Prologue
Under the light of the silver moon, the dark and quiet grounds of the Fleur de Lune hotel was cordoned off by a crescent of flickering, menacing torches. A large formation of Grim Reapers massed at the gated entrance. There were a hundred or so foot-soldiers who formed the first rank and wielded a hodgepodge of pistols and clubs. Behind them, twelve reapers rode horses and brandished carbine rifles and wore menacing black sickles like sabers at their hips.
Gawr Gura watched the approaching army from the other side of the gate. The Atlantean shark-girl crept in the darkness of the hotel garden and peeked from behind the marble statue of an angel.
She steadied her breath, tore off her fishbone-shaped pendant and summoned her luminous aquamarine trident with a flash of powder blue light. She then drew her Single Action Army revolver with her nervous right hand.
A rifle-shot away from Gura's position, the Atlantean saw Jenma cocking her Glock 26 compact pistol. The manager was taking cover behind the boarded-up windows of the hotel lobby. All the while, Jenma kept a small plastic whistle close to her mouth.
Gura then turned her eyes up to the roof of the French colonial mansion-turned-hotel where Ame was taking position. The detective set down her long Krag rifle on the ledge of the roof and pointed her barrel downrange. Even then, Ame found the time to give Gura a confident thumbs up.
'I've got you covered.' Ame seemed to tell her.
Gura returned the gesture and returned her gaze to the Fleur de Lune's wrought iron gate. There, she found a tall lady that walked ahead of the formation of reapers with a cool, nonchalant and confident gait.
The tall leader wound back for a moment with a grunt and then broke the lock of the wrought iron gate with a single powerful kick that echoed throughout the yard. To Gura's surprise, the once formidable and majestic gate creaked open slightly ajar, defeated by the leader who then crossed the threshold.
From behind the statue, Gura saw the leader turn her eyes towards Ame on the roof. The leader cupped her hands over her mouth and cried out to the detective with a thundering voice.
"Good evening ladies! Our paths cross again, it seems." She then shielded her eyes from the moonlight with her right hand and added, "I can see you hiding there on the roof, Miss Watson. Nice spot, by the way. Excellent view!"
Gura knew that voice. After what happened on the RMS Teutonic, it was a voice that the Atlantean swore she would never forget - or forgive.
It was Jacqueline Chadwick.
The Atlantean was tempted to shout at Chadwick for her cowardice, but she kept her silence for now. In her stead, Ame lashed out at Chadwick.
"What the hell do you want, Chadwick!?" Ame sharply rebuked.
When Ame answered, Chadwick put a hand on her hip and proposed a deal.
"Now it would be a shame if we have to damage this pretty little hotel any more than we have to, Miss Amelia Watson. We don't have to fight tonight. So how about a trade between adults? Surrender Miss Ninomae and the so-called management trainee to me and I'll let you and the Atlantean walk out of this mess - scot free! But of course… we could perhaps cooperate a little more closely if you wish."
Work together with Chadwick again!? There was no way in hell that Gura would have anything to do with Chadwick or her goons.
"Why would I ever want to work with you!?" The detective shouted back.
Thankfully, Ame felt the same way as her.
"I know that you and the shark were the ones who defeated the Sea Serpent - not the pretentious aristocrat Lowry." Chadwick explained, "You've got a good head on your shoulders, Watson, so you can probably spot a good deal when you see one. Hell - with your attitude and skills, you might just have what it takes to wield your own scy…"
Before Chadwick could finish, Gura heard the crack of Ame's rifle. The shot whizzed past the angel statue and then grazed Chadwick's right cheek. Blood was drawn, but the First Mate didn't even flinch.
"That's my counter-offer, you deadbeats!" Ame shouted back and cocked her rifle, "There's no way in hell that I'm going to let you have Ina - or Jenma. So, get out! My next shot won't miss!"
"Bad choice… but I like your attitude." Chadwick wiped the blood off her cheek casually with her middle finger and tasted it with odd fondness, "Perhaps this is destiny!" She then cried out with a mighty roar, "Reapers! Attack!"
As soon as Chadwick said this, a deluge of foot soldiers began pouring through the breached wrought iron gates. Ame and Jenma opened fire at Chadwick, but the wall of infantry screened her and took bullets for her.
