"Must be a storm cell above us." Natsu murmured as he pulled his head inside the back of the truck that they were riding in. It was a two-and-a-half tonne six-by-six that belonged to a farmer who lived on the other side of Papaver. The farmer had allowed him and Lelyanna to ride in the back of the truck. Unfortunately, there wasn't room in the cabin as it was only a two-seater and the man had brought along his son to help with offloading a delivery. "The rain doesn't seem to be letting up, and it's pretty dark out there."

"Thankfully, they have a canvas canopy over the back of the truck." Lelyanna remarked while lifting her gaze from the man to the dull grey material around them. She was sitting on a small wooden box beside the opening at the rear, and had been watching the man who seemed right at home being transported like this. The woman pulled the heavy coat tighter around her body, trying to keep the warmth in as thin white mist escaped her lips with every breath. "It must have come down from the mountains… How much longer?"

Natsu turned his arm over and looked at his watch which sat against the underside of his wrist. "We've been on the road for about fifteen minutes, so another fifteen, give or take." A knock on the glass at the back of the cabin drew his attention and the pinkette walked over as the middle-aged farmer slid it open. "Trouble, Frank?"

"Just a tree that fell across the road. We're going to have to either chop it up or try and move it with Betsy." The man replied, glancing over his shoulder as he pointed to the fallen tree that they were approaching. He started shifting down through gears and slowing down as they drew near. "Damn, she's a big one."

"Stay in the truck and keep it running and ready to go. I'll take care of the obstacle." Natsu turned and walked to the back of the truck, stopping with his foot on the tailgate and looking down at his companion. "Lelyanna, move to the front and have your pistol ready; I don't know if this is nature's work or a group of bandits so I want you to be prepared."

"Ok." Lelyanna rose to her feet and slipped her M12 free of its holster, taking off the safety with a flick of her thumb as she picked up the wooden crate. "Would you like your coat?"

"No, hold onto it. Like I said before we got onto the train, I'd rather you don't catch a cold, plus it also offers you protection." The man stepped up and over the tailgate, landing with a splash onto the compacted dirt road. He moved to the back left of the truck and glanced down the side, looking down along the ditch at the side of the road. With nothing spotted, he moved to the back right and checked that side. Again, it seemed clear, so he moved along the right side with his hand gripping his pistol. The heavy rain was making it difficult to get a sense of things, it muddied his hearing and made it difficult to pick up scents but his eyes were as sharp as ever even in darkness, thanks to his chemical enhancements. He reached the tree, illuminated by the truck's lights, and glanced around in search of foul play, for signs that it had been knocked or dragged into their path.

"How's it lookin', Kid?!" Frank called out, and when Natsu looked back over his shoulder, he saw the man hanging out the window.

"I think the wind uprooted it, the water must have softened the ground and it came right over." Natsu replied loudly. It was true, he couldn't detect any emotions around them but that didn't mean some cunning monster hadn't laid the trap, and he had no clue whether he could sense monsters.

"Do we need Betsy?"

Ignoring the middle-aged man, Natsu grabbed the thirty-centimetre-thick trunk which creaked and cracked as he drove his fingers into the wood to get a better grip on the slick surface. The large tree parted from the road with ease as the man casually lifted it and tossed it a few dozen metres off to the left of the road. When he turned back to the truck, he was met with the two gobsmacked men who had yet to collect their jaws from the floor of the truck. Natsu walked over to Frank's open window and glanced around them. "Let's get a move on before something comes along and tries to pick a fight."

"Right. Hop in." Frank nodded but the man had already begun walking down the length of the truck. He glanced out the side mirror at the drenched man who looked like some upper-class noble but had the air of someone who you shouldn't try and mess with, the way he walked, the way his eyes swept the surroundings, it was too professional to be just another ritzy wannabe.

"I'm coming up." Natsu announced as he knocked his knuckled against the tailgate, he heard a gentle sigh and a faint click; a safety being switched back on. He placed his hands on the gate and pulled himself up and over as Lelyanna knocked against the glass to let Frank know they can move on. "I couldn't pick up on anything."

"Human nor monster?" Lelyanna asked as she made her way back to the opening and sat down on the box in the corner.

"I couldn't see anything unusually in the ditches or beyond, and the rain is hampering hearing and smell, so I couldn't get the full picture." The man replied, groaning softly as he sat down on the bare wooden tray with his knees up and his head tipped forward. He rested his arms atop his knees and yawned softly. "Though, we still don't know if I can detect monsters with my empathetic sense like I can humans."

"I have to admit, it did seem very odd."

"Chalk it up to the ongoing storm, I suppose." Natsu flared his magic and all the water on him instantly became steam which rose off his body in visible plumes. "If this keeps up then it'll make tracking people harder; while scents linger in pools of water, the heavy rain washes away any tracks they may have made and it could also wash away the scents and cause a diversionary trail."

"Say, Natsu." Lelyanna stood up and dragged the box across the wood-panel bed and sat back down next to the man, putting the coat around them both the best she could to take advantage of his warmth. "It's so dark that I can barely see you from across the truck, did what they do to you make your night vision better?"

"Yeah, I've got really good low-light vision but colours get washed out at the point, going so far as to be shades of grey. Thanks to my chemical enhancements, I can see into the infrared spectrum, but my brain had to adapt to naturally switch between them like it would adjusting from light to dark. It's called Infrared Night Vision, I believe nocturnal animals are capable of seeing in the dark because of it, though don't quote me on that." Natsu turned to look back down the dirt. "So, I can see pretty well with what little light is coming through the clouds or is bouncing around from the ambient lights. But in total darkness, I can't see shit. No light, no sight. But that's what these are for…" He drew his pistol from his right thigh and tapped the module attached to the under-barrel rail. "It's a laser and light combo. One ultra-bright LED torch with variable brightness and can strobe to blind and disorient whatever poor fucker is on the receiving end, one infrared floodlight to illuminate an area in non-visible light, and two lasers; one a powerful green laser, and the other an infrared laser."

"Why doesn't my pistol have one of those?"

"I took it off." Natsu replied, sparing the pouting woman a quick glance and rolling his eyes. "Come on, you could easily blind yourself with them. So, I was waiting until you were used to the gun before I gave you the attachment." He turned the gun on its side and tapped the controller with his fingertips, cycling between the different features to show the woman while keeping the torch's brightness down to not distract the two farmers up front.

"So, what if you didn't have any torches and were stuck deep underground or in some ruins?" Lelyanna drew her own pistol and gazed down at it as she held it loosely on her lap. "Could I have one now?"

"Sure. Don't worry about the IR laser or floodlight, you won't be able to see those like I can, so just stick to the normal light and green laser." Natsu attached the module to her pistol and fastened the controller to her grip. "If I didn't have any light, even IR light, I won't be able to see. Like I said. However, I do still have my hearing and sound does bounce off walls and objects so I can kinda hear that and build a mental picture. I'm not great at it, but due to my hearing and sense of smell, it's hard for things to get the drop on me."

