Rory – I was staring down at it. The environment taken like a desert seemed to be hot, but it's beginning to be dark, and I was staring down, while the creature was just outside her cave. There she was… The Mystic Scorpio was glaring at me. She is responsible for the deaths of people, and it includes Youji… My Youji.

Rory smiles while Tuka looked alert at the creature now blocking the entrance to the cave. "Aren't you going to try stopping me?" Rory asked this, as if the creature knew what she said.

Tuka however didn't know Rory can speak the creature's language. "You can talk to her?"

"Knowing I talked to Hardy once and experienced some things he did, I had to study him, and it was there I found out he was going to marry me. One of the things I learned was the dialect he speaks for the creatures he keeps. This one in particular, was hard to master. I was waiting to meet The Mystic Scorpio… not that the dialogue would matter now." Rory licked her lips, seeing the creature get angry. "Yes… You want me. You want to do your old master a favor. I abandoned him."

"Are you crazy?! You're tempting her more!"

"It's the very reason she's out here… she's enraged. And I'll let her keep the rage before we go at it," Rory said just before the creature charged at her. "Like right now. Tuka!" And as Rory sprinted forward and swung her halberd for an attack just to be blocked by the creature's claws, Tuka rolls out a little distant and finds there's room for her to run into the cave. "Tuka… Find the offspring inside there!"

"But Rory…!"

"GO!" Rory shouted and pushed the creature away, as she saw Tuka enter the cave the creature owned. She smiles and glances at the creature before sprinting forward. 'Good. I know my place, and you know yours, Hardy's fiend. This will be, my act against Hardy, to make sure HE NEVER follows me ever again. And… This is for you Youji!' She jumped and flipped together with the halberd she held for extra momentum towards the top, but the creature jumps back and Rory lands with her halberd hitting the ground while she flipped forward and landed on her feet. She went on the offensive again, this time as she sprinted and swung at the creature again. "How does it feel to be challenged by someone of the same level as you do?!"

The creature growled and charged at Rory, later finding out she missed as Rory evaded by rolling. She then found her strength to speak within her rage. "Master doesn't like me, and nobody should oppose me. Alas… they still are fools. Men. Women. Children. I will make life as I go by their deaths."

"Does that include killing my Youji? You killed him with your claws, breaking him into half."

"I do not remember who I kill, Rory Mercury. I only know… I must live, and live against my old Master, I will. NOW DIE." The Mystic Scorpio charges again, this time extending her claws first before reaching Rory, not finding out Rory was beside her and attempted to attack with a swing of her halberd. The creature knew though, and dodged, before pouncing at Rory.

Rory blackens her lips before she swung at the creature and suddenly, purple blood came out from where the claw was once attached on the monster. She saw the claw drop on the ground, while the creature crawled back in pain. Rory laughs in amusement for this. "Ahahahaha! What's wrong? Can't keep up with one extension of your body gone?!"

"You can't say that, as I have other tools."

The demigoddess plants the base of her halberd on the soil just beside her. "Yes. I don't assume you're defeated, until your body doesn't move."

"Good." The Mystic Scorpio then glows brightly just before it started to reform its shape. "For a demigoddess like you, not knowing of your own fate, you have nerve for showing at my doorstep." The glow eventually ended after the human figure that formed after the transformation showing her left arm is missing, has been formed with black and purple combat attire with beautiful tanned skin exposed at her abdomen, her forearms, and her face filled with anger. Her green eyes were focused towards the demigoddess. Her free arm then glowed, showing it changed into a scorpion claw adjusting to the size of her arm just before she glowed green around her body. "I applaud you, Lady Mercury. But I have a reason for living. I will not be a slave to Hardy once you're done with me."

"I don't plan to spare you."

"Then you impress me. Not only would you fulfill your own task, but I would have peace…" Eventually, she let dark aura surround her green before shadowy images left her body before they formed beside her, making smaller versions of herself in forms of her creatures. "…if you are worthy of giving me that peace."

