Prologue
Latent heat welcomed the four ladies of the reformed Watson Expedition when they stepped through the portal of crimson red sparks. Once all four of them had made it through, the portal behind them collapsed and the window to the moonlit forests of Bordeaux faded away into nothingness before Ame's blue eyes.
Ame retrieved the obsidian orb from the ground and saw her warped reflection on its cracked, crumbly surface. That orb looked much more fragile now than before, she thought. One more strike from her magical saber would destroy it for sure, but it was their one-way ticket out of the Underworld. Knowing this, she pocketed the orb and turned her eyes towards the distant lights of the Sous La Lune bastion and heard the gurgling waters of the tributary stream to the River Styx nearby.
The detective drew her revolver and led the team through the cavern towards the small dock in the stream. Gura and Jenma whipped out their respective pistols. A pace behind them, Kiara quietly gathered energy into a small, compressed ball of flame that floated steadily over her right hand.
When the girls approached the dock, they found a pair of partially skeletal figures, Grim Reapers, patrolling the tributary stream dock with lanterns and pistols. The patrol was moving out from a small basecamp where a Grim Reaper tended to a small bonfire. A stone's throw away from the camp, a fourth reaper was busy mooring a large wooden row boat onto the dock.
The girls took cover behind an outcrop of brimstone to staked out the four Grim Reapers. Ame borrowed Jenma's futuristic binoculars and spotted a second row boat with four Grim Reapers heading away from the dock towards the Sous La Lune bastion. This was probably a forward guardpost, Ame deduced.
These four Grim Reapers had just begun their shift.
Unlucky them, Ame thought.
She returned Jenma's binoculars and huddled together with her expedition behind the rock. The four of them had a short back-and-forth in whispers before they agreed on their battle plan. They nodded to each other then split up to set their plan in motion.
Gura summoned her trident with a flash of powder blue light and she proceeded to stalk the two lantern-bearers who were patrolling upstream. Once the lantern-bearers were out of earshot from the camp, the Atlantean rushed the first reaper and stabbed her in the back. The first reaper's skin dissolved into ash before she could cry for help.
Just as the second reaper was about to turn around, Gura whipped his face with her powerful shark's tail. The swipe knocked the second reaper off his feet and Gura promptly started beating him down with her fists.
Back at the campsite, the reaper by the fire had just pried open a can of pork and beans with his short sickle. He was just about to dig into his canned meal when the bonfire suddenly went out as if a powerful wind had blown through. However, there was no natural wind there in the Underworld and the flames traced a line behind him as if it was drawn to some unnatural force.
The reaper dropped the can of pork and beans and whirled around, following the trail of flames. He then gasped and found the phoenix Kiara wielding a javelin of flame in her hands. The flames of the bonfire merged with the javelin and made its tip grow stronger. Kiara threw the javelin with a skillful flick of her wrist and pierced him clean through the heart, burning the rest of the reaper to a crisp.
Now alone in the dark, the fourth and last reaper let go of the mooring ropes. She drew her rifle and shouted in French, firing a warning shot into the air.
"She wants us to show ourselves, Watson." Jenma translated for Ame with a devilish grin, "Let me give her what she wants!"
With that, the management trainee leapt up from behind the rock and rushed towards the dark dock. She closed the distance quickly and pushed the reaper's rifle aside with a skillful brush of her hand. Jenma then grabbed the last reaper by the collar of her hood.
" Bonsoir ." Jenma spat in French.
The Grim Reaper's face went pale.
Before she could say anything, however, Jenma kicked her shin and then shifted her weight around with unbelievable speed. In a single heartbeat, the Grim Reaper found herself lying face down on the cave floor. She was being pinned down to the ground and choked out by Jenma's thighs.
Moments later, the darkness was pierced by a stolen lantern that Gura held up over the reaper's head. Kiara appeared behind the Atlantean and was wielding yet another ball of compressed fiery magic. Ame then finally joined in and pointed her revolver at the Grim Reaper's head.
"You don't mind us borrowing your boat, do you?" Ame asked with a smug grin.
The Grim Reaper tried to answer, but Jenma shifted her weight and choked the enemy tighter between her thighs.
"That was a rhetorical question!" Jenma growled until the Grim Reaper passed out, albeit with an oddly satisfied expression on her face.