Once he had finished with the pistol, Lelyanna gripped it and knelt by the tailgate. She brought it up and looked down the sights while lightly rubbing her fingers against the controller. "It feels a little odd, but I can get used to it." After being instructed on how to use it and playing around the module to ingrain the controls in her mind, the truck began to slow and the road surface changed as they passed the first set of buildings, so she slid the pistol back into the holster under her arm and adjusted her half-cloak to ensure it was hidden. She rose to her feet but sagged slightly when the coat was draped around her once again.

"Let's find an Inn and book a room for a few days, we don't know just how long this will take so it'll be best to keep one reserved for us while we're here." Natsu dropped down to the ground once they came to a stop and turned quickly, helping the priestess down from the truck. They walked to the driver's side where Frank sat halfway out the open door. "Thanks for the lift, Frank." He fished out some coins from a pouch on his belt and handed it to the balding man. "The agreed upon amount."

Frank counted the coins quickly then pocketed them with a toothy smile, he gave Natsu and Lelyanna a respectful nod. "Have a good night, you two. And I hope you can get to the bottom of the disappearances soon."

"Stay safe, Frank." Lelyanna bowed her head then quickly turned and hurried under the nearby awning. She was soon joined by Natsu who left with a brief wave over his shoulder at the truck. The bluish-silver-haired woman fumbled with her hood and brought out her veil from the hidden pocket and let it hang down and obscure the top half of her face. "Ok. We just need to find the Inn…"

"I can hear a large cluster of voices further up this main road." Natsu turned his head and nodded down the direction that Frank's truck was heading. "Seems like even in weather like this, people still frequent their local pub."

They had to cross a few intersections to reach the Inn, but once they got out front, the noise from inside overpowered the pouring rain. "The Ram's Ranch…?" Lelyanna murmured quietly and tilted her head to the side. She turned to look up at the man who couldn't help but smirk. "Who would name an Inn after a ranch, and why just rams? Is this some kind of bordello?"

"No." Natsu chuckled softly as he grinned up at the sign. He raised his body temperature and quickly dried himself before placing a hand on the woman's shoulder and running his magic aura down her body. Since they were under the Inn's awning, he took the coat from her and put it back on quickly. "I don't hear anything unusual inside, so you don't have to worry about people fucking on tables. But expect crude remarks to be tossed at you and be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't happen."

Lelyanna's shoulders slumped as she let out a small groan. "I'll temper my sense of decency in expectation…" She straightened up and took a deep breath before pushing open the door and letting out the racket. They hadn't even made it a third of the way to the bar before whispers spread about the room and it gradually fell silent as all eyes fell upon the woman as she gracefully walked among them.

"Welcome to the Ram's Ranch, Madam Priestess." The purple-haired bartender bowed her head as she dried a mug with a fresh white cloth, her voice harsh and dry from heavy use. "How can I help you?"

"Do you have any rooms available? We've come on business and were looking for somewhere to stay a few nights." The priestess heard a collective shiver run around the tavern due to her gentle dulcet voice and she let out a small, subtle sigh. "Twin beds are preferable."

"I'm sorry, but with so many people taking shelter from the storm, we only have a few rooms left and they only have a single bed in each room; double and queen beds." The bartender glanced up at the taller man then back to the priestess. "Would you like to share a room with your companion or have separate rooms?"

"It's fine." Lelyanna smiled softly and sat down on the stool in front of her. "One room with a queen will be fine, and probably safer for me."

"Probably best if we had a room for week, so we have ample time to investigate every lead and deal with the cause." Natsu chimed in as he took a seat next to the hooded woman. He felt the attention shift away from them and the rumble of chatter, laughter, and shouts fill the front of house. "I'm willing to pay the full amount upfront even if we don't end up needing a full week."

"You're here about the disappearances?"

"Yes."

"Well," The bartender placed the glass away and put the cloth over her shoulder as she leaned in. "I'll be happy to cut you a deal since you plan on paying a week upfront, and you're helping our town. How does seventy-percent of the listed price sound?" She pointed over her shoulder at a series of black boards line up on the wall, one had food, another drinks, and the third had accommodation per night. "The names Joline, by the way."

The man did some quick mental calculations and shook the woman's hand. "You have a deal, Joline." He fished the coins from his pouch and placed them on the bar as the women grabbed the lodging book from a draw behind her. "Call me Báleygr."

"Odd name you have there. You must be the Jaeger the town requested." Joline noted as she filled out most of the booking before turning it around and handing the fountain pen to the man. "Just put the name down and sign off please." She quickly hurried off to serve someone who came up to the bar before coming back and checking the book. "All seems in order."

"Here." Natsu handed over some coins and looked up at the drinks menu, he recognised a few names, thankfully a few of the older brands he liked were around in this world. "Can I get a bottle of brandy, XO Monnet, please."

"Huh. I didn't take you for someone who would like Midian liquor." The barkeeper grabbed down a circular bottle filled with a rich dark-amber liquid and placed it in front of the man with a sniffer glass before turning to the woman dressed in white and gold. "What about you, Madam Priestess? Oh, and what should I call you?"

"Archbishop Lelyanna." The silvery-haired woman gave a small cute smile and turned her gaze up to the menu. "A glass of Pinot Noir, please."

Joline smiled and poured her desired drink, she quickly darted down the bar to a series of hooks and took a key with an ornately carved dark-wood tag from one. "Don't worry about paying for those drinks." She informed the pinkette as she saw his hand slip beneath his coat once more. "Those two are on me tonight, even the bottle. Consider it thanks for coming to this small town and helping us, and in this weather too. I know there would be some who would have seen the weather and left us out to dry, so to speak."

"The storm itself doesn't bother me." Natsu replied, waving the statement away with a casual flick of his hand but he sensed that Lelyanna caught onto the perfect lie and her concealed gaze drifted to him out the corner of her eye. "But what does concern me is how it would affect tracks and trails. Who would be the best person to talk to about the case?"

"The town guards. Their guard house is just off the main street here." Joline pointed further down the main road. "If you turn left at the next intersection and head up the hill, you'll find their building after about three-hundred-metres, can't miss it."

"Thanks." The pinkette replied, pocketing the key then uncorking the bottle with a satisfying pop. He gave the liquor a quick sniff and smiled blissfully. "Ahh, perfect." He poured himself a glass then re-corked the bottle and sent it away for safe keeping. As he picked up the glass, he turned on the stool to face the archbishop, swirling the glass slowly as his body heat warmed the alcohol and made it more fragrant. "I think we'll head over after breakfast and see what they've found so far."

