Shogunate Pride

by Bluestar076

In the region of Caelum, miles away from the guild of Fairy Tail, there's a special guild made of samurais that is always ready to dive into new adventures to save their region from supernatural threats by clashing their weapons. This is their story, as a girl that controls both light and darkness joins them (SYOC Closed.)

6. The Evil Dead

Shogunate Pride Chapter 4: The Evil Dead

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! Now that we have finished with the proper introduction, we can dive in to the effective story by starting with the first mission, where we'll get the first sights of some of the characters! Also, with this small arc, tt will be the first time I'll do something I actually never did before, so it will be a new experience for me as well! And I can also experiment with various moods and ways of narrative that can be mixed with both Fairy Tail's typical mood and my own type of narration. So, as we start, I hope you enjoy!

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks.

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Chapter 4: The Evil Dead

Caelum – City of Michaerya

The city of Michaerya stood at the extreme east of the island of Caelum, opening to the Pit Sea, which divided the region of Caelum from the Ministrel one.

The name of the city came from an ancient legend about the small town and its inhabitants being saved from evil curses by an angel that descended from the Heavens.

But…in those days…that derivation sounded almost ironic and cruel…as the city was infected by something that could have been considered the complete opposite of holy, to the point that they started to call it a plague.

One night, two young people named Ike and Sayori were making their way back on the former's home. They had a walk followed by a small party between teenagers, and as the night continued, they were going back according to Sayori's parents' schedule. Even that night, they were pretty much in chemistry.

"Ahah, that party was really something else, right?" Ike asked.

"Yeah! Of all things I didn't expect to see that guy dressed in pink dancing like that! It was weird yet awesome at the same time!" Sayori replied. "Also…I didn't expect it to be simpler than expected…I mean, I thought to meet more suspicious people, but it was all lightly!"

"Hey, it happened on a secure place, there was nothing to worry about! Plus…" Ike then continued before wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulder. "If anything happens, I'll be there to make sure that you'll be ok." He told her.

To such thing, Sayori naturally blushed and laid her head on the boy's arm. "Thank you." And as consequence, Ike blushed as well and looked elsewhere.

"Way to go! Didn't know I was able to do such thing!" He thought.

Right in that moment…something caught their attention: what seemed to be some sort of…lament. The two guys started to look around, trying to figure out where that could have come from.

"Did you hear that?" The girl asked.

"Yes. It sounded like…a cry? Is there someone sad?" The boy replied before turning around, and noticing something he knew well.

Right in that moment by pure coincidence, they were standing in front of an old mansion that had three floors, ground, first and second. Judging by the look, it seemed pretty damaged, despite being as actual as the other houses of the city, but it was still standing. The house had a small yard that led to the entrance, and three visible windows from the front side.

"Oh dear…that house seemed pretty messed up…did no one ever seen its conditions?" Sayori asked, making the boy look at her surprised.

"Don't you know what this is? It's that forbidden house!" Ike told her.

"What? Why is it called like that?" Sayori asked.

"Because it is said that those who go inside got attacked by something…it's related to an old story, but I can't exactly recall what happened…just that it's forbidden, and that only the imperial soldiers or sleuths can enter to investigate…" The boy explained, feeling a bit afraid. True, he never saw with his eyes what caused all those voices around the house, but he didn't want to risk anything. He was a simple boy, not someone who wanted to find adventure. "…Maybe it's better if we leave."

"Y-Yeah…come on let's go home…" Sayori seemed of their same idea, and for this, they started to walk again, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. But right in that moment…they could hear the cry again.

Even if they didn't want, they stopped again, because of that whining noise. By looking and hearing better…they could see that it came from the window of the second floor. Caught by the curiosity and a bit for the tension they stopped on their footsteps. They absolutely didn't want to go in there. They just wanted to see the window for a few seconds and then leave as soon as possible. They thought that as long as they didn't go inside, they could have been safe.

But unfortunately, this wasn't the case.

"Fa…mi…ly…" A feeble voice could be heard from the mansion.

"…What?" The boys wondered what did they just hear…and then…

The second floor's window suddenly opened up, and from it, what seemed to be a large paw with sharp claws rushed down to Ike, Grabbing him.

"WHA-!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ike tried to get out from the grasp, but without no effort, ending up with the gigantic limb dragging him back to the window.

"IKE, NO!" Sayori shouted out of panic and despair. She looked around to see if someone was around there. She wanted to call out for help or do anything else that could have saved them, but she didn't even have the time.

The massive paw came out of the window again and grabbed her as well. "NO- LET ME GO! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" In a matter of seconds, the girl was brought as well.

All that was left…were Sayori's high heel shoes. Apart from that, only silence, a creepy wind blowing around the mansion, as the second floor's window got closed.

---

The next day…

Caelum – Kabula line locomotive

CIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUF!

The locomotive was running fast through one destination to another. After departing from Elba, the train made several stops and many of the passengers were able to reach out their destination. And now, it was heading towards one of the last steps before heading back: the city of Michaerya. It was a regular city, but three passengers in particular were interested in that town for a specific reason: their next work was there. It was also the first one for one of them.

Tsukuyomi, Rere and Cal were sitting at the last passenger wagon of the locomotive, waiting to reach their destination. So far, the travel had been normal without any particular complications, but they surely had to deal with boredom one way or another.

The black-haired girl was looking outside the window for a while at the moment. While she was caught by the variety of places that the island could offer (it was surely better than her home, which was mostly nothing else but snow), she started to suffer a bit for the traveling for boredom on one side and a bit of agitation from the other one. She then looked up at the other two members of her new guild.

Rere was looking outside the window as well with a thoughtful expression while Cal simply had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping, just waiting in his own way.

Tsukuyomi realized that, in fact, they didn't talk that much. They all seemed pretty merged up in their own thoughts and as such, the travel ended up being a bit quiet. Still, she thought that this might have been awkward for someone like her.

"Hmmm…maybe I should talk with them a bit? I mean, they're my guildmates, so it should only be natural to talk with them. I don't want to pass for an antisocial person. But…where can I start? I didn't have many friends back home…it's already something that I was able to talk and help a guild member do a mission a few days ago. But…they seemed nice yesterday, if a bit weird. I can't go on like this for longer. Maybe I should try something…" She thought. It was normal for her to think like this. Maybe it was a genetic factor. But either way, she made a question to start at least an interaction with them.

"So…do you think that are we there yet?" She asked.

Cal opened his eyes and looked at her, shrugging. "Don't look at me. I'm…not used that much to trains or similar stuff." He spoke, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Really? You've been in our guild for over a year and you're still not used to it?" Rere asked a bit surprised.

"It's not that easy as you think! I grew up in a small town! It's already something that I can move around in large cities!" Cal protested.

Rere looked at him a bit confused and then turned to Tsukuyomi. "In any case, we should have done most of the road by now. There's the probability that Michaerya will be the next stop. But don't be so sure of it. It has been ages since I've been there…" She spoke. That last sentence made the other girl curious.

