Volume II: Unforgiving Kingdom
Chapter XIX: Grim Reaper
"Your little servant, or whatever that beastkin of yours doesn't seem to be helping you out as much as I expected."
"To tell you the truth Terumi..."
Location: Unknown
Sitting inside of an unknown closed area, was the woman from earlier. Floating in front of her as she sat on her large chair was a single object. The object was a purple orb that had a view of the entirety of Goldenia within it. The large kingdom from the first floor at the bottom, to the eighteenth that extended upwards above the clouds. Tapping the small orb, the view zoomed in onto only the seventh and ninth floors. The woman then turned her head to the left. Standing across the room was Terumi, who merely stood up against the wall, waiting to see how things would play out, just like the woman was.
"I had hope." The woman said. "Emphasis on the word HAD now. I had hope that if she utilized everything that I practically handed to her that Freesia von Bismarck would be able to deal his pesky friends. But alas. All this is done is allowed Ragna to make more. Granted they're no threat to the two of us, they will be to anyone else she sends after them." The woman folded her arms. "Then there's the matter of the redhead who's thoughts are twisted by her quest for revenge. I have no doubts that she'll kill Ragna if she's given the chance. Unfortunately, I can't afford to underestimate her and say that they'll deal with her easily. Her ability to cheat death is quite the threat. Then if... no once, they escape, there will be the matter of who do I send against him. Who can I send that'll easily dispatch of those pests, all while capturing Ragna...?" The woman then chuckled. "More like... who shouldn't I send?"
"Someone's awfully overconfident." Terumi chuckled. "Let's see here, you had no confidence in this Freesia, or whatever the bitch's name is, and yet everyone else you're sure will be a match of Ragna and then some? I've told you before, you'd better be careful not to underestimate him. Especially with those new skills he's been collecting. He gets a shield AND wings? Talk about a package deal!" Terumi shrugged with a sadistic grin on his face. "Though of course. If you wanted me to, I could wipe the floor with all of them in an instant!" He then bursts out laughing like crazy.
"So barbaric." The woman said while giggling. "At the very least, I prefer to play with my toys before getting rid of them. Whether or not I look like it, watching them go through the things that they have been through has been quite enjoyable to me. It shows me that you were right more than anything. Indeed, I probably am underestimating Ragna... or perhaps overestimating my own forces. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, I'll let them have their fun. Let them grow strong and continue to move up. Won't that make it oh so much fun when I put them beneath my heels?"
The woman laughed loudly, seemingly confident that she would win no matter what.
"But until the time comes for me to take action..." She said as the purple orb levitated closer towards her face. "I think I shall watch as our... 'friend' continues his journey. See where today takes him."
The woman then put her hand on her chin as she sat there and thought about something for a moment.
Location: Underground Tunnel Between the 7th Floor and 12th Floor, Goldenia
"Seventh floor coming down!"
Returning to the group of five, after Grena and Goblin Mage made their way back to the tunnels after their recent trip on the ninth floor, all five of them could get a move on once again. As of now, Ragna, Monika, Feena, Goblin Mage, and Grena have all managed to reach the near end of the tunnel, specifically the seventh floor, which Grena stated that this is where the current tunnel breaks off.
"You said that this is the floor where we'll have to find our own way down now right?" Ragna asked Grena. "Something about the other tunnels being broken or something."
"That's right." She answered. "Once we get out of here we can either take our chances going underground despite this being where the earthquakes increase, or we'll have to find another route that's more safer."
"The lifts then?" Monika suggested. "We could try and disguise ourselves so that we can sneak off and escape with ease."
"If it were that simple then we would've done so a long time ago."Grena folded her arms. "Besides, I don't think there's many short blonde women with a body type like yours walking around Goldenia."
Monika looked stunned and blushed. "E-Excuse me?!"
"I'm saying you stick out like a sore thumb either way. In fact, all of us kinda do. Playing dress up won't help. Especially with Ragna's spiky hairdo over here."
"I already let these two play around with my hair once." Ragna added in, shooting a glare at Monika and Feena who turned away. "I'm not letting them try and disguise me anymore. I'd rather take my chances with the earthquakes."
"Oh really?" Grena asked with a teasing tone. "Not even when we mentioned the rumors about the spooky, scary-"
"Are you gonna help us outta here or are you just gonna crack damn jokes all day?!"
Grena just laughed as she kept walking, Ragna grumbling to himself as he, Feena, Monika, and Goblin Mage followed after her.
"All jokes aside, we really need to figure out our game plan from here on out. We've run into Imperial Soldiers and mercenaries far too often on the higher floors. I'm expecting much worse from the lower floors. Especially if everybody is aware of how close we are to the bottom. They'll be on us like flies the moment we step out into the open again and I wanna try and be prepared for whatever I can be. Especially with Goblin Mage here."
"I'm sorry if I'm making things hard for you by being here Feena." Goblin Mage spoke up, earning her a pat on the head from Feena who sighed.
"Feena has a point though." Grena responded. "We have no idea what's waiting for us other than the fact that the seventh floor's where the Mercenary Guild's headquarters is located. Other than that-"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute Grena!" Monika exclaimed, everyone else excluding Grena stopping. "What did you just say?"
"The Mercenary Guild's base is here?"
"Yeah that! Why haven't you said anything earlier?!"
"That's right! Only one of you is a mercenary! Of course you wouldn't know."
"I'm a mercenary and even I wasn't aware of this!" Feena exclaimed. "I don't associate with the guild! You do! How would I know?! Why haven't you said anything?!"
"Calm down. Calm down." I doubt it'll be as bad as you think."
"Every damn mercenary in this place pouncing on us isn't bad to you?" Ragna mentioned.
"Honestly, it is." Grena answered, surprising everyone. "Think about it. At the end of the day, wanted criminals or not, we have two well-known and well-respected mercenaries; Feena and myself. If anything, a lot of them would probably be more welcoming to all of us because of the two of us being friends with the rest of you." Grena put her hands on her hips. "You're all right. We haven't planned out our exit after we get to the seventh floor, and we need time to do just that. Sure, us mercenaries always watch each others' backs, but when it comes to the guild, we've made it law to stick together." She sighed, as she then clapped her hands together before bowing politely. "I know. I know. This seems like a setup and all, but you have to trust me on this."
Grena slightly looked up and sighed to herself, noticing the concerning glares that the entire group was giving her. Despite her intentions truly being good for them, she was well aware that they would not just go along with her like that. Grena sighed as she stood up straight, looking at the group while rubbing the back of her head as she tried to think of something to say next.
"Come on guys." She then spoke. "You gotta work with me here a little. I'm no expert on escaping from places like Chat Noir would be- Wait, that's it!"
"What is?" Monika asked.
"Chat Noir is! He said he'd see us around. If by chance he's on the lower floors then we can ask him for help in getting out of here!"
"There's still a problem Grena." Feena butted in. "That hat stealing phantom thief is probably at the Mercenary's Guild."
"Even at the risk of people exposing him?" Ragna asked.
"People have tried before ever since he's been in the guild. He's managed to thwart every attempt to expose him." Grena answered. "Which is why I wanna try and get his help. Chat Noir's a master in his field. Thievery and escape without ever being seen. I wanna see if I can get him to help us out of here then."
"At the risk of taking a visit to the Mercenary's Guild?" Monika pointed out.
"Listen here, the guild is all we have left. We can't stay in these tunnels forever. Chat Noir and the Mercenary's Guild is the safest place that we can go, and therefore that has to be where we head next. At the end of the day, you can argue with me all you want. But you know that I'm right, and that this is the one risk that we have no choice BUT to take."
The group didn't say anything. They all knew that Grena was right.
"I'll take that as you're on board?"
"Alright, fine." Ragna sighed.
"We'll go." Feena agreed.
"If this all comes back to bite us, this is on you Grena." Monika stated. "Don't make us regret listening to you."