"Yes, if there are any injured people then it's best that we find them quickly as it makes their chances of survival higher." Lelyanna gracefully turned to the man and slid her left leg over her right as she took a sip from her wineglass. Her bright smile was tinted a rich red from the wine and it seemed like she was wearing lipstick which had a nice contrast to her pale skin. But her smile quickly faltered as she placed the glass back down on the bar, thanks to a burly arm coming to rest across her delicate shoulders and the harsh smell of sweat and intoxication wafting into her nose. She slowly glanced at the person responsible as her hand slipped under her cloak, finding a red-faced giant of a man breathing down her neck. "Can I help you?"

"Leave the Archbishop alone, Lawrence." Joline warned the musclebound man with a quick glance at the pinkette, surprised to see him still swirling the glass of brandy and just watching the events unfold with a devilish grin, one which exposed his inhuman fangs. "Seriously…" She quickly hissed as the entire pub fell silent. "I don't think you should mess around with her."

Ignoring the barkeeper, Lawrence leaned in closer and cupped the woman's cheek with his large hand. "I can think of a few ways you could help me, your Ladyship." He slurred, he glanced up at the pinkette and grew angry at the sly grin and dark eyes that stared deep into him, mocking him. "Why don't you come with me an' I'll put that cute mouth of yours…" The man was quickly silenced by a small cold circle pressing against his ribs, from right beside him. His eyes flicked down to her cloak but nothing seemed unusual, but the cold merciless feeling was undoubtedly a handgun pressed against him, a faint click only served to reinforce that idea.

"That was the safety coming off of a high-powered handgun chambered in ten-millimetre pressed against your ribcage." Natsu informed the man, smoothly. He took a sip of the brandy and placed the glass down on the bar before rising to his feet and slipping his coat off, folding it haphazardly on top of the bar. "With how she is holding it, if she is provoked into pulling that trigger, the bullet will shoot right through your heart. Of course, she'll get covered in blood, but I think that's preferable to being invited to spend a night with you. Hell, I'd prefer the bullet myself, at least then I'd feel something." His devilish fanged grin never faded as he slowly rolled his sleeves up past the elbow. "Now. Will you give her some space, or will I need step in?"

Lawrence stared blankly at the smaller man, but quickly stumbled back when he was jabbed in the ribs by the metal circle pressed against him. However, in his haste to move out of the firing line, he dragged his hand across the woman's face and pulled her hood back, revealing her stunningly beautiful features, her shoulder-length shimmering bluish-silver hair and striking pale-turquoise eyes as she spun to her feet and brought the handgun out from her cloak, holding it level with his wide chest. But he noticed something in her eyes, fear and uncertainty, her hands shook lightly as she gripped the gun, she probably wouldn't have the guts to pull the trigger.

"That's enough, sit back down and enjoy your drink." Natsu murmured as he placed his hand on the top of the gun and lowered it slowly, his thumb flicking it onto safe on the way down. He gave her a small smile when she glanced at him but nodded shortly after and slowly slipped the pistol back under her arm with one last glance at gigantic man. Once she was seated, Natsu turned his gaze to the taller man, raising his head so he could look into his eyes as the devilishly sly and slightly wicked grin returned to his lips, his fangs glistening in the light. His voice was soft, playful, yet somehow it was even more menacing than if he was growling at the large man who stood over a head taller than him. "Now you… Are you going to show me a good time, or are you going to run home with piss and shit running down your legs?"

"Why you…" Lawence wanted to strangle the man, wipe that insolent grin from his face and knock the fangs out of his mouth, but something in the back of his mind was causing him to hesitate. No normal man would have fangs like that, unless they were prosthetic yet these looked all too real and all too sharp. And then there was his hollow eyes, a green so dark that they might as well be black voids, portals to the abyss which radiated with unfathomable power and intent. They had seen things he couldn't even comprehend. "You BASTARD!"

With that roar echoing around the hall, Natsu lazily turned his body side-on as a large fist soared right across his vision. He stuck out a foot and caught the man mid-charge, sending him tumbling to the floor with minimal effort, which he accentuated by casually reaching back to grab his glass of brandy and take a sip. "Ah." He sighed softly and placed the drink back down before turning to the man sprawled out on the floor. He was no longer grinning, instead sporting a disinterested expression as he stared blankly at the heap of intoxicated trash, even his voice had lost its previous mischievous inflection and had become flat, with a subtle amount of disapproval thrown in for good measure, like he was scolding a child. "Now, had you been in any state to actually put up a fight, or had even warranted me using even the smallest degree of force, I can guarantee that you'd be limping around worse than my late wife after a rather long night of intense love making." He gently hooked his foot under the man's stomach and flicked it forward, effortlessly sending him sliding along the polished wood floor and back to the table he had come from. "Sober up, why don't you, and don't bother the archbishop again."

"I'm so sorry." Joline apologised profusely for the actions of one of her regulars, smiling weakly at the two travellers. "Lawrence is always a handful, and is always trying to pull this crap with travelling women. I hope this makes him change, and thank you for not going too hard on him."

"It's fine, I'd rather not have someone we are trying to help end up catching a bullet because they couldn't keep their hands to themselves." Natsu replied shortly. He grabbed his glass and downed the contents in a few quick gulps before placing it back down and turning to the priestess as he grabbed his coat. "Let's retire for the night, I can tell that you're stressed out, even if you aren't showing it."

"Yeah." Lelyanna whispered before downing her wine just like her companion and retreating back under her veiled hood, obscuring her features from onlookers. "Thank you for the drink, Joline." She rose from her stool and followed the man upstairs and away from the noise.

Natsu yawned softly, slowly awakening seemingly fully refreshed from what felt like the first peaceful night he has had in a very long time. "Hmm… the rain has stopped…" He murmured softly as he checked the time on his watch. It was a bit after eight but he didn't want to drag himself out of bed just yet, it wasn't that he wanted more sleep but due to the woman who had wormed her way between his arms at some point during the night and was sleeping peacefully, enveloped in his warmth. She had her head resting on his left bicep and was hugging his right arm like a teddy bear, so he checked his watch once more and decided to give her another half-an-hour to wake up. By the time his minute-hand reached the bottom of his watch and Lelyanna still hadn't woken up, he slowly slid his arm from her grip and carefully took his other one out from under her head, making sure she was resting on the pillow before he extracted himself from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. It wasn't until he had finished showering and stook in front of the mirror, brushing his teeth, that a gentle knock came from the door. "Hmm?"

"Natsu?" The door slowly opened and a pale-turquoise eye peeked through the gap before the woman on the other side let out a relieved sigh and pushed it open fully. "Thank the goddess that you're in a towel… Did you sleep well?"

Natsu nodded and spat the toothpaste into the sink. He made sure wash out his mouth before he addressed the priestess. "Yes, for once." He cleaned the brush and set it aside as he turned to the woman. Her pale skin was slightly flushed but she was smiling kindly, dressed in a short silver nightie with spaghetti straps, it barely reached the middle of her thighs and followed the curve of her body almost snugly. His eyes were subconsciously drawn to her perky breasts and their little nubs that stood at attention, creating peaks in the small dress, it didn't help that it was cinched right under her bust and emphasised their pert nature. "We must have sought after each other's presence. You were cuddling my arm like it was a stuffed animal, and I had you in my arms."

