From the author: This chapter has a lot of references to the Viridescent Shadows trilogy (another set of Hilda fanfics of mine, which share this universe) I always try to make it so Remorse 2 readers do not need to read those to enjoy the story, but this chapter skirts the line a bit.
Additionally, I've taken recent criticism into mind and will refocus and restyle the story a bit going forward (We'll take some time away from the Alp plot after this chapter.)

Trolberg, 1645…
"Christabella..." A voice called. I opened my eyes but could no longer feel my body. Two figures standing over me came into focus, the girls from the fire pit.

"Well, damn, she is still alive. Guess you get tomorrow off, Eunice." the blonde girl said.

"Come on, Alma, you said you'd apologize." The brunette girl jabbed the other in the side.

"Sorry we kind of destroyed your life." Alma said.

"If you are here to save my life, don't. I've already accepted death." I insisted.

"We can't save your life, but we can… in a way, extend your time on Earth, and maybe… get revenge?" Eunice said.

"...I'm listening." I said.

"There's no guarantee you'll live long enough for this to work, but..." Eunice trailed off

"Out with it." I pressured.

"We want you to become a Marra." Alma said.

Remorse Of An Adventurer II

Tangled Paths

By DaringDanger
X: The Nightmare Demon

"Are you sure this won't be like the last time we messed with magic, Hilda?" David moaned as we parsed through a stack of witch books.

"Well, you don't want to tell Frida about your girl dreams, so I'm the best we have." I retorted.

"I didn't ask for a spell about it either." He had a fair point. Maybe I'd jumped to magic too quickly.

"I'm just saying maybe we can make you a girl for a day."

"Then I'll have to kiss someone by midnight or get stuck that way I assume."

"I'll have you know I've taken to reading the footnotes."

"Alfur would be so proud." We laughed. "Who knows, maybe this one won't be a high stakes adventure."

"I'm sure someone is having a high stakes adventure right now." I joked.

"Probably." He chuckled. "We should get going, it's late."

"Yeah, let's go. I was hoping we'd find something."

"At least it's board game night." David smiled.

Meanwhile…

***Kelly***

"Are you sure we shouldn't have brought the others?" I pleaded.

"No, this is a stealth mission. We take out that thing that's draining people of their blood and framing it on us, then we can live our afterlives again." She whisper-yelled. We watched from the library roof as the blue haired girl and her brother walked out into the snow.

"What am I even looking for?" I asked.

"I don't know, something evil? You act like I've seen it."

"Twinny." I scoffed.

"It seems to prefer killing women, maybe that will help."

"How original." I snickered.

"Come on now not everything is a joke."

"We're already dead. What does any of it matter."

"Don't forget you can still die a true death as a Marra."

"Fine."

"We can watch the rooftops, I've heard it leaves evidence it was there on the radio."

"Meaning it can't go incorporeal like us." I finished. This was stupid.

"Look." Twinny pointed into the distance. A shadowy figure was moving across the rooftops, albeit rather far away.

"Do you think there's a chance this thing will kill us?" I asked.

"Nothing has killed me in four hundred years." Twinny gritted her teeth as she spoke. Honestly it shocked me that she even counted her actual death at this point, you can't be the same person after that long. As my thoughts bounced around she took to the air, forcing me to jump off and follow her, Trolberg racing by below us faster and faster until she reformed and stopped.

I joined her behind a chimney top and she placed a finger over her lips, telling me to be quiet. We spider climbed along the side of the building, Twinny reaching the window first. She froze, seemingly in thought for a second, before turning around and pulling me by the arm back to the roof.

"Wrong shadowy night creature." She noted.

"What?"

"It's better you don't know what I just saw." Twinny continued. "Let's keep looking for that impostor."

Meanwhile…

***Hilda***

"How about Dragon Panic?" I asked.

"We always play that, besides mom hates it."

"Monopoly!" Alfur shouted, already wearing his fake mustache.

"David's mum can't see you, remember?" I said.

"Let's just have her sign the contract."

"Honestly Hilda, it's about time we tell her." David agreed.

"Are you sure? Your parents are a bit more..." I couldn't quite find the words for what I wanted to say. "They always get mad about our adventures, and they are still afraid of Twig." The Deerfox perked up at the mention of his name.

"This is a good place to start with increasing their comfort. Everyone likes Alfur." The elf smiled as David spoke.

