Micaela was not happy.

Actually, that's a massive understatement. Micaela was furious. Not only had several villagers gone behind her back to report to the Harpy Queen, but they had also accused Alex of murder, when he'd already been proven innocent. It was self-defense, but clearly nobody gave a shit. Some of those imbeciles even had the gall to claim that Yuri had "extorted" a confession out of the single surviving attacker!

Oh yeah, they'd also reported Yuri's location to the Harpy Queen. That particularly pissed Micaela off, because she had been trying to shelter and hide Yuri for over a decade! Suddenly, all her work was down the drain, and her friend was being hunted again.

She had to do something about this. Alex was an unstable maniac, but he was innocent of the crimes which they accused him of. She wouldn't let him get thrown to the wolves like that! That would just be scummy!

That was why she was currently traveling through the woods on horseback, her speed almost reaching a full gallop. There were a couple horses in Enrika, most of which were owned by the more well-off villagers in town. They'd probably notice that it went missing, but Micaela didn't really care. If they raised a huge fuss about it, she'd just pay them off.

As fast as she could, she traveled towards Yuri's house, hoping that she'd get there before the Harpies. She'd only learned of the villager's plot a couple hours before, but Harpies were fast creatures, and could out-speed a horse with very little effort.

After a few hours, Yuri's house came into view. Dismounting her horse, she ran up to the front door, knocking frantically. After a few moments, Yuri opened the door, one eyebrow raised.

"...Micaela?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Micaela shook her head, stealing a glance at the sky to make sure she wasn't followed. There wasn't any real reason that a harpy would be tailing her, but it never hurt to be cautious.

"Let's not talk out here." Micaela responded. "There's people out looking for you."

Yuri's second eyebrow raised to match her first. Quietly, she let Micaela inside, before shutting the door behind her.

For a moment, there was only awkward silence. Eventually though, Yuri's cold voice pierced the quiet veil.

"Is Alex safe?" She asked, her expression neutral.

Micaela shook her head, causing Yuri to swear.

"The villagers in Enrika saw fit to go behind me and lie to the Harpy Queen about the incident with the guards." She explained, a little irritation leaking into her voice. "They've also informed her of your whereabouts."

Yuri's face darkened dramatically at those words. With a menacing expression, she quickly grabbed her sheathed sword from the corner it was sitting in and strapped it to her waist.

Micaela watched worriedly for a moment, before it occurred to her that she should probably stop the enraged elven woman before she committed a massacre.

"Calm yourself, Yuri." The angelic woman said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Now is not the time to make foolish decisions."

Yuri looked at her like she was stupid. Micaela winced at her reaction, but kept her hand where it was.

"Micaela, my son either has been, or is about to be kidnapped by a bunch of harpies." She snarled. "If anything, they were the ones to make a foolish decision."

She made to leave, pushing past Micaela, and slamming the door to her house open.

"Yuri, wait!" Micaela called after her, only to find that her friend was already dashing off into the woods.

There was no way Micaela would be able to chase her friend through the forest. Even the weakest elves were experts at navigating through nature, and Yuri was anything but weak.

For about half a minute, she stared at the particular set of trees which Yuri had disappeared into, trying to figure out how she could possibly stop her friend before she did something rash. It was highly likely that, no matter what the mother's plan was, there would be a bloodbath.

She couldn't even warn the harpies (not that she particularly wanted to) because Yuri would get there long before Micaela. Really, there wasn't much she could to fix this situation.

"Well..." Micaela said the only words that she could come up with. "Fuck."

*LINEBREAK*

After a few hours of flight, I was really contemplating whether or not I should just fall, and risk getting hurt. I still had my sword, so it's not like I couldn't kill the Harpy. I just wasn't sure what I would do afterwards...

Seemingly reading my thoughts, the harpy began to fly higher, decreasing my chances of survival even further.

"...You're a real bitch, you know that." I growled, glaring up at her. She ignored my insults, as she had for the past hour or two. Still, I could see the growing irritation on her face. I was wearing her down, slowly but surely. If I kept at it, eventually she'd snap. What would happen then? I really didn't know. It'd probably be funny though.

"I mean, do you know how inconvenient this is for me?" I continued, grinning internally as I continued to try and rile her up. "I had shit to do today, and you just had to come along and ruin my schedule!"

She was silent, but for a moment, I thought I saw her eye twitch. My words were definitely getting to her, even if she tried not to show it.

"You are by far the rudest harpy I've ever met." I grunted, leaving out the fact that she was the only harpy I'd ever met. "I mean, come o-"

"I can drop you right now." She said loudly, cutting me off in the middle of my rant. "I don't have to bring you back alive."

For a moment, I was tempted to keep going. Then I remembered that we were more than 50 stories in the air, so I wisely shut my mouth. I wasn't particularly fond of the idea of falling to my death. Though, it'd probably be better than what's in store for me...

Obviously, I had to escape. As for how I'd do that, I didn't know. As previously mentioned, I still had my sword, but that was useless right now. However, we'd probably have to land at some point, so If I was going to make an escape attempt, it had to be then. The problem with that idea is the fact that wherever we're going will likely have tons and tons of harpies on standby, waiting to grab me if I got too uppity. Also, there was no telling if they had countermeasures for such a thing in place. Magic existed in this world, and it was complete, physics-violating bullshit.