"Ah." Lelyanna's blush deepened a little and she glanced away from him with a small embarrassed smile. "Your warmth must had drawn me in…" She returned her gaze back to the man and her smile widened into sincere happiness. "You look much better than I have ever seen you, you haven't been sleeping well since before you came here, have you?"

"No."

"Well," The cute woman linked her fingers behind her back and slowly sauntered over to his side, looking up at him with her faintly sparkling pale eyes. "I'm glad I was able to help you be free of your nightmares, even if it was just for one night. If you ever feel like it is becoming too much to bear, you can just let me know. You said it yourself, after all; nothing comes above the welfare of your companion."

"Those weren't my exact words." Natsu sighed softly but returned her gentle smile as he turned back to the mirror, leaning in as he ran his hand along his lengthening facial hair. "But you're correct in the general premise. What do you think; shave, trim, or leave it?"

Lelyanna reached up and slowly slid her fingers into the pink hair, running her fingertips against his jaw as she hummed in thought. "Trim it down, first. Short and neat. With your hair being long for a man, and swept back, I think having stubble or just a tad longer than that would suit you better than nothing at all."

"Alright." Natsu reached into his toiletries bag and took out his electric clippers, thankfully they were battery powered and they had a long charge life in his world so he wouldn't have to worry about it just yet. He noticed Lelyanna was staring at it curiously as he placed a comb on it and started it up. "Don't have something like this here?"

"Nothing as portable as that." Lelyanna replied as she watched the device easily pass through his thick facial hair and shorten it down to just about a half-a-centimetre. "I just use a safety razor for my hair." She murmured then immediately covered her mouth with her hand as her ears lit up a rosy red, which spread to her cheeks when she noticed the man left eye turn to her and slowly run down her body. "You didn't hear that, those sensitive ears didn't hear me say anything, ok?"

"I mean, it's not like I didn't notice how soft and smooth your legs were." Natsu shrugged his shoulders, teasing her lightly before getting back to trimming the hair, he switched to smaller combs to gradually taper and style it until he had a nice, neat cut.

"I wasn't talking about just my legs and underarms…" Lelyanna whispered bashfully through her fingers, her head turned away from the man as she hugged herself with her left arm. "I just… like the smooth feeling more than having stuff there… and I get super sensitive every time I shave…" Her voice trailed off into a faint murmur as her whole face became tinted pink and she turned her back to the man.

"Do you really expect me to give you a hard time for maintaining a standard of personal hygiene and grooming yourself? You do what you need to do to make you feel proud of yourself, for me, I like to look and smell nice since when I'm on the battlefield, it gets difficult to maintain any level of self-grooming beyond basic maintenance." Natsu chuckled softly and brushed all the trimmings into the sink and incinerated them in an instant then washed what little remained down the drain. He looked into the mirror and swept his hands through his hair, styling it into the usual windswept spikes, and put the clippers away. He took out two bottles, he sprayed his deodorant first then a touch of cologne before putting them away and closing the bag. "Room's all yours now."

"Thank you." The slender woman calmed her flaming cheeks then followed him out to the bedroom but once she grabbed her rucksack, she disappeared back into the room and closed the door behind her.

Once the man was dressed in all bar his coat, he sat down on the edge of the bed and brought out his guitar. While he played, he closed his eyes and listened as his fingers danced across the fretboard. There was playing no particular song in his mind, he was only playing from the heart and let his experienced fingers do all the work. It wasn't until the bed sank slightly that he noticed the familiar presence of the priestess who had finished getting ready and sat down to enjoy the music. "Ready to go?"

"Yes." Lelyanna smiled softly and disappeared behind her hood and veil. "I wonder what they have for a breakfast menu?"

"Let's go find out." Natsu sent the instrument away and rose from the bed, grabbing his coat from the stand on his way out the door but he stored it in his magical pocket dimension instead of wearing it. He locked the door behind the silver-haired woman then followed her through the hall and down the stairs. Their breakfast was uneventful, the front-of-house was almost baren with only the number of customers able to be counted on one hand, including themselves. And once they were outside, they were thankfully not met with rain, though the dark overcast sky seemed to be threatening them with another downpour. "She said down the right and then turn left, it should be somewhere up the hill?"

"Something along those lines. We could go ask again?"

"No, it's fine. A little bit of exploring never hurt anyone, until they ran into wild animals or monsters that is." A flash cross Natsu's back as he started down the road, his temporary weapon appearing from within. He followed the instructions given by Joline the previous night and when he reached the first intersection, he glanced up the hill and focused on a towers-shaped emblem emblazoned on a wooden shield hung out the front of a building. "Looks like that's the place."

"Where?" Lelyanna asked quietly. She squinted her eyes to try and make out whatever stood out to the man but quickly gave up and shifted her consciousness to his body. "You know, I can't help but be envious every time I see things from your perspective…"

'Quit your pouting and come on.' Natsu smirked lightly at the audible pout in the voice in his head and glanced at the woman beside him. As the presence left him, the vacant smile on the priestess' lips drooped and she physically pouted at him. Now that she was back in her own body, the man glanced up and down the road before quickly crossing and walking up the hill with long strides. "Hopefully they'll be helpful, and not just a bunch of lazy arseholes."

"You know, you've been somewhat pessimistic ever since we left Magnolia." The archbishop murmured softly as she hurried to his side and tried to match his trained cadence.

"I've just learnt the hard way to expect the worst, and trust my instincts."

The guard post seemed to be a large townhouse which had been converted into a combined office and barracks for the town's guards, with the front door leading directly into the office and waiting room. As they entered into the reception, they were met with a burly man wearing a mixture of leather and steel armour.

"Hmm… you aren't from here. You're dressed too well for a place like this." The man noted, running a pair of narrowed eyes up the length of the pinkette but they drifted away as a pure-white garb embellished with gold stepped out behind him. The guard quickly rose to his feet and bowed respectfully to the woman. "Ah. Your Grace. What can I do for you?"

"We're here to investigate the missing persons case that had been sent into the Jaeger Association." Lelyanna informed the guard as she took a step past Natsu, her hands neatly folded in front of her hips. "We were wondering if there was any information you could provide us?"

"Specifically; I need access to reports, to the property belonging to the missing people if they were taken from their homes, descriptions of those taken, and if possible, I need access to any dead bodies yet to be processed."

"Ah. Let me check with the boss." The guard replied, glancing up at the stone-faced man before exiting the small room he was sat in through a door in the back. Natsu could hear the conversations beyond the walls but nothing seemed out of the ordinary, he did suspect foul play on the guards' part, that they weren't doing their job properly and either covering up the incidences or aiding whatever was behind it but it seemed that he was concerned about nothing, at least for now, as the man came back to them through a door to their right, followed by an older, grizzled man. Both men had a simple sabre hanging on their left hip and a revolver holstered on their right. "Let me introduce Station Sergeant Remick, he is the guard in charge of this post."