"Relax." Grena said with a confident smile as she folded her arms. "I've been a mercenary long enough to know just how hella dangerous this situation is. I'm well prepared to take the fall if need be." Grena then turns around and starts walking off to the end of the tunnel. "Come on, follow me. I'll head up first."
Ragna, Monika, and Feena looked at each other for a moment to see if the other would have anymore objections. Having nothing to say, they just went along for the time being, Ragna and Monika walking after Grena and Feena leading behind them, Goblin Mage in tow.
"I wonder what these mercenaries are like..." Goblin Mage thought to herself.
Location: Vallera Throne Room, 18th Floor, Goldenia
As everything that was going on within the lower floors took place, the area above, specifically the top floor at Castle Vallera all seemed peacefully as the new Queen of Goldenia, Freesia Von Bismarck, awaited to hear results. However, as the woman sat in the castle's throne room she suddenly felt a very familiar but eerie presence enter the entire room. Though none of the other guards felt the presence in the area, Freesia did. The woman was wide eyed with a worried look on her face. She looked down for a moment, closing her eyes as she began pulling herself together. She then snapped her fingers, getting the attention of the royal guards in the throne room, all of them turning to face her.
"I require a moment to myself." She stated rather quickly.
Understanding this, the royal guards all bowed slightly before walking out of the throne room. Freesia continued to stare down with her eyes closed, listening as the guards all left the room. Soon the door to the throne room closed, leaving Freesia with what looks like she's in the room all alone. However, she knew that this was not the case.
"My, my... You went as far as to clear the entire room for me? You're to kind."
Freesia's eyes shot open and her head shot up as she looked in front of her. An ominous purple mist was floating right in front of the throne. In it, was the woman that Freesia had talked to in the past. The same woman that ordered her to capture Ragna.
"Wh-Why are you here?!" Freesia asked frantically. "I-I can't have others finding out about you! If anyone had felt you enter the throne room then-"
"Oh, my dear sweet Freesia. You worry too much. Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am. If I wanted my presence to be notices by anyone other than you I would've done so. But no. I'm here because I wanted to speak with you. Is that not obvious? Now then... I believe we have some important business to discuss... don't we?"
"Your Excellency, I-I-"
"There's no need for panic, Freesia. I never said you were in any trouble. I am overseeing things myself after all. Quite the little fight Ragna and his band of misfits have been putting up it seems."
"I... I may not be completely aware of everything that happens below my feet... But the most I can do now is continue to manipulate things in your favor from the highest floor. I've been continuously doing my best to rally the kingdom into action against them. No matter how far they continue to go, they won't leave Goldenia as long as I have a say in-"
"Seven."
Freesia blinked for a moment as the woman said that. "W-What? W-What do you-"
"Seven. That's the floor number they're on. There's a noticeable difference between the number seven and the number eighteen you know. I would say that they've gone quite far. It's even possible that they're out of your reach."
Freesia was shaking of fear. The Queen of Goldenia sank down in her throne shaking out of fear, as the woman she talked to spoke to her.
"W-Wait, your Excellency!" She says in a panic. "Please, don't be mad about something trivial as this!"
"I never said I was mad... However, that doesn't mean that I'm not a little vexed at how poorly you're handling this. You understand that I helped you reach this position because you would be useful in getting Ragna for me... But... If you aren't going to be of any use anymore..."
Freesia's heavy breathing could be heard clearly by the woman. Freesia was terrified. She was afraid that she was going to die if she didn't prove herself worthy to live.
"What to do... What to do..."
"Wait! Please! I can still be of use, your Excellency! I know things may seem like they're not going in your favor from your eyes, but I promise you! I will throw everything that's in my power at him! I will not allow them to leave Goldenia by any means necessary!"
"Right now... I'm not really sure. After all I've done more for you than you have for me. You're making me feel unappreciated here Freesia. Is this how your kind treats Demons like me? You make me sad."
"Please... I beg of you, Your Excellency... Just give me more time. I'll die before I disappoint you!"
"I see... I will remember that Von Bismarck. Fine then. I welcome you to continue trying."
Before Freesia's eyes, the woman began to disappear.
"But should you fail... I will make sure you remember those words."
"I... I-I understand..."
With that said, the woman disappeared completely. Freesia was breathing heavily in an attempt to calm herself down after what just happened. But the fact that she has now wagered her life on the capture of Ragna would not allow her to. She clenched her fist and banged on the side of her throne.
Location: 7th Floor, Goldenia
"You sure about this Grena? I don't know where to begin with talking to anyone in the guild?"
"Just relax. I'll get us through this easily."
With the group of five, Grena had managed to safely get them all on the seventh floor, and in range of the mercenary guild's headquarters. Leaving Ragna, Monika, and Goblin Mage to hide near the side of the building, Grena took Feena along and intended to have the two of them talk things over in case it doesn't go as smoothly as she hopes for it to go. The building the stood was both tall and wide, looking as if it would take up a large part of the area and was at least two to three stories high. Feena was a bit surprised to see just how big the guild's headquarters was.
"Say..." She started to ask. "How big is the guild anyway? In numbers I mean."
"Beats me." Grena answered. "Besides, what good would it do the guild for people to know how many members we have? We're not exactly 'outstanding' citizens." Grena turned to the door of the large building that they stood in front. "Come on. Let's go."
"Wait wait wait! You're just gonna go right in? No knocking or anything?"
"Yeah. They wouldn't hear us anyway."
Before Feena knew it, Grena opened the front door and stepped right in. Feena, not wanting to remain out in the open, also went inside to the building with her. As the two stood near the entrance, Grena shut the door while Feena just looked around in surprise. The inside of the building happened to be literally just a large bar and lounge. Men and women alike could be seen either drinking or having a good time. The place was filled with several lounging areas, a long bar with several bartenders and maids that were serving drinks to the patrons. A pool table could be seen near the wall of the building, as well as several tables all over where others either enjoyed a meal, a good drink, or simply talked. Though of course considering it was a bar full of people drinking, several people could be seen occasionally fighting around the bar, though the others not fighting acted as if this was a normal thing of course, paying it no mind whatsoever no matter how dangerous it seemed to get.
"Grena where the hell are we?!" Feena asked in exclamation. "This is just a giant tavern!"
"That's the beauty of the guild Feena." Grena answered with a smile. "We keep the other areas sealed off from outsiders, and we use the first floor as a tavern to throw off anybody trying to expose us. Those that you see casually just enjoying themselves, as if everything that's going on is normal, are mercenaries. Everybody here's a mercenary."
"The guild is really THIS big?!"
"You know it."
"How are supposed to get them to-"
Before Feena could ask her question, Grena's chains wrapped around her right arm. As she banged her fist on the wall, Feena jumped as Grena caused a tiny explosion that left a scorch mark on the wall. The explosion rang throughout the building, managing to get the attention of everyone in the room as they turned to face Grena and Feena at the entrance.
"Not even a welcome back?" Grena asked jokingly with a smirk.
"Oi! Chains' back!" One mercenary called out.
"Grena's out already?" Another one called out.
"Well I'll be damned!" A third one called out. "Look who's finally a free woman again!"
Feena and Grena looked up upon hearing someone approaching to the two. In front of them stood a rather tall, muscular man wearing no shirt.
"Well, well, well! Look who they finally let out of prison!" The muscular man said. "And here I thought that they sentenced you to life or something!"
"No way in hell." Grena laughed. "I ain't that bad."
While Grena fist bumped with the muscular man, he looked behind her and noticed Feena standing there behind.
"Hey wait a minute!" The man nearly knocked Grena out of the way as he walked over towards Feena, surprising the girl as she was suddenly lifted up. "No way! Aren't you... Why can't I just put my finger on it..."
Feena stammered in surprise, not expecting for anyone to talk to her immediately.
"Hey, who's that other girl Grena brought in with her?" One of the mercenaries sitting at the table asked. "Haven't I seen her face somewhere before?"