Despite their best efforts, the relentless wave of reapers continued their advance almost unhindered. To make things worse, the mounted reapers jumped their horses over the wrought iron fence and tore ahead of the foot soldiers.
Ame and Jenma tried their best to shoot down the cavalry charge, but those mounted reapers shot back at them with their carbine rifles. Accurate fire flew back and forth through the garden. Stray bullets struck the wings and the halo of the marble angel statue, forcing Gura to shield her head with her sturdy tail and hold down her white, wide-brimmed hat.
It was at this point that Jenma finally blew her whistle.
That was Gura's signal to strike!
Gura brushed off the debris from her shoulders and wore a toothy grin. She then listened to the galloping of the horses drawing closer and watched their looming shadows under the moonlight. Then, when the time was right, Gura popped out of cover with her Single Action Army revolver without a sliver of hesitation.
She shot at the incoming cavalry from the flanks, striking one rider in the chest and then in the head. That rider's flesh turned into ash that scattered in the night breeze. Then, before the other riders could react, Gura pulled back her trident and launched it at a second rider with deadly precision.
When the second rider fell from his horse, Gura sprinted toward it and leapt onto the saddle as if it was second nature to her. She holstered her gun, raised up her hand and then recalled her trident from the skeletal corpse of the fallen reaper.
"Yeehaw, baby!" Gura cheered. Her aquamarine trident reappeared above her and she caught it in midair while her new horse whinnied triumphantly, "This cowgirl's still got it!"
With that, Gura took the reins of her horse and rode straight into the formation of Chadwick's cavalry. She flanked them while they were still busy shooting their carbines at Ame and Jenma. The riders scrambled to set aside their carbines and switch to their scythes but Gura skewered them with her trident or shot them up close with her revolver.
Gura's ambush sowed enough chaos among the riders that Ame and Jenma were able to join in and shoot back with their own guns again. Together, they picked off the reaper riders one after another.
Despite all of this, Gura saw the wall of foot soldiers continuing their charge through the garden - unfazed by the massacre that their cavalry walked into. This was when Jenma blew her whistle again - prompting the second hidden skirmisher to reveal herself this time.
The radiant figure of an orange-haired traveler with bright pink eyes that burned with determination emerged from the shadows. She pulled on her belt and transformed it into a brilliant orange broadsword that burned with otherworldly flame. Likewise, a magical shield manifested on the traveler's wrist with a flash of orange light.
One of the panicked riders saw the traveler and tried to strike her down with his sickle, but the slash was blocked by the magical shield. Gura was about to rush over to assist, but the traveler cut down the rider with a single backhand slash of her broadsword.
After a short moment, the traveler whipped the ashes of the rider off of her broadsword and then closed her eyes. The flame of her sword intensified and she drew a line of embers through the dark garden. Then, in the blink of an eye, those embers turned into a massive inferno - a wall of flame that incinerated three dozen foot soldiers at once and halted the advance of the rest.
"Sweet mother of mercy…" Gura watched the wall of flame in absolute awe. Her eyes then turned to the traveler casting those flames through the garden and remarked, "She really is the real deal."
The tide of the battle was finally turning in their favor. However, Gura's heart wasn't completely at ease just yet.
AlterMyth
Nightmare Ballet
Thirty-Eighth Scene - Like A Thief In The Night
Earlier that evening, Gura, Ame and Jenma found the radiant figure of the strange traveler seated at the grand piano of the Fleur de Lune lobby. The traveler's smile was warm and her voice was vibrant, to say the least. Then, she repeated her odd and unusual greeting.
"Kikiriki!"
Gura and Ame kept their guns pointed at the traveler, but Jenma got a closer look and promptly lowered hers. Jenma holstered her gun, heaved a sigh and then grabbed a nearby newspaper. She rolled up the paper and soon bonked the traveler lightly on the head, knocking off her feathered cap.
"Kiara, what did I say about dropping in unannounced?"
The traveler named 'Kiara' scratched the back of her head, revealing the green accents at the tips of her orange hair. She then stood up from the grand piano bench, picked up her cap and bowed profusely. The traveler's bowing reminded Gura of how Ina often bowed to show respect. Perhaps it was a Far Eastern custom of some sort.