The scarred man removed his hat and bowed his head to the priestess. "Your Grace." He turned to the pinkette and his eyes narrowed slightly before he stuck out his hand. "Hmm. You're young, but you've seen your fair share of hell. You served?"

"Yes, but not here. Where I came from was wiped off the maps, not many survived, so I came here to make a new living." Natsu replied as he took the man's hand and returned the firm handshake. "Báleygr. I'm the Jaeger responding to the request. The lady accompanying me is her Grace, Lelyanna, an Archbishop from Magnolia who travels with me so she can help the injured we come across."

"Come through to the back." Remick waved for them to follow him as he walked back to the door and held it open. "It started out as a woman gone missing during the night. She was on her way home but didn't make it, the husband came in the next morning. We found torn clothing and lengths of her blonde hair, there were signs of a struggle, like she was dragged away but the trail died off. This was little over a month ago."

"She'd be long gone then. Either sold into slavery and raped daily by some rich fucker for the rest of her life or used up and killed by monsters needing to reproduce. If the latter was the case, you can expect that she was slowly eaten too; first hands and feet, the arms and legs. As long as the prisoner doesn't bleed out, they could be left limbless and unable to fight back as they are being used for breeding. Don't expect to recover any remains."

"Damn…" The head guard ran a hand through his closely cropped rusty-red hair as he slumped down into a leather chair. They had entered a common room where ten other guards loitered about, either playing a round of billiards, reading, or playing cards, killing time between patrol shifts. "You don't mince words, do you?"

"We can wax poetic over some brandy later if you so wish, right now I have a job to do." Natsu bared his fangs in a slight snarl as he got back to the point. "You can guarantee that the other females have fallen victim to the same tragedy. As I said to Lelyanna on the way over here, you'll either be dealing with bandit slavers, or monsters like goblins or orcs; both of which actively kidnap human females for food or use in churning out offspring."

"Right… Oi, Bobby! Grab the missing persons reports concerning the women and families who have been taken over the last month, Báleygr needs to see them." Remick called out to a man across the room, who rose from his seat and disappeared beyond another door. "Well, it started in the peripherals of the town. Farm houses to begin with, just the farmers' wives. But they quickly started nabbing entire families, children an' all. We sometimes find the men and boys of those families dead in the fields and ditches after their neighbours alerted us to them. The most recent family was a family of five living in a property right on the edge of town, two nights ago. We recovered the man and his teenaged son yesterday morning. They're on ice in the morgue under the church. Sometimes it is just singular women being targeted, sometimes it's whole families…"

"So, there is a possibility of a mother and two girls being held captive." Natsu voiced his thoughts as his eyes slowly roamed around the room. "I want to see the bodies, are they the only ones available?"

"No, we also have one family of four, the father and two sons are also in the morgue. Unfortunately, the rest that had been recovered have already been processed by the mortician and the priestess of our local church has already seen to the burial of the earlier ones. When we received word that there was a response to our request, we had them hold the most recent bodies in the condition we found them in should we be asked to provide access to them."

"Here you go, Sir." Bobby quickly interjected as he placed a stack of reports onto the table next to the pinkette, each enclosed in sturdy off-yellow envelopes.

"I'll read these later." Natsu placed his hand on top of the full-size envelopes and sent them away in a burst of white light without taking his eyes off the Station Sergeant in front of him. "Those bodies take precedence, they'll shed light on what could be responsible for these murders and kidnappings."

"Alright…" Remick groaned lightly as he pushed himself up out of the comfortable chair and grabbed his slouch hat from the nearby rack and a bolt-action rifle from a second rack. The rifle had a sling fitted to the wooden frame, allowing the guard to hang it over his shoulder as he pushed open the door and held it for the duo. "The church is further up the hill."

The church wasn't as grand as Lelyanna's cathedral, in fact it was far smaller than the monumental structure. Like the larger building, it had a tall bell-tower with an exposed brass bell, and was shaped like a cross except the top was against the street unlike the cathedral. Remick was about to push open the grand double doors when the Archbishop boldly strode past him and pushed her way into the building. She gracefully glided between the pews toward a shocked woman dressed in white and adorned with polished brass who had been sweeping the wooden platform at the end of the room, right in front of a polished white stone statue of Ceres.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, Sister." Lelyanna's gentle dulcet voice bounced around the high ceiling, accompanied by the smooth cadence of the ex-shock trooper and the hurried thuds of the head guard who rushed after the archbishop. "But I have a request to make."

"Y-y-your Grace?" The priestess' veiled face flushed from the shock of meeting someone as notable as the archbishop and she immediately bowed to the slightly younger woman. "What can I do to help, Honoured Sister?"

Remick opened his mouth to fill the woman in on the situation but was instantly stopped by the Jaeger just slightly in front of him as he held up his hand and looks back at the guard out the corner of his eye. "We can handle it from here." He quietly informed the guard before closing the distance with the archbishop and standing with his hands clasped behind his back, like a soldier at-ease.

"We require access to the bodies found in relation to the missing persons cases; to determine their cause of death and ensure that there isn't any foul play involved. Be it humans or monsters behind these incidents, the bodies will tell us the story of their deaths."

"O-of course!" The woman squeaked and leaned the broom against the wall. She quickly descended from the platform, down a short flight of stairs, and hurried to the archbishop. "Please follow me."

"I'm going to head back to the station." Remick glanced at the two city-slickers and headed back to the door. As he pulled one open, he turned back to them. "If you need anything, come find me there."

"Will do." Natsu replied as he followed the two priestesses to the front right of the cross-shaped building. They were led down a set of stairs and into the basement of the church.

"Patrick isn't here at the moment – our mortician – as he is over in Dianthus buying supplies for the mortuary." The priestess opened the nearby metal door and flicked the lights on as they entered an extremely sterile environment; white tiled floors with a slight grade which led to a drain in the corner of the room, the lower half of the walls were plated with stainless steel while the top section was painted a blinding white, even the lighting emitted from globes above them emitted a sterile white light which almost complete rid the room of shadows. "Your Grace, would you allow me to help?"

"Yes, any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and please, just call me Lelyanna, Sister?" The bluish-silver-haired woman kindly smiled as she lowered her hood, revealing her face to her fellow priestess.

"Amelia." The priestess replied softly, following the higher-ranking priestess' example and lowing her hood, revealing her amber eyes and chartreuse yellow hair which was pinned behind her head with a pair of small needle-like hairpins. The woman reached up and pulled the pins from her hair, causing it to cascade down her back and come to rest halfway down as she placed the pair of pins in a small pouch on her belt. She had lightly tanned skin, and probably saw more sun than Lelyanna did due to being in a small rural farming town instead of a city, she also had a light smattering of small freckles on her cheeks just under her eyes. "Which body would you like to inspect first?"