"I think you've seen her on one of the posters." One of the maids at the bar pointed out, looking up at one of the wanted posters on the wall at the end of the bar. "I think her face was on one of them."
A few of the mercenaries were looking over at the wanted posters that the maid had point towards. Placed all over the wall were wanted posters of several mercenaries, some of those said mercenaries were inside the guild at the time. However, the one wanted poster that all of them locked eyes on was in the center, and was indeed the person that was at the door. Feena's wanted poster was on the wall among the others, her's having possibly the highest bounty written on it should she be capture.
"There! That one!" A mercenary called out. "I knew I saw that face somewhere!"
"Get out!" Exclaimed another one. "Is that THE Feena?"
"'T-The Feena?!'" Feena was surprised. "Hey, I know I'm kinda still wanted outside of here, but I can't be that popular, right?!"
"The bounties speak for themselves!" Said another mercenary. "Have you not seen the prices some people put on our heads from what we do? That is nothing compared to the ones they've placed on you!"
"You're a legend! A living legend among mercenaries!" Another spoke up. "What self-respecting mercenary hasn't heard about the things you've done!?"
Feena could only rub her head while smiling.
"Heh." Grena chuckled. "They sure how to make a girl feel welcomed, don't they?"
"So tell me more about these 'things' you heard about me."
Grena blinked and turned around as Feena had suddenly moved from beside her stepped up in front of the other mercenaries after hearing all of this. She was a bit stunned, not having seen her move.
"What? When did she-"
"You guys seem to know an awful lot about me." Feena said with smirk. "Come on, tell me! What do you guys know?"
"Oh man, where would we even start?" Spake another mercenary.
"Hate to interrupt this, but maybe wait before you bask in the glory Feena." Grena stated. "We've got another reason for coming to the guild." Feena and the other mercenaries to turn to face her. "We kinda need a place to say... And not just us two."
"Whaddaya mean?" Asked one mercenary. "Who else you got?"
"Haven't you guys heard from Her Highness?" Feena asked.
"Ah, please, like we give a shit about what the nobles gotta say." A mercenary wearing shades said, as he adjusted said shades. "What they say usually means bad things for us. Why else are trying to find a new base?"
"I think I heard something a monster and its friends going around the higher floors." A maid said. "But that's all I know."
"Would you like to meet 'em?" Grena asked.
"Grena would be the one to bring us a monster." A female mercenary said. "And not long after she's out of jail."
"Hey I've been out for at least a week, alright?"
"Alright we'll bite." Another mercenary chuckled. "Where's this monster of yours?"
"Behind that wall." Grena points to a certain part of the wall on the right. "Right behind there."
"Oi, big guy!" Another mercenary said to the muscular mercenary. "Do your thing."
-x-
"What the hell is taking them so long?"
Ragna, Monika, and Goblin Mage were standing outside on the wall at the exact spot that Grena pointed to inside the guild. Monika was trying to listen in, but unable to actually hear anything while Ragna was leaned against the wall, Goblin Mage sitting on the ground between the two, poking at bugs on the ground with the blunt end of her staff.
"They've gone inside haven't they?" Ragna asked. "You think something happened to the two of them?"
"Grena seemed pretty confident in this plan." Monika said, her face next to the wall as she tries to listen in. "She was so dead set on dragging us out here and wouldn't change her mind no matter what."
"That said, you'd think that-"
"Wait, I hear something!"
"What is it?"
"It sounds like... rumbling...?"
Before they could say anything else, the wall of the building that was next to the two suddenly moved away from them and inside of the building. Soon it moved to the side, creating a small opening into the building. As the three looked in they could already see dozens of people gathered around, Feena being one of them as she was waving at the group.
"...I... think things might have worked out well for Feena and Grena." Goblin Mage said, turning around.
"Hey! Guys!" Feena called out. "Come on in!"
"Holy hell, she wasn't kidding..." One of the mercenaries said.
Ragna and Monika were more or less confused by the sudden wall moving out of the way but didn't hesitate to step in, thinking that the sounds of the wall moving may draw unnecessary attention. The two walked in alongside Goblin Mage, and the wall was then moved back into place and secured. Soon, the three found themselves having the attention of everyone else in the bar.
"Well..." Monika said. "This... certainly doesn't feel like a trap."
"Told you guys that you could trust me now didn't I?" Grena asked. "The other mercenaries wanted to get a good look at ya." Grena walked over to the three, Feena walking to Goblin Mage. "Welcome to the mercenary guild guys. Come on, relax. Make yourself at home!"
"You make it sounds like we're here to stay." Ragna said.
"Come on, you guys are wanted aren't you?" One of the mercenaries asked. "You could use some place to relax while in Goldenia right?"
"The Mercenary's Guild is home to many just like you." Said one of the maids who also walked over. "Criminals, Thieves, Assassins, Murders. People here have done it all."
"Who would we be not to be welcoming of more scum of the earth?" a female mercenary said.
"H-Hey!" Monika shouted out, feeling insulted.
"Kinda hard to believe that when as far as I know, Grena here picked a fight with Feena first time they met."
"Hey now for starters I really wanted to see what the famous Feena was all about!" Grena said, earning a blush from Feena who was still fawning over all the praise she's been getting. "I knew she was famous and all, but hey, she wasn't a member of the guild. Figured if I beat her and turned her in all that money could really help us out."
"As a mercenary..." Feena butted in. "I can understand that. But, maybe not talk about me having a high bounty in front of a bunch of mercenaries?"
That just earned a laugh from over half the patrons in the tavern.
"I couldn't even set foot near an Imperial Soldier without them chasing my ass down!" Said a spiked hair mercenary. "Like hell I'd try to do that while I'm trying to turn somebody else in!"
"More or less, you're respected by the people here more than anything." Another mercenary said. "All these stories and rumors about your deeds going around, it would be wrong not to have any respect towards you!"
"You've gotta tell us what's true and what's not now!" A third one exclaimed. "I'm up to hear some stories about you girly!"
"As much as I'd like to hear a good old storytelling myself, we kinda have bigger problems to deal with now." Grena butted in. "We need the guild's help for this. That's the real reason why we've come here."
The entire tavern all went silent for a moment. Soon, one of the mercenaries snapped his fingers, getting the attention of the maids at the bar counter.
"Get Grena and her friends something to drink." He said before turning to the five. "Alright, you've got our attention. What'cha need?"
Soon the group all settled down in the tavern, four of them sitting at the bar while Goblin Mage was the exclusion as she was sitting down at one of the tables, a gold coin in her hand to hold her attention so that she wouldn't walk around. The group spent about ten minutes settling down in the tavern, Monika, Ragna, and Feena had started explain the situation in full to them, as well as their current plans to leave Goldenia. In the meantime Grena was keeping an eye on Goblin Mage while also drinking.
"I'd tell you that trying to escape with your record is hard as hell, but considering you made it eleven floors down already..." One of the mercenaries said. "You should have no problem with making it through seven more... That's if the damn tunnels weren't unstable."
"You're not thinking of taking the chance with those tunnels again are you?" Asked another mercenary.
"We're willing to take whatever chance we get." Monika answered. "It's not like we have much time. We've had to fight two of the three current Prime Ministers just to get down here."
"A-And you guys beat them?!" One of the maids said surprisingly.
"Well it was less of me and Feena and more of Ragna's doing." Monika answered while gesturing to the man in question. "He's the one that nearly killed Prime Minister Alexiel, twice even. And beat Vira on his own-"
Before Monika could finish, she and Ragna were taken by surprise as several of the mercenaries rushed over to the man, nearly pushing Monika aside."
"Yo, that is amazing!" One of the mercenaries exclaimed. "How hard was it?!"
"Wha-"
"I always heard that Alexiel could kill people by just looking at them!" A female mercenary said. "Did she try that on you?! How'd you get around that?!"
"I-"
"Hey come on, you gotta tell me..." Another mercenary started to ask. "Is Prime Minister Alexiel's breasts as big as people say?"
"I would also like to know!" A fourth one called out.