"I'm sorry about that, Jenma!" The traveler apologized, "I couldn't get this song out of my head, you see!"
Gura and Ame turned to each other and quietly thought, ' These two knew each other? '
Watching Jenma casually berate Kiara, the detective and the shark-girl eventually overcame their disbelief and lowered their guns. Jenma, on the other hand, offered them an explanation.
"Miss Amelia. Miss Gura. This is Miss Kiara Takanashi from Austria-Hungary. She is an associate of mine, as well as one of the five myths that my senpai and I came here to recruit."
"One of the myths…?" Gura gasped, "Does that mean…"
Kiara nodded cheerfully and then brought out a peculiar paper envelope from the pocket of her worn traveling jacket. It was crumpled and torn in some places and even had the faint markings of dried red wine. However, it still bore the distinct, albeit broken blue triangle seal of the Cover Corporation. Kiara showed her name written on the back of the envelope to Ame and introduced herself again.
"Like Jenma said, I am Kiara Takanashi - but I am also known as the Gallus Herodotus - the last living phoenix of this world. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Despite Kiara's warm smile and tone, the tension in the empty dining hall never really went away. At Jenma's request, Gura and Ame sat together with Kiara in the empty dining hall of the Fleur de Lune with their lanterns in tow.
The shark-girl and the detective sat on one end of the table while Kiara, the so-called phoenix, sat on the other. Jenma, on the other hand, went to fetch some food and some supplies to plan out their defense of the hotel.
In Jenma's absence, skepticism painted the faces of Ame and Gura and their blue eyes shot sharp gazes at Kiara's bright pink. What resulted was an uneasy silence that Kiara seemed determined to break. The phoenix laughed with embarrassment and guessed the questions in Ame's and Gura's minds.
"I'm sure that the two of you have a lot of questions." Kiara started them off, "But I want you to know that I'm on Jenma's side. She told me that the two of you are going to be colleagues of mine - so I'm committed to protecting you." She pulled off her belt and transformed it into her short yet sharp broadsword that flickered with otherworldly flame, "I also wanted to assure you that I am a phoenix and that I am quite capable in combat."
Gura's jaw dropped when Kiara showed them this. The flames of Kiara's broadsword reflected off of the Altantean's eyes and she didn't hide her amazement.
"She's the real deal, Ame." Gura explained with childlike giddiness, "My parents told me about the phoenixes back in Atlantis. They had weapons and powers just like this! I can't believe I'm seeing one with my own eyes up close!"
Ame, however, was much harder to please. The detective stayed calmly in her seat and then questioned her.
"'Kiara'… was it?" Ame started sternly, "If Jenma already told you about us, then I'm sure you're aware that I started an expedition to find and catalogue the phoenix for Queen Victoria. Why, then, are you only coming to us now?"
Kiara put away her sword and returned it to its belt form around her waist. She then turned to Ame and began her spiel.
"Jenma has already told you about her senpai Enma, right?" Kiara laid her hands on the table and lowered her eyes, "You see - I was traveling with them in London when the reapers ambushed us. Ever since then, I've been buying time for Jenma to escape from the reapers. Then, once she was safe, she would try and find you, the rest of the Myths."
The phoenix paused for a moment before she continued.
"I was also trying to find out more about what the Grim Reapers are planning to do - and maybe rescue Enma." The phoenix then looked Ame in the eyes and continued, "When Jenma told me about your situation, however, I came here as fast as I could."
While Kiara was speaking, Gura saw Ame stealing glances of Jenma across the room. The detective was probably trying to see if Kiara and Jenma had their stories straight, Gura thought. She understood that it was Ame's job to be skeptical about these sorts of things, but the tension that lingered in the room was getting too heavy for Gura to bear.
"Ame…" Gura whispered, wordlessly urging Ame not to be too harsh.
Thankfully, Ame got the message and decided to play along with the tale for now. The detective shifted her legs and wore a practiced smile.
"In that case, we're glad to have you on our side now, Kiara." Ame reached across the table and offered her hand, "We're all in this together now, so we might as well get comfy with each other. Just call me Ame."
"Very well." Kiara shook Ame's hand, "I'll give it my all tonight, Ame."