"We'll start with the most recent attack; apparently a father and a teen-aged son's bodies were recovered." Natsu glanced over to a line of square metal doors set in the wall to his right, some had blank slits on the front while others had names written on paper inserted into the slits.

"Martin and Brandon Gautier, then." Amelia hummed lightly and brought to gurneys to the corpse storage and opened the respective doors, letting out a thick cold fog from the chambers as she transferred the bodies to the gurneys and brought them to the centre of the room. "We determined the cause of the missing flesh to be consumption by wildlife. All the bodies reserved for your inspection have been kept as found, we haven't touched them except for putting them into cold storage so they don't degrade."

Natsu heard a heavy gulp from the woman next to him. "Not used to seeing mangled bodies?"

"N-no, you?" The usually pale woman was practically translucent and her face started to look a little green as she held a hand over her mouth, her pupils were so wide that you could barely see the colour in her pale-turquoise eyes.

"Crushed like a cluster of grapes under machines of war; shredded by large-calibre bullets; limbs and heads blasted off by high-explosives; turned into a red pulpy paste on the pavement; fountains of blood shooting out from beheaded bodies; burnt to a charred crisp; slowly dying with half their body and their entrails scattered across a bombed-out dog park; flesh and bone melting due to exposure to chemical spills…"

"Please, stop…" The woman whimpered, and even the slightly older priestess was starting to look as pale as Lelyanna was normally at the revelation of such information, despite being seemingly used to the dead coming into the morgue in less than whole condition.

Ignoring the right leg of the older male that was missing below the knee and what was above it had been chewed down to the bone by what seemed to be one or more small animals – most likely a fox or wild dog– the body was in reasonable condition. Natsu placed his hands on the gurney and leaned over the body, his eyes slowly roaming the pale corpse. "Abrasions on the stomach and chest, and the fingernails have been torn free with signs of dried blood on the fingertips; he was probably dragged along the ground and tried to dig his fingers in, or maybe they were ripped off a little later. Bruising on the arms would be consistent of them banging against the ground. Discolouration on the upper torso and neck; cause of death was probably strangulation, but he was probably tortured prior to his death." He took the limp penis in hand and inspected it, sliding back the foreskin and checking the around glans. He also lightly grasped the testicles and checked the skin of the sack. "No damage to the genitals, no incisions or needle marks. The testicles feel normal too, so I don't believe they received any blunt-force trauma. The same can't be said for other parts of the body; bruising on both wrists, and in both forearms, both of the bones appear to be broken. The bone in the right upper arm's is also broken. Heavy bruising of the skull, possible cracked skull and intracranial bleeding, even if he wasn't strangled, he wouldn't have lived long as he'd have suffered a stroke. Hmm, sunken eyelids…" He carefully parted the lids and revealed a bloody cavern inside. He ignored the retch from the women as he let out a soft hum. "Eyes have been plucked out; presence of blood means he was probably alive when it happened." Natsu rolled the corpse onto its side and checked the back. "We've got deep lacerations, hard to tell if they are from monster claws or human weapons as you can get bladed gauntlets that would give you the same results as a slash from a claw. Cut right through the back muscles and gouged the bones."

"Lady Ceres, please give me strength…" Lelyanna murmured as she held one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach, trying her hardest to keep her breakfast where it belonged.

"The son hasn't fared much better, by the look of it." Natsu voiced his thoughts as he switched to his gurney and began his inspection of the teenager. "Hmm… wound profile is slightly different. I don't believe this one died from strangulation. And there are tonnes of shallow lacerations on the back, cat-o-nine-tails?" He ran his fingers around the bruising around the neck, it was lighter than the father's, his eyes flicked up to the head and he lightly slipped his finger through the hair and pressed the skull, feeling it shift beneath his fingertips. "Severely broken skull, heavy impact by a blunt round object, maybe a large ball-peen hammer. Bone fragments would have shot right through the brain, so he was likely in the process of being strangled when he was struck in the side of the head." He looked back at the older man then to his son once more before closely inspecting the bruising on the neck. "Braided rope, they were likely being hung by the neck from something while being tortured. Which means the bruising on the wrists implies they had been bound together." Natsu quickly checked the boy's ankles, along with his father's remaining one, and found further signs bruising caused by rope. "Legs too… I'll need to see the next group to be certain…" He turned to the two priestesses and moved away from the bodies. "Amelia, can you bring out the next family."

"Alright."

Lelyanna watched her fellow priestess busy herself with corpse handling as the man walked to her. Once he was less than a metre away, she reached up and grabbed him by the collar, pulling his ear down to her lips. "What's your thoughts?"

"So far, it doesn't seem to be the M.O. for monsters. You'd think they'd use the men as a food source instead of casting them away like refuse."

"Yes, I had the same feeling when I heard that they found the men dead in fields and ditches. But we can't rule out monsters just yet…"

"We'll search for their tracks once we sort out the human issue first, being used up and eaten is one thing. But like I said, if they are being sold into slavery, they would be getting raped for the rest of the lives, and probably would have some kind of cohesion spell or item put on them to ensure they don't commit suicide to escape from their suffering."

"I agree." Lelyanna let the man go and gently smoothed out his shadow-blue shirt, just as Amelia trotted over to them. "All set?"

"Yes. From left to right, you have the father and his sons; Damon, Mathew, and Joel Trelok."

Natsu carefully checked each corpse, but came to the same conclusion as before. "Signs of a struggle, torture, and death by either strangulation, blunt-force trauma, or in the case of the youngest boy; death by haemorrhagic shock, lost so much blood that his body shut down. Poor kid doesn't look much older than ten." He leant against the wall beside the exit and watched the priestess place the bodies back into storage. And once she was done, both women came over to him. "Monsters were responsible, but not the green kind. Orc and Goblins would have eaten these bodies instead of casting away perfectly good resources, plus I'm certain the added mental damage of watching their loved ones be devoured would cause the women to lose their minds. No, the ones responsible for these particular corpses were very much human."

"The other males that came through here were in similar conditions." Amelia informed the Jaeger with a quick glance back at the square metal doors. "Scratches and cuts on their bodies, broken bones, bruises all over…"

"They were tortured and killed." Natsu summarised, slipping his left hand into his pants pocket while he ran his right through his soft long spikes. "Thanks for your assistance, Amelia. We'll head back to the guards' station and let them know what we've uncovered."

Amelia smiled politely and bowed to both of them before raising her hood and obscuring half her face with her veil, a move that Lelyanna copied before she led the way back up to the prayer hall. After swapping their farewells, they left the priestess to her church and stepped out into a gentle drizzle.

"I wish I brought an umbrella, maybe one of the stores will have some." The silver-haired woman looked up at the man next to her and noticed his gaze was directed to the top of the bell-tower. "Something wrong?"