Although, it's not like I have anything to lose, since I'm probably going to be sentenced to death, or worse, kept alive and... Well, you know. I didn't think playing nice would earn me any sympathy, so there really wasn't any reason not to attempt escape...

Well, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. It seemed like we'd be flying for a few more hours, so I had some time to think about things.

So, if I do somehow manage to escape, this whole situation will make things a hell of a lot harder. I mean, didn't Luka have to go through Harpy Village? It certainly wouldn't go over well if I, a wanted criminal, stood right beside him. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm also seen as a criminal in Enrika, so that was also a problem. Maybe I could meet with him in Ilias Port?

Hell, I'm not sure what Alice would think of me. She tolerated Luka, because he was just a kid with a dream. I don't think she'd extend the same courtesy to a monster killing asshole like me. Don't get me wrong, I don't think my killings were wrong. Most everyone I've hurt deserved it in some way or another. Of course, I don't think the literal Monster Lord would see things the same way.

The more I thought about the coming months, the more hopeless I began to feel. I would have to be very, very lucky to survive the events of the future. I wasn't a lucky individual. Stupid shit happened to me all the time. I mean, look at what's happening right now! I've been branded a criminal, and "arrested". I say that in quotes because this felt more like kidnapping than lawful detainment.

Speaking of lawful detainment, what exactly was the justice system here? I'd briefly wondered about that before, but it was an important question nonetheless. If it was more medieval style, then I was completely screwed. If it was more modern, well, I was still screwed, but not quite as much. Now that I think about it, I guess that question doesn't matter at all. Either way, I was probably going to be convicted, because it was my word versus a bunch of other people. They had numbers on their side, which automatically meant that I lost.

To put it plainly, unless I magically found a way to escape, I would spend the rest of my (possibly very short) life in the custody of the Harpies.

Fun.

*LINEBREAK*

Ilias silently watched Alex's current situation with a contemplative expression. There were a few questions on her mind, but the most obvious was simply: Why didn't he pray for help?

She knew that he distrusted her, but logically, there was nothing else he could do at the moment. If she were to help him though, there were quite a few ways out of the situation. She could have him kill the harpy, and then heal him when he fell. She could grant him a slight burst of power, enabling him to survive the fall unscathed. Or, she could even send a low-ranking angel to intercept and save him. If he just asked for help, she would provide it.

So why didn't he?

Part of her wondered why she was even willing to go so far for a single human in the first place. Many others had prayed for help, and she'd never even bothered, so why was Alex so special? Perhaps it was because of his unique nature? It was certainly interesting (and a little satisfying) to see how he fought and killed monsters. His savage nature, while sickening, was exactly what those impure creatures deserved to have inflicted upon them.

Of course, he wasn't nearly as special as her dear Luka. If she had to pick one, she'd choose Lucifina's child without any hesitation. Still, she found herself amused by Alex, enough so to actively watch over him (or, if she was too busy, send a cupid to look after him instead.).

But, she wouldn't help him unless he asked.

"Oh, Alex." She muttered to herself, watching as the Harpy took him closer and closer to Harpy Village. "Why won't you trust me?"

Hadn't she shown herself to be kind and caring? She'd contacted him multiple times during the years, and yet he always seemed fearful. Of course, he'd try to hide his feelings, but Ilias always easily saw through him.

It was... frustrating, to say the least. There wasn't any easy way to solve this problem, which wasn't an issue Ilias was used to having. She couldn't force Alex to trust her, which meant that she had to take a more subtle approach. She'd have to show him that she really only wanted the best for him.

Of course, this all led back to the original problem. She wouldn't help him if he didn't ask. It was a rule that she didn't want to break, even in dire circumstances like these. But, if he wouldn't ask for help, then how could she show him her divine grace?

If Alex died because he didn't want to pray for assistance, then that would be his own fault. Still, she didn't like the idea of such an interesting individual dying before he could reach his full potential.

Hmmm... What to do?

*LINEBREAK*

"...Are you fucking serious?" I deadpanned, glaring at the object of my ire.

Said object, of course, was another harpy flying in front of me. This one looked similar to the one carrying me, except for the fact that her hair was brown instead of black.

Now, you might be wondering what she had done to make me so mad. Well, to put it simply, she was about to search me while I was in the air. This was problematic, because it made my escape plan completely worthless! I might've been decent at punching, but there was no way I'd get out of my predicament without a weapon! The worst part was that I really should've seen something like this coming! I mean, for fuck's sake, they're harpies! They could literally fly, so why wouldn't they take my shit from me while I was in the air?

"Yes, I'm serious." She growled. "Now, if you don't make this easy for us, we'll drop you."

I feel like I'm stating the obvious here, but I'm fucking boned. There isn't jack shit I can do to get away from this. The best I could do now was hope for a chance to get away later.

"...Fuck." I growled, gnashing my teeth. "Alright, let's just get this over with."

The search was quick, and efficient, despite the fact that she was only using her weird bird feet (which, I mean, is all they really have.). Obviously, she took my sword away. More importantly, however, she took my flask! That was yet another problem, because I fuckin' needed that thing.