Rory was looking at the smaller figures of the creature multiply and until there were around 20 of them around the woman controlling them. "You're going to stall?"

"No. The best I can do, is try making them your nightmare first. I know I'm incapable of close combat with my arm missing. But it doesn't mean I can't try other methods. My minions… CHARGE AND KILL THIS WRETCH."

The demigoddess expertly swung into her fighting stance. "Like I'd allow you to take advantage." And she watched as the minions approach and close in, she started swinging her halberd while she jumped out of the way as they were quite fast in closing in on her. 'They're not her offspring. They're smaller versions of her. But they won't stop me. They never will. If killing them meant killing parts of her, that's what I'll do.' "You will not stop me, Mystic Scorpio!" She eventually was in mid-air and slammed her halberd towards four minions and perished. She moved on, knowing she can get through them. "If I have to kill them to kill you, I will do that, for Youji."

"Your love for a human doesn't stop, does it?!"

"Believe it… bitch." Rory's curse came before her doing a revolving halberd attack at many more of the Mystic Scorpio's minions, defeating 8 of them. It was a little surprising to the woman, seeing Rory being aggressive unlike how Hardy tells her. And Rory knows of the opponent's curiosity catching her off guard a bit. 'That's it. Fall by being afraid of what new things I can do.'

Meanwhile… Tuka was running in the cave, hoping to see the first offspring in there as she kept her running before she slowed to just a fast walk. Carrying a torch and a bow and arrow at the same time seemed a little tiring, so she had to take it easy. 'This is a deep cave, and she wasn't kidding. But… Is she really relying on me to draw out the offspring?'

Tuka – I knew what the plan is… And Rory talked to me about it.

FLASHBACK…

It wasn't as though I've forgotten, but I know it's a crazy idea.

"You want me to what..?!" Tuka asked this while she was on horseback on an early day in the desert landscape with Rory at her back. "We're about a few hours away from the Mystic Scorpio's rumored hiding spot, and you're telling me this NOW?!"

"Ufufufu… I know it seems like a crazy idea, but I know I can count on you."

"Well how do you expect me to navigate through the dark cave?! You told me that the cave is so dark."

"That's what the torch is for. It's a good thing you were able to find one." Rory said this, aware of a small torch saddled at the side of the horse's harness. "You use it to navigate around. There are only a few splits. You'll be able to find the offspring monster easily."

"And the bird seeds? I suppose they're for re-tracing my steps?"

"Exactly. Cut the little bag so it'll start releasing bird seeds from behind you. You'll know if it runs out if it stops flowing. I want everything to go to plan, elf."

"Alright… Point noted. Hah…" Tuka sighs while looking ahead, enduring the heat and noticing the sweat leaving her. "This is a little hotter than how I'm used to."

"We have enough water. Don't we?" And as Rory asked this, she looked at the canteens she had with her, and Rory noticed a disappointed face coming from the elf. "I see."

"This is bad…" Tuka mutters, later finding a rock formation with a shadowy shade and headed there.

Minutes later…

Tuka groaned while sitting and laying her back on the big rock, somehow less rough than how thinks she felt them. "This is going to screw us, isn't it?"

"Don't be so sure. YOU didn't bring enough water. The Mystic Scorpio at this time, is resting. We need to get to the lair before it turns dark, or she'll leave."

"I understand but… Damn… I'm tired already." Suddenly, Tuka saw a flying water bottle she'd recognize from the modern world beyond the gate just come at her. She eventually caught it and was wide-eyed that there was water seen through the transparent plastic. And as she looked at which direction it came from, she was surprised to see a fully clothed figured in a hood, seeming to be at around Rory's height. The figure beneath the clothing looked at her. And as how Tuka analyzed the eyes and the motion, the figure was a girl. "Uh… Thank you?"

"You're welcome." The young girl beneath the attire had answered, and she seemed to be just a very young teenager of sorts, like she's around Rory's appearing age as well. The figure looked at Rory, and noticed the demigoddess was looking at her. She turned away and just walked past them.