Now that the dock was once again clear, Kiara tied the Grim Reaper to a wooden post while Ame and Gura commandeered the post. They set the lantern on the bow of the vessel and found the oars tucked away in the hull. Jenma, on the other hand, slapped the Grim Reaper awake and asked her a number of questions in French.
Once Jenma got everything she could out of the reaper, she gagged her with a cloth and told her companions what she knew.
"Seems they're getting ready for some sort of ritual in the Sous La Lune bastion. Ritual of Death and Destiny or something." Jenma folded her arms and frowned, "They're calling Miss Ina 'Priestess Ninomae' over there. God knows what they're planning to do to Miss Ina, but they haven't done it yet. Thank goodness."
"We don't have time to waste then!" Gura insisted eagerly, "Let's get going!"
"Not so fast, Gura." Kiara advised. She then brought out a pouch filled with her ashes and reminded, "We're going into a heavily fortified bastion keep, so we'll need disguises too. Ame has her saber, but we need to appear like 'grey ghosts' crossing the stream into the afterlife."
"It's a little morbid, but it's our best bet to break in." Jenma heaved a sigh, "Powder me up, Kiara."
Gura shrugged and eventually let Kiara powder her up as well. The Phoenix meticulously covered herself and her friends in her ashes. Thankfully, Gura's white hair and Jenma's fair skin made her task a little bit easier.
"So let's go over this again, everyone." Ame called everyone's attention, "I'm a junior Grim Reaper - a sickle-class or whatever you call it - and I'm bringing in some lost souls from Bordeaux into the bastion. The three of you are 'grey ghosts' that I'm gonna process in the bastion's keep."
"I hope you took rowing in college, Watson." Jenma joked with a smirk, "The keep's pretty far from here."
"Well…" Ame started, but Gura chimed in.
"Ame's got this. She's pretty strong when she puts her mind into things!" The Atlantean cheered with a toothy grin, "Isn't that right, Ame?"
The detective's tired expression mellowed into a smile. "I'll do my best, Gura."
"Don't worry too much either - I'll navigate for you!" Kiara volunteered enthusiastically, "Just follow my instructions and we'll make it there. Most of the sickles were only promoted recently, so they shouldn't be too hard to fool. It's the scythe-wielders that we have to steer clear from."
"And if things get too rough…?" Ame tested one last time.
"I'll firebomb the Sous La Lune ." Kiara promised with fiery determination, "I've got my full strength back. I can give the Grim Reapers hell."
"Glad to have you on our side, Kiara!" The detective grinned, "We're gonna need every bit of help we can get."
AlterMyth
Subterfuge on the Styx
Fifty-Sixth Scene - Down To The River
Amelia Watson took the oars of the rowboat and brought the vessel down the waters of the River Styx. Kiara guided the detective while Jenma and Gura quietly took in the sights and sounds of the strange subterranean domain of the Underworld.
On their way to the bastion's keep, the boat passed underneath a large wooden bridge adorned with ornate street lamps that flickered with otherworldly flame. Dozens of Grim Reapers were gathered on the bridge and looked down onto the lone rowboat disrupting the waters of the Styx. Many of them waved to Ame and welcomed the 'grey ghosts' she was ferrying with a downpour of red flowers.
A bunch of those flowers landed on Ame's lap while she was rowing. She looked down at the flower and realized what it was.
"Red spider lilies…?"
"They're welcoming us, Ame." Kiara explained and took the flower from her lap, "Grim Reapers are the staunch guardians of the Underworld. They have the noble task of teaching the secret of life that nobody wants to learn. The Upperworld celebrates life. The Underworld celebrates death." She then set the flowers gently onto the water and continued, "Life and death are two sides of the same coin."
"It's a shame." Jenma folded her arms and looked up to the wooden bridge with disdain, "They're supposed to be noble guardians, but they've been doing shady things recently."
"Going by what Kiara says, though…" Gura chimed in, "Those Grim Reapers can't all be bad!"
"Let's hope so, Gura." Ame mused cautiously, "Let's hope so."
Ame looked up to the bridge too and regarded the small town square at the other end of it. There, she found many more Grim Reapers gathering with an air of excitement about them. They were dancing and cheering to the tune of marching bands. Fireworks were going off in the cavernous domain too. Beautiful brocade crowns illuminated the high cave ceilings and reflected on the waters of the River Styx.