"CAN YOU PEOPLE GIVE ME SOME SPACE?!" Ragna exclaimed.
Feena just laughed at the man. "Enjoying your new fanclub Ragna?" She asked as she downed another drink.
"Shut up! Stop drinking and help me!"
"Can you two please stay focused...?" Monika sighed. "You know how dire this situation is for us."
"Don't sweat it too much Monika." Feena replied, downing another drink. "Grena seemed to know what she was doing taking us here."
"You forget, she wasn't with us through half of the crap we had to go through just to get here. I can understand her for being lax and thinking that it'll be easy for the mercenary guild to help us but-"
"Hey you doubting what we can do?" A blue-haired female mercenary spoke out.
"P-Pardon?"
"I've been dodging the shit they call Imperial Soldiers ever since I started contract killing! Who are you to tell me that we can't help?!"
"Yeah what makes you so special?" Another mercenary asked.
"Hang on a second!" Monika said frantically. "I wasn't trying to imply that I was! I think you're just reading too much into what I said!"
"I think you might've said a little too much." Feena muttered.
"Know what I think?"
SLAM
Several people jumped as Grena suddenly slammed her hands down on the bar, standing beside Monika as she looked down at the woman.
"I-I think that..." Grena started to say, clearly drunk. "That you're just too stressed out. Come on! Relax! Have a drink! Take a load off from being so uptight!"
"I'm not a drinker Grena..."
"And that's the problem!" Grena turned to the maids at the bar. "Hey. Get this woman the best we've got here! She needs it bad!"
"N-No! I don't need-"
Before Monika could finish, one of the maids sat down a large bottle of liquor in front of her and Grena.
"Oh hell yeah!" Grena exclaimed. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Grena grabbed the bottle, opening it. "Open wide woman!"
"Grena wait a minute!" Monika argued. "I don't-"
Monika was silenced as said bottle was put to her mouth, the liquor going straight into her body as Grena held the bottle to her. Monika tried to push Grena off, but unfortunately the drunken woman would not budge at all, forcing Monika to drink said liquor. Thankfully for Monika, Grena was stopped as Ragna slammed his fist onto the back of the head, knocking her down. He also grabbed both the bottle as it flung into the air and Monika before she fell out of her seat.
"Ow!" She groaned. "What the hell?!"
"You can't just force Monika to drink like that!" Ragna responded.
"Ah she'll be fine. Ain't the first time I've seen someone have that shoved down their throats."
"But a whole bottle's worth?!"
"You say that like its a problem!"
Ragna gestures to Monika, who was just staring up at the ceiling while Ragna was holding her up in his right hand. The girl looked completely dazed as if a large object had fallen on her head and knocked her unconscious.
"How the hell do you expect her to try and explain anything when she's like this?" Ragna asked Grena.
"She needed a break anyways." Grena responded, snatching the liquor bottle from Ragna's left hand. "You guys have been going hard ever since I met you. You haven't had a proper time to unwind and take a break. It'll stress you out and cause even more problems. Sometimes a good drink is what you need."
Grena was about to finish off the liquor bottle that she forced Monika to drink out of, but was stopped as Ragna snatched it back and placed it back on the bar counter.
"Yeah a good drink is something you don't need right now." He said as one of the maids took the bottle to put it away. "I can tell you're already drunk."
"Which is why I'm so relaxed." Grena folded her arms and crossed her legs as she replied. "Here, why don't you let me get you something to drink?"
"No thanks.
"Hey!" Feena butted in all of a sudden. "Monika's moving around again."
Monika was slowly starting to stand back up as she leaned against the bar, her hat falling off her head on the counter. She could be seen shaking slightly, looking as if she could fall over all of a sudden.
"I... It's..."
"Monika?" Grena asked. "Are you alright? How you feeling?"
"It's... I-It's..."
"Eh?" Feena started to question.
"Monika?" Ragna also asked. "What's-"
"IT'S SO HOT!"
Ragna and Grena both were surprised while Feena spat out her drink, which went over an unfortunate maid who happened to be in front of Feena at the bar at that time. The moment Monika made her outburst, the woman had nearly ripped out her shirt and thrown off her coat. As Monika kept trying to take off her shirt, Feena and Grena grabbed onto the woman to stop her from undressing in front of everyone in the tavern.
"Monika what the hell are you doing?!" Feena exclaimed.
"Get off me!" Monika whined as she struggled to break free. "It's so hot in here! I need to cool off!"
"Not by undressing yourself!" Grena argued. "It's not even all that hot!"
"Grena you're a meanie! Why would you lie to me like that? It's scorching hot in here!"
"Alright so you drinking was a bad idea after all!"
"You think?"
Ragna meanwhile, had merely turned around as to avoid having to look at Monika when she's like this, not wanting to lay eyes on the woman that was trying to tear her clothes off. Meanwhile the other mercenaries were watching with mixed reactions. Some where laughing at how Monika acts when drunk. Other were trying to get a good look at the woman trying to undress. A few were turning their heads like Ragna while others were just staring off with confusion.
"Uh..." One of the female mercenaries spoke off. "Is... Is she gonna be alright?"
"I couldn't answer that if I tried." Ragna responded. "You guys got anywhere we could take her so that she can cool off before she tried to take off more than her shirt?"
"Monika!" Feena exclaimed. "Take your hands off your skirt!"
"Stop trying to burn me to death!" Monika whined.
"There's rooms upstairs you guys can use for the night." The mercenary said, turning to one of the maids. "Hey. Could you show them upstairs?"
"Gladly." The maid answered. "This way, please."
The maid started walking over to a nearby staircase that would lead the group upstairs. Ragna followed after her, elbowing Grena to get her attention. As Grena and Feena both noticed him heading upstairs, they nodded before they lifted Monika up and carried her in both their arms, much to the drunken girl's demise.
"Goblin Mage." Feena called out to Goblin Mage, who looked up from where she was sitting. "Come on."
Goblin Mage hopped out of her chair and ran after Feena and Grena who were carrying Monika upstairs against her will.
Later That Night...
Soon, nightfall had risen over Goldenia. For the group of five they all decided that they would have no choice but to wait in the tavern for the night, allowing them to rest, figure out what they need to do next, and give Monika time to recover. The girl in question had finally settled down when they got her into the room. Though the moment they let go of her, she immediately undressed. As of now she was laying on a bed in nothing but her underwear, which were just barely still on her body. Monika had a happy but drunkenly expression on her face as she laid down on the bed.
With Grena, she had also decided to turn in. Granted she had been drinking and had obviously gotten drunk, she wasn't as drunk as Monika but does admit she's getting a slight headache. The mercenary in question was laying back on a bed in another room, her arms behind her head while Goblin Mage, who Feena left with Grena so that she could rest as well, had also fallen asleep right beside her.
Meanwhile with Ragna and Feena, the two were still wandering the hallways on the upper floor of the mercenary's guild. By now, many of the mercenaries and maids that were here also turned in to their own rooms, while the other left the building completely. The doors had been locked. The lights had been cut off. The once bustling and busy tavern had shut down for the night. As of now it seemed like the only ones that were up were Ragna and Feena, who were now standing on the staircase that led upstairs to where Monika, Grena, and Goblin Mage were.
"How long before Monika finally comes back to?" Ragna asked.
"Granted that was a... rather strong brand Grena made her drink..." Feena starts to answer. "I'm hoping that she'll be back to normal by the morning. Till then, I guess we have the rest of the night to just chill and relax."
"In that case, I say we have a look around."
"What?"
Ragna started walking back up the stairs to the next floor, Feena following after him.
"If you wanna just out right trust all these guys then go ahead. Me? I'm gonna make sure that there's nothing to worry about before I turn in."
"If you want people to be on our side maybe don't go snooping around in their business. I get it, we're welcomed here now. But we ain't mercenaries. And we're not actually part of the guild. Hell we could get Grena in trouble too if we don't be careful."