"H-Hey!" I called out, shaking my fist at her. "Gimme back my flask, you thief!"

The harpy looked over at me, a cruel smirk quickly appearing on her face.

"Make me." She responded, her voice smug.

...Oh, this bitch. I was totally gonna remember her when I broke out. She was fuckin' dead.

For a few moments, she dangled the flask in front of my face, just out of reach. Then, she did something really, really stupid. Slowly unscrewing the cap, she took a large swig from my flask, pausing as the flavor of the red hit her. Evidently, she didn't enjoy it, if the way her eyes widened was anything to go by.

Immediately, she spat it out, gagging loudly. The harpy holding me looked horrified, which made me chuckle just a tad bit. Alas, she couldn't go help her friend, because she was busy holding me aloft.

"Ugh..." The other harpy groaned, her face sickly and pale. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

She was glaring at me with such intensity that part of me wondered if I'd just spontaneously combust. Of course, this wasn't enough to stop the sudden laughter coming from my mouth. This, in turn, made her even angrier.

"You... You sicko!" She yelled, her voice echoing loudly in the forest. "Is this funny to you? Why do you even have a flask full of blood? Where did you even get the blood from?"

The harpy who kidnapped me gave the other one a stern look. "We're wasting time." She said. "Let's just get him into a cell for now."

Quietly, the harpy flew me towards a supremely massive tree. Like, at the base, it was more than a hundred feet in diameter. Its many leaves and branches kept the ground below it in a state of perpetual night, which was kind of eerie. There were several buildings in the tree, all of which were of different shapes and sizes. I could also see at least a couple dozen harpies milling about, just seemingly going about their business. A few stopped to watch me as I passed by, but most were preoccupied with other things.

Of course, there were also several armored harpies watching me, each poised to fly at me if I so much as sneezed. They were really serious about security, that was for sure.

After a minute or two of flying, we approached a large building nestled near the top of the tree. It was obviously a prison of some kind, because there were plenty of iron bars on the windows. Also, it was noticeably sturdier than any other building in the village, which probably made escape much harder.

Great.

My kidnapper set me down right in front of the open door, which was guarded by yet another pair of armored harpies. They looked at me with nothing but disdain, which was expected at this point.

Silently, one of them grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me inside. The other followed us in, shutting the door behind her.

Most of the cells were empty, but there were a few which held human men, and one or two even had a harpy inside. Part of me worried that they'd stick me with one of them, out of pure spite. Thankfully though, they didn't do that. I was led to an isolated cell near the end of the hallway, before being unceremoniously shoved in. The door slammed shut behind me with a loud, metallic CLANG!, followed by the distinct click of a lock.

"I hope you rot in there, you sick bastard." One of them growled, before turning and walking away. The other one followed her, leaving me by myself.

As soon as they were out of earshot, I began looking around my cell, checking for any weakness I could exploit. The room itself was made of stone, which seemed about right for a prison cell (Part of me wondered how the tree was even holding up the weight of a stone building, but I figured it was probably a magic thing). There was a barred window in the corner, but even without said bars, it would've been much too small to fit through.

The bars that separated my cell from the hallway were numerous and strong-looking. Still, I figured it would be prudent to at least try to yank on them, because they might've been weaker than they looked.

After giving a couple of the bars a few mighty tugs, I was surprised to find that they had bent somewhat. Of course, it was barely anything, but still! That was progress! Of course, what I was doing wasn't exactly... discrete. If there were any patrols (which there most definitely would be.), my shenanigans would be spotted almost instantly. I wasn't sure what would happen after that, but it probably wouldn't be good.

Still though, it was the only way out that I could see. Unless I somehow magically got ahold of a set of keys, I would have to find a way to bend those bars.

*LINEBREAK*

It had been at least three hours since I was first imprisoned. I wasn't sure if that was exactly correct, but it's hard to keep track of time when you're stuck in a cell, so give me a break.

Patrols were frequent, which meant I couldn't work on those bars without getting caught. Hopefully security was little more lax during the night, because I was fucked otherwise.

Speaking of patrols, I could hear yet another collection of guards coming down the hall. The weird clicky noises of their taloned feet hitting against the floor was hard to miss, since it echoed throughout the entire jail. It was an annoying sound, but I did my best to ignore it. After all, it wouldn't do to have a meltdown in a situation like this.

So, I turned away from the hall, resolving not to acknowledge the guards as they passed by. They were just doing their jobs. It was nothing of importance.

The sound grew ever closer, and it was starting to get harder and harder to block out the noise. I could feel a headache begin to form just behind my eyes, which did absolutely nothing to improve my sour mood, let me tell you.

Suddenly, as the noise reached its peak, it stopped. For a few moments, the prison was blanketed by complete silence. Feeling slightly confused, I turned back towards the hall, only to find no less than four heavily armored guards standing outside of my cell. Their faces were indifferent, but I could tell that they didn't exactly think highly of me. That was fair enough, considering my alleged crimes.

"Alexander Aera." The lead one said. "You are to be escorted to an interrogation room. Do not attempt to resist, or their will be serious consequences."