"Wait here a moment, I want to check the view from up there." Natsu glanced down at her then back to the tower as he crouched down. He launched into the sky with perfectly managed downward pressure, ensuring that he didn't shatter the red-brick path he had been standing on. He landed on the steep roof then bounded the same height again to reach the top of the tower. A quick adjustment of his feet made sure he didn't slide off the wet tiles as he shored up his footing and slowly gazed around the town. The church was at the very top of the hill, and from his position at the top of the tower, he could see all the way to the perimeter in all directions. 'This would be perfect to keep an eye out during the night.'

"How does it look… oh my, that is high up…"

Natsu glanced down at the woman far below him then turned a little to sit against the tower's steep roof as his DMR flashed into existence in his hands. He wasn't concerned about anyone seeing it due to him being so far up that he doubted anyone would be looking at him. He looked through the scope and dialled up the magnification to maximum before slowly sweeping it across the horizon. A gasp echoed in his mind but he ignored it as he checked the fields and ditches surround the town for tracks before the rain got too heavy and washed them away.

"Wow, you can see so far with that. It's like a spyglass the navy uses."

"Yeah. I had noticed you guys don't have rifle scopes yet, at least as far as I've seen. But this scope is meant for shooting things, not observing. My binoculars have a greater zoom; ten-to-thirty-times optical magnification. This scope is six-to-ten, so you can see where my binoculars would start."

"Does it have anything special going on? That scope of yours."

"Built-in laser rangefinder, ballistic calculator, atmospheric sensor suite, compass, smart display which can link with my helmet, also has integrated multi-spectrum sensors which feed information into the sight, makes it easy to see in the dark and if you look down it, you'd be aided by the Infrared Night Vision system. All my scoped weapons have the same smart scope setup, just different magnifications. The rifle I'll grab you from my world will have one of these scopes, with a one-to-four magnification."

"I wish I could go with you to see it…"

"I'd rather you not get a lethal dose of radiation from spending a short little vacation in my homeland." He sighed and dropped down from the roof, shooting flames from his feet to slow his descent until he reached the ground and sent the rifle away, keeping it away from prying eyes. "Nothing of interest so far. Let's fill Remick in on what we found and head back to the Inn so we can get stuck into the case reports."

Lelyanna opened her eyes and smiled at the man before taking the lead and heading back down the hill. She glanced down at her clothing then back to the man just a little off her left shoulder. "Should I get some darker clothes? I think white would stand out too much at night."

Natsu frowned and quickly contemplated their options. "We could see if someone could make you something here in town, but I don't think there would be anything all that great…" He let out sigh through his clenched jaw and looked up at the dark clouds. "Ceres, got a moment?"

A flash of light in front of them was the answer he received. Leaning against the wooden fence just a few metres ahead of them was the pure-white deity herself. She brushed her hair behind her right ear and smiled softly at them. "I've got a little bit of free time, what do you need?"

"A set of Fatigues and boots that would fit Lelyanna. Specifically, a set from the Shock Troopers I belonged to."

"Ok, I need to ask two things first before I decide whether to do this or not. Firstly, why, and also, where?"

"So she doesn't ruin her garb by getting mud, blood, and guts on it. And so she could blend in better with various environments due to the special material and camouflage pattern. If you can find a recon's cowl, she'd be able to hide her hair. Actually, could you find me one too, I think that'll be really useful, my hair doesn't exactly blend in with anything. Think of it this way, we're about to be going out in the night to search in dangerous areas, a mass of white would stand out like a sore thumb and if it gets hit with a light source then she'll end up reflecting a tonne of light around the area, which basically will say 'here I am, come shoot me'…"

"Ok, I get it." Ceres held up her hands and pushed off the fence. As she walked to them, her eyes began to glow and she ran her gaze up and down the woman. "Just the clothing?"

"Yes, that's the only immediate thing. Anything else will be gathered by me when we head home."

"What happened to wanting to lie low and not draw attention?" The goddess asked curiously, crossing her arms under her bust as she leaned in and looked up at the man. "Don't you think walking around in your old combat gear would do that?"

"That was before I decided to pair up with someone. Now, I've put her life in danger by taking her out here where we could be attacked by monsters or other people. So, I want to equip her with the skills and gear to not only survive, but also give her the edge in combat encounters."

Ceres silently stared into the man's void-like eyes, continuing to ponder his request. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed that she gave him a brief nod. "Ok. Where will I find what you're after?"

"The best place would be the ship I was deployed from, the All Under Heaven. She came aground not far from where you found me, follow the gouged-out earth to the north of the Sparrow I was taking shelter in and you should come across the wreck. Thankfully, it stayed in one piece when it crash-landed."

"Got it. Are you sure you don't want me to pick up any gear, like more weapons?"

"No, I've got a good amount of gear stored up. And any weapons for Lelyanna would require training that we don't have the time or privacy for out here." Natsu gave the goddess a relieved smile and ran his hand through his wet hair, brushing it back. "I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting you to agree to doing it."

"I wasn't going to, originally. But you made a good case." Ceres turned her gaze back to her priestess and gave her a warm smile. "While I could just give your clothes the same treatment that I gave Natsu's…" The goddess paused for a moment then held her hand out, causing Lelyanna's clothes to glow faintly. "And I have. He made a good point in that if you stood out too much, you'll be easy prey for someone a few hundred metres away with a rifle and a steady hand." She turned her attention back to the man and straightened up with her hands on her hips. "I'll grab the gear and clean it. I'll probably also need to adjust their sizes a little so they are tailored to fit someone the size of Lelyanna. Hmm, should only take me two hours or so to find, cleanse, and modify the clothes, so they should be ready for you tonight."

"Thank you, Lady Ceres, for your continued assistance." Lelyanna beamed as she bowed politely to her patron deity. "Could I ask that you put the same cleaning and repairing charms on the battle gear, Natsu's too?"

"Tonight, once you are both in the outfits." The goddess smiled and waved at her two followers as she began to glow with divinity. "Toodles."

Before either mortal could respond, the deity vanished as quickly as she appeared. Natsu leant back and sighed as he stared up at the rain clouds. "Fucking toodles…?" He rolled his eyes and lowered his gaze to the woman clad in white and gold. "I should have checked before, but you're fine with those clothes?"

"Yes." Lelyanna giggled and hid her lips behind her right hand before curling her fingers beneath her chin. "I'd prefer wearing them over the armour we were talking about. It won't provide much protection, but if it's harder to see me, I'll be safer. And I know it may sound contradictory, but sometimes standing out makes you more hidden than if you were wearing something people are expecting to see. Anyway," She smiled and started to hurry down the hill. "We still need to talk to the guards, remember?"

Natsu chased after the giggling priestess as the rain began to beat down on them. He kept a few metres back from her to make it seem like she was getting away from him. It was amusing, a little light-hearted break that he sorely needed, and he knew that she needed a breather too since she wasn't used to the darker side of life.