"You've already been there? For what?" Tsukuyomi asked.

Rere looked on the window and started to sweat. "Oh crap, what do I tell her now? I can't spit that out, not with a newbie! Think Rere…think…" She spent some seconds mumbling to herself with the others looking at her confused. "For shopping of course! There are products that you could only find there! Where do you think I've taken the silk for these bandages?" She then said with a large smile and closed eyes, trying to act as the happiest person in the world.

But Cal didn't believe it that much, for a specific reason. "You? Shopping? The same one who would make bad impressions in public for 10 jewels and always looks at the price in everything?" He asked.

Rere's smile suddenly turned into an agitated expression. "CAAAL, PLEASE! NOT IN FRONT OF TSUKUYOMI! YOU'LL GIVE HER A BAD IMPRESSION!" She exclaimed.

"Uhm…what is it about?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"You see, Rere here has a complex with money. She could do anything to get at least a coin but at the same time, she doesn't surpass a certain level when it comes to spend money." Cal explained, making Rere crawl herself.

"There…humiliated…" She commented.

"N-Now, now…it's not something to be completely ashamed of! My mom always told me to use money carefully! It's simply that…maybe you don't have to exaggerate?" Tsukuyomi tried to comfort her, but to her surprise, the other girl had to tell her opinion about it.

"Not exaggerate!? These are precious money that you receive with your hard work! You don't know where the first scammer or the first seller that could steal your money for whatever thing they have in their sleeve!" Rere exclaimed before getting closer. "The path of the samurai is a hard one, and as such, we can't afford to lose one of the most important raw resources for the first thing we see." She added, looking at Tsukuyomi straight in the eyes.

"Ah…I'll keep that in mind…" The other girl said before Rere got back on her seat…and then she made a facepalm.

"There we go. I've overreacted again."

"See what I'm talking about?" Cal asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Tsukuyomi replied. "Now I see why she made us get ticket for the last wagon…"

"I-It's something I'm fighting with, ok? I just know that it's important to have something as a backup. At least I'm not like Ren." Rere commented.

"Now that I think of it…he did say something about money…" Tsukuyomi commented.

"You, on the other hand…how are you feeling about this? It's your first mission for the guild, after all." Rere then asked.

Tsukuyomi was surprised. "Why the question?"

"Well…I thought that maybe you felt a bit uncomfortable with all this silence, so I thought that maybe saying something could have helped." The other girl continued.

"S-She had my same thought!?" Tsukuyomi thought surprised.

"She's right. You've been silent for most of the time. Do you feel perhaps under pressure?" Cal then asked.

"No it's not like…uhm, maybe yes, a little. But…it's more like I didn't know what to say. This is the first time I joined a guild and ended up in a large group of people In general, so…" Tsukuyomi explained before looking down in embarrassment. "I…didn't know where to start…before now." She expected an annoyed reaction from that, but what she got was completely different.

Both Cal and Rere were looking at her as if they felt something familiar, and had some sort of surprised yet pleased expression on their faces.

"Oh…one with social issues…just like me…" Rere spoke.

"I can get you…I've never been that talkative as well…" Cal added.

"Is…is that so?" Tsukuyomi asked.

The three looked at each other in silence with that expression for a few seconds and then…

"We'll totally get along." A simple phrase was all that was needed to create some chemistry between them.

Once she got the confirm of that she could be comfortable with them, Tsukuyomi felt more eager to express herself. "And as for the mission…I'm not that agitated as someone would normally be, I know what I can do with my own magic. It's more on the fact that, once again, this is a completely new experience for me. So, if it's not too much of a bother…I hope that you can guide me on doing things properly." She then explained.

Cal took a deep breath and then made himself comfier in the seat. "In that regard, there's nothing particular that you need to have to impression us. True, we are selective, but in the end, we're not that different from other guilds, even if we are all samurais. Once a member shows their strength in the battle test and passes it, they're already one of us. So you can feel calm on that, otherwise you won't have the right mind to pass through the battle. It's something Yori-shishou always told me." He then explained.

"True! Plus, you're not alone on this occasion. You've got two seniors watching over you!" Rere added for a smile, which lasted for a few seconds before she crawled up again. "Why did the Master pick me of all people…"

Tsukuyomi and Cal looked at her a bit sceptic. "Does…does she always act like this?" She asked to the boy.

"Yeah. Sometime even we don't know what it's on her mind. Her mood swings are so sudden sometimes…" Cal replied.

And in that moment, a jingle could be heard in the wagon.

"Attention to all passengers. We have arrived at the city of Michaerya. The train will part again in twenty minutes. Thank you for travelling with us."

"Ah! We have arrived! And the exit is on the other side of the wagon!" Rere exclaimed.

"Seriously of all the seats, you picked up these ones!?" Cal told her.

"Less talk more run! And I'd say RUUUUUUN!" The girl countered before starting to run at high speed.

"H-How fast is she!?" Tsukuyomi exclaimed.

"Oh, this is nothing. NOW RUN BEFORE IT DEPARTS AGAIN!" Cal shortly replied before running as well.

"HEY WAIT!" Tsukuyomi concluded.

Luckily, the three of them were able to reach the exit, though their landing wasn't of the safer ones.

"YES! WE MADE IT IN TI-AAAAAAH!" Rere was the first one to arrive due to her speed, but since she kept on running while also reaching the door, she ended up falling.

"Rere, watch where you're go- AAAH!" Cal reached her shortly after, tripping on his feet and falling on the girl.

"Ok, I'm here! Thank God I don't have to wait ano- AAAAAUCH!" And in the end, Tsukuyomi tripped on the kimono, completing the pile and falling on the other two mages. She then raised her head and noticed how the civilians were looking at them bad or confused.

"Don't look honey." A mother covered her child's eyes to such sight.

"…Yup. Now I understand what Rere meant with 'bad impression'." Tsukuyomi commented.

"I'm glad that you understand, Tsukie, but could you two get off me? You're crushing me…" Rere answered.

---

Caelum – City of Michaerya

After leaving the station without further unwanted accidents, the three mages of Shogunate Pride were finally able to reach the city, and both Tsukuyomi and Cal were caught in awe for the sight of such place.

"Woaaah…"

Rere, on the other hand looked at both of them with a sceptic face. "It's a city that much of a surprise for you?" She asked.

"Of course! Elba was already a surprise for me! This one seems even bigger!" Tsukuyomi replied.

"Plus, it's my first time as well in this city! Ever since I've joined the guild, these are the first times I see places such as this!" Cal added.

Hearing those words…made Rere remind her of something. But she quickly shook her head. "Anyways! Can we read about the mission again? We need to start somewhere…"

"Oh right!" Tsukuyomi promptly took the paper of the mission in order to read it properly. The other two samurais came closer to read it as well.

Here in Michaerya, there had been several cases of missing people that started to miss. We believe that it's hinted to some sort of monster on the abandoned mansion in the city. Please we beg for your help. The reward is of 60.000 jewels.