...The fuck did they just call me?

"Excuse me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "My name is Alex Smith. My first name isn't an abbreviation. Also, Aera is Yuri's last name, not mine."

The guard gave me an indifferent look.

"Noted." She deadpanned. "Now, cease these foolish arguments and follow us."

One of the guards unlocked the cell door with a set of keys they held in their taloned feet. The door swung open with a loud, rusty groan, which perfectly matched the frustrated feeling I felt inside. Great, now I was going to be interrogated! Considering that this world was... well, lewd as fuck, I think we can all guess what that might entail.

Ew.

Flanked on all sides by guards, I was led back through the prison hallway, to a rather sturdy-looking door. Standing next to it was a tall, silver-haired harpy with a pair of glasses perched upon her nose. She was wearing a nurse's cap, and absolutely nothing else.

"...Why aren't you wearing any clothes?" I asked, nervous. "I get that you're a monster, but aren't you like, cold?"

She looked at me, her expression deadpan. Silently, she opened the door, and gestured for me to enter.

The room was dark, and housed only a table, and a set of two chairs. One of these chairs was bolted to the floor, and it had a set of wrist shackles at the sides. I think it's obvious where I was meant to sit.

Silently, I weighed my options. On one hand, I could just try to escape right now. While I was surrounded by guards, it's not like they'd be able to immediately stop me. On the other hand, I was really, really high up right now. I wasn't sure how I'd get down from the massive tree we were in, and I was even less sure of how I'd avoid the horde of harpies that would inevitably descend on me.

If I remained compliant, I'd more than likely be molested by this bitch of an interrogator. That sucked, but I'd probably live through it, at least. I mean, the fact that I hadn't been immediately killed likely meant that they had something planned for me...

Before I knew what was happening, I was being roughly forced into the chair. I felt the shackles close around my wrists with a loud clink, effectively pinning my arms to my sides.

After the guards finished manhandling me, they walked out the door, closing it behind them. I was now alone with the naked harpy.

Shit.

"So..." I began, desperately trying to think a way to stall things. "What's with the hat?"

It wasn't the best question, but every second she spent answering was a second she wasn't molesting me.

She paused for a moment, seemingly surprised by what I asked. She was quiet for a moment, but eventually she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm the town doctor." She explained, her tone neutral. "The hat identifies me as such."

...Okay, why was I being interrogated by a doctor? And why was said doctor wearing a nurse's cap?

"Alright, so why are you here?" I asked, frowning. "Shouldn't you be treating people, or something like that?"

She shrugged.

"According to witness testimony, your body is somewhat... unusual. The Queen has tasked me performing an examination."

...Huh?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, feeling more than a little confused. "So far as I know, my body is perfectly normal."

She looked at me like I was stupid. To be fair, I was kind of stupid, but that didn't mean she had to treat me like I was.

"You ripped apart a group of guards with your hands, and then tore somebody's throat out with your teeth." She deadpanned. "On top of that, you've been known to drink blood on the regular. That's not normal."

I made to argue, but paused when I realized that she had a point. Though, how did she know about the drinking blood thing? I mean, the only people who knew about that was me, Yuri, Micaela, and the guards...

Oh yeah. I'd honestly forgotten about that for a while. Micaela had told all the guards in the village about my appreciation for the red (And I was still pissed about that, let me tell you.) because of "safety concerns."

Quietly, I pondered just how much the woman in front of me knew. Did she know about the corpse-eating thing? Because if so, I was even more boned than I already thought I was. Then again, I feel like she'd have mentioned it if she knew about it...

Oh well, it's not like I'm gonna bring it up. If they don't know about it, then that's just fine.

"Well, there's no use in delaying things..." The harpy muttered to herself, before directly addressing me. "Open your mouth. Don't try to bite at me, or I'll call the guards."

I gave her a strange look, before wordlessly complying. I wasn't exactly sure what she was up to, but being obstinate would only make things more difficult in the long run.

Silently, she leaned forwards, her eyes gleaming with interest. For half a second, I thought she was trying to kiss me. Thankfully, she didn't, instead opting to gaze intently at my open mouth. After a few awkward moments, she took a step back, almost as if she was afraid of what she saw. I took this as the signal to close my mouth, lest a fly decide to... Well, fly in.

"Your teeth are... Highly abnormal." She eventually stated, a disturbed frown clear on her face. "Have they always been like this?"

I shrugged, idly wondering just where the hell she was going with this.

"...Okay." She continued, clearly dissatisfied by my answer. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, do you have any monstrous heritage?"

Yet again, she asks me something strange. I mean, I know she's probably just trying to gather information, but man, this was weird.

"...Yeah." I answered, nodding hesitantly. "Apparently, I'm related to a vampire. Don't ask me who she was, because I never met her."

Micaela had told me at one point that I was the descendent of a vampire. I wasn't sure exactly how she knew, but like all other things in this world which I didn't understand, I chalked it up to magic.

The doctor paused for a moment, mild surprise flashing across her face.

"Interesting..." She mumbled quietly. "Well, that would explain your above-average strength, at least."

She kept asking me general questions about my health. Mostly, it was just the normal stuff, like: Have you ever been seriously sick? Have you ever been grievously injured? What have you been eating?