"Alright!" Gura grinned wholeheartedly and offered her hand next, "With a phoenix on our side, we've got this battle in the bag! Call me 'Gura', pardner!"
" Sehr gut , Gura!" Kiara shook Gura's hand too, "It's an honor to fight alongside an Atlantean again!"
While the girls exchanged some pleasantries, Jenma returned to the table with a tray of sandwiches and cups of tea and coffee. She served the girls and their new companion happily and spoke.
"The three of you seem to be getting along better now." Jenma remarked. Her eyes then turned to the less-than-pristine envelope in Kiara's hand and asked, "By the way, Kiara - I thought you lost your envelope in London?"
"Ah!" Kiara's cheeks flushed red. The mighty phoenix fidgeted around for a moment before admitting, "I managed to get it back in Paris not too long ago. It was my last stop before I got here."
"Is that so? That saves us the trouble of getting it back." Jenma hummed and took her seat at the table, "Let's move on to our strategy for tonight, shall we?"
Kiara nodded happily, eager to move on to a different subject. Gura, however, felt that Ame's skepticism started simmering once again.
Thirty-Ninth Scene - Of Sickles and Scythes
Jenma spread out a map of the Fleur de Lune hotel and the surrounding areas on the table and went over their defensive strategy with her three wards. Kiara reported what she saw when she flew over towards the hotel. Apparently, the reapers were trekking through the forest while the Bordeaux police were busy investigating what happened at the library.
"There are a little more than a hundred Grim Reapers making their way here." Kiara explained. She pointed to the dense forests around the hotel and added," They were avoiding the main roads to avoid attracting attention. Aside from that, I counted a dozen sickles among them - and at least one scythe."
"Sickles? Scythes?" Ame raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea, "What's that got to do with this?"
"Kiara regularly sent me coded messages about what she found out in her scouting missions." Jenma brought out a fistful of printed telegrams in Morse Code, "Basically, the Grim Reapers operate on a strict hierarchy. Recruits are at the bottom of the pyramid. They're unarmed and seem to wield whatever weapons they can find in the land of the living."
"Like those pistols and clubs they had in the library." Gura furrowed her brow. The memory of her battle was still fresh in her mind, but she still chimed in, "They're not much stronger than a human being, but they'll swarm you if you're not careful and they're a pain in the tail!"
Jenma nodded and moved her hands through the air, forming the shape of a short weapon.
"The next level are the ones who wield the sickles." The manager continued, "They're senior to the recruits - like junior reapers of some sort. In any mission that the Grim Reapers go on, there's at least one of these folks in the crowd."
"That reaper who impersonated your senior Enma…" Ame started this time, "She had a sickle. I saw her make one out of thin air!"
"Yeah - and that's why I had to put her in her place." Jenma agreed, but the bitter tone returned to her voice, "Anyways, these sickles report to the scythe-wielders - true blue Grim Reapers. They're fearsome beings and are the stuff of legend. If they've got one here on the field, the reapers mean business."
"We mean business too, Jenma." Ame countered with a serious tone, "I sent out a telegram to Lowry earlier and asked her to back us up. She replied a while ago, saying she had some French Gendarmes heading our way. They should be here within the hour."
"Excellent!" Jenma cheered, "We just need to hold the fort until the Gendarmes arrive. Here's how we're gonna do it!"
The manager then pointed to various points on the map and skillfully drew down defensive lines, fallback positions and 'elastic defense' and 'delaying tactics' that were employed in her world - but she explained it in a way that even Gura could understand.
Jenma then brought out a small plastic whistle for the girls to see. She then blew on it, startling Gura for a second.
"The yard is big, so I want to use the terrain against them." Jenma explained, "Kiara and Miss Gura will be our skirmishers tonight while Miss Amelia and I hold the line with gunfire. When I blow the whistle the first time, that's Gura's signal to strike. We're counting on you to slow down their cavalry somehow."
"Leave it to me!" Gura saluted eagerly, "I've handled rough riders in the past~!"
Jenma smiled appreciatively at Gura and then turned to Kiara.
"When I blow my whistle a second time, that's your turn to come on stage, Kiara." The manager continued, "The foot soldiers will be swarming in after Gura flanks the cavalry. Get as many of them into the killzone and then use your magic to stop them dead in their tracks!"