Wistfully, Ame looked up to those fireworks while she rowed the boat towards the bastion keep. It made her think of the summer festivals in Europe that she and Gura were supposed to enjoy at their own leisure. Instead, she was rowing a boat through hell itself to save Ina from a fate worse than death.
Thinking about this, Ame rowed the boat even harder.
Eventually, they made it through the watergate of the outer walls. Following Kiara's directions, Ame dutifully moored their boat to a petrified wood jetty.
Kiara coached Ame the steps of the process in a whisper, but the detective couldn't help but feel uneasy. Moments later, a pair of footsteps reached Ame's ears from the other side of the wharf.
Ame steadied her breath and listened to those footsteps closely. From those sounds alone, she could tell that a pair of Grim Reapers were approaching her. She heard the distinct rattle of French Army rifles slung over their shoulders and the rustling of loaded revolvers in leather holsters by their hips.
Aside from the two on the jetty, Ame saw another pair of Grim Reapers in the corner of her eye. They were similarly armed and manned the ramparts of the inner walls, looking down upon her and the jetty with hawkish eyes.
"So this was what Calli meant when she said they were becoming militarized…" Kiara muttered beneath her breath.
'Too late to worry about that, Kiara…' thought the detective, but she kept quiet under the intense glare of the reapers behind and above her.
"Ame. Your weapon." Kiara whispered now, coaching her.
The detective nodded and brought out her golden pocket watch. With a flash of golden light, the pocket watch transformed into her ornate cavalry saber and its golden scabbard. She promptly presented her weapon to the sentries who were drawing ever closer.
Once the two sentries got close enough, they paused and regarded the sheathed saber with awe. They whispered among themselves in French and appraised Ame's weapon. However, the both of them seemed to have suspicions. After all, neither of them had seen a weapon like Ame's before - but it did in fact emanate the deathly magical energy of Grim Reapers.
The sentries looked like they were about to get locked in some sort of debate en français before another pair of footsteps reached the detective's ears. Ame dared to look further down the jetty and her heart nearly stopped. Her face went pale and cold sweat formed on her brow.
She saw a menacing figure walking towards them. That figure had a prominently curvaceous body that her long reaper's cloak could barely contain and the gait of a battle-hardened veteran. While the figure walked down the jetty, she took off her hood and let her long locks of pink hair flow down to her shoulders and her back. Her bright pink eyes looked into Ame's with a glare that could pierce souls. Then, she brandished her tremendous reaper's scythe with one hand while resting it on her shoulder.
The figure's name then escaped Ame's lips.
"Calliope… Mori."
When Ame mentioned the scythe-wielder's name, Gura, Kiara and Jenma trembled in the moored row boat. Behind the wooden hull, though, Gura and Jenma had their pistols at the ready while Kiara prepared another compressed ball of fiery magic.
The two French reapers turned around too and gave Mori sharp salutes.
"What's going on here?" Calliope's firm voice echoed throughout the jetty, "Is there a problem?"
The French reapers stepped aside and let Calliope see Ame and her golden-sheathed saber for herself. Calliope drew closer and cast her shadow over the detective. Ame gripped her golden scabbard firmly and seriously considered drawing her weapon to defend herself. However, the scythe-wielder took a moment to appraise the detective's weapon - and then stole a glance of the curious ash-caked passengers huddled on the moored boat.
Ame froze in Calliope's presence, but the Grim Reaper's poker face was hard to read. The air emanating around her was hostile, but her bright pink eyes slowly told a different story. All of the sudden, Calliope turned to the French sentries and apologized.
"I'm sorry for troubling the two of you." Calliope bowed politely to the sentries, "She only got promoted recently, so she's just getting used to the gig. Her time management still needs a lot of work. Please forgive her. I'll take over from here."
When Calliope said this, she glared at the detective again. This prompted Ame to dissolve her sword and scabbard and then bow to the sentries as well.
There was a tense moment of silence before the sentries begrudgingly marched out of the jetty, saying something about Americans in French. Once the sentries were out of the jetty, Ame and Calliope rose up from their bows and looked each other eye to eye. However, the sentries on the inner wall ramparts kept watching the scene from above.
"We'll talk… but not here." Calliope stole glances at the upper walls before turning around, "All of you, come with me. Put your weapons away too. Try anything funny and you'll have bullets in your back, and I'm gonna have to reap you folks for real."