After reading the word 'monster again, Rere trembled a bit. "Why, Masteeeeeeeeer…" she thought.

"Missing people, eh? It's not the first time we hear of something about that. But the conditions are peculiar this time…" Cal observed.

"Hmmm…what bothers me the most is why would a monster be related to cases of missing people. If that is the case, we should see If it is a sentient creature, and as such, see the reason why it made them disappear, or if it's just moved by animal instinct and simply searches for food. In both cases…this gives me infested place vibes…" Tsukuyomi added while putting the paper on her pocket. When she turned around, she could see the other two mages, who seemed pretty stunned. "What?"

"That was...a pretty smart observation…" Cal noted.

"Are you really sure you haven't been in a guild before?" Rere added.

To hear such things, Tsukuyomi made a small laugh. "Oh, it's not something that special really! Somehow, deductions had always been an easy thing for me, I don't know why. I also read a lot of books, so I have some experiences in the topic. When the other kids said 'ewww, books! Gross.' I was sitting in an angle reading one. I know, I'm a bit weird." She commented.

"Eheh, nah I don't find it that weird! Compared to me…or the others…and you know what?" Rere then asked. "A good start is to ask around to have more confirms on the papers!"

"True!" Tsukuyomi commented.

"Ok, where could we start…" Rere said while turning around. In that moment, an old man passed near her. A good start, she thought, and as such, she came closer. "Uhm, excuse me, sir, can we ask you a question?"

The old man stopped to listen.

"We're members of a guild of this region, and we had come to investigate cases of several missing people, and we've heard that it involves something about an abandoned mansion and a monster. Do you know anything about it?" She asked, trying to be as kind as possible.

The man widened his eyes, started to breath heavily, and then…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He started to run away in panic.

"No wait!" Rere tried to stop him, but he was already miles away. A bit demoralized, she turned around to the others. "Ok that I suck, but I didn't think that much!"

Tsukuyomi and Cal felt a bit bad for her, with the former coming closer. "Now, don't need to act like this! Maybe he was extremely superstitious! I mean there's a lot of other people to ask, am I right?" She spoke.

"Sure, and in case we got nothing, we can still go to the commission. There will surely be someone that knows something." Cal added before looking around. "An monster inside a town isn't surely something that passes unobserved."

"See? Already something! Let's go check it out!" Tsukuyomi replied. And as such, the three of them started to ask more questions to the citizens. Although the result they had gotten…wasn't exactly what they were hoping for.

"I don't know nothing! Go away!"

"H-How can you ask me such thing!? Who knows what would happen to me!"

"Ahaha! That's a good one! I didn't know that April fools was today! …Wait, you're serious?"

"I can appreciate the effort that you are doing, but for your own good, stay away from that mansion."

"Oh, yes, I can say for sure that you suffer from mental deviation. But don't worry! In this city there is a very good doctor that can-"

The last one ended up with a double punch on his face. But either way, the search turned out to not get the results they've wanted.

"I-I appreciate that you tried to encourage me before…but we're still on the starting point!" Rere exclaimed.

"Apart from that, this is also a worrying issue. When we've arrived, I thought of the possibility that what was written on the request could have been just a voice. But if everyone here refuses to tell us more or is scared…then maybe the request isn't based only on a voice." Tsukuyomi added.

"Does that mean…that the monster is real?" Rere asked, still trying to process the fact that she was going to fight something supernatural.

"Well, we live in a world where magic is at the center of everything. Something like this is only natural." Tsukuyomi replied.

In the end, the other girl sighed. "True…I can't do nothing much about it. At this point, it's better if we head to the commi-" She was going to move to the next step to make, but right in that moment, both she and Tsukuyomi noticed something.

"Wait…where's Cal?"

He wasn't there with them in that moment. They could even imagine his outline empty. "W-Where did he go!? Don't tell me someone took him!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed, freaking out.

"Or…" Rere tried to think of a plausible answer and in fact…there was one. "AH DAMMIT! HE DID IT AGAIN!"

"What do you mean?" Tsukuyomi asked.

In the meantime, Cal was gathering information by himself, but like before, everyone seemed wary or frightened whenever they heard about the mansion or the elusive monster.

Not knowing what to do, he stopped himself and started to think. "Hmm…this is no good. I thought that they maybe had exaggerated when they talked about it in the request, but after seeing these reactions, maybe it's not that hard to believe." He said to himself before looking at his sword. "In case that thing is real, it will be something I'm not used to. There haven't been many monsters I've faced before. Still…it's something that could help me…" He thought before raising his head and turning around.

"I think we won't get nothing by keeping on doing this. Maybe it's better if we head to the commi-" Cal thought that Tsukuyomi and Rere were still behind him, but as soon as he turned around, he noticed that they were missing. Him as well, imagined his outlines empty. "…Where did they go?" He wondered…before realizing it. "…I did it again, haven't I?"

"Yes you did…" Rere's voice said, making him turn his head and see them.

"Did…Did you get lost?" Tsukuyomi asked.

Cal was a bit embarrassed to admit it, but lying wasn't something he was used to and so he sighed. "…Yes. Yes, I got lost. Everyone has their subject in which they're not good at. And in my case? It's orientation." He said, feeling a bit stupid.

"Oh…I see…" Tsukuyomi commented with a nervous smile.

"I mean, I said to myself many times that it's not that hard to follow your own steps, but every time it still happens! What am I missing!?" Cal exclaimed.

"Cal, we told you several times! You just need to follow us, it's not that hard!" Rere told him.

"I know! But it keeps happening! Especially in large places!" Cal retorted.

"I mean, when you're immerged in thoughts it could happen..." Tsukuyomi added, trying to find a justification for that.

In the end, the boy simply sighed. "Well, since this, I suppose that I lost any possible new information."

"Oh, don't worry, we didn't get nothing too…" Rere told him.

A few seconds of silence followed…

"…Dammit" The three of them said in unison.

"Well…at this point we can do two things: either go to the commission…or try to go directly at this mansion, even though we should search it since no one wanted to talk about it…" Tsukuyomi suggested.

"…Can we please go to the commission?" Rere asked.

"You know that we'll still need to see whatever hides in that mansion, right?" Cal asked, noticing her face.

"The longer the wait, the better my mood will be…" Rere commented.

For Tsukuyomi, patting her on the back was natural. "Come on, either way, we need some information one way or another…that place is the only one at this point…"

And so, as decided, they headed towards the commission, which was situated at the central plaza of the small town. It was a small building with an oriental-like roof and the emblem of the region on top of it drawn on a flag.

When they entered it, they could see a small waiting room with various papers of wanted people or cases both resolved and unresolved. And to finish, there was a door on the other side with the written "Commissioner Room", guarded by two imperial soldiers.

Cal came closer to the guards and spoke to them. "We come from Shogunate Pride. We would like to talk to the commissioner."

The guards looked at each other worried for a moment.

"Really? Them?"

"Someone accepted the request, then…"

They looked at the three young mages. "Come in." After that, they moved aside, letting them come inside.

