Horned and Hornless

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Spiral Flames in Lugnica! The hunt for Rem is on this chapter and it won't be a walk in the park. Even if the chapter is admittedly short, I think you'll still find it an entertaining setup for what's to come. And speaking of setup, for those who haven't heard I've got a Pat reon running! So if you like what I do you can support me with a donation or by becoming one of my patrons. Now then it seems we have no guest review questions this week so let's dive on in!

Daytime: The Village

Funny thing about plans: they can be derailed far more easily than most people would like to admit. Case in point: the presence of the pink-haired maid, Ram, waiting for Dabi and Nejire the moment they stepped out of the door.

"So you've awoken." She observed. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd sleep until lunch."

"Ram," Nejire said in surprise, "Is everything alright? Do you know if Rem—"

Growl!

The hero and villain duo looked down to their stomachs, one in embarrassment and the other in slight surprise. Neither of them had thought much about it, but they hadn't eaten since dinner last night and breakfast had come and gone.

"How pitifully shameful." Ram commented. "To be pestering other people for food so soon after getting up."

"It's not like a person can control when they get hun-GUFF!" The villain didn't have time to finish his sentence before Ram shoved a steaming hot potato right into his mouth. Nejire only had enough time to glance at the falling man before one was shoved into her mouth as well with enough force to knock her over. The two otherworlders writhed on the ground for a moment before finally dislodging the unexpected meal from their mouths.

"Delicious, are they not?" Ram asked smugly.

"Hot, hot, HOT! You tryin' to kill us you pink-haired psycho?!" Nejire and Dabi exclaimed back.

"They're freshly made." She informed with a wink and a smile. "Or should I say, freshly steamed?"

"Try not to look so proud of yourself, Pinkie." Dabi commented while taking a bite out of the potato.

"No need to be cross, here." Ram handed them both another potato. "Now, as for your actions last night, the forest fire is naturally going to be frowned upon. Still, I must thank you both for your actions in saving the children, very good work."

"Anyone else would've done it." Hado assured. "Still, I'm glad to hear they're all safe."

"You underestimate the weight of your actions." The maid informed. "When a domain's people suffer loss, its lord is held liable. I'd hate to think what would've happened had those children been devoured by those pack of wolgarm. You were both right to do as you did."

"Still weird they didn't eat any of the kids." The pyro observed. "Those things are clever enough to set traps but they didn't need all of the kids if they were trying to bait the adults."

"And then there's the broken barrier." Nejire added. "Did it just go out on its own or was it sabotaged?"

"It is something that will need to be investigated further." Ram informed. "Fortunately, I have managed to reconnect the broken barrier so the Mabeasts can no longer enter the village. I even kept an eye on it overnight so you can both relax as far as that's concerned."

"One less mess to get dragged into sounds good to me." Dabi commented, prompting an eye roll from the blue-haired student.

"Since both the barrier and the children have been taken care of, the best thing we can do right now is go find Rem." She stated. Dabi and Nejire pretended not to notice, but they could see Ram's right hand that was holding the basket trembling ever so slightly. What sort of effort was it taking the maid to restrain herself and not go running full tilt into the forest at this very moment?

"I'm sure she's fine." The pyro of all people spoke up. "I torched a shitload of those mutts before we got back here and I saw what she could do with that flail. She'll probably wonder why we're even there when we show up."

"For once, I hope you are right, Dabi." Ram replied with a surprisingly small amount of mockery this time. The group quickly made plans then and, after wading through the numerous villagers wanting to give their thanks, made their way back into the forest. As one might expect, it was much easier to move during the daytime. It was also much easier to spot the still rising smoke from the blaze Dabi had started last night.

"Well this is definitely the spot." Nejire noted while floating into the air to get a better look. "But I'm not seeing Rem around here anywhere."

"I can't pick up her scent with all of these burning embers still smoldering in the area." Ram added. The pyro gave a dismissive shrug as both women shot him a quick, accusatory glance. "The good news is the majority of the fire appears to be quelled."

"It's still weird that she wouldn't come straight back to the village." Hado commented. "Do you think she found something weird and went after it?"

"My sister is capable of being proactive when she deems it necessary." The pink-haired maid informed. "However, it is still troubling she wouldn't have at least come back to report her findings first. If she has discovered something, she likely deemed it necessary to pursue it immediately."

"Whatever she was pursuing," Dabi announced while pushing aside some leaves, "She went this way." His evidence was the presence of blood on some more leaves further down, along with a couple of Mabeast corpses.