Rory however knew the figure in the attire wasn't as how she appears. "Tuka… Get comfy here." Rory instructed this to Tuka before she started following the young figure from afar.

The hooded figure knew she was being followed, and stopped walking. "There's no need to feel me as someone hostile." She turned her head to see Rory just a few feet away from her. "I've been to the modern world…"

"…but you're not from this world or the other." Rory smiled as she saw the girl in the hooded figure wince before suddenly sprinting and pointing the tip of her halberd at the figure while putting her free hand to push the figure in closer.

The hooded girl knew Rory would learn about her. 'But… how?'

"Who are you?" Rory asked this, maintaining the smile she always had before she blackened her lips, after the figure took a while to answer. "Should I ask again?" She asked this, while seeing the natural green eyes from beneath the figure. "Interesting. It seems…"

The figure suddenly held the halberd and groaned before pushing it slowly and away with ease from her neck. She eventually stepped back and got off Rory's grip. "I'm not a hostile. I can assure you that. And what gave me away?"

"You think magic as I know it now is foreign to me? Let me just tell you now, since I'm still in a good mood, that magic doesn't normally flow in a living being like she's being supplied it."

"Take it easy. You're right about that part, but…"

"You seem to be carrying something that does. Nice." Rory then noticed after she praised the girl beneath the figure that the girl made a fist with her hand. "Are you annoyed you are being interrogated by a demigoddess? I doubt you don't know… since you're shady enough and suspicious since you have magic flowing through you."

"You can sense that?"

"Even with thick clothing, I tend to sense different people whenever I pass by them. And you… are no exception. Should I thank you for giving my companion the water she needs? Or should I ask further on who you are?" Rory made a tight grip on her halberd as she asked it before holding it expertly with on hand while pointing it at the mystery girl.

Tuka was looking at the two having that conversation from a distance. 'Just… who is she?'

And I didn't ask Rory who the girl was… yet.

END OF FLASHBACK…

Rory kept walking as she eventually saw some light at a distance.

I didn't mind about the mystery girl in the attire, but I always knew she was a helper. I wouldn't be in this situation if she didn't help me. And now… I'm about to get to my goal. Then, I stopped… noticing the usual flow of bird seeds out of the bag stopped. This was it. I didn't need the bird seeds as I know I'm already nearing the offspring. I only focused on ahead, and kept walking, not aware of what I'll be finding besides the offspring…

Back outside…

Rory shouted as she was falling from mid-air with her halberd in front as she swung it at the woman, and blocked it with her scorpion claw.

"You can keep attacking as much as you want, but you will not stop me!" The woman pushes Rory away before charges and starts to give Rory her combination as her body was giving a soft glow of green. Eventually, she let her scorpion tail out, and even had a sharp stinger.

Rory kept at it as she kept swinging, but found the woman quite agile. 'This is a nice opponent… Very worthy. But I want to win. It is selfish, but I want to kill her, for killing my Youji.'

Mystic Scorpio even used her stingers while attacking Rory with her share of strikes, seeing the demigoddess either evade or just block with her halberd. 'It's amazing how she's able to do this. She is a demigoddess, but even SHE will not live through. I eat… kill… for my own. She has no right to change that.' Her green eyes glowed brighter as she later opened her mouth, and out came with blood bleeding out a set of pincers while her teeth sharpened to a point. "RRRAAGGH! I WILL KILL YOU FOR BEING A NUISANCE!"

"Try, with your arm missing!"

"Gladly. Minions… kill her!" Mystic Scorpio finally built up strength as she summoned minions to her side. All the minions then charged at Rory.

"Still relying on your pitiful minions to fight for you?" Rory then defended her by swinging her halberd, sometimes holding it with both hands at each swing or uses just one hand coming together with her jumping and evasive maneuvers. 'She has tricks she hasn't shown yet.'