"Strangely easy…" Tsukuyomi commented.

"I don't like the face they made…" Rere added.

Once they were in, the three could see that, much like the rest of the building, the room was small yet filled with stuff. There was the commissioner's desk made in wooden, two large shelves on his back and enough space for letting other people come in.

The commissioner himself was a tall man with just a few hair on the sides of his head and black almond-shaped eyes. He wore a militaristic vest, a pair of black hakama pants and a pair of white tabi socks and black sandals. When the three samurais came in, the tall figure had closed eyes, looking immerged in his thoughts, but when he hear the door getting opened, he raised his head and opened them. "Hm?"

"Commissioner Kawajiri, these are mages of Shogunate Pride. They've wanted to see you." One of the two imperial guards asked.

The lead figure seemed surprised by that. "Shogunate Pride? I didn't expect a visit like this. What brings you here, mages?" He asked with a deep yet calm voice.

As soon as she heard the question, Tsukuyomi came closer and made a small bow. "First of, we apologize if we disturb you. We came here on a mission." She spoke of. Seeing her formality, Cal and Rere made the same bow as well.

Tsukuyomi then proceeded to put out the paper with the request on it and show it to the captain. "We've heard of this request on investigating on this case of missing people related to a mansion located in this town." She then continued.

"We tried to ask more information to the civilians, but they were too agitated to give us any answer." Cal added.

Hearing such words made the commissioner's stare more tense worried. "…I apologize on their behalf for such reaction, even if you are members of a legal guild. But…it's a delicate topic to hear in Michaerya, since it harmed us deeply." He spoke.

"How so?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"First off, you need to know that I am the one who sent the request to investigate. Me and my men have tried many times to go in there and try to solve the question for ourselves." The commissioner started to explain. He clenched his hand to a fist. "But every weapon we've used turned out to be completely worthless, even that little portion of magic that we can use. That…thing…was simply too much for our levels, and I was forced to see some of my subordinates getting gravely injured or even killed more times. I was at the brink of resignation. My only hope to set this city free was to ask help to a guild of mages, so I've sent the request to various guilds in the region. I'm glad that one of them had decided to accept it."

"Don't worry. We've came just for this!" Tsukuyomi tried to assure him.

"S-So…the thing about the monster…is that true?" Rere then asked.

Commissioner Kawajiri made a small sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. We don't know where it came from, but for a while, there's a hideous creature that infests the house, to the point of making it forbidden to the public. It all started some months ago, when the civilians started to hear some wails coming from that mansion. And then…the cases of missing people started to rise. At first, we all thought that it was some sort of hallucination or maybe some sort of…ghost. But whenever someone decided to venture on that mansion or even passing closely to it…never returned to this very day. When the reports began to increase, we started to investigate and try to get rid of the problem…but with no avail." He continued.

"Can you tell us more about that mansion?" Cal asked.

"It stands on the north sector on this town. It's a big one that once belonged to a family of the place. Not much it's known about them, since they had the tendency to isolate from themselves. One day, those people disappeared with the question being shrouded in mystery. A few days later…the cries came up…and the people started to disappear. And just yesterday…" As the commissioner continued, he reluctantly showed up a small photo.

When the three samurais came closer, they could see that depicted a young boy with spiky red hair and black eyes, wearing a white T-Shirt with the written No-judgement zone, a pair of short trousers and two black boots with golden buttons.

"Who is this?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"This is my son, Ike." Kawajiri continued, making the three startle for a moment. "Yesterday, he went up to a public party on a local with his fiancée and he was supposed to come back on a certain hour. But…just later, I've realized that the local was actually close to that cursed mansion."

"So that means…" Rere spoke, worried.

Kawajiri nodded with displeasure. "Neither he or the girl came back. Both me and the girl's family are extremely worried. If I had the strength, I would go there and banish that demon by myself but…" He answered while clenching his fists tightly. Even the two guards trembled a bit out of nervousness.

"I beg of you, Shogunate Pride! Help us set this city free! Find my son and his fiancée and find out the truth about that curse!" He then exclaimed.

The three mages had a more serious expression on their faces. True, a monster could have represented a dangerous threat, but the situation was far more serious than they had expected. And as such…they needed to answer.

"…Commissioner, I don't know what this monster is about. But we can assure you that we'll do our best." Tsukuyomi promised. Both Rere and Cal nodded in addition to that.

The commissioner and his subordinates felt slightly at ease with this, even if nothing was assured. And as such…the mission started for real.

---

A few hours later…

The night started to descend on the city, with the sky getting obscured by large clouds. There weren't going to be any signs of rain or storm, but due to the nature of the mission, this could have been an omen of something disturbing.

"As I said before, the house is on the north sector of this city, standing out from the rest of the other buildings. You can start to hear the cries from around 19.00 P.M. That's when the creature will start to move and attack anyone who even passes by. Be careful, we've tried many times to stop it, but the result was the same."

While keeping in mind the last words the commissioner used, the three members of Shogunate Pride were finally able to reach out the famous mansion, and just by looking it, they could feel the bad feeling around it.

Rere, in particular, felt a bit uncomfortable by looking at it. "Eeeeck…nothing happened yet but it creeps me out! I don't know for how long I can resist!" She complained.

"Rere, we didn't even start yet and you're already making a mess! You've heard what the commissioner said!" Cal scolded her.

The girl remained in silence for a few seconds and then lowered her head. "Sorry…" Purple embarrassment waves were above her head.

Tsukuyomi, in the meantime, was giving a careful look at the house. "Hmmm…just like Rere said, nothing happened yet. How do you suggest we should move?" She then asked to the others.

By hearing that question, Cal gave a look at the mansion as well. "…The road seems pretty much clean to me, even the gate is open." He spoke. "Going through the main entrance doesn't seem that much of a problem for me."

"Are you kidding!? Judging from what we've heard, that thing could attack us anywhere! We can't just get in simple and plain!" Rere exclaimed. But the other mage seemed decided on this choice.

"Do you perhaps see any alternatives?" He asked.

The girl didn't know how to counter that sentence.

"Plus, we don't know what this thing is capable of. If we try other entrances, we might find it right in front of us. The least we can do is to try the normal way." Tsukuyomi added before turning around. "Are we ready?" She asked.

"Affirmative." Cal simply replied.

"Kinda…" Rere added with a different tone.

"Come on, everything will be fine! I want more grit!" Tsukuyomi tried to encourage her.

Hearing her, Rere tried to do her best. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees…" She had a louder voice, but the tone was the same, making Tsukuyomi have a slightly sceptic face.

"W-Well…that's already something…"

With everything decided, the three started to walk towards the house, proceeding with a slow pace, since they didn't know what was waiting for them.

A few steps later, they were already inside the front garden, with the three-floors mansion in front of them. They didn't get in yet, but they could still feel the menacing aura. So, they kept their eyes locked on the mansion.

The silence continued to the point that it became a source of anxiety. Nothing moved. They still had their eyes on the mansion, and the only noise that could be heard was the faint wind.