"I won't let them get past us, Jenma." Kiara answered eagerly, "We'll stop them here tonight. We have to."
"Hopefully we will." Jenma agreed, "However, if things do get too rough, I will blow my whistle a third time and we'll make our last stand here inside the hotel. We'll prioritize taking out the sickles and the scythe. Break their chain of command! Show them no mercy!"
"Yeah!" Gura and Ame wholeheartedly cheered.
Kiara, on the other hand, was much more muted and just nodded without saying a word. That small detail, Gura would soon realize, didn't escape Ame's sharp eyes either.
Fortieth Scene - What I'm Fighting For
Jenma's strategy meeting wrapped up before long and Gura was already spoiling for a fight. The Atlantean finished off her food together with Jenma, Ame and Kiara and was about to get into her position in the garden when she suddenly saw Kiara take Ame aside.
Curious, Gura lingered around the dining hall and listened in on their conversation.
"Hey there, Ame." The phoenix started with cautious concern, "You've been stealing glances at me since we first met. I know that we're meeting for the first time, but I hope that things will be alright between us."
Gura saw Ame raise her eyebrow. The detective seemed to be taking time to choose her words.
"I'm having a lot of conflicting feelings right now, Kiara." Ame revealed, "You do know that I went on this whole adventure to continental Europe to find you - the phoenix - and catalogue you, right?"
"Yeah…" Kiara admitted, "I was there on the day your expedition set out from London. I had the commemorative newspaper too - with the picture of you and Miss Ina."
At the mention of Ina, Ame's face soured. The facade of neutrality that Ame had been keeping up since the strategy meeting looked like it was on the verge of breaking. Most of Ame's face was shrouded by the shadow of her newsboy cap, but her lips were illuminated by the bright moonlight.
Seeing Ame like this made Gura's heart sink. Then, the detective spoke sharply to the Phoenix.
"Come with me for a bit."
The detective grabbed Kiara by the wrist and dragged her down the hallway together with her to the honeymoon suite.
Panicked, Gura followed them and kept her distance as best as she could. She then watched the two disappear into the honeymoon suite, forcing Gura to peek through the small gap in the door.
There, Gura watched Ame show Kiara the troubled, bedridden Ina.
"Right about now, Ina and I should be celebrating finding you, Kiara." Ame went over to Ina and wiped the sweat from the sleeping librarian's brow, "We should be getting our normal lives back and be well on our way back to England with our heads held high - and yet… look at where we are."
"Things could have been different if we had met back then in the English Maiden cafe…" Kiara started, "But Jenma and I were…"
"But we didn't, Kiara. We didn't." Ame interrupted her coldly, "Now Ina's suffering - and there's nothing I can do about it!"
"Ame…"
The detective turned away from Kiara and then shook her head.
"I don't blame you for keeping your distance all this time. You were fighting reapers, after all. I know how frightening those bastards can be." Ame then turned back to Kiara with a mellower tone, "However, I want to know with absolute certainty that you're not going into this battle halfheartedly. Ina's safety is my top priority right now - and I want to be sure that you're not going to hold us back."
"W-what are you talking about, Ame?" Kiara tried to deflect the question.
"Gura was too nice to press you a while ago, but I'm not afraid to say what needs to be said. I'm a detective after all." Ame accused sharply. She then brought out her own Cover Corporation letter and argued, "These letters are invaluable to Jenma. You lost yours and then suddenly got it back in Paris?"
"That's…"
"You also seemed to hesitate when Jenma rolled out her last-ditch strategy." The detective added, "Tell me now if you're up to the task to kill those sickles and scythes. If you aren't, then Gura and I will do it ourselves!"
The supposedly mighty phoenix drooped her shoulders under Ame's pressure. Even though the threshold, Ame's cold words chilled Gura's heart. Gura saw Kiara lower her head and the phoenix then gave her oath.
"Ame… I promise you that I will do everything that I can to protect Miss Ina tonight. You have my word - and us Phoenixes don't make promises that we don't keep." Tears were forming in Kiara's eyes when she turned to Ame again. She spoke with a cracked, haunted voice, "But there's something that you have to know - something that Jenma has been too afraid to reveal to you and Gura."
"And what would that be?" Ame furrowed her brow, shoring up every ounce of self-restraint that she had left.