"You can't blame me for being cautious you know. We've already had one betrayal. I don't need to deal with another traitor."
Feena flinched at that statement as she started walking slower behind Ragna, looking away at that.
However unbeknownst to the two of them, somebody else was in the halls watching them. In a nearby corner the two walked by there was someone else sitting in the shadows. In their hand they held a pen and soon started drawing on the floor they sat on. As they lifted their pen from the floor, it was revealed that they had written the word 無声 (silence) on the floor. Placing their hands over the word, they mouthed an incantation silently.
"Judge of Hell, cease the noise. Reaper's Judgement: 無声 (Silence)."
Soon, an eerie wave went out along the ground all over, something Ragna and Feena could not see. However at the same time, because of their conversation they failed to notice one thing; The sound of their feet hitting the ground was gone. Each time their feet touched the ground while walking no sound was emerged at all. The person in the shadows let out an innocent smile as they stood up and started walking, their footsteps were also silent. The person in question was one of the maids, the same one that showed them upstairs earlier today. She had long dark brown hair, and was still wearing her pink and white maid outfit. The maid had a innocent look on her face as she started walking after Ragna and Feena, her footsteps completely silent. No sound was made that would let the two know somebody was after them.
Ragna and Feena weren't aware of the woman following after them, as the two were currently too involved in their current conversation. Specifically the topic about traitors having been brought up again, much to Feena's dismay.
"Let me guess you're..." She started to say, avoiding looking at Ragna. "You're still kinda angered by that aren't you?"
"I wouldn't say that." Ragna sighed. "But you can't blame me for being a bit cautious. If it turned out all of this was a setup to catch us, I wouldn't be surprised."
"I don't think Grena's that kind of person."
"She's more or less just like you."
"You think?"
"Bold, rushing into things head first. I wouldn't be surprised if you two actually knew each other long before meeting me or Monika."
"I never met her before. I never had a lot of people to associate with outside of Goblin Mage and a few others I met down the road. Spending all this time traveling with you guys is kind of a new experience..." Feena sighed. "Even if I'm probably not welcome."
"What makes you think that?"
"You already know why. I can't forget the fact that I nearly got you and Monika killed because of my selfish desire to find strength."
"Monika and I aren't beating you over the head about this. You shouldn't do it to yourself either. I know what you did to us. And yet here I am. You don't have to keep feeling sorry for yourself if we aren't mad about this."
"It's most likely just leaving a sense of distaste in my mouth that's all."
As the two kept talking, the maid stalking them had started to close in on them. She walked slowly and held her pen to her side, spinning it around. In a sudden, swift motion, the pen suddenly changed form. It glowed purplish-black as it grew into a long hilt. An eerie blade appeared on the end of the hilt, turning that pen into a large scythe within an instant. The blade of the scythe fell back onto the ground, making no sound. Nothing was heard from it as the maid dragged it along the ground as she walked.
"Everyone's so fixated on the two of you..." The maid thought. "I'm not convinced you're all that amazing. And I'll let the Reaper help me prove just how overestimated you two are!"
She then slowly began to speed up before breaking off into a sprint towards Ragna and Feena, who were still talking to one another as this went on directly behind them.
"Look, what do you want me to do?" Ragna sighed and asked Feena. "What'll it take to get you to stop worrying about what happened back then?"
"...Do you trust me then?" Feena asked.
"Huh?"
"I've heard everything you've all of it boils simply boils down to you're just putting the incident behind us to focus on this situation. But do you trust me? Am I somebody that you'd trust with your life? Someone you would trust to always be there for you? No matter what happens."
Ragna looked away for a moment before facing Feena again. "I can't say I do." He answered. "You weren't expecting me to anyway were you? I'd have to be a complete and utter dumbass to want to trust someone who first agreed to help me, then turned against me before coming back to help me again, with my own life, or anyone else's."
"And there it is! That's how you truly feel about me isn't it?"
"You're making this worse than it's made out to be. If I hated you that much why haven't I told you 'Get the hell away from me you bitch' or something like that?"
"Like you wouldn't when this is all over? I'm only around because I was useful to you. But you've got Grena and an entire guild of mercenaries to help you now. You might as well just throw me aside since she's more or less fulfilling my role! Goblin Mage and I may as well just go our separate ways from all of you the moment morning comes!"
"Are you even listening to yourself now?! Think about the others would feel! Think about how Monika would feel! I can tell she still wants to see you as a friend and not just somebody who's working with us. Grena doesn't have anything against you, but she wouldn't let you just walk off like that, even if she had to be the one to drag you back here! Why can't you put this damn situation behind you and let Monika and Grena be friends with you like they want?!"
Both Ragna and Feena stopped walking after that.
"Why should I care if they want to be friends or not?" Feena responded. "In case you didn't get the memo when I said it earlier, I don't exactly understand friends. I want to. But at the same time, I don't care to. I'm afraid I guess..."
"Afraid?" Ragna questioned. "What are you-"
CLANG
"?!"
"What the-?!"
"Shit!"
As Ragna and Feena were talking, the two were interrupted and taken by surprise by the sound of metal clanging behind them. The two began turning around to see what the source was. Behind them at this time, was the maid. She had been successful in running up to the two without a single sound being made, her scythe skidding along the ground as she ran. However as soon as she reached them, she jumped up to attack them from above. But when she swung her scythe around, the blade collided against the wall, creating a loud clanging noise that rang through the hallway, alerting Ragna and Feena of her.
Both immediately put their hands on their weapons that they were carrying along with them, which the maid used this as an opportunity to strike. She kicked her feet on the nearby wall and propelled herself towards Feena, holding her scythe overhead. Feena didn't have anytime to react as the maid brought her scythe down on her head, but thankfully Ragna stepped in front of her and blocked her scythe with his sword. Lifting his arm up he managed to knock her attack back then spins around and kicks her in the chest, knocking her away. The maid rolled on the ground as she held her scythe backwards, the blade resting slightly on her shoulder as she stood up.
"Interesting." She said to the two.
"What the hell?!" Ragna exclaimed. "What do you think you're-"
"I kept my presence hidden from the two of you till that slip up I made. Either you're as good as everyone assumes you are... Or you were merely lucky I messed up."
"Aren't you that showed us upstairs when Monika was drunk?" Feena asked, loading her crossbow. "Why the hell are you attacking us?!"
"To tell you the truth... Part of me just wants that high as hell bounty you've got on your heads. On the other hand..." The maid spins her scythe around till the blade collided with the wall on her right. "I wanna see if you people are worth the guild's time!"
"So this is some kind of test or something? Grena never said anything about this!"
"Because this isn't in the guild's regulation. Its just something I like to do to assert my authority over you people!"
"Assert your- You're just a maid." Ragna responded.
"Au contraire."
The maid twirled around and pulled out a wanted poster. On the poster was a woman with white hair and a white revealing garment, where the part of her that was on the wanted poster had the entirety of the middle of her body basically exposed. Next to her face was the same scythe that the maid was holding in her hands. The maid had a gleeful smile on her face as she presented said wanted poster.
"I do many things that make me more than just a maid." She replied to Ragna. "Though I mainly specialize in assassination, I'm perfectly capable of killing face to face." The maid rolled up her wanted poster as she continued to boast about herself. "'She comes and she goes in an instant. Carrying around her eerie scythe as if she was taking death's place. No one knows her methods. She creates no messes from her assassinations. It's as if she was a woman from hell sent to claim the lives of her victims.' People refer to me as the Grim Reaper throughout Goldenia. But I like you two. So then." She then put her wanted poster away and pointed her scythe at the two of them. "Know that your lives will be forfeit in the face of Reina, the Reaper's Hand of Fate!"