The seconds started to turn into minutes…and the situation didn't change.

Due to this, Tsukuyomi took off her guard stance and took a deep breath. "Nothing changed…maybe the creature didn't wake up yet…" She spoke.

Cal didn't seem to be convinced yet.

"Maybe we can-" Tsukuyomi was about to lead the way to enter the mansion, but right in that moment…

"Fa…mi…ly…" A voice could be heard from the window of the last floor.

"Uh?" The three samurais looked up. A small instant of silence followed…and then…

The window opened abruptly revealing a large paw with sharp claws that was aiming at them.

"What is that!?" Tsukuyomi exclaimed.

"WATCH OUT!" Rere added.

But before it could reach them, Cal was already there to make his move. He made a step forward and took out his sword, with its blue lineaments glow. "Applied Magic: Accelleration!" Thanks to the magic effect, he was able deliver a large sequence of attacks with his blade in less than a second. Several cuts started to appear from the paw, and a roar of pain could be heard from the window.

"S-So fast! I barely saw it!" Tsukuyomi thought, stunned for the attack of his comrade. The paw in the meantime turned back inside the window.

"T-That was it! There's no doubt!" Rere exclaimed.

Cal held his sword tightly, knowing that it wasn't done there. "Now we know it's up there. All we need is to reach it."

"Right! Let's go!" Tsukuyomi concluded. The three mages didn't lose any time and immediately entered through the main door. Trying to climb up directly at the window would have been too risky. They didn't know if the monster would have attacked again.

Once inside, the three Samurais walked and looked around while being careful. Each one had their weapons at the ready, with their hands ready to take them out.

"Keep your eyes open…" Cal warned the others while looking around. Tsukuyomi and Rere were doing the same while their breath started to get heavy. Sweat went down from their heads, but even with that level of tension, they did their best to not freak out and be ready for any attack.

The situation turned back to silent for the moment, and while being careful, the trio could give a better look at the inside of the ground floor. The room they were in was empty and dark, with the floor, the walls and the ceilings damaged. While from the outside the house seemed rotten, on the inside, it was directly destroyed. Signs of claws, casks and burns could be seen anywhere. Pieces of vases, paper, wooden and more stuff could be seen in the floor. The only other room on the floor was accessible, even if closed by a door and there was a staircase on the other side of the room that led to the upper floor, and another own that led to a lower floor situated at the right of the entrance. Some stains of dry blood could also be seen in the walls.

The only noise that could have been heard where the three's footsteps and the creaking of a chandelier that was damaged and barely pending.

The three mages looked around, to see if they could find more about the creature or if they were able to find something about the people who went missing.

Tsukuyomi came closer to the sofa, seeing that it was all open with signs of claws. Rere, on the other hand, came closer to what seemed to be a picture, portraying something…strange.

Judging by what remained of the visible image, it seemed the photo…of a family. The paper seemed recent, but the photo itself was ruined with signs of claws. The only visible person seemed a small girl with a red t-shirt, a pair of blue pants and white shoes. She seemed like she was around five years, and she had some grave wrinkles all over her face. The expression she had on her face seemed off, almost like she didn't even know she was there. The rest of the family wasn't visible due to the signs of the claws, but there were at least three other members.

Rere looked at the picture for a few other seconds, a bit confused. Was it the family that Kawajiri told them about? With that question in mind, she started to look elsewhere.

Cal, in the meantime, started to give a look at the door that led to the only other room on the ground floor, but before entering, he put an ear on the door, to hear if there was something dangerous on it.

Silence.

"Hmm…" Cal didn't hide the curiosity to go in, but now that they knew the creature's position, they couldn't lose more time.

"Found anything?" Tsukuyomi asked with a low voice.

"Not yet…but maybe it's better if we leave the search for the people or anything else later. We can't stay calm if that thing is still active." Cal replied. "Let's go upstairs."

"So, it's time to face it…ok…" Rere commented before taking a big breath. "I swear…this time I'm rea-" She got interrupted when they could hear some roars echoing through the house from above. They instantly looked up alarmed while having their weapons at hand.

"Is it moving!?" Tsukuyomi wondered. The answer was not long in coming…and several crashing noises could be heard from the ceiling.

Shortly after, three long paws came from three different spots, breaking the ceiling and starting to move out with no control, starting to destroy the few things that remained in that room.

"Dammit! It's trying to crush us from here!" Rere shouted. Tsukuyomi and Cal were already running towards the limbs.

"Let's not waste any time!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed while her blade was already infused with eclipse energy. Cal did the same, applying another effect on his blade.

"Applied Magic: Heavy!" By using his magic, Cal made his blade heavier, thus increasing the strength of it and attacked one of the three paws, generating a large sign, but not cutting it.

Tsukuyomi made several attacks with the katana infused with the energy of her eclipse, but even her wasn't able to cut entirely the paw she aimed at. "Dammit! These things are more resistant than I thought!" she shouted.

Rere, on the other hand remained behind the door and tried to push away the paw aimed at her with her own weapons: a pair of tanto blades attached to some wires. The small weapons were able to get stuck to the limb and making it bleed, but nothing more.

"Keep on going! We cannot-" Cal tried to encourage the others, but the paw ended up catching him by surprise and attacked him, making him fall down to the lower floor. "GAAAAAH!"

"CAL!" Tsukuyomi got alarmed for his friend, and this ended up distracting her, with the limb she was facing grabbing her and starting to crush her. "AGH- GHHHHHHHH…" In the end the long paw threw her up. "AAAH!"

"GUYS!" Rere shouted out of panic before seeing the remaining limb moving menacingly towards her. "S-Stay away! I'll turn serious I warn you! Dammit, Rere! What are you saying!? It can't hear you!" She started to talk, trying to calm herself in front of the enemy.

And such as that…the limb threw itself aggressively against the girl.

"Shit, SHIT!" Rere tried to stop it with her tanto blades, but with no avail. The wounds were just marginal and as such, the girl ended up getting pushed with violence on the room behind her. "GAH!"

Once the room was empty, the three paws started to retire, going back up, with one last growl that echoed through the house.

---

"AGH!" Due to the violent impact, Rere ended up crashing on the wall of the other room before falling to the ground.

"Kh…dammit…" Due to the pain, she stood up slowly before noticing that she was bleeding from the left shoulder. "Anf…anf…that impact was incredibly strong. W-Whatever that thing is…it's just as scary as I thought it would have been…" She commented before giving a look at the wound. "Luckily it doesn't seem that bad…I have more bandages with me…"

It didn't take her much time to put on the bandages. Once she was done, she sat on her knees…before tearing up a little. "N-Now how in the world am I supposed to deal with something like that!? I won't sleep for at least five days!" She then slapped herself. "No! Come on, Rere…just like Yori says…breathe in…" She took a deep breath. "Good, and breathe out…don't say things like this. You can't live up to your goals if you whine up for something like this!" She then tried to encourage herself before standing up.