Heeding the reaper's grim advice, Ame dissolved her saber and scabbard while the ladies in the boat stowed away their weapons. The detective then helped Gura, Jenma and Kiara out of the boat and led them down the jetty. The four of them stayed two paces behind Calliope Mori.
"Ame… this wasn't part of the plan." Gura whispered.
"I know, Gura." The detective whispered back, "Let's play along with her for now. I don't think we really have a choice here."
Jenma clenched her fists and cursed beneath her breath, but Kiara kept her head low. So, with uneasy silence, the Watson Expedition followed Calliope Mori deeper into the bastion's keep.
Fifty-Seventh Scene - Change of Heart
Calliope Mori brought Ame and her companions through the gates and into the inner walls of the keep. The detective's eyes wandered throughout the fortified encampment and counted the eyes that were watching them from the ramparts. Curiously enough, there weren't as many Grim Reapers manning the walls as she first thought - less than half a dozen.
Those few Grim Reapers patrolling the area were the least of Ame's concerns however. After all, when Ame stepped into the central courtyard, she found the terrifying figure of a three-headed hellhound with a serpentine tail sleeping on the ground.
"T-they have a Cerberus!?" Kiara clucked fearfully like a chicken and shuddered at the sight of the beast.
When Kiara said this, one of the hellhound's three heads yawned and shifted a bit before returning to slumber.
"That's Brutus - Death-sensei's… I mean, the Lord of Death's guard dog. I just call him 'B' though." Calliope introduced nonchalantly, "He looks peaceful now, but that will change in an instant if Death-sensei sics him on you."
"B, huh?" Ame hummed, "He looks like a good boy at least."
"You seriously think so?" Calliope was surprised, but she caught herself and cleared her throat, "Anyways, just follow me for now."
Calliope brought them out of the courtyard and then shepherded them into the central keep. Ame looked around and found that the walls, floor and ceiling were made of brimstone polished to a mirror sheen. The petrified wood furniture and trophies of moose heads hanging over a hearth made the detective think of a saloon or the great hall of a medieval castle, but the modern Casino Craps table at the heart of the room stuck out like a sore thumb.
While Ame and her companions were looking around the room, Calliope locked the heavy doors into the great hall by bolt and chain. She then showed the expedition to leather couches near the hearth.
"Have a seat. All of you." Calliope gestured to the couches.
"Now hold on a second here…" Ame tried to interject, but the reaper promptly shut her down.
"Just sit down! Please! Gosh!" Calliope barked irritably this time.
Kiara and Jenma found themselves armchairs of their own while Ame and Gura sat together on a couch by the fire. Calliope, on the other hand, sat across from them on a couch, crossed her legs and eyed the four ladies gathered before her.
The management trainee scowled at Calliope while Ame and Gura wore more muted expressions of disappointment. Kiara, on the other hand, was looking directly into the Grim Reaper's eyes.
"Why did you come here?" Calliope asked them all sternly, "You belong in the land of the living. Not here in the Underworld. Your presence here violates the natural order."
"And yet, you brought Ina here against her will! We're just here to take her back." Ame countered sharply, "Come to think of it, you guys are the ones violating the natural order here - messing with the lives of living, breathing people. If you're gonna fight us, then let's dance - right here, right now!"
"You do realize how badly that will end for you, right?" Calliope growled, "Between me and B and the hundreds of Grim Reapers in this bastion, you folks won't be getting out of this place alive."
"You've had every opportunity to kill us ever since we got here, Calliope." The detective challenged, "You seem quite nervous around the other Grim Reapers. What happened to your home court advantage? Something's fishy here."
"That's…" The Grim Reaper relented, but she gathered her resolve and declared, "That's because I've come to bargain with you folks. We're on the same side here. I want to help Priestess Ninomae escape the Underworld. We can work together. No… we HAVE to work together!"
Ame, Gura, Kiara and Jenma blinked and then collectively gasped in disbelief.
"WHAT!?"
"You heard me right." The Grim Reaper stayed firm and faced the ladies before her, "My boss J-chad and I are plotting to get the Priestess out of this bastion before the Ancient Ones manifest here. It's a risky operation. However, if you folks lend us a hand, things should go a lot more smoothly."
"Now wait a gosh darn minute here!" Gura protested and bared her sharp teeth, "We're in this mess because you attacked us in France!"