In the cave… Tuka dropped her torch at the sight she saw… seeing the nest of the Mystic Scorpio. The walls were stained with spiderwebs. Parts of the walls were in slime. The corner where the offspring should be was smaller. And like its mother, it has strong claws, and a stinger that's sharp at the tip of its tail.

"Oh… My…" Tuka only muttered this as the offspring took notice of the elf. And the scorpion offspring growled before it started running to her. 'This is it! It noticed me!' She was determined and nodded before she turned back and sprinted, aware the offspring is quite fast as it followed her. 'Light spell…' She puts her hand up as it glowed bright, illuminating her way. 'I'm only using it now so the offspring will be very attracted to it. It'll come out, and Rory can slay it for good.'

Rory's eyes glowed red as she jumped… "Play time is over!" She flipped and swung her halberd to later find it was blocked by the Mystic Scorpio's tail. 'W-What?! Nothing should block that! It was…! And it's stuck!'

"I'm more than Hardy's pet, pitiful demigoddess." And she used her free claw to attack Rory, just to see the demigoddess jump off and let go of the halberd. And it felt suddenly heavy that the weight of the halberd pulled down the tail until it crashed on the ground. She partially felt the pain from the weapon's sharpness just before she pulled her tail off the halberd and growled at the demigoddess, now on her feet empty-handed. "You are one troublesome girl."

"Watch your tongue. I lived more than how you lived. I've seen more horrors than you did. Don't underestimate me, as I have never done the same to you. Can you die now? I'm bored."

The words Rory uttered incited wrath in the Mystic Scorpio. "I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE!" And she sprinted, letting the sharp teeth of her mouth together with its pincers open wide as she charged with weapons hot coming at Rory. The demigoddess then evaded strikes from the woman before she held her claw with both hands, then spun-kicked the woman's head, then her shoulder just before she used her legs to lock behind the woman's head, and trapped her head between them. Her neck was being strangled while Rory pulled her claw to prevent it from moving. 'I'm being choked! And I can't move my arm!'

"Do not be so sure I can't do things without my halberd. I've done dirtier things."

The woman knew she had one more way and raised her tail with its dark and sharp tip targeted at Rory, just before she was about to strike than arrow glowing blue suddenly hits the tip and shatters it. "RRRRAGGH!" The woman shouted in pain as Rory lets go and sees the woman struggling to stand and witnessing the tip of her tail shattered by a mere arrow. She noticed ice was just around her tail. "What trickery is this?!"

Tuka ran out of the cave with the bow held at one hand. "It's called succumbing to the cold, fiend. Rory! Here it comes!"

And Rory looked towards the cave to see the Mystic Scorpio's offspring lured out. "Good. I was waiting for you."

"NO! MY CHILD!" The Mystic Scorpio shouts, not noticing Rory sprinted and finally recovered her halberd.

Eventually, Rory positions just in front of an angry offspring scorpion. "Be closer to your death, youngling." She then sprinted and skidded before spinning her halberd. "Because this is your end! HAHAHAHA!" And as the sharpness of her halberd hits the offspring, she started doing a combo of horizontal and vertical swings, dealing great damage to the offspring as purple blood was being spilled. The offspring tried to evade, but kept getting hit each time as Rory was slowing it down. "This is your last light… dear offspring."

"NOOOOOO!" The woman kneeled as she saw her own offspring being attacked and finally being cornered. 'She… She has no honor! The whole time, she'd kill my child…?!'

"Goodbye… youngling." Rory then brings her halberd down one last time before slamming her halberd down to the scorpion offspring just before it hits, and the creature stops moving. "And life leaves."

"Uhh…" Tuka wasn't believing what she's seeing, as the womanly figure of the Mystic Scorpio started to growl, and her body glowed green, while her amputated arm was suddenly starting to grow back. "Uh… Rory…?!"

And Rory turns to see the woman angry as she got on her feet. "Back again?"