Of course, there were also the...problematic questions. Those were the ones that I either couldn't answer, or didn't want to. Some highlights include: Are you a virgin? Do you have family history of mental illness? Were either of your parents mentally ill? I deflected as best I could, but I was forced to answer some of those questions. I told her about my anger issues, which really didn't seem to surprise her. And I also told her that I was, in fact, still a virgin. There were others that I really didn't have the answers to, so she let it go.

Yeah, I was starting to get really tired of all this questioning.

"Why are you even asking about all of this, anyways?" I asked eventually, cutting her off in the middle of yet another question. "I mean, I know that the Harpy Queen told you to "examine" me, but I feel like you already know enough."

The harpy shrugged; her expression neutral.

"It's standard procedure to make sure new prisoners are healthy in body and mind." She explained flippantly. "Certain factors like physical and mental illness can sometimes cause criminals to receive lighter punishment."

For a moment, I was unsure as to why she'd said that last bit. I mean, it just seemed irrelevant. However, after a couple seconds of confusion, I realized what she was hinting at.

"You think that I'm mentally ill?" I asked, doubt clear in my voice. "I mean, I have some pretty bad anger issues, but I feel like that isn't enough to be constitu-"

"Anger issues, obsession with blood, clear disregard for the lives of others, and a history of self-harm." The harpy listed, cutting me off. "Mr. Aera, something is wrong with you, and the fact that you can't recognize that is deeply troubling."

I shook my head, sighing as I felt a bad headache begin to form.

"Whatever, believe what you want." I grunted. "Also, my last name is SMITH. Why does everyone keep saying Aera?"

Now, you might be wondering why I didn't just shut my mouth. After all, I probably wouldn't be punished as much if I was thought to be mentally ill. However, for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to stay quiet. I wasn't mentally ill! There were people out there who were way worse off than me. If I claimed to have a mental disorder, it'd just be an insult to people who actually have one.

... I don't know, maybe I was just being prideful. Or stupid. Definitely one of the two...

"You're Yuri's kid." She deadpanned. "Like it or not, you're getting stuck with that name."

I gave her an annoyed look, but didn't say anything. After all, I really couldn't argue against that. Well, I could, but that wouldn't really accomplish anything, now would it?

"Whatever." I growled, shaking my head. "Are you done with your 'examination' yet?"

The harpy doctor shook her head, causing me to groan loudly.

"I still have to actually examine you. That means looking at your body." She stated.

...Oh.

I won't walk you through the details of the next few minutes, but I can assure you that it was very embarrassing. I had to be stripped naked, which required me to be momentarily released from the chair. That of course meant that the whole procedure had to be supervised by like three guards. Surprisingly, as invasive as the examination was, the harpy did not try to molest me at any point. Maybe she was already married, or something? Whatever, I wasn't complaining.

Once the doctor was satisfied, I was quickly re-dressed, and re-cuffed to the chair. The guards left soon after, along with the doctor herself. This left me sitting alone, stuck in this room until someone else decided to come talk to me. I couldn't do much other than sit around, which was... more than a little annoying.

God, if I get out of here, I'm definitely going to eat a harpy. After all this shit, I felt like that was justified. Just the thought of biting into one of their meaty-looking wings made me drool with hunger. I bet they tasted like chicken. Or turkey. Either of those sounded good, honestly.

My stomach growled morosely, reminding me that it had been several hours since I last ate. More importantly though, I hadn't had so much as a drop of red since I was captured! I could feel my throat aching with thirst, practically begging for its morbid desires to be satisfied. Alas, that wasn't in the cards for the foreseeable future, so I just had to hold out until I managed to escape.

After about ten minutes of silently waiting, the door creaked open once again. Glancing over at the source of the noise, I silently questioned just who was walking through it this time? If it was my interrogator, then they'd probably look at least somewhat intimidating. Or maybe they'd be really lewd. This was a monster village, so interrogation-via-rape was practically a given... Which, as previously established, fucking terrifies me.

As the door fully swung open, I caught sight of a rather distinct-looking harpy walking in, causing my mind to promptly grind to a halt as I beheld her.

This particular harpy, while not exactly tall, was still above average in height. Her hair was a sort-of greyish purple color, and her face seemed rather soft. Her eyes, a vibrant green, stared at me with a disdainful expression. Her impressive bust was barely being held back by a rather regal-looking set of clothes, and, perhaps most importantly, she was wearing something that pretty much looked like a tiara.

If you somehow haven't guessed by now, then I'll just have to spell it out for you. That, my dear readers, was the Harpy Queen.

...So, I guess I'm just fucked then.

"Uhhh..." I stuttered, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous. "Hi? I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?"

The Harpy Queen tilted her head, staring at me as she took a seat on the opposite side of the table. It was clear that she was thinking intently about something, but what that was, I couldn't tell. Though, judging by the way her eyes were narrowed, it likely wasn't anything good.

"I am going to be personally overseeing your interrogation." She said, her voice calm, but only just. It was pretty clear how she felt about me, and that didn't exactly do much to assuage my concerns, let me tell you.