"I know that." Calliope shot back, but she eventually mellowed down to explain herself, "I know that… but things have changed. I've had doubts about the path our Lord of Death was leading us down, but I soldiered on and did as I was told." Her bright pink eyes then wandered to the window of the keep and she watched the distant fireworks going off over the town square, "But the Priestess told me all about her adventures with you and the shark, Watson. I felt how much she wanted to see the two of you again with my own two eyes… and I learned the truth about the Ritual of Death and Destiny."
"Even if that's the case, I'm not about to forgive you and your boss Chadwick." Jenma folded her arms stubbornly. She frowned and her face went red with anger, "Do you know how much I'm holding myself back right now? I want to wreck you and that bonehead boss of yours with shoes for brains!"
Calliope was taken aback at first, but she stopped for a moment and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"You might get the chance to do just that, Otherworlder." The Grim Reaper suddenly grinned, "Beating up J-chad that is. The bigger a distraction the two of you can make, the better!" She then shifted around in her seat and added, "In exchange, I'll tell you everything I know about your companion, Miss Jenma."
"Enma-senpai…?" Jenma's voice softened.
Calliope nodded and reassured, "It's a long story, but she's alive. Not in this bastion, but she's alive."
The management trainee's ash green eyes suddenly welled up with tears and her lips trembled.
"Promise me you'll help me rescue her, Calliope." Jenma demanded while she wiped her own tears, "Then I'll play along with this plan of yours."
"You have my word, Miss Jenma." The Grim Reaper promised.
Jenma sank back into her seat and wiped her tears some more before she turned to Ame.
"It's your call, Miss Ame. How do you want to do this?"
Ame covered her face and rubbed her temple, racking her brains. She then raised her head slightly and turned towards Calliope one last time. The Grim Reaper's bright pink eyes burned with determination but harbored deep remorse as well. That was the look of someone taking a stand for what they believed in, Ame decided. It was enough to warm her heart.
Was this what Kiara saw in Calliope, perhaps? Ame could only wonder.
Just as Ame was about to speak, Kiara beat her to the punch and rose up from her seat. Ever since they landed on the jetty, the Phoenix had been incredibly silent, so she took everyone there by surprise. Kiara then marched towards the Grim Reaper across from her.
Calliope stood up as well and tried to meet her halfway.
"Kiara, I…" The Grim Reaper started, but she wouldn't have the chance to finish.
Kiara furrowed her brow and slapped Calliope square on the cheek.
The rest of the ladies froze in their seats, absolutely stunned. The slap echoed throughout the saloon, accompanied by the crackling of the fire in the hearth. Calliope laid a hand on her sore cheek in utter disbelief, but she dared to turn to Kiara again.
Kiara was crying.
"Now we're even, Calli." Kiara tearfully declared.
"Yeah." Calliope smiled in spite of the stinging pain on her cheek, "I deserved that, kusotori . And welcome back."
Kiara's face twisted with anguish when she heard that name once again. Then, as if a tremendous weight was lifted off her shoulders, Kiara beamed with absolute delight and she tackled Calliope into a tight embrace.
"CALLI!" Kiara cheered.
"H-hey, hold on. I said HEY!" Calliope tried to push her away, but the Phoenix had her locked down.
"I'm not letting go this time, Calli." The Phoenix whispered now, "My last life cycle ended on a sad note, but we're going to start this one on the right foot. Okay?"
The Grim Reaper's cheeks flushed red - redder than the bruise left by Kiara's slap. Completely and utterly defeated, Calliope sighed and returned the embrace of the Phoenix wholeheartedly.
"Okay, Kiara." She gently leaned her head on the Phoenix's warm shoulder, "Let's make things right this time."
"Yeah." Kiara answered softly.
Ame and Gura looked at each other and smiled for the Phoenix and the Reaper. Jenma, on the other hand, just crossed her legs, sighed and thought about her Enma-senpai once again - and the work that still needed to be done.
When Kiara finally let go of Calliope, the Grim Reaper sat down on her couch once more and faced her new allies.
"Now then ladies, listen closely." Calliope proposed, "This is how things are gonna go down tonight."