The mercenary named Reina didn't waste time after she finished talking about herself. She immediately made a mad dash towards Ragna and Feena, who were also ready to fight despite hearing about who Reina was. Ragna went straight at her first and swung at her, his sword clashing against the Grim Reaper's scythe. Breaking away from their first weapon deadlock, Feena went on the offensive, firing multiple arrows towards Reina, who dodged them while still swinging her scythe around to strike Ragna. The man couldn't help but realize he wouldn't have much to work with considering how long Reina's scythe was. As he kept parrying off her scythe with his blade, he moved in to put Reina on the defensive. His sword suddenly converted into a scythe as well as he ducked under Reina's going for a direct hit across her chest. However, just before the scythe could reach her, Reina's scythe suddenly converted back into a pen, which she held towards Ragna's scythe, surprising him as the pen managed to block his weapon.
"What?!" He said in shock.
"Haven't you heard the old saying?" Reina asked as she back stepped and held her pen out in front of her. "'The pen is mightier than the sword'!"
Ragna gripped his scythe in both hand and swung it overhead as he attempted a vertical slash at Reina. The mercenary maid rolled under him and immediately moved in close. Holding her pen just a few inches away from his chest, she moved her hand around and began writing in the air once again. The ink spilled from the pen was actually staying put in the air as she wrote quickly. In an instant she wrote the word 骨ラトラー (Bone Rattler) right in front of Ragna.
"Let this pen judge you!" Reina exclaimed. "Reaper's Judgement: 骨ラトラー (Bone Rattler)!"
Ragna spun around as his scythe changed back to a sword. He attempted to spin kick Reina in the head, only for her to duck. The mercenary maid moved in and thrusts her palm into Ragna's chest, knocking him back. However as he stumbled back, Ragna felt a large shock go through his body. He collapsed to his knees and dropped his sword as he felt his insides vibrating.
"Ragna?!" Feena called out concerned. "What's the matter? Are you alright?!"
"I... don't know..." Ragna grunted through the vibrations inside him. "She... couldn't have hit me that hard..."
"Even a demon like you isn't immune to me!" Reina gloated. "When the Reaper gives out his judgments, Man, God, and Demon will all suffer the same!" Reina then spun her pen around till it converted to a scythe, then pointed it at Feena. "You're next!"
Feena fired several more arrows as the mercenary maid rushed straight to her. Jumping straight over Feena's attack, she swung her entire body around, turning herself into a circular projectile that came down onto Feena. The crossbow wielding mercenary rolled out of the way, then came back immediately to Reina, smacking her as she used her crossbow as if it were a hammer. Stunning Reina for a moment, Feena reloaded her crossbow and fired more arrows, only for the mercenary maid to snap back to at the last minute, dodging the arrows and swinging her scythe around in many different motions. Feena pulled out an explosive arrow and aimed it at the ground at Reina's feet.
"Sorry if this wakes anyone." She said.
Reina charged at Feena quickly, holding her scythe on her shoulder. Just then Feena fired her arrow, creating a large explosion in front of her. However much to Feena's shock, despite seeing the explosion happen there was no sound whatsoever of an explosion occurred.
"What the...?" Feena questioned, fanning the smoke away as it came towards her. "I saw that, but... There wasn't a single sound that an explosion happened..." Feena looked around as the smoke cleared to see that Reina was nowhere in sight. "where the hell did she go?"
"Feena!" Ragna called out as he had started to recover. "Behind you!"
Feena went wide eyed and immediately turned around. There she found that Reina had snuck around her through the smoke from the silent explosion. However by the time she had turned around, Reina already had her pen in front of her and had finished writing once more.
"Crap!" Feena exclaimed, trying to turn around and aim her crossbow at Reina.
"Reaper's Judgement: 麻痺 (Paralysis)!"
The moment Feena turned around however, Reina said her incantation. Suddenly Feena felt her entire body freeze. She managed to point her crossbow directly at Reina, who was standing there with a smirk on her face. However the moment she tried to fire her crossbow, her body just froze on her. She couldn't move her arms, her legs, her midsection, even her head. She couldn't move whatsoever.
"H-Hey! What gives?!" She said to herself internally, as even her mouth couldn't move. "I-I can't move anything!"
"Aw what's the matter, you can't move?" Reina said in a mocking tone, flicking her wrist as her pen turned back into a scythe. "What's the star of our performance gonna do now? How do you think things would look for you two when the guild hears just how easily you could be apprehended and defeated by just a single-"
Reina suddenly looked to her left as she heard something flying through the air. She saw that Ragna's scythe had been thrown straight at her and was about to strike her straight in the head. She quickly leaned backwards as to avoid being hit, the scythe continuing to fly till its blade was stuck in the ground, not making a sound as it turned back into a sword.
"Hell's-"
Reina looked back to her right and was met with Ragna's fist coated in darkness slamming into her jaw.
"Fang!"
She then felt a wave of dark energy strike her abdomen, causing her to cough and wheeze as she was sent flying back away from Ragna and Feena. However the moment Ragna threw those two attacks, he nearly collapsed again as his body had started to feel as if it was vibrating once more.
"What the hell did you do to us?!" Ragna shouted at Reina as she stood up.
"Me?" Reina responded as if she was genuinely confused. "I am but a simple hand, I have done nothing to either of you." She then looked at them with a smug grin on her face. "This is merely the results of the Grim Reaper delivering its judgement onto you!"
"Judgement?"
"The Reaper's Judgements of course. That is the power I speak of." Reina walked towards the two, picking up both her scythe that she dropped earlier, as well as Ragna's sword which she turned into a scythe. "Wherever or whoever I choose to deliver the message to , the Grim Reaper will pass down judgement onto them! The silence in my footsteps as I walk? The Reaper told the floor to mute all sound!"
"My body's constant shaking feeling!?"
"The Reaper's Judgement for you was that everytime you apply a lot of force onto your body, your bones will rattle like crazy. To the point they disrupt your body's ability to move around or even stand."
"And Feena?!"
"A simple curse of paralysis. She's a sitting duck now. But that's enough of my explanations." Reina spun her scythe around as it converted back to a pen which she stuck in her pocket, then held Ragna's scythe in front of her. "I'll start with finishing you off!"
Ragna's body stopped rattling just in time, allowing him to get back up as Reina rushed at him. She swung the man's scythe around in a circular motion as she spun around when she got close to him. Ragna was doing his best to try and not make any heavy movements to cause his bones to rattle again, but at the same time he knows that he can't afford to let her strike him down. Ragna jumped out the way slightly as Reina spun his scythe overhead and swung downward, leaving a small hole in the ground that no one would have heard being made.
"Dammit, I can't keep fighting with whatever she did to me still in effect...!" Ragna thought to himself. "There's gotta be someway I can get this shit to stop!"
Ragna leaned out of the way as Reina sliced diagonally at him. The mercenary maid started to then spin around as if she were a spinning top, swinging Ragna's scythe around and around, forcing the man to move back constantly.
"For starters, I've gotta get my weapon out of her hands-" Ragna suddenly had an idea. "Wait a minute... Why is she focusing on using my scythe when she has... maybe..." He then sighed as he got a few feet away from Reina, who was still spinning. "This is gonna be a huge as hell risk. But I don't have any choice!"
Ragna then dashed at the spinning Reina.
"Gauntlet Hades!"
In an instant he went slightly into the air, his fist coated with dark energy. He punched the head of his scythe with enough force, Reina was forced to stop and spinning and nearly let go of his scythe. Ragna then kicked the head of his scythe, knocking it into the air out of Reina's hands. The man felt his bones begin to rattle once more but pushed through it long enough to grab his scythe midair. Reina quickly took out her pin and converted it to her scythe, preparing to meet Ragna's as the man brought his weapon downward. Suddenly, in the middle of their coming clash, Ragna let go of his scythe, causing it to drop away from him. The moment he did, Reina's scythe cut across his chest and right arm, knocking him back. Reina blinked in surprise and grit her teeth as she held her scythe in both hands. Meanwhile with Ragna, he started to stand back to his feet. Looking at his arms, he felt the rattling inside of him completely fade away. He kicked the hilt of his scythe and caught it in midair, holding it downwards.