"...Well, then I feel I should probably go ahead and say that I'm innocent." I grunted, hoping she didn't see just how nervous I was. "I've already been proven so by the mayor of Enrika, so I'm not sure why I'm even here."

She shook her head, annoyance briefly flashing across her face.

"From what I've gathered, the investigation against you was not run fairly." She explained, a bit of heat creeping into her voice. "The mayor, who happened to be a friend of your mother, believed you over multiple witnesses. She even allowed a confession to be forced out of the only living guard, who is crippled because of what you did to her!"

I flinched at the hostile tone in her voice. It was clear that she didn't like me, and honestly, I didn't think I could do much to change that. She was dead-set against me, which was problematic, because she was the supreme power around here. I would be lucky if I got life in prison, but she'd probably push to have me killed. The only way out of this situation was to escape somehow...

Well, that wasn't something I could do right now. At that moment, all I had to do was keep my mouth shut. Of course, such a thing was rather difficult, considering my short temper and generally mean disposition.

"I don't know what those witnesses are telling you, but that entire fight was in self-defense." I said, trying to keep my emotions under control. "I didn't kill them just because I felt like it. They literally were planning to rape me to death."

The harpy Queen looked at me with a raised eyebrow. It was clear that she didn't really believe what I was saying, which was... more than a little upsetting.

"Oh, really?" She asked, her voice full of hostile sarcasm. "And I suppose the part where you literally drank someone's blood was just 'self-defense' as well?"

...Did something like that happen? I couldn't remember anything after getting grabbed, so it was certainly possible...

"I... actually don't remember doing that." I answered, frowning. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but my memory of that night is spotty at best."

She scowled at my response.

"Oh, how convenient! You can't remember!" She exclaimed, her obviously frayed temper snapping like a dry twig. "Are you seriously expecting me to believe that?! You're actually telling me that you don't remember biting into somebody's throat and drinking their blood?! Did you also forget about the part where you ripped someone's arm off?! Or when you sliced off that guard's legs?!"

The Harpy Queen was starting to get really mad. She wasn't quite screaming at me yet, but I felt like that wasn't too far off.

"No, I really don't remember any of that." I said, as calm as I could be in the face of all this bullshit. "I'm not denying that it happened, but I really can't recall doing all that..."

Of course, I did remember killing two elves while being chased, but I wasn't going to mention that if I didn't have to. It just seemed like a bad idea to bring that up, especially considering just how pissed off the woman in front of me was.

For just a second, the Harpy Queen looked like she was about to explode. Then suddenly, she let out a sigh, and schooled her expression. She was silent for a few moments, before eventually leveling a cold glare at me.

"You're trying to get a rise out of me." She said, as if she'd just come to an important realization. "You have to be. There's no other reason you'd say something so unbelievable."

I gave her an annoyed look. I mean, I get that I was considered a criminal, but come on! She should've at least entertained the idea, or something!

...Ignore me. I'm just bitching unnecessarily.

"I'm trying to explain what really happened." I shot back, unamused. "You'd know if I was fucking with you."

The Harpy Queen let out an angry sigh, glaring at me as harshly as possible. Slowly, she stood up, looming over me with a dark expression.

"You would do well to remember the position you're in." She growled, her voice full of cold steel. "If the laws did not guarantee everyone a trial, I'd have had you killed already."

...Oh. Well, that certainly wasn't what I'd expected her to say.

"Message received." I said, my voice wavering just a slight bit.

She continued to glare at me for a moment, slowly sitting back down as she did so. Then, after a moment, she spoke.

"Okay, here's what's going to happen." She stated, her voice still full of barely restrained anger. "You are going to answer any questions I ask you. If I think you are lying to me for some reason, I'll call the guards in, and let them have their way with you."

I nodded, gulping worriedly.

"Alright," She began, her voice quieter, but no less threatening. "Tell me, how did you get into an altercation with those elves?"

I opened my mouth to speak, only to quickly shut it as I remembered my exact actions that led up to that whole situation. There was that tarantula girl that I'd killed... which was actually justified, because I'd literally seen her kill someone. Of course, I really doubted that such a story would enhance my credibility. If anything, saying that would probably just make everything worse.

The Harpy Queen raised an eyebrow, tapping her foot as if to say "I'm waiting."

"...Well, I was out hunting." I said eventually, deciding to just make it seem like I had killed an animal. "I may or may not have bitten through a deer's neck when I heard an elf scream. So, I turned around, just to see this terrified elf. Of course, I tried to explain myself, but she kicked me in the balls and ran. Then, once I got back to the village, I found myself surrounded."

"Basically," I continued. "The guards had been conspiring for a while to rape me to death, but they just needed an excuse. So, they decided to make up a story in which I attacked that one terrified elf, so they banded together to take me down. It was a setup. That's all."

The Harpy Queen's face went through a whole range of emotions, mostly including differing variations of anger and confusion. The latter wasn't necessarily a bad sign, but I felt like trying to capitalize on that would just get me in deeper trouble, so I ignored it.

"So, let me make sure I understand this correctly." She eventually said, settling into a mostly-aloof-but-still-kind-of-annoyed expression. "A group of guards, who had lived in the community for years and hadn't interacted with you just randomly decided to plot your demise? You're seriously telling me that?"