Fifty-Eighth Scene - The Stage Where It Happened
Under the sparkling lights of fireworks, Calliope Mori walked out of the central keep alone and crossed the wooden bridge to the town square. There, the veteran reaper found dozens if not hundreds of her brethren gathered. Grim Reapers from the neighboring bastions throughout Europe had made their way into the Sous La Lune , Calli figured. Many reapers wanted to see the storied Ritual of Death and Destiny with their own eyes after all. Calli, however, fixed her black hood over her head and quickened her pace through the square.
There was a raised stage made of petrified wood built around the town square fountain. Wrought iron fencing formed a perimeter around the stage and separated it from the rest of the town and the myriad of spectators that had gathered there. Up on the stage, there were large wooden seats set in rows of half-circles. That was where J-chad, the senior reapers from the neighboring bastions and the entourage of Mr. Steven Lowry was seated. Then, at the center of the stage sat Death-sensei and the Priestess Ninomae seated on polished brimstone thrones before the fountain.
From his seat, Death-sensei raised up a glass of wine in Ina's honor. The guests of honor seated on the stage answered with loud cheers and raised their own glasses as well. On the other hand, the spectators beyond the iron fence lifted up bottles, jugs and steins of whatever drinks and liquor they had brought to the party.
In that joyful scene, however, Ina sat alone in silence on her brimstone throne. She sat with excellent posture and laid her hands on her lap, just like she did in the many formal functions she attended in Ottawa. All the while, the large white veil that flowed from her head all the way to her waist cast a mild shadow that hid her frown.
Nobody in that crowd of Grim Reapers and aristocrats saw that frown - except for Calliope Mori.
While Calli crossed through the perimeter and stepped onto the stage, the guests of honor began presenting gifts to the Priestess - intricate articles of gold, gemstones, silk and fabrics that would have been fit for Queen Victoria herself.
None of those gifts pleased Ina in the slightest.
Once all of the other guests had given their gifts for Ina, Calli finally came forward and approached her. The Priestess finally lifted her head for once, illuminating her face under the light of the brocade crown fireworks that filled the high cavernous ceiling.
"Calli, your face…" Ina pointed out with concern.
"Ah! That's a bit of a long story." Calli chuckled, "Small price to pay to get this back to you, Ina."
Calli reached into her black reaper's cloak and then brought out a familiar dark purple beret. Ina's eyes shone under the light of the fireworks and the street lamps when she saw the hat. There was only one way that Calli could have gotten that hat in such a short time.
She turned to the veteran reaper who then whispered to her with a smile.
"Your friends from the Upperworld are here, Ina. They're gonna help me get you out of here."
"Ame and Gura are here?" The names of her dearest friends escaped her lips and tasted like the sweetest honey.
"Not just them." Calli added, "You'll get to meet the others soon enough. Just sit back and enjoy the show, they said."
"I see." Ina brought the beret close to her heart and smiled, "I'm ready when you are, Calli. I can't wait to get out of here!"
Calli smiled back and then excused herself from the stage while Death-sensei got on with the next step of their program. The Lord of Death gave a passionate speech about the Ritual of Death and Destiny and their alliance with the Ancient Ones while Calli descended to the perimeter.
Once she stepped down, Calli's small army of subordinates gathered in the perimeter and presented themselves to the veteran. Her sickle-wielding juniors showed their magical weapons to her while the recruits carried off their assortment of guns and clubs for her to see.
"Potomac Platoon, at ease." Calli ordered her subordinates with a salute, followed by a tender smile, "Let's enjoy today while we can."
After tonight, Calli thought, these Grim Reapers weren't going to be taking orders from her anymore. She quietly hoped that she wouldn't have to cross paths with them all when all was said and done.
Her subordinates happily complied, lowered their weapons and resumed their patrols. One of the sickle-wielding reapers, however, stayed behind and sauntered over to Calli.
" Senpai , I've been looking everywhere for you!" The sickle-wielder reported, "We're supposed to rotate the patrols at the forward camp, but I haven't heard back from the last batch we sent over there."
It was the same junior reaper who had been impersonating the Otherworlder named Enma during their French campaign, Calli recognized. However, the junior had thankfully changed her appearance. Instead of the long black hair with red highlights, the junior had chosen to grow dark, reddish-purple hair that flowed all the way down to her waist. She had also foregone the color of Enma's bright red eyes for softer purple ones.
Calli wanted to complement her junior sense of style, but she wanted to iron out their business first.