"You… You… YOU ARE A MONSTER IN THE MAKING!" And the woman known as the Mystic Scorpio morphed her human arm into a claw, just before her tail glowed purple and black, later pulling out another tail with another sharp tip ready to sting. The broken stinger on her other tail repaired itself. A mix of green and dark glow surrounded her body, while her anger was defining the strength of her image. "YOU HAVE AWAKENED MY TRUE SELF. BASK IN MY APPEARANCE, FOR IT WILL BE YOUR LAST…"

"SPARA!" A female teen's voice shouted the word just before three shell rounds came towards the monstrous woman, later hitting her and made three explosions at the target. The holder of the Cannon-Rifle raised her weapon, glancing at the smoke she made from her strong rounds. "I expected as much."

Rory was surprised. She was seeing a figure from afar holding a cannon of sorts but shaped like a rifle. She then sees the figure lower it. The female figure was at the same height as the girl she saw from the desert. She wore a white themed outfit, with a notable white sunhat, a green gem of sorts at her wrist, and the chain armor on her torso. The black hair under the white sunhat and the green eyes were the only things she needed to describe and identify the girl. "It's… you."

"Sure it's me." The girl replied this with a smile towards Rory. "And I always knew who you are, Rory the Reaper. It was nice to see you back at the hot zone." She then changed and morphed her Cannon-Rifle to a white opened umbrella before putting it on her shoulder. "You're breaking a sweat."

"It's worth it, since she puts up a fight. Did you have to kill her though?"

"I AM NOT DEAD!" The woman shouted before the black smoke suddenly cleared and she was seen intact. She growled as she looked at the girl who shot her. "You dare interfere?!"

The white-themed girl morphed her umbrella into some sort of rapier and held it with one hand. "I dare, because you're nothing but a pest."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Enough. It's time your existence is forever rid." The girl then ran at quite a speed just before she saw the Mystic Scorpio fire acid rounds at her. She went left and right, evading the rounds before she got so close enough that she swung her rapier. But she was quite relieved it was only one swing to defeat to the monstrous woman, as she saw Rory did the same from the other direction with her halberd and winked at her.

The two swung their weapons and cuts the woman into thirds before purple blood sprayed around the dead monster before finally being split up.

Rory then puts her halberd on her shoulder and looks at her handiwork together with the mystery girl. "Well done. You have quite the art of slicing evenly. Should I thank you? Or should I ask one more time and expect I never get my answer?"

"Or you'll do what?"

"…what I promised back then." Rory smirked at what she meant…

FLASHBACK…

"Do me a favor." Rory said this while still basking in the heat of the hot day in the same wide desert, now with the mystery hooded girl, back turned and about to leave. "If you'll be indeed helping me in the future, what should I call you?"

Beneath the hood, the mystery girl smiled and turned to Rory. "Promise me you'll be hearing it from my lips when you threaten to kill me. I'll tell there, and then. And that… is a promise." And without seeing Rory's suspicion, she turned and walked away, knowing the promise will be kept…

"And you'll be cut in half if you don't tell." Rory mutters this, before turning her back to Rory.

END OF FLASHBACK…

Rory was wide-eyed. "You… heard that…?"

"There are many things you don't know. But this… I'll tell you. I'm a rough wanderer. I enjoy blood as much as you do, maybe. So trust me that I'm not as I appear. So anyway… My name is Janeth. I came here to look for… interesting people. Thing is, I've traveled different places, and different timelines. I've visited the world connected to this one, through the gate. But I'm neither from that world, or this one."

"I figured as much, Janeth. I've never seen you before. Plus, the way you fight… It's not something I can also see from the other side of the gate."

"That's true. The kind of thing I do is combat, but not as others would expect. I'm a magical girl, supposedly fighting beings of darkness like witches and demons. But I've acquired ways to travel to different worlds and timelines, and different realities. You'll find me rather a little complicated, since I'm a mix of different experiences in one."

"I see. That makes you both dangerous, and someone who could be interesting enough."

"I'm glad you want to study me for a little. You'll know things, but your patience is counted well in your 900 years of living. Know this: You'll have plans. Go for them. And once you make it into reality… I'll be seeing you. I'll know EXACTLY what it is, since I feel it."