"Ok…I need to reach both Cal and Tsukuyomi. I'm deadly worried for them…" She spoke before turning around. "Wait…what is this place?" And it was in that occasion that she could notice that she was in there: the second room of the ground floor.

Much like the rest of the mansion, that room was messed up as well, and judging by the look, it seemed to have a more…feminine look. There were various chairs with several clothes on them, almost looking like they were thrown in them, and two large night tables made in wooden put at the sides of a large king bed size. There was even a large carpet that was clearly old and shabby due to liquids. But the most particular fact of it all was that Rere could see three recurring things all scattered through the room: playing cards, several sheets and empty bottles.

Rere came closer and gave a quick sniff at the bottles. "This is wine…" She quietly spoke. She then turned around, and saw something that alarmed her. "Ah!"

A small group of young people were laying down in an angle in horrible conditions, with most of their skin gone dry, as if their lifeblood was sucked away. In fact, there were what seemed to be a pair of white organic tubes on their heads, implying that they were sucking out something.

"W-What!? Those people…are those the people that went missing!?" Rere wondered a bit frightened by the sight. But she was ready to help. She didn't know if they could have listened to her, but in case, she started to slowly walk towards her. "Don't worry…I'll get you out of there now…hoping that they're alive…"

But just after a few steps…she was caught by surprise. From one of the sheets in the ground, a hand suddenly grabbed Rere on the ankle, making her fall down and release a queen scream yell. When she turned around with eyes wide open, she could see a blonde woman around her forties wearing a white vest slowly standing up. The most notable issue about her were her black eyes, surrounded by two large dark sickles and with a void expression. Even the face showed wrinkles despite her apparent age.

"Who's that…?" She asked, with an off voice that echoed through the room. She looked at Rere, but her sight was mostly blurry. "Hmm…Ellie? You've wanted to come and visit me for once, uh? I'm glad…I thought that at this point, you even forgot me. Glad to see that there's still someone who still cares about me after everything that I've been through…"

Rere's breath was heavy, and her heart was pumping up fast due to the unexpected situation. "W-What are you talking about? I-I'm not this Ellie…" She tired to converse, but the woman seemed lost in her mind.

"Oh, come on now, Ellie, is this some new game you came up with? You know you can't lie to me. After all…I'm the one that brought you in this world." She continued before looking up. "I really would like to tag along with you but…I'm not really in the mood. I've tried so many times to make it work…but at every game…more money started to come down. They said that it was a terrible idea…I should have listened to them. And now we're here, with this endless cycle. They come, I tell them that I can beat them with the cards…and it all ends up with us having less…and me trying to get rid of this depressive shit with wine. I feel bad for all the terrible things I…I feel terrible." The last sentence made Rere think that she didn't want to admit her fault.

She didn't exactly know the whole situation, but she had a clear idea on it. But even with that…she couldn't stay still. While trying to not letting her know, she slowly started to take her weapons, taking advantage by the fact that the woman was still talking.

"Fate was really cruel to us for giving up this life. I'm starting to believe to all that stupid stuff your father blabbers about. All I've wanted was for us to have a healthy life. But the result was always the same in those games. I'm sure all those people tricked the cards…or maybe you changed them on your own. Don't think I've seen you with those big eyes while looking at me playing. You certainly did something. And now we're here…not living…but surviving. Would be nice at this point…if someone could help us. But it won't happen. They'll see this house…and won't know the wrong we live in. And they never repay the way I want them to. Just like you, Ellie…you're…you're just as powerless as me…this is a shitty situation…" The tone started to get more menacing. "And as such…I surely need something to vent my frustration on. After all, you're powerless as me. Am I RIGHT!?" After that last sentence, the woman tried to grab Rere on the neck.

"Kh! I KNEW IT!" Since she was getting ready for it, Rere threw one of her tanto blade, which was electrified right in her head. The strange fact was that the blade passed through her body, but the electricity got through her thanks to the wire, giving her the shockwave.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Due to the pain, the woman fell down, loosening her grip and letting Rere jump back.

"Anf…anf…what just happened!? The blade didn't attack her but the magic did…she's not a normal human being…" Rere was confused, but she soon guessed out the only plausible answer. "Wait…is she-?"

"Anf…anf…how dare you, little brat. Is this the proper way to treat your mother!? Maybe I didn't put enough strength every time I was angry…fine…LET'S SEE IF YOU'LL DARE TO ANSWER AGAIN!" After another yell, the woman started to change into a longer form, with the white vest falling down from her body. But seeing what was under it didn't matter anymore, as the lady turned out into a long eel-like specter, with her face resembling a skull and the hair that increased their length and became more messed up, almost looking like seaweeds.

"AAAH! I-I KNEW IT! SHE'S A SPECTER!" Rere exclaimed, not liking the sight at all.

"WREAAAAAH!" Without hesitating, the abomination rushed towards Rere, with the attempt of crushing her against the wall.

But Rere knew how to dodge her. She didn't consider her strong, but one thing was certain: she was fast. And as such, she easily jumped from one spot of the room to another in order to dodge her several times. She was starting to get the hang of it, but she then noticed that if she continued in that pace, she would have harmed the people that were in the room.

"Ah, shoot! I've forgot about them!" She exclaimed, before noticing the ghost starting to go up.

The spectral woman then released a powerful screech that forced Rere to cover her ears due to the intensity of the noise. "NGHHH!" The vibration was strong enough to make every glass in the room shatter, and the ghost then proceeded to rush against Rere, making her crash against a wall.

"GAH! That's unfair! I can't hit her normally but she can!?" The girl commented before standing up, noticing that the specter was preparing her next attack. "I can't go on like this. Both me and these guys would end up in the worst outcome possible. I should use my magic but…" The sole thought of it made her tremble. "Ah! What am I saying?! The consequences about it would be terrible for everyone! I can't lose control in a situation like this…" Anxiety was starting to get over her mind. Everything was just so wrong in all of that, but now that she was there, she needed to continue.

But was she able to do so?

"Anf…anf…come on, Rere, calm down. There are other solutions…I saw that the electricity can still harm her…in that case…" The girl said to herself before releasing all of her tanto blades, which were attached to several wires attached to her body. When she took them out, she almost looked like a peacock showing off its tail. "I'll just have to use a small portion of magic and everything will go fine!"

"COME HERE!" The ghost released a sphere of spectral energy, making the girl alarm again.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Rere shouted before throwing one of her blades infused with electricity to make the ball explode. The ghost wasn't done there, and started to shoot more spheres, forcing the girl to run around her to dodge them. Somehow, the attack was small enough to not destroy anything, and Rere did her best to make sure that it didn't reach the people laying on the ground.

With one last slide, Rere was able to get behind the ghost and threw four of the small blades, which passed through the enemy but once again, the electricity that was transferred to the wires attacked her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The specter turned around and tried to crush down, but Rere quickly jumped up and threw other blades to make sure that the electricity that passed through the wires attacked the target again, making the ghost scream of pain a second time. "As a specter, she's immune to physical attacks, but the magic harms her. Does that mean that my electricity passes on her as some sort of conductor?" She thought.