"Don't worry about it. We only post guards down there for show." Calli snickered, "It's not like we have enemies who can get into the Underworld like we do."
"Are you sure about that, senpai ?" The sickle-wielder tilted her head, "If Mr. Lowry and his entourage can get here with our escorts, then anyone with death magic and an obsidian orb can enter here. We never know!"
"If that's the case, we're lucky that living humans can't wield death magic like we do." Calli shrugged, feigning innocence, "Only noble souls can become guardians of the Underworld, after all."
"I guess you're right…" The junior reaper finally agreed.
"Now go get ready, kouhai . It's almost time for you to go on stage." Calli reminded and patted the junior's shoulder, "You're finally getting your very own scythe - and your own name." She then paused for a moment and hummed, "Have you thought about the name you wanted yet, by the way?"
The junior joined her hands behind her back and grinned.
"It's a secret, senpai !"
"I see." Calli smiled back. She then sent her junior off and looked up to the fireworks going off above her once more.
She was going to miss this place, Calli thought for a moment. She was going to miss these people she has befriended in her afterlife too.
However, she was already prepared to do what needed to be done.
There was no turning back for her now.
The play she wrote was about to begin.
Epilogue
Back in the central keep, the Cerberus hellhound named Brutus rolled on its back with a satisfied smile on all three of its faces. The middle head stuck out its tongue slobbering with saliva, but traces of a peculiar blue fluid remained on its taste buds.
"This big boy really is an angel when it's sleeping, huh?" Ame hummed. She tossed away an empty, blue-stained vial into a rubbish pile, "It's too bad your owner is a mean old monster. You would have been a good little pooch, yes you would! Maybe we can play next time when this is all over! Aya~!"
"Ame, we don't have time for this!" Gura snarled, slapping a downed guard with her shark's tail, "The rest of the garrison's gonna find us if we keep dragging our feet!"
Was the Atlantean jealous that she was paying more attention to the hellhound than to her, perhaps? The thought made Ame chuckle and she patted Gura on the head, ruffling her ash-caked white hair.
"I know, I know~!" Ame hummed. She then turned to Kiara and asked, "Ready to go?"
"Mhm~!" Kiara cheered. She spread out her powerful wings of orange and green feathers and called, "Hold on to me, everyone!
Ame, Gura and Jenma held onto Kiara's body and the Phoenix flapped her wings with incredible strength. That brought all four of them slightly above the inner walls of the central keep. Then, Kiara shifted her weight and they glided gracefully over the River Styx towards the large wooden bridge leaning to the Sous La Lune square.
Shouts erupted from the sentries posted on the outer walls of the central keep, followed by sparse gunfire, but Kiara skillfully danced around the shots with ease. Before long, the shouts and the gunfire were drowned out by the fireworks bursting over the square and Kiara started to descend to the ground.
Once the ladies were close enough to the surface, they let go of Kiara and landed on a small hill overlooking the town.
"Good luck down there, you three!" Kiara flapped her wings again and took to the skies once more, "We'll give these Grim Reapers a show they won't forget!"
Kiara twirled around in the air and took off, flying around the town square as high as she could in the tall yet cavernous space. Jenma then brought out her small metallic briefcase and excused herself as well.
"I'll prepare the explosives." Jenma spoke confidently this time, "They won't know what hit 'em!"
"I guess that means you're stuck with me for the next hour or so, A-me." Gura smirked. She then summoned her bright aquamarine trident and drew her revolver, "I won't let them touch a hair on your pretty head. I promise."
"Thanks, Gura." Ame answered with an earnest smile. She then held her Krag-Jorgensen rifle with great enthusiasm and hummed, "And I won't let them touch a hair on yours, sharkie~!"
Gura's face flushed bright red, but she clenched her fists and declared.
"Alright! Now I'm motivated!"
With that, Gura crept through the brush and slowly approached the wooden bridge with her weapons in tow. Ame, on the other hand, stayed on the high hill and knelt on one knee with her rifle. She carefully fitted a thin, long telescopic sight that she pilfered from the keep onto the rifle and meticulously calibrated its knobs.
"No wind… thousand yards." Ame talked herself through her calculations and estimates. She pointed the gun towards the town square, cocked the bolt and then looked into the scope, "Let's get this show on the road!"
The detective steadied her breath.
Then, Ame pulled the trigger.
To Be Continued