"So I was right." Ragna said to Reina, ignoring the small amount of blood dripping from his wound. "That scythe of yours nullifies the effects of your abilities. That's why you used mine."
"Don't get cocky now!" Reina replied.
Reina took off at Ragna, swinging her scythe around her. She immediately went in for a horizontal slash across his abdomen, but was blocked by Ragna's weapon which changed back into a sword. Ragna parried her scythe downward to knock it out of the way and then swung diagonally towards Reina's head, causing the mercenary maid to lean backwards. She then attempted to spin kick him, but was stopped as Ragna grabbed hold of her foot, though she broke out of his grip by spinning upwards and kicking him in the chin. She then rushed for him again to bring her scythe down horizontally, but was countered as Ragna went low and sweep kicked her legs to knock her down. The mercenary maid let go her scythe for a moment and landed on her hands and then lifted her feet upward and caught her scythe in between them. Spinning around on her hands she went back on the offensive, forcing Ragna to block with his sword. Standing his ground, Ragna caused the two to come to a standstill for a moment. Ragna broke this by forcing himself forward and knocking Reina off balance, however the mercenary maid stood on one hand and cartwheeled away, catching her scythe as she did so.
This time Ragna went in on the offensive, his sword clashing against her scythe as he rushed at her quickly. He stepped forward and momentarily broke through Reina's guard, then spun around and went for an overhead slash onto her chest which connected. While Reina was stunned Ragna kneed the girl in the chest before slashing upward with his sword again. He finished off by kicking her in the chest and pushing her backwards. Reina snapped back to and held her scythe out to her side as she rushed back at Ragna. As the man went for a horizontal slash, she threw her scythe and caused it to go around him like a boomerang while she hopped over his head, doing a flip in midair. Her scythe turned back into a pen mid flight, and landed in her hand as she touched ground. She quickly started to write in the air behind Ragna once again.
"I don't think so!"
Without turning around, Ragna threw an elbow that hit Reina in her arm. The mercenary shrieked as she pulled her arm back, accidentally letting go of her pen in the process. Ragna kicked Reina out of the way and grabbed the pen, then quickly rushed over towards Feena while the maid mercenary was down.
"Scythe or not, this should still work." Ragna said to himself as he looked at the still paralyzed Feena. "Sorry about this Feena."
Ragna thrusts the pen deep into Feena's abdomen. Almost immediately the girl's arms started moving as she let go of her crossbow and grabbed Ragna's arm and forced him to pull the pen out. Feena groaned as she slowly stumbled back, her paralysis having faded away.
"Ow..." She said as she looked at Ragna. "Did you have to push it in so hard...? I'm gonna feel that one for a few hours."
"I didn't want it to not work." Ragna responded, holding up . "I don't think a simple slash would've worked with just a pen."
Suddenly, the pen flew out of Ragna's hand. Ragna and Feena looked in the direction it flew and saw it head straight towards Reina. In the air right in front of Reina was the word 返る (Return) was written in blood, which could only be assumed to be Reina's as there was blood leaking out from her right hand. The pen flew straight in front of the mercenary maid, to which she caught it in her right hand. Quickly she spun her pen around and converted it back in to a scythe. Reina glared at Ragna and Feena with an upset look. Feena picked up her crossbow while Ragna readied himself to swing his sword whenever he needs to.
"So..." Feena started to ask "Got any ideas for how we defeat her?"
"Fight her the same way we fight everyone else." Ragna answered her. "Don't let her put anymore spells on her."
"Gotcha."
Reina made a mad dash for the two, stopping more than halfway there and started spinning around once again, swinging herself and her scythe around like a top. Feena jumped back as Ragna rushed at the woman, converting his sword to a scythe and swinging rapidly in several vertical motions to combat her attack. Reina suddenly stopped spinning in the middle of their deadlock and jabbed at Ragna's left leg with the hilt of her scythe. Catching him by surprise, she then cut across his chest twice in an X shape. As she went for a third slash, Ragna caught her scythe in his right hand, and used it to throw her up into the air, sending her flying over his head and onto the ground behind him, where she rolled on and recovered before spinning her scythe behind her to block several arrows from Feena. The mercenary maid then lead backwards as Ragna nearly slashed across her midsection twice. She then sent her scythe outward and used to grab Ragna from behind, pulling him to her where she kneed him in the chest before slashing upward to knock him back.
Feena began firing arrow after arrow as she walked towards Reina, forcing the mercenary maid to go on the defensive as she parried away each arrow, one by one. Behind her, Ragna quickly got back up and rushed at her once again, elbowing her in the back of her neck as if to get her attention. She poked him the gut with the back end of her scythe, but was then pierces by one of Feena's arrows in her right shoulder, in which Reina then felt the feeling leave her entire right arm from just that one arrow. The woman was then slashed in the back several times by Ragna's scythe. As she turned around, the man grabbed her and slammed on the ground before throwing her behind him. Feena ran up to Ragna's side and aimed her crossbow while Ragna pointed his scythe towards the mercenary maid.
"Damn you..." Reina scoffed. "I'm not about to just up and lose like this...!"
"Give it up Reina." Feena called out. "We know your tricks and we know how to beat them. Call off whatever it is that you're trying to do!"
Reina suddenly converts her scythe back to a pen and grabs the top of her outfit for some reason. "I'm supposed to just take orders from you? Is that how it is!?"
Ragna and Feena went wide eyed as Reina did something neither of them were expecting. The woman suddenly began to tear the top part of her clothes in two. She tore off the left half first as she only had her left arm which was not paralyzed. She then reached over and the tore the other half off as she stood up. Reina, now completely topless, was standing before the two. She held her pen at them, but at the same time had the tip of the pen pointed at her bare chest.
"You think that a bunch of new arrivals are ever going to just boss me around?!" She said angrily. "I don't think so! Especially not with your reputation girly!" Reina pointed straight at Feena. "As famous as you are, the next thing I know is you might end up getting a high as hell position in the guild! How is that fair to those of us who worked our asses off to get where we're at?! Huh?!"
"Hey you got it all wrong!" Feena responded, waving her hands frantically in front of her. "I never mentioned anything about-"
"Shut it! Now... why don't you witness what the Reaper is truly capable of!?"
Reina shoved her pen straight into her chest, shocking Ragna and Feena as the blood leaked out from her wound. However she didn't stop there. She started to write once again, though she couldn't see the movement of her hand or what she was writing. But yet she knew exactly what she was doing. Tearing the flesh on her chest to pieces she was basically inscribing a word straight into her skin. Blood was leaking out on every last one of her wounds. As she finished writing, she held her blood covered hand down, her pen also covered in and dripping blood. Ragna and Feena could see the word 呪い (Curse) written in blood on her chest.
"I'll end you with the Grim Reaper by my side!" Reina yelled out. "Reaper's Judgement: 呪い (Curse)!"
All of a sudden a large burst of dark energy emerged all around Reina, consuming the woman. The sheer amount of energy was blowing straight towards Ragna and Feena, the latter of the two being forced to step back from the power, in which she noticed that she could hear her footsteps again. Though she didn't speak up about it as she was more concerned about what was to come next. Reina suddenly held out both hands, as the paralysis in her right arm was gone, and a wave of dark energy could be seen heading in the direction of Ragna and Feena. A large skull could be seen in the face of the blast.
Suddenly out of nowhere came Reina's scythe. Said scythe suddenly struck Ragna's jacket, catching the man by surprise as it knocked him back and pinned him to the wall.
"What the hell?!" Ragna exclaimed.
"Ragna!" Feena called out.