The ghost then started to wriggle her hair, which stretched and managed to grab the girl. "WHAT!?" Rere found herself all wrapped up and thrown down to the floor. "AGH!"

Once she threw her, the ghost started to stand up. "You bad girl…do not think you can do as you please…this will teach you to learn your place!" She exclaimed before starting to charge a spectral sphere, bigger than the others she made.

"Oh no! At this point she'll destroy this portion of the mansion!" Rere exclaimed. She didn't know what to do, and she couldn't use her magic at its true essence. She then noticed that in that moment, she was holding the tanto blades on both hands. "Wait…ok, it may be stupid, but let's try it!"

Just when she had the idea, the ghost ended up charging the ball. "HERE'S YOUR PUNISHMENT!" She shouted before shooting the sphere.

Rere promptly charged the small blades with electricity. "RIGHT BACK AT YA!" Once the ball was in front of her, she used all the blades as if she was holding a larger one to throw back the sphere.

"AH!?" The specter immediately threw it back, forcing Rere to repeat the case, and the two of them kept on for a few moments.

"Are you serious!? What are we doing, play dodgeball!?" Rere exclaimed while continuing to do so. But even she didn't notice a particular. As she kept on throwing the ball back with the same magical energy, the ball was starting to get charged with more electricity, to the point that it became an authentic lightning bolt.

And as such, with one last push… "NGAH!" The sphere went straight up for the ghost. Who got attacked by both her attack and all the electricity accumulated during the throws.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The ghost suffered as her immaterial body was run over by intense electric shockwaves. Rere looked up what she was able to do while sweating. "W-WHY, ELLIE!? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS!? WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" With one last cry of pain, the ghost evaporated and the electricity dispersed in the air before disappearing.

"Anf…anf…anf…" Rere took some moments to breathe before looking around. "Is…Is she gone? Is the zone clear?" Even if she saw the ghost get erased in front of her own eyes, she felt like nothing was sure. Just to have that one percent more of certainty, she threw a tanto blade infused with electricity on the ground.

Sad thing was…she threw it on the carpet, and as such, she got all the electricity on her due to the conduction. "YAGABOO DIBIITY BA YA DO DE AHHWAA!" Luckily for her, the voltage wasn't high, so she only got a shock.

"…Ok. BAD idea." She commented before standing up and cleaning herself a bit. She looked around again and had the confirm. Now…that room was completely de-roached and she could take a deep breath. "She's gone. "Absurd…not only there's a monster that we don't know what it looks like…but there are also ghosts! Just…what the hell happened in here?" She wondered before looking back at the sick people. "I'll see it later. Now…let's take a look at them." She spoke.

Now that she could see them better, she put her hear on the chest, to see if they still showed signs of life. Luckily, she could still hear some pulsations from her heart, although very weak. "Hm! They're still alive…" Without losing time, she cut off the organic pipes on their heads, which released blood and retreated to the ceiling.

"Was…was that the monster!?" Rere exclaimed before looking back at those people.

She tried to make them drink some water, which worked, as they started to wake up from their comatose state. "U-Uh…" One of them slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Rere.

"It's alright. You're safe now." Rere spoke up to assure them. The guy simply nodded, since he didn't have any energy left for moving or talking.

"I'll get you out of here, I promise. Do you think you can handle it, just for a little bit?" Rere asked. Since they couldn't do more, the people simply nodded. The samurai girl wanted to do something more for them, but the least she could do before getting out of there was to put them in the bed of the room. At least they were safer now and they were comfier. And with that set, Rere could get out from the room, at least for the moment.

"They're in terribly bad conditions, and they should see a doctor 's incredibile that they were able to survive for months. But as long as that monster is still there, they won't be completely safe." She commented before trembling. "Did…did I really say that?" She then tried to calm herself. "Ok…come on, you took out a ghost, you can take that as well. You're…a member of Shogunate Pride after all…gosh I lost the count of how many times I've tried to calm myself down today." She then looked up. "The monster should be at the second floor, right? I just hope Tsukuyomi and Cal are ok…" And with that, she started to move towards the staircase of the main room.

For a moment, she stopped on her steps to see the picture she gave a look before. All that stuff that happened made her think.

Was…all of that…connected somehow?

But she couldn't lose more time on thoughts, considering that she had both civilians and two friends to take care of. So, she started to go upstairs.

---

"Anf…anf…anf…"

After getting violently thrown on the first floor, Tsukuyomi was forced to sit down with the back leaned against one of the walls to recover some energy. The impact was unexpected and strong, and as such, she couldn't move immediately. When she slightly took off the kimono, she could see a large bruise on her left spleen. "Gh…now I understand how all the mages that I saw back home feel every time…" She commented. "O-Ok, Tsukuyomi…get some strength…" She then started to stood up, helping herself with the katana and moved a bit her arms and legs to make her muscles wake up a bit.

Once she did so, she gave a look around. "It brought me up…this should be the first floor, right?" She wondered while getting a better look. She could see that the first floor was mostly made of a corridor with several doors that led to other rooms and two staircases, one that went down and one that went up. "There are many entrances but…it gives me a feeling of emptiness…brr…creepy enough." She commented before looking up at the stairs. "The monster should be in the second floor. But I'm more concerned about Rere and Cal at the moment. I hope they're ok. Those attacks were violent…" She added with a worried tone. "It's my first mission with guildmates, I can't leave them like that!"

With that in mind, she started to head towards the staircase that brought downstairs, but after a few steps…

"Hey!"

"Uh?" Tsukuyomi turned around. The call came from one of the open rooms, which seemed pretty much empty, except for an oval-shaped bed, on which sat a man with his legs crossed. The individual seemed on his forties and had a pale skin, brown messy hair, golden eyes and seemed to wear an elegant oriental dress colored in red, giving him the look of some sort of priest. He even had a hat on his head, typical of the local priests.

"Just gonna walk by without saying hello?" The man asked. Tsukuyomi was confused, not only by his presence, but from everything else.

"What the…?" She quietly spoke.

"Sorry, did I catch you by surprise? Wasn't my intention, I swear! Although it's only normal, that's the effect that someone chosen by the gods gives! I know the news may shock you, but I can assure you, the gods will bless me one day or another with wealth, abundance and immense power! After all, I've devoted my entire life to them, praying every moment of my life and offering everything I have to them! They've just illuminated me, maybe you should open yourself to them as well! I can assure you that the reward will surprise you! They're just so kind…" The man continued.

Tsukuyomi didn't really know how to answer, but she didn't like the complete scene. Even if she didn't understand, her hand was already on her blade, ready to take her out.

"I know, you'll wonder why I'm talking all friendly with a complete stranger, but it's simply on my nature! After all, the gods always lecture on how you should be kind with others, so here I am! Even if it doesn't seem like, we are very open to other people! I'm sure our daughter will do the same when she grows up!" The man continued.