"This is fresh." Ram observed after taking a whiff. "Most of it is wolgarm blood but I fear some of my sister's may be mixed in as well."

"Is there still not enough of a scent for you to follow?" The blue-haired hero questioned in mild worry.

"No, but that will not prove a serious obstacle." The maid answered. "I'll simply do as planned and use my clairvoyance to locate Rem."

She closed her eyes and concentrated, projecting her consciousness outward. The way the oni girl had explained it to the duo, she was connecting with any nearby animals or insects within a several meter radius, allowing her to see through their eyes. It reminded Nejire of Class 1A's Kohta and his ability to speak with animals.

'I wonder if Ram can understand what the animals are saying?' She mused absentmindedly for a moment before their guide's eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Nejire, criminal, we're not alone." The pink-haired girl warned while her body took on a more rigid posture, signaling they should be ready for a fight. The reason revealed itself soon enough when a wolgarm came leaping out of the trees. Ram's reaction was impressively fast with her hand whipping out and unleashing a blade of wind magic which sliced the Mabeast in half before it even hit the ground.

"Jiwald! Goa!" Both the hero and villain announced, activating their magic at the sight of two more wolgarm. Nejire's body glowed a bright yellow, a sign of enhancement magic, which she used to deliver a powerful kick that snapped the first wolgarm's head back. Dabi embedded a large shard of ice in the Mabeast who'd attempted to take him down.

"It seems Puck and Lady Emilia weren't wasting their time teaching you two magic." Ram observed. "That is fortunate." It was one of the closest things to an actual compliment the maid had given them so the duo decided not to comment on it. The U.A. student, however, did have one major question.

"So your tribe are known as 'Oni', right?" she asked. "Do you have horns?"

"We do." Ram answered. "Or rather my people do. In most cases we possess two horns whose purpose is to gather mana from the surrounding area. My sister and I, however, are a rare case. As twins, we are born with one horn each, a condition that is considered detestable amongst my people."

"Do they buy into that superstitious mumbo-jumbo about twins being an ill omen?" Dabi commented. "'Cuz I can tell ya, life is capable of sucking for everyone."

"I'm more surprised that your world appears to have a similar belief." Ram commented. "As you might imagine, twins are normally exterminated after they are born. It was my possession of powerful magic that saved us both."

"So does your horn sprout out of your head? Do they come in different colors? How big are they?" Nejire asked, her curiousity taking over for the first time in a while.

"Our horns do sprout out of our heads when we need them." The maid answered. "As mentioned they're meant for collecting the mana in the air. The reason we don't have them out all the time is because, despite the increase in combat ability it gives us, the horns also make us more aggressive. If we keep them out too long, we risk going into a bloodthirsty battle frenzy. And they typically glow pink, if you must know."

"Ah, how cute." The blue-haired girl hummed.

"All the detail she just gave us and that's your big take-away?" The flame wielder deadpanned.

"It means we can relax a bit." Nejire pointed out. "Ram's apparently super-strong so if we get into any serious trouble she can just whip out her horn and blast them away, without setting the whole forest on fire."

"I was having a moment, cut me some slack." Dabi groaned.

"While your faith in me is understandable, you should know that I am actually hornless." the pink-haired oni revealed.

"You're what now?" Nejire asked with a look between perplexed and disbelief. "But you said twins still possess one horn. Aren't you Rem's twin?"

"It is true that I was quite powerful when I was younger," the maid explained, "But I ran into a little trouble and lost the only horn I had. I can still fight but the magic I wield now pales in comparison to what I was formerly capable of. Between the two of us, Rem is far more capable in any task that is asked of us."

"Heh, sounds like you needed us on this little outing way more than you were willing to admit." The pyro remarked.

"Your presence, while certainly providing a slight boon, is not essential for this task." Ram shot back in her usual business-like tone. "But since you are here it would be a waste to send you back now."

"I feel I should at least apologize." The blue-haired heroine spoke sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. "I hadn't realized I was asking something so personal."

"You needn't worry." Ram assured. "While it was disconcerting at first there are a number of things I've gained and even people I've saved by losing my horn. Rem, however, likely doesn't see it that way."

"I'd ask why but I feel like I've pried enough." Nejire lamented as the group crossed a stream by hopping a few rocks. "For now let's figure out where she is."

"I think we've got another problem to deal with first." Dabi pointed out. The group immediately moved into a defensive circle as a much larger pack of wolgarm started coming out of the woods, quickly surrounding them.

"Remember, no fire." Hado reminded the flame-wielder.