I could feel the disbelief in her voice, which did absolutely nothing for the nervousness in my gut. No matter what I said, she never seemed to believe me. It was a nightmare scenario, being accused of a crime you didn't commit. I had no physical evidence to give her that would prove my innocence (and, to be fair, I wasn't sure what kind of evidence could even convince her, since she seemed so dead-set against me.), and I just didn't have the charisma to convince her of anything, either. In short, escape was my only option.

But how could I escape? I obviously couldn't make a move while the queen was right in front of me, and there wouldn't be much to do when I got put back in a cell, either. I'm sure if I had the time, I could weaken the bars enough to slip through them, but something like that would take at least a week. I had no idea when they'd try to put me on trial, so that very well just might not be an option.

So, in other words, my only option would be outside help. That meant I'd just have to hope that Yuri would come save me. This reliance upon my elvish friend was at this point a clearly defined pattern, but whatever, I guess.

...Anyways, what was happening? Oh, right, the interrogation.

"I suppose that it sounds sort-of silly when you put it that way." I admitted, frowning. "But just because it's ridiculous doesn't mean it's false. They really did conspire to kill me. I'm not trying to bullshit you."

The Harpy Queen stared at me for a long time, her eyes narrowed, and her mouth shut. She wasn't making any noise, which made me feel a bit nervous. After an indeterminate amount of time, she stood up once again, her expression quickly changing into a snarl.

"I believe I told you what would happen if you tried to lie to me." She stated, her voice icy. I could practically feel the temperature of the room dropping as she glared at me, her hatred plain as day. "However, I'm a forgiving woman, so I'll give you one more chance. Lie to me again, and the consequences will be severe."

My heart dropped like a lead weight as she spoke, panic rising in my chest as if it was attached to a pulley system. There was nothing I could do to convince her that I was telling the truth. She just didn't believe me! How was I supposed to combat that? I couldn't just give a confession, because A: that was false, and B: that would just make the situation even worse if she did believe me!

I felt frustrated tears begin to leak from my eyes, as a black hatred started to form within me. Just who did this cunt think she was? How dare she keep me locked up like an animal, when I was clearly innocent? Hot, ugly rage bubbled up in my stomach, and I felt my face flush in anger.

"And now you're crying." She observed, her voice spiteful. "Is that because you feel remorse, or because you know you've been caught? Whatever, tears won't help you, murderer."

All ambient noise seemed to go silent as I processed what she said. Over and over again, the word "murderer" seemed to ring in my head. This... this freak acted so high and mighty, looking down on me as if I was some kind of villain! She truly saw me as nothing more than some psychopathic killer, which filled me with apoplectic fury. I could feel myself losing it, but there was nothing I could do to stop myself. The floodgates had opened, and everything was rushing out.

"Shut your FUCKING MOUTH!" I roared, instantly feeling my vocal cords strain from just how loud I was. "I'm not a murderer, you jackass! I've been trying to tell you what happened since you walked in here, but you've refused to believe anything I've said! What do you want from me? A confession? Because I can't give you that! I fought in self-defense! I didn't just decide to slaughter those elves! They tried to kill me! Are you seriously going to charge me for trying to stay alive? Because if so, you're the worst fucking Queen I've ever laid eyes on!"

The Harpy Queen's eyes widened, absolutely shocked at my outburst. Nervously, she took a step back, looking at me like I'd gone insane (which wasn't all that far off the mark, honestly.). After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak, her voice almost hesitant.

"N-now, I have never heard such disrespectfu-" She began, before I cut her off.

"I don't wanna fucking hear it!" I growled, stopping her in the middle of her sentence. "You are the single most dense person I've ever had the displeasure of meeting! The fact that you can even breathe on your own is an absolute goddamn miracle! With you at the helm, no wonder the Harpies are almost extinct."

I was so focused on my rant that I didn't even notice her expression change until it was too late. One minute, I was sitting down, verbally abusing this absolute bitch with everything I had, and the next, both me and the chair I was sitting on were in the air, the bolts holding the dingy piece of furniture in place having snapped like dry twigs. The Harpy Queen had me held up by the throat, her talons slightly digging into my flesh. This, of course, made it very hard to breathe.

"Not. Another. Word." She snarled, looking at me with dark, hostile rage. "If I hear so much as a peep from you, I'll hurl you to your death."

I said nothing, giving her the most spiteful glare I could manage.

"You have no idea what kind of sacrifices I've had to make to keep my people alive." She growled, her voice almost as quiet as a whisper. "I've lost countless hours of sleep worrying whether or not the harpy race will survive. I'm doing all I can, and I certainly don't need to be criticized by a depraved psychopath that mutilates people and drinks their blood."

With that, she threw me away, sending me straight into the wall. I hit it face-first, feeling my nose crunch as I slammed into the rock. Roughly, I bounced off, gouts of blood spurting from my nostrils as I landed on the floor. Somehow, despite all the rough treatment, the chair I was cuffed to stayed intact.

I swore loudly, feeling my eyes water at the pain. Jeez, did she really have to throw me? I mean, I get that she was mad, but I wasn't even threatening her! What the actual hell?!