"The future's in your grasp, isn't it?" Rory later laughed at it. "Hahaha… You are making this very complicated. But then, I'm understanding where you came from. You might be full of surprises but…"

"I know you won't plan against me. I trust you as much as you would trust me, Rory. Itami's death wasn't in vain, since you have slain the Mystic Scorpio. But I must tell you that there's more ahead, for not just you, but your path as a goddess."

"Oh? That means you'll be seeing me while I'm a goddess then."

"I'll find my way there." Janeth winked just before morphing her rapier into her white umbrella. "I've taken down goddesses before. But you… You're a mystery. I never went against you. I did, but that was a time when I wasn't seeing your true potential."

"Another reality."

"You're catching on."

"Then I'm sure to like and find out what you're made of one day. Very well. I'll wait for you… Janeth."

"Good." Janeth then opens some sort of doorway in mid-air, described to be like a portal to another place. "I wanna be in your interest, Rory. You've done well know. We'll see what happens on the rest of your life and your time as a goddess. Until the time I visit again, remember I'll be watching events as you go."

"I'm sure you will. Farewell… rough wanderer." Rory waved simply before seeing Janeth walk at the ripped doorway and cross in it, before it closed vertically. "She's an interesting character."

"Um…" Tuka was still wondering who the girl was. "Who is Janeth? And does she know the future or something?"

"The way she fights and shows her prowess, and considering how she speaks… she knows."

"But… What do we do?"

"We don't do anything. We've finally killed the Mystic Scorpio." Rory then looked at the sliced up body of the woman, known as the Mystic Scorpio, now laying dead cut into thirds with her purple blood stained all over her body. "It's a shame Hardy will see me become a goddess, while he gets insulted with his pet now dead. Now he'll never marry me, while I do whatever I please as an immortal."

"Well… If you're happy…" Tuka tried to see it Rory's way, but she still frowned knowing the Mystic Scorpio is dead. 'It changed nothing, did it?'

"I'm happy, but you're not. I can understand a little of sorrow since you experienced it too much. You think you killed both the offspring and the creature who killed Youji? I did you a favor. But you… You can grow stronger, even without my help. Soon… I will transcend, and you'll continue to live for as long as you can."

"How do I know I'll move on?"

"You don't." Rory then glanced towards Tuka. "You'll just have to do that and see what happens. Life can screw you up, or it can work for you. That's how I observed a lot of you and saw how you lived. And you will do the same. So… Find your way from there, will you?" And she eventually started to walk just past Tuka and away from the scene. "Let's go home, elf… at least YOUR home. My job here is done."

Tuka turns to see Rory walk away, with wise words remembered. 'Move on and try being happy, huh?' After she thought of it, she sighed and started to follow Rory from a distance.

At a place full of fog…

Itami didn't know what happened. Something so much as a big hit took him to black out. 'What happened?' He asked this to himself with his thoughts coming as he slowly attempted to open his eyes. And as he would expect from his weak body, his vision was somehow blurred. He was noticing there was some sort of fog around him. Then he noticed his head was still. His vision was later clearing up and noticed a close figure was in front of his face before the figured neared and the girl suddenly kissed him. He then blushed and was too surprised to finally recognize the black hair, the red eyes, which belonged to… 'Rory…?!'

AND... THAT is the end of another chapter which I find... AMAZING! Yes... Janeth Maria Ferrano, an original OC which was inspired from an author in fan fiction, will appear minorly to help out in the Cross-Worlders series. She's a magical girl. And the rest? You'll find her information on my profile.

And yes... I think that's about it. ;) Leave reviews or PM me for any suggestions, or just plain comments on the bonus story. Really, this is a story that tells of what Rory's doing before... Ah, you'll find out when you look at the Cross-Worlders story yourself. And also, check out Jillian Victoria's OC story as well! That won't take long like this one too.

DONE! OFFICIAL! But... there's a next chapter for the epilogue so don't miss it! ;)