As she slowed down, Lelyanna glanced behind her with a broad smile but it faltered as she stepped in a shallow puddle and her boot slipped along the brick path. She teetered backwards and the world slowly rotated onto its side, and for a brief moment, she experienced the heightened perception that Natsu was capable of. Everything slowed to a crawl as her hood slipped off, her eyes shooting wide open as the rain slowly fell around her. She watched as the man's muscles bulged slightly and his outline blurred before he shot forward, and thanks to her adrenaline rush, she was able to follow his movements just well enough to see him turn and slide his arms under her horizontal body, catching her as he slid to a stop perfectly where she slipped.

"You should be a bit more careful with where you put your feet." Natsu scolded the woman, half-heartedly, as he placed her back down. "That could have been a nasty fall; on a hill like this, you could have easily cracked the back of your skull against the bricks." He led the way into the station and gently pushed her over to a seat in the waiting area. "I can hear your heart thundering in your chest, so just have a seat and come down from your high."

"I'm sorry…" She murmured and lowered her gaze to her jittering legs and slightly shaking hands. But before she could continue, she was cut off by a very warm hand running through her damp bluish-silver shimmering hair, causing her to lift her head and look up at the man, she noticed some warmth in his void-like eyes.

"It's not your fault you slipped. Pathways normally have a grit surface to prevent something like that from happening, but the bricks out the front of here are smooth on tip so your boots couldn't get any grip on them." A door opened behind them and Natsu sensed that it was the Remick, coming to see what they uncovered.

"What happened to her?" The guard asked curiously, as he gazed at the back of the woman's head.

"Just slipped and fell, but I caught her before she could do any damage." Natsu tilted his head and looked out the corner of his eye at the armoured man as he continued to run a soothing hand through the woman's hair. "She had a rush of adrenaline due to it, so she is still coming down from the high induced by it. But anyway, we've come to tell you what you most likely already realised by yourself."

"Adrena-what?"

The pinkette grunted quietly and bared his fangs at the guard's ignorance. "Adreneline, a chemical that is found and produced in the human body, and the bodies of various animals and monsters. It has large role in our fight-or-flight response. You know the rush you get when you fight someone, or run from a monster? Yeah, adrenaline caused that." He kept his ears trained on the priestess, listening for the moment her heart returned to its normal resting rate. Once, it did, he took his hand away and moved around the couch to stand in front of the guard. "Those bodies were tortured and killed prior to being dumped in hopes of animals or monsters would consume the evidence, and in some cases, they had. In other words, it was the work of humans, not monsters. While, yes, monsters would torture and kill their prey, they wouldn't dump their food in the middle of a field or ditch. They would instead butcher the body and either eat it raw or cook it, and give the unwanted organs to, say, wolves that they've tamed."

"So, we're dealing with bandit slavers, like you mentioned?"

"For the family cases, yes. As for the ones targeting individuals, they may still be the work of monsters. That requires further investigation, but I want to eliminate the bandit threat first."

"You're going to take out the bandits even though the request was for dealing with a possible monster threat?" Remick narrowed his eyes as he questioned the man.

"The job was to find the cause of the missing persons and deal with it. To me, it doesn't matter if the problem is caused by humans, demons, monsters, or anything else that walks this world. All it means is I'll be using different means to combat the targets, and if I need to bust out some specialised equipment that I brought with me from my homeland, then I will, albeit reluctantly."

"You never did say where you came from?"

"And I don't plan on telling someone I don't know that either." Natsu's lips pulled back into a small snarl before he let out a calming sigh and refocused himself. "My history is just that, history. Nothing is left of where I came from but an endless wasteland filled with ashes, ruins, and corpses. And that's all you need to know." Ignoring the man's stupefied expression, the pinkette redirected their conversation back to the job. "Now, as for the bandits, I'm going be setting up atop the church's bell-tower so I can keep an eye out on the surrounding area. If I see anything unusual, I'll come down and let you know, then we can go flush out the bandits and hopefully rescue the women they've kidnapped, or at the very least, I can get the location of them from one of the bandits. Once they've been dealt with, I'll turn my attention to the possibility of monsters and whether they are behind the singular kidnappings."

Lelyanna murmured softly as she rose from the couch and walked around to the man's side, her wavy hair lightly brushing against her shoulders. She levelled her gaze with the armoured man, her eyes filled with exasperation. "Station Sergeant, I ask that you don't pry too much into my partner's background as he has been through a very rough time and he is still recovering from the horrors that led to the decimation of his home, his family and friends."

"Yes, your Grace, I'm sorry." Remick bowed his head to the hood-less archbishop. He was silent for almost half a minute before he finally addressed the man contracted to help them. "What part do we play in that plan of yours?"

"Be on standby and wait for further direction." Natsu straightened his posture and clasped his hands behind his back like he was addressing a subordinate. "Once I've detected the hostiles, I'll relay their position and we can proceed with the counterattack. You'll need your vehicles to react to the hostiles with enough haste to catch them off-guard. Come fully armed and armoured, expect a firefight." He ignored the little giggle beside him, hidden poorly by the woman's hand and continued with the briefing. "Even though it will be very dark, keep usage of light emitting equipment to a minimum as your vision will naturally compensate. And keep the usage of firearms to a minimum as the rapport will disturb the civilians and could potentially alert the bandits to your positions. Once we get our hands on even just one of them, I'll be able to track them back to their hideout."

"Ok, we'll keep to our current shift cycle, so the station will be manned all through the night. Most of us sleep in the barracks anyway so we'll be able to put our full force out when you give us confirmation."

"I'll be travelling with you all too." Lelyanna informed the head guard as she leaned to the side slightly, tilting her head cutely. "Keep me safe, I don't want to find out what'll happen otherwise. Báleygr can be rather demonic when he gets angry." She gave the guard an innocent smile, playing coy as if it was just a figure of speech. She turned her gaze up to the pinkette and gracefully spun to stand in front of him. "All set? We should really go back to the Inn and read those reports."

"Yeah, we need to get to the bottom of the other disappearances too." Natsu rolled his eyes at the woman's antics turned his attention back to the guard as he turned to leave the station. "We'll be back after sundown."

"See you later then." Remick nodded before disappearing back into the guard only section.

I don't think there is much to say here besides, expect some pretty fucked up shit, I'm not exactly one to write nothing but sunshine, rainbows, and butterflies, though I do enjoy wholesome moments. I plan on the next chapter to be pretty dark, covering the bandits and probably the monsters too if there is room, and yeah, I don't plan on making it pretty.

But I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, please follow/favourite, and if you're so inclined, you could even leave a review with what you thought. Of course, any questions you have will be answered in a DM replying to the review, and if I believe it would be worth sharing the answer to those who read the chapters but aren't comfortable with leaving a review, I'll add it to the next chapter. And, if you are one of those who aren't comfortable with leaving a review, but have a question about the story, you can always send me a DM and I'll answer it to the best of my ability.

See you all next time.