Feena then looked back at the blast and realized that Reina was aiming at her first. While she wanted to try and fight back, for some reason she couldn't. The moment she set eyes on that skeletal face within the blast, she felt a chill go down her spine. Her body shook as she slowly walked backwards, not even putting any distance between her and the blast. She couldn't help but be afraid. Feena dropped her crossbow and covered her face her hands as the blast came close to her. Reina watched and smiled as the blast hit, but soon blink in surprise at what it hit. Uncovering her face Feena saw that Ragna, who had took his arms out of his jacket, had rushed over and jumped in front of her, holding out the shield from his Azure Grimoire in front of the two of them to block Reina's attack. Reina wasn't surprised at the fact that Ragna was blocking the attack. Something else had shocked her. From what she was seeing, the power of the Grim Reaper was not just being blocked, but also negated... no absorbed into the Azure Grimoire. The energy that was around Ragna and Feena became less and less as the Azure Grimoire absorbed it all. Soon, it was all gone, and Ragna fell to his knees while breathing heavily.
"Ragna!" Feena exclaimed, quickly bending down to check on the man. "Are you alright?!"
"Yeah... I'm fine. "Ragna said while smiling. "That shield's tough as hell." He looked back at Feena. "How about you?"
"Wha-Don't worry about me right now, I'm fine! Why the hell did you jump in front of me like that?!"
"You really think you could've taken something like that head on? I don't think so. I knew this shield was tough and I couldn't just stay put and watch you possibly die."
"You... You stopped it..."
Ragna and Feena looked over to see Reina having approached them, the mercenary maid collapsing onto all fours as she stared up at the two.
"How did... How did you stop the Reaper's Judgement...?" Reina asked in shock. "What is that thing... What did you use...?"
"The Azure Grimoire." Ragna responded. "My head's still fuzzy on remembering everything but I remember enough to say this; Think of it as like your little Reaper's Judgement deal. It's less of my power and more of a power that I'm borrowing to help me fight."
"Amazing... Something so powerful... Is helping- No, being tamed by you... Such strength, power... I misjudged you I see."
Reina stood back up to offer a hand in pulling a near exhausted Ragna up to his feet. Though she blinked when he turned his head while grabbing her hand.
"What's the matter?"
"Well you're... You might wanna put a shirt on now that you've calmed down from trying to fight her."
Reina stood there for a moment before realizing he was showing decency to the fact that she's still topless.
"The very least I can do before taking care of myself is to take care of you two first. Think of it as a way for apologizing for my foolishness in trying to test you two out to see what you're made of."
"If I hadn't figured out how to undo that damn hex of yours, you probably would've-"
"No. I wouldn't have." Reina cut Ragna off. "I understand that now that I've seen your Azure Grimoire as you called it, absorb the Reaper's Judgement. Its power completely put a stop to that attack. While true, the Reaper's Judgement wears off, it's never quickly. But that Azure of yours would have most likely absorbed and negated the judgement I placed on your bones at the beginning of our fight." Reina smiled. "I have no other choice but to acknowledge now that I appear to be outclassed by you greatly. I'm nothing but a simple assassin. You two truly do put up a fight worthy of the Queen herself putting a bounty for your arrest."
"Aw stop." Feena said while she rubbed the back of her head.
Reina and Feena both helped a tired Ragna get back up to his feet. After grabbing his jacket three walked back to another nearby vacant room, where Reina then left the two as she went off to grab a new outfit for herself to wear. Feena walked and sat Ragna onto the bed in the room.
"Damn, that seemed to have taken a lot out of you didn't it?" Feena said.
"Heh. No kidding." Ragna responded. "Using the Azure to stop whatever that was really drained me." Ragna laid back on his bed as Feena sat his jacket on the edge of it. "I didn't think the Azure would just absorb it like that though." Ragna looked at the aforementioned Grimoire. "Ever since I got here, this thing has just been giving me surprise after surprise."
"At least it's giving you beneficial surprises right?"
"Yeah. You have a point there." Ragna looked over at Feena who was about to exit the room. "Hey, Feena."
"Huh?"
"You never did tell me before Reina started that fight. What exactly were you afraid of?"
"What do you mean?"
"We were talking about how Monika and Grena wanted to be your friends, and you responded by saying something along the lines of you were afraid to be their friend. Why is that exactly?"
Feena looked down for a moment as she thought on what Ragna asked her. She then smiled and looked over to the man.
"You know, at one point in my life..." She began to answer. "I would've told you 'I don't know' as my answer. But I think that tonight really made me realize what I'm afraid of. Its the same reason I hold Goblin Mage so tight to me. The reason I don't truly wanna make friends... is because I'm afraid that I'll lose them like I lost everything else."
"Everything else?"
"Yeah... Talking about my past has always been the uncomfortable subject I try to not go into detail on. But I told you guys some things about it. About my grudge on goblins is why I travel with you people in the first place. Because I wanted strength to take revenge... Because I wanted to get revenge because they took everything from me. My friends... my family... I watched it all be taken away in one day."
"That's why you've been avoiding really thinking of us as friends huh? You don't want to to grow too attached to any of us and then something happens that you'd never see us again. Is that it?"
"Yeah. It is. But tonight I realized something. I already think of you guys as friends, but I just deny my true feelings. When you jumped in front of me to save me from Reina's attack, I stopped being concerned for my own well-being and could only care about if you lived or died. I felt as if my life didn't matter in comparison to yours."
"And if that had been Monika or Feena?"
"I would've felt the same way. I risked my life once to save you and Monika out of pure guilt eating me up inside. What about you? What makes you put yours on the line to just save me? Is it... Is it because you see me as a friend?"
Ragna smiled at Feena. "What else could it be? I kept trying to tell you, you idiot. I'm not mad at you for betraying us. I'm not gonna hold a grudge against you for that. While I wouldn't just forgive somebody who nearly got me killed, you on the other hand, threw yourself at Alexiel and several soldiers alone, not caring about anyone but me and Monika. If anything, you make it hard to be mad at."
"Wha-?"
"Ever since that day you've been trying your best to try and make it seem as if you were disposable to us. You were prepared to just take your chances with a castle's worth of people trying to hunt us down because you didn't believe Monika and I wanted you around anymore. Even when we were talking, I could tell you just wanted to turn in and not talk with me. Hell, you've probably thought of just leaving the rest of us and staying at this place haven't you?"
"You knew?!"
"I think I've gotten to know my friend pretty well."
". . . .Ragna?"
"Yeah?"
"How about now?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you trust me now? You said you didn't earlier."
". . . .Well... If anything... I distrust you less. How's that sound?"
Feena smiled brightly. "That's good enough for me!"
"Good." Ragna turned over in the bed. "Then go get some rest will you? Hopefully Monika will be back to normal by the morning and we can discuss how to get out of here."
"Right!"
Feena then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She sighed and smiled as she started walking down the hall to find another vacant room, or a maid that could show her to one.
Meanwhile. . .
Down the hall away from the two, Reina was about to go back to patrolling the upper floors after changing into another maid outfit, near identical to the one she ruined.
"If there's one thing to note about those two..." She said to herself. "...Is that it makes sense that they've made it all the way here from the top floors. People like them, I'll be sure to remember. Ragna and Feena..." She then felt around in her pockets, noticing something was missing. "That's odd. I misplaced my-"
"Pen?"
Reina turned around to see Chat Noir had appeared behind her, and was holding her pen.
"Noir?" She questioned. "When did you arrive?"
"An hour ago." Chat Noir answered, cleaning his monocle. "I found out some friends of mine were in the area so I figured I'd stop by and say hi. Though I figured it be rude to show up in the middle of your fight with two of them."
"So you saw that... If that group is people you consider to be friends then you certainly know how to pick the interesting ones."
"You know me, Grim Reaper. I have an eye for picking out priceless gems."
"Still the same as ever Noir. Now if you don't mind, I have my duties to attend to."
"In that case." Chat Noir pulled out Feena's hat he had stolen last time they saw each other and placed it on Reina's head. "Give this back to Feena next time you see her, will you?"
"Hm?" Reina took the hat off her head and looked at it. "Very well-"
By the time she looked back up at Chat Noir, the phantom thief was already gone. Reina looked around left and right and saw nothing. She then sighed before walking off.
"I can't believe I fell for that." She muttered.