"Alright, then, Monopoly." I smiled. Alfur clenched his fist in victory, or at least however an Elf could do so with no hands.

Alfur sat on my head as I carried the box down the stairs. Like many of David's games, the box was partially crushed, and the money and cards on the inside were probably about as well shaken and blended as, well, a milkshake. David was already sitting with his parents at the table, all three in Sonstansil sweaters. I gently placed the game on the table and David tossed the lid aside as he began to sift through and organize everything.

"So mum…" I still was getting used to calling her that. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"Who would that be Hilda?" My adoptive mother was perplexed.

"I need you to sign some paperwork first." David produced the papers and a tiny pen, and I handed mum a magnifying glass.

"This is very confusing." Dad took the papers first and began reading.

"It'll be worth it!" David assured.

My mum took the papers once dad finished, and dubiously signed them. As she finished Alfur dashed onto the Monopoly board. "Tada!" He cheered. Mum slammed her hands on the table as both she and dad yelped in surprise.

***Kelly***

"Hey what was that!?" I exclaimed as something crossed the very corner of my vision. Twinny shot like an arrow in the direction I turned. I confirmed I had actually seen something as I watched a large human shaped creature jump across roofs. I took to the sky and began closing the distance as well.

"Hey you!" Twinny shouted, but the creature kept running.

She tackled it from the rooftop and they vanished over the edge. I caught up a few seconds later and joined them in the park below.

The creature was hulking in size, covered in fur with demonic horns.

"What are you?" Twinny asked as the creature stood.

"Marra." The beast said angrily in a deep voice. "You'll regret interrupting me." It shot up and swung towards my face, the hit crushing as I recoiled backwards.

"What's the hell!?" Twinny yelled. "You're going around killing people and making us look bad. If anything you owe us!"

"I think you all owe me, for wiping out my entire race! This is my town now!"

"Over my dead body." Twinny said. As the stars stopped circling my head I stood up, and twisted my head back the right way with a snap of my neck. "That doesn't kill me." I growled. Twinny lunged forward in a streak of green and threw herself into the creature's stomach full force and both sailed into a nearby tree trunk. I winced a bit. Marra definitely could still feel pain, and I felt that one from where I was standing.

***Hilda***

"My name is Alfur, I'm an elf from the northern counties!" Alfur bowed as he took his hat off.

"Oh! Is this what that little house is for?" Mum asked.

"I thought it was an art project." Dad added.

"I live there with my cat." Alfur noted.

"So there's… elf cats?"

"We call them 'nittens'" I corrected.

"And you moved here with Hilda I assume?" Mum pressed.

"I've been assigned to follow her and David, and write reports about Trolberg! In fact I'd love to do a report on you both!"

"On us?" Dad questioned.

"Elves are addicted to their paperwork and reports." David said.

"Our society wouldn't function without them, I daresay." Alfur added.

"Well I'm just an accountant, it's not that exciting." Dad continued.

"Are you kidding!?" Alfur cheered. "That's one of the most important jobs there is!" A smile crossed dad's face at that.

"Alright sure, we can talk accounting." He looked up towards the ceiling, perhaps thinking this was his moment to shine.

"Can we play Monopoly first?" David pressed.

"Yes, yes, let's play Monopoly." Alfur clapped, or well, could you call it clapping with no hands?

"I hope you're ready to lose." David moaned.

"You've never beaten any of us, David." Mum noted.

"I don't mean to me." He corrected as Alfur hopped back on the table in full Monopoly Man costume.

"Oh no." Both parents said at once.

***Kelly***

Without thinking I jumped forward, lunging with all my strength to blindside the Alp from its left. Crash! We both rolled along the dirt and grass for a few feet.

"Nice shot Kelly!" Twinny yelled as she came in over my head, in a flash I could see she'd summoned her arm blades, marking this as a rare occasion. I stood up with the sound of fighting next to me. My body already felt weary, but this was my moment to help, Twintail could handle herself, she was the leader for a reason, I needed to get backup in the meantime.

I took a big breath in, and let it go before taking to the sky like a bullet, Marra Hotel or bust. As a wisp you couldn't feel the wind passing you by as you flew, the only measure of speed being the lights of Trolberg shooting under you, blurring together like an abstract painting.

Smash! I crashed through a window in the middle of the old hotel.

"Girls! We gotta go now! Twinny is fighting the stupid thing that's been causing people to witch hunt us!" I bellowed. Green eyes began glowing and gathering around me like flies, quietly and ominously. A smug smile crossed my face. "Let's fly." I dove from the window before entering wisp form once more.