"I know, damn it, just let me work." He grunted while forming ice shards in the air. This seemed to act as some kind of signal for the Mabeasts to charge with their teeth and claws bared to rip apart their flesh. The trio intended to make it an uphill battle for them. Wind, ice and wave energy were unleashed in three different directions, bisecting, impaling and flinging Mabeast bodies all throughout the forest.

It would carry on like this for a few minutes with wolgarm charging then being repulsed. Every angle of attack they tried was rebuffed thanks to the trio's quick reflexes and powerful projectile abilities. All the Mabeasts had going for them were their numbers, an advantage that hardly seemed to make a difference, at first. But the power of the hero, villain and oni were not infinite and like a structure being battered by a storm, something eventually had to give.

In this scenario, it was Ram who gave first with her outputs of wind magic getting weaker and weaker until she collapsed to her hands and knees. "Ram!" Nejire exclaimed in worry, scooping up the pink-haired maid under her arm before floating into the air. "Are you alright?"

"It seems my magic wasn't able to hold out as long as I'd hoped." She answered weakly. "Your assistance might be necessary while I rest."

"And you were acting like we might be a hindrance." Dabi mocked in annoyance while impaling more Mabeasts with ice. His inexperience with the magic was catching up to him, however. Without Ram covering her side, he was forced to use more ice to compensate which was not doing great for his gate. Nejire was also down to one arm to keep using her Quirk while holding onto Ram.

However one looked at it, standing their ground was no longer an option. "Screw it, RUN!" The pyro yelled before turning and sprinting away from the pack of wolgarm. Hado was right behind him, gaining altitude to fly just above the treetops. "Hey, I'm down here too, ya know!"

"Just keep running!" The heroine called down. "There's a clearing up ahead. We'll have an advantage there."

"You better be right about that!" The villain yelled back. If he was being honest with himself Nejire, had no reason to lie. Either one of them dying here would just put them both back at whatever respawn point had been designated by Pandora so it'd be a waste of time for her to lead him into a trap. Which is why he was more than a little surprised that the 'clearing' he ran into was actually the base of a cliff that he went over at full speed.

"See you at the bottom!" He heard the blue-haired girl call more happily than probably she even realized.

"I'm gonna find your favorite pillow and turn it to ash you stupid biiiiiiiiitch!" Dabi's voice echoed off the cliff wall before he generated blue flames from his body and slowed his fall, landing in a crouch.

"You can just take your temper out on the Mabeasts." Nejire assured while floating down to land a few feet to his right. "I wasn't lying when I said this place would give us an advantage."

The irritated villain looked around and noted there was nothing in the area save for dirt and rocks. If he cared about such things he might've taken a moment to wonder what sort of soil composition or weather patterns led to such a bare patch in the middle of a lush forest. But no, what brought a smile to his face was being in an area where he could really cut loose and with another group of wolgarm closing in the flame wielder had plenty of targets to choose from.

Just as he was summoning his flames, however, the sound of something crashing from above brought everything to a halt. Glancing up, the trio recognized a familiar flail swinging through the air before Rem herself dropped down, cracking the ground slightly with her landing. The group got a good look at the maid once the dust cleared, quickly taking in just how long she'd probably been fighting. Her body and outfit were covered in blood with no possible way to tell how much of it was hers and how much of it belonged to the wolgarms.

Her once pristine maid outfit was torn and tattered and her lovely blue hair was untidy and sporting patches of dirt. But what caught Nejire's attention the most was the pink glowing horn sprouting about half a foot out of her head and the look in her eye. It was both curious and predatory at the same time, like she was deciding whom to go after first. 'How long has she had her horn out?' The U.A. student wondered. 'Is this what Ram meant when she said an Oni would go blood thirsty if they used their horn for too long?'

It would certainly explain what happened next. Rem yanked the chain of her weapon and brought the head up into the air before slinging it downwards, towards them. "AAAAAHHH!" Nejire yelped, getting herself and Ram out of the way just in time.

"I was… afraid of this." Ram groaned weakly. "Her demon instincts have taken over."

She didn't need to explain the implications to them. As of right now, the biggest danger in the forest, was Rem.

The good news, they found Rem. The bad news, they found Rem. The question now is what can they do, if anything, about her demonic rage? That's a question which'll have to wait until next time, so while you wait feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. And it might not help with Rem's demonic rage but do check out my Pat reon and see what I've got going on for the week! Finally be sure to stop in next time as our heroes must survive against mabeast and an angry oni maid! 'Til then.