Distantly, I heard the creak of the door opening, and the clicky noise of taloned feet walking on the hard floor.

"Guards," I heard the Harpy Queen's frustrated voice in the hallway. "Escort that fool to the solitary cell. I don't want to so much as perceive him for the next week."

With almost desperate swiftness, a group of guards filed into the room, surrounding me. Clearly, they wanted to avoid annoying their boss anymore than she already was.

Fucking bootlickers.

One of them uncuffed me from the chair, and roughly hauled me up to my feet. "Move." She ordered calmly.

I was forcefully escorted out of the room, and back into the hall. From there, I was taken all the way down to the end of the building, where upon there stood a massive, sturdy door. One of the guards opened the door, revealing a dark cell that held neither windows nor a bed. The only thing within the wretched room was a bucket, which sat in the corner. I don't think I need to tell you what that was for.

Roughly, one of the guards pushed me into the cell, sending me tumbling to the hard floor. The door closed behind me with a loud thud, followed by the now-familiar sound of engaging locks.

...

...

...

"Well, that could've gone better..."

*LINEBREAK*

The Harpy Queen paced fervently in her study, her mind racing as she considered the events of the interrogation.

That... insolent fool had made her lose her temper, forcing her to act in a way that was unbecoming of a queen. Her decision to have him thrown in solitary was a rash one, and she had regretted it almost immediately. There were many questions she'd yet to ask him, which she felt were vital to understanding what happened. Still, she felt no particular desire to speak with him again. He was rude and unpleasant, and everything he said just made her want to pummel him. Perhaps if she hadn't been so blindsided by his outburst, she'd have let the guards have their fun with him.

Oh well. What's done is done, and reversing the decision would only make her seem indecisive. Besides, a few days without food would likely be just as effective in getting him to talk. Normally, starving her prisoners wasn't something the Harpy Queen would ever condone, but this was a special occasion. Alexander Aera deserved everything he'd gotten and worse. The description of the incident had made her nearly throw up in horror. The things that the man did to those elves was pure evil, plain and simple.

But... loathe as she was to admit it, the Harpy Queen held some doubts. Alex was obviously a cruel man, but she couldn't detect any lies when he claimed that it was self-defense. He seemed to truly believe his statement, even though the evidence against him was significant. That of course begged the question: was all the information actually accurate?

It was unlikely, but the possibility of him being innocent was there. The only person who'd seen the entire altercation was the legless woman who Yuri had intimidated. Most other witnesses were just elves who had heard the commotion and decided to investigate. Most of them had just seen the ending, in which Alexander had ruthlessly dispatched the group of guards, before fighting with his mother. After that, he'd passed out, and was quickly rushed to the doctor.

Those last details were rather confusing. Why had he attacked his mother? And why did he pass out? She'd asked some of the witnesses to clarify, but they hadn't been able to give any useful information about it. So, the Harpy Queen had decided to ignore it for the time being. It certainly was strange, but ultimately unimportant to the case as a whole.

Besides, there was one part of the case which was arguably more important than Alex himself. That, of course, was his mother.

Yuri Aera... just thinking about that woman left a sour taste in the Harpy Queen's mouth. What could she say about that butcher that hadn't already been said? Yuri had slashed her way through Sentora with a never-before-seen ferocity. She was the worst kind of sadist, dragging out her victims' suffering with an almost scientific precision. Her body count likely numbered in the hundreds, and it included both humans and monsters.

Eventually, her evil ways caught up with her, and she was cornered by a group of powerful kitsune. She managed to escape, but after months of silence, it was assumed that she died of her wounds.

So that was why it was so shocking to find out that she was alive, more than two decades after she initially disappeared. On top of that, she had a son, who was seemingly taking after his mother in the worst way possible. Certainly, it was a strange situation indeed.

The Harpy Queen knew that she couldn't let this opportunity for justice pass her by. Alex's capture was certain to draw Yuri to the village, that much was obvious. So, when she arrived, the Queen would be there to meet the maniac in combat. The crazed elf woman might've been fearsome in battle, but there was no way that she could stand up to a queen-class monster. Such a thing just wasn't possible.

Yes, justice would be done, no matter how bloody it got.

A/N: So, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for taking so long. My life is a never-ending string of work, injuries, and illness, so I don't have a lot of time to work on stories.

I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea what Harpy village is supposed to look like in the world of MGQ, so I just kinda improvised. Whatever, it's not like such a thing really matters in the grand scheme of things.

This one might have differing quality throughout, as that is what happens when you work on a single chapter for months on end.

As I've said many times before, tell me if you notice any massive, story-destroying plotholes/mistakes. I go through and edit my chapters, but I miss things sometimes.

I will admit that the Harpy Queen seems a bit OOC in this chapter, but I'm not entirely sure what her character is even supposed to be. She seems almost kind in MGQ, but that's only because she's fighting Luka, who is clearly one of the nicest people in that entire world. She only held back because she knew he meant no real harm. I figured that since she was dealing with someone she genuinely thought was a psychopathic killer, she should be a bit more aggressive.

Anyways, I believe that's all I have to say. So... have a nice day, I suppose.