside her brother. They almost forgot how it felt not to sleep in garbage.


Rachel nodded approvingly at the map given to them by the guild leader who sat behind his desk, hands folded, doing his best to keep his smile on. "Yes, this is very well made. I must confess, I did not expect such fine attention to detail."

"We do our best," he said, voice cracking a little.

"I cannot deny the quality, however," she waved the map, "I would ask how much we must pay for this. We were told maps cost little more than two nights at a local inn. Were we wrong?"

"Yeah, were we?" Gii echoed.

The man shook his head and hands quickly. "N-no! The customer is always right. I don't know what those idiots downstairs were thinking when they tried charging you so much silver."

"I love it when a man is so cooperative. It makes everything run smoothly," Nago said.

Ragna slouched on the couch, kicking his feet up. "So how much is it?"

"I decided on a special deal of just five silver!"

"Someone's feelin' generous, not that I'm complaining. Before we go, there's something on my mind. Do you run this town?"

"No. This town is run by our governor, Mordio."

"Where is he?" Ragna inquired.

"He lives in this town's capital."

"Capital?"

"Yes. There are five towns under one governor. Crawmen, Greenstone, Yokern, Watercrest, and Tyjr. Tyjr, our capital, is where Mordio lives. Why do you ask?"

Ragna stood and approached the desk. "Just curious about why this place looks like a shit shack compared to Crawmen, that's all. You wouldn't happen to know the reason, would you?"

"I…"

Rachel joined the conversation. "Have you aligned yourself with a third party? One more imposing than the meat sacks downstairs?"

"W-why would you think that?"

"I find it hard to believe the people of this town haven't left knowing they are being extorted, unless they are also being threatened. From the members you currently have, you do not hold the manpower to keep an entire town under your thumb," Rachel said.

"...You didn't hear this from me." Ragna rolled his eyes to the oh-so original line, all ears. "The people downstairs don't belong here. They belong to a different guild, the Shadow Hunters, and they've been accumulating power around this region for four months now. It started off as just a small loan when we were in a pinch, but interest piled up faster than I thought. And soon…"

"You got the townsfolk involved in your mess," Ragna finished. "Where're the members that're supposed to be here?"

"Either dead or working for these Shadow Hunters to keep up this foolish charade, I take it?" Rachel assumed, earning a nod from the guild head. "Have you any valuables these people may want?"

"One town does. A while back, some mages excavated a rune mine in Watercrest with help from the Royal Crest."

"Runes? The hell're those?"

The guild head simply explained instead of questioning their ignorance. "They're stones that have been imbued with ether over centuries. They're natural and can't be made artificially, which makes them even more valuable and Watercrest a target for the criminal underworld." The man's eyes darted in every direction, then he whispered, "You can't stay here for too long, you have to go before more of the Shadow Hunters show up."

"We can handle a few idiots, no worries."

"I'm not saying to be careful for your sake, but ours. The slightest slip-up could raise the debt higher and god knows what they'll do to me or the people living here. You saw them all, right?"

Ragna scoffed. "At the end of the day, it's your own ass you're more worried about than the people here. Whatever. So, where can we find these Shadow Hunters?"

"I don't know where they're stationed here. I know their main base is located on the western continent of Illycia, where the five master guilds call home in the Guild City of Verste, but…"

"But?" Rachel quirked a brow.

"I feel like there's something else going on. Even though the Shadow Hunters are one of the five master guilds, they shouldn't have this much influence to spread across our towns and organize like this while keeping a positive front to customers outside of Illycia."

"Which makes you think someone else is backin' 'em, or this might not even be the doing of the Shadow Hunters, but idiots using their names? Yeah, that makes sense."

"The Kingdom of Illia is on this continent, correct? Have they not caught wind of such atrocities?"

"No. Even if they did, they wouldn't interfere."

Rachel frowned. "Why not?"

He shook his head and sighed. "When you choose to join a guild, you resign all citizenship you have because you go against their rules and regulations, so we're on our own. This guild used to be lively, bustling… but now it's a safe haven for these bastards."

"I see. Well, time we got going. I guess that's the end of our business here, right?" Ragna flicked three silver coins onto the guild head's desk. When he and Rachel returned downstairs, groans and moans greeted their ears as its members remained scattered about the place. Some hung from the upstairs balcony and chandeliers, others lay upon tables and littered the floor beside their shattered weapons and gear. Ragna and Rachel carefully stepped over them on their way out.

"What a rowdy bunch." Rachel patted her dress and fixed her hair a bit. "Exerting myself in such a fashion is simply unbecoming of a lady."

"Says the one who threw the first punch," Ragna deadpanned as they headed for the inn.

"Because you decided to agitate them."

"Don't bullshit me. You got pissed because that guy called you a 'little girl.' I saw it in your eyes. You looked like you were gonna kill him." Nago and Gii didn't say it, but they saw it in their mistress' eyes, too.

"If he is unable to discern a child from a woman, he is not worth throwing a fit over."

"Yet you left him as a smoldering heap of charcoal. You're a shit liar, y'know that?" They turned down another street.

"And you still have no tact when it comes to speaking to a lady."

"Look who isn't denying it."

"I have nothing further to say on the matter." Rachel sped up a bit and entered the inn first, but looked back when Ragna halted a few steps away. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, I think I left something back at the guild hall."

"How clumsy can you be? Is it that locket?"

"Seems that way. I just hope it didn't get lost in the brawl. I'll be back in a bit." Ragna waved and set off, walking until the inn and Rachel were out of sight. "Okay… time to pay these Shadow Hunter guys a visit. Better to nip this in the bud before shit gets complicated." He smirked when one of the guys he previously beat into the cobblestone stumbled out the guild doors. "And I found the perfect tour guide."

A big thanks to my beta Wild Blue Sonder, the wind beneath my wings. Several re-writes had to be done before I was satisfied. I contribute most of this to Sonder, though, and always appreciate her willingness to help me.

AnimeReaper82: Some chapters will be very info dumpy and I will keep cliffhangers to a minimum... or at the very least try.

Crimsondemon666: I hope the fight scenes have improved and the story is better paced.

ArmantusCumPinnae: Elder doesn't always mean old as dirt. Like Ragna is Jin's elder. I can see the confusion, but it depends on context when the word is used.

QueenBitch: Hopefully this chapter's fights were better than the previous.

BigBoys: Glad the newbie feeling is going well.

HeavyDick: I see what you mean there; don't worry. Thanks for the words of wisdom.

Herald of Justice: My luck isn't so shit I would be some god's chew toy.

Guest: Here you go.