"Where to, Kelly?" Several of the girls asked.

"They were in a park, just let me lead." I returned full focus to flying. People would probably notice eleven Marra streaks in the sky, but did that really matter right now?

The park slipped into view, as did the familiar green glow from Twinny. I dove down and came out of wisp form, sliding on the ground for a short distance, the other girls landing around me. Twinny dodged a punch low, her face now bruised, black blood dripping from her mouth. It wasn't like her to even get hit in a fight.

Without a word the girls began dog-piling the Alp. They weren't fighters, I supposed. "You good?" I asked, flying over to Twintail. She spat blood from her mouth.

"I've never seen a thing like this." She coughed.

"Get off!" The Alp bellowed as it threw the majority of the girls free, many of them slamming into the ground hard around us.

"Just go home!" Twinny commanded the creature.

"This is my home, and I'm not afraid of you! The Marra have grown weak and forgotten their roots, as weapons."

"The Marra gained our independence from Huld fair and square, but that was before even my time. I just want to give brats nightmares in peace, is that too much to ask!?" Twinny protested.

"No matter how old your kind gets, you never mature."

"You know, I've had enough." Twinny jumped forward as another Marra was ripped from the Alp like a band-aid. She swung her arm and the Alp narrowly dodged clear. She kept hopping and swinging as the girls started gathering themselves once more.

The Alp swung away from Twinny only to be pushed back by a wall of Marra, the blade slicing into its side.

"Brats!" The Alp said with a pained roar. It swung an arm around, knocking the girls away like bowling pins once more. I flew in and landed a punch to the creature's face.

Slam! I met the ground before I could think as the creature hit me from the back. I rolled painfully onto my back in time to see it grab Twinny by the neck like she was a toy.

"I will kill you." It said coldly.

"Try." She choked out before wisping out of its grasp.

"Fine then." It swung its back hand in a flash and Twinny made a high and sharp sound. I turned to see her, and saw why. The Alp's hand had gone clear through her chest, marra's blood dripping from the hand and arm as she feebly fought against it, her swords fading away as she tried. The creature pushed her off with its other hand and she fell to the ground limp.

"Anyone else!?" It bellowed. "Or was she the best your puny kind has to offer?"

"Yes. I. Am!" Suddenly Twinny shot forward with one reignited arm sword and pierced into the heart of the creature. It gasped and reeled back before swatting her away once more.

"Your entire kind will regret this!" It pointed before jumping away into the trees, and into the night.

"No!" Twinny bellowed as I ran over to her. "I can't summon my powers!" She scratched at the dirt around her as if begging for something to happen. Her skin had begun to crack like a lake bed deprived of rain.

"Everyone leave." I said quietly to the others as a tear ran down my face. A few followed the instruction immediately, the rest only did after I yelled it again. I'd never seen one of my kind die, but Twintail told me what it was like. It was happening in front of me.

"I can't give you my fragment, Kelly." She gasped as she rolled onto her back, her breaths sharp and shallow. I went down on my knees and took her cold hand. "I've failed, Kelly." She coughed.

"You taught me to take things as they come. If the cycle breaks tonight, we can find another way." I promised. Her free arm swung across her chest and gripped mine. She pulled herself slightly up to look at me.

"You better keep that promise." She had that look on her face, a scowl that only she could give.

"I will." I said softly. She let herself fall back to the ground.

"This hurts." She moaned after a short silence. Blood had formed a trail to the ground from either side of her mouth.

"You always told me, if you died, you'd get to see Jena again."

"They can't keep me away." She tried to laugh between gasps, I think. "Maybe I'll find out if Alma is proud of me."

"I think she should be." As she spoke a gust of wind blew by, blowing some of Twinny's body away, her ashes glowing green in the air one last time before they vanished.

"Make sure to scare David for me." She choked out, to which I nodded back. "It's time for me to see Mirabel again, Kelly." She pulled her hand free of mine, and the wind came by once more, whisking her away into a glow of green, and then into nothing, leaving only her clothes behind.

"I'll finish your work, Christabella." I whispered.

Crash! I jumped up and turned from the sudden thunder. A cloud with a violet-blue hue gathered in the sky. "We're really in for it now, aren't we?" I asked, looking at Twiny's old clothes.

To Be Continued in: The Beasts of Trolberg