"One of the five Myths that Jenma and her senpai Enma aimed to recruit was Calliope Mori - a kind, beautiful and passionate soul." Kiara revealed with aching fondness, "However, she is a scythe-wielding Grim Reaper. I found out that she was the one who struck Enma down."
"What…!?" Ame gasped.
Gura had to cover her own mouth as well. Calliope Mori? The other person that Enma and Jenma wrote to was a Grim Reaper!? The shark-girl couldn't believe her ears.
"It's true, Ame. Calli… I mean Calliope… she told me about it herself in Paris yesterday. That's how I got my letter back. She gave it back to me." Kiara explained and wiped her tears, "Jenma is still furious at the reapers for what they did to Enma. She carries that katana hoping to strike Calli down with her own hands… for revenge! But I think that something can be done to bridge that gap. I don't know about the rest of the reapers, but I believe that Calli can be reasoned with! I begged her not to come here tonight."
"And if she comes here?" Ame tested.
Kiara paused.
It was a moment that lasted for an eternity.
Then, she spoke.
"If I see her here tonight, I will cut Calli down where she stands."
Gura couldn't stand to hear this heated discussion anymore. She scrambled away from the honeymoon suite door and ran down the hallway. All the while, in the corner of her eyes, Gura saw wisps of distant lights emerging from the forest through the boarded up windows.
The Atlantean had no time to think about what she had just heard. Their enemies were already gathering beyond the gates.
All that Gura could do was hope for the best.
Epilogue
Back in the heat of battle, Gura sat atop her stolen horse and reloaded her Single Action Army revolver. The pillars of flame illuminated the Atlantean's face but she couldn't help but notice the dark, long shadow that Kiara Takanashi was casting behind her.
The harsh conversation that Gura eavesdropped on weighed heavily on her, but she was sure that Kiara had a lot more things on her mind at that moment. Even though Gura and Kiara stood together at the frontlines, the Atlantean felt like the two of them were far apart.
Now that the enemies were held back by the firewall, Gura was tempted to broach a question to the phoenix. However, Kiara suddenly raised her shield and barked.
"Gura, brace yourself!"
The Atlantean turned to where Kiara was looking and saw a dark spot cutting through the firewall - it was flying towards her!
In the blink of an eye, Jacqueline Chadwick crossed through the powerful flames bearing a menacing black scythe. Gura's former boss grinned maniacally at her and raised up her scythe, poised to strike.
Gura blocked the scythe with her trident, but the sheer force of Chadwick's scythe threw her off of her mount. The Atlantean slammed back first onto the grassy lawn and flipped backwards. When Gura rolled on the ground and swiftly got back on her feet, she saw that her horse had been torn in two - and Chadwick' scythe was slick with blood.
"Well, well, well… now isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Chadwick jeered, "So this is the trident that slew the Sea Serpent, huh? To think that it was one of my favorite employees."
"I don't work for you anymore - and I never will!" Gura raised up her trident defiantly.
"Gura!" Kiara cried and rushed over towards her, "Hold on, I'll…!"
Before Kiara could join the fray, however, a second dark spot cut through the firewall. The moment that Kiara noticed this, she twisted around and raised up her shield. True enough, a hooded figure emerged from the flames and swung another scythe at the phoenix.
Kiara managed to block the scythe, but the familiar strength she felt from the impact on her shield broke her heart.
"... no!" Kiara gasped, pleading with her eyes to lie to her, "No it can't be!"
The phoenix's bright pink eyes became unfocused and the impact of the clash blew away the hood of the scythe-wielding reaper. A head of silky pink hair crowned with an obsidian tiara appeared from beneath the hood.
A pair of bright pink eyes stared down into Kiara's - but the reaper's eyes were calm, composed and unapologetic.
Chadwick's grin then grew wider and she mused.
"I'm glad you could make it, Calliope Mori."
At the mention of Calli's name, the Kiara's firewall weakened and flickered away in the night breeze. The dozens of foot soldiers that survived the first blast then started braving the weaker flames to continue their advance.
Beads of cold sweat formed on Kiara's and Gura's brows as the shadows of their enemies bore down on them.
Then, Jenma blew her whistle for the third and final time.
To Be Continued