The girl with the kimono was starting to get tired of that situation, but she woke up a bit when she heard the last thing. "…Daughter?" She asked.

"Yes! Our daughter, Ellie! You should see her, whenever I talk to her, she's so obedient and doesn't even move, letting me finish! A lovely child indeed! I wish every other kid of her age could act like she does! Or any other person in general. You know, the other people don't understand me at all. Whenever I tell them about the wonders of my deities, they always look at me with worried eyes and call me a maniac! But I'm normal I swear! I simply put the gods' words above everything, what's wrong with that? I'm just an obedient priest, a small ant that likes to work for the greater good, under the service of his sovereigns!" The man replied with a long speech. He was clearly self-centered when he spoke, to the point that Tsukuyomi started to see him as utterly annoying.

The man then sighed and began to swing his body while staying sat on the bed. "I really wish more people could understand me. It's been a while since someone decided to stick with me for more than five minutes. As of now, Ellie is the only one who is willing to listen to me. Would be nice if she were to follow my footsteps! In fact, because of this, I've made her got used to eat less! After all, a priest must give most of their food to the gods, right?"

Tsukuyomi slightly widened his eyes after hearing the last sentence. Now she could see why they called him a maniac. "You're…you're trying to turn your daughter like yourself?" She asked with a slightly nervous tone.

"See? You're doing it as well! Why do you all think I'm some sort of psycho? I'm just devoted to my cause, just a small servant! Is that messed up? Even those who entered here before you looked at me like you do! They always turn me down, that's not fair…" The man continued.

"…They? Those?" Tsukuyomi asked, more nervous.

"Yes! They're at my right actually! They didn't understand what I've tried to say, but they've decided to remain! I guess that they wanted to find a meaning in my words! Glad that some people are starting to considerate me!" The man replied, pointing at the side of the bed.

Tsukuyomi looked in that direction and was horrified to see that in one angle of the wall, there was a small group of people with their skin dry and messed up and with their heads attached to some sort of organic tube.

"The people that went missing…" She thought.

"They're not that talkative, but at least they give me some company, since my family doesn't want to talk that much! You know would be nice if more people would come, just like you did! Can you imagine? All of us sat in circle to spread the word of-" Before the man could continue his speech, he got hit by a swipe of eclipse energy thrown by Tsukuyomi's blade, which made the bed explode.

The girl didn't lose anytime and started to run towards the small group. "Hang on! I'm coming right for-" But just as she was about to reach them, she got hit by a small ball of darkness that made her crash against a wall. "GAH! W-What!?" The attack made her turn her head on the pile of smoke.

When it disappeared, the man was standing on his knees, with his body which turned transparent and that released what seemed to be a purple smoke.

"What the-!? Is he a ghost!?" Tsukuyomi explained.

"How could you do such thing!? I tell you some important and intimate stuff and this is how you repay me!? I absolutely disagree with that! In fact…YOU DESERVE PUNISHMENT!" Out of frustration, the purple smoke around the man started to envelop him, to the point of making him change completely form into a giant ball of dark energy with white pupilless eyes and a large mouth with sharp tooth.

The sight made Tsukuyomi grab out the katana again and look at the creature with an alarmed expression. "I knew there was something wrong with him! Dammit, I need to make sure that he won't attack these guys…" She spoke.

"May you be banished in hell!" The specter started to shoot out at high speed several spikes of energy that came out from his whole form, like a myriad of arrows.

Tsukuyomi promptly started to block them all with the katana, trying to keep up the pace, and once the attack was done, she could see that the ghost was already trying to charge at him. She promptly jumped and tried to dive attack him with the katana. "TSEAH!" But to her horror, the attack was null, and she simply went through him. "Ah shoot! I forgot that he's a ghost!"

"HAAAAA!" The ghost stood up and extended some parts of the purple smoke around his spheric form that became long hands that started to grab up Tsukuyomi.

"Agh!" Tsukuyomi tried to get free, but even if they were immaterial, the hands turned out to be more resistant than expected.

Once the ghost had her close to him, he started to open his mouth and aspire with it.

"GAAAAAH!" Tsukuyomi could feel her soul getting dragged out from the body, and as such, she needed to do something quick, even if the situation was critical, considering that she couldn't attack him normally. "G-GH! I need…to do something!" In a desperate attempt, Tsukuyomi tried to use the katana infused with eclipse energy to set her free. To her surprise…it worked.

The hands were cut off and some grey cuts started to appear on the ghost's form. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Ngh!" Tsukuyomi fell on the ground, but she could see the damage that she was able to give at the enemy. "Attacking it normally doesn't work…but the magic can harm him!" She spoke to herself.

"Dammed heretic! How dare you!?" The ghost exclaimed furious before shooting a larger dark ball.

"AH!" Tsukuyomi panicked out and tried to block it with the katana, helping herself out with eclipse magic. Sparks started to come out from the blade, and the girl started to recoil. "NGHHHHHH! GAAAH!" She wasn't able to get rid of it, so the least she could do was to sent it up, making it destroy the ceiling. The effort made her get tired for a moment, but she knew that she couldn't let her guard down. "I know how to strike, but he gets a move every second…at this point he'll get me…" She thought, looking at the situation. But then she lowered her stare to the katana and realized something. "Wait…my eclipse magic is made from both Light and Darkness…so maybe I should be able to…"

"Oh, so you're allowed to spend time while doing nothing and I won't? I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THAT!" The ghost tried to charge another ball of darkness, unaware of what waited for him.

"Oh, you did more than doing nothing! LOOK AT YOURSELF!" Tsukuyomi retorted while using her magic to infuse her katana with light. Since her eclipse magic granted her the ability to control them both, she thought that she could use one of the two elements instead of a mix for once, and it worked.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Due to the light, the ghost started to burn out and started to fly down for the pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw with horror that Tsukuyomi was already running towards her, preparing another attack.

"Eclipse Swallow Reversal!" In the blink of an eye, Tsukuyomi cut through the ghost with three slashes of her eclipse magic, managing to cut the enemy in three parts.

"GAH! W-Why, o Gods!? I thought that you were going to make me wealthy! Why deserving me this fate!? You know how this makes me feel…" With one last complaint, the three parts the ghost was sliced in started to evaporate, freeing the room.

Tsukuyomi turned around in silence for some seconds, making sure that no more surprises would have arrived. Once she had the confirm that the situation was safe, she cleaned the sword with one sweep and sheathed it. After that, she could take a deep breath and sit down. "That was…terrible…" She commented. "So, apart from the monster…this mansion was also infested by ghosts…what is the meaning of this? It's all so…messed up! Hmm…maybe we'll find an answer to that. But first…" She then turned around to the people laying down. "I need to get them safe."

With just one cut, Tsukuyomi was able to take off the civilians' heads from the organic tube and free them. She could see that the bleeding tube started to retire above, and a hollow and weak growl could be heard. "Is that from the creature?" She thought before giving a look at the people.

She tried to make them up by using a bit of light magic, which it worked, as they started to open their eyes and start to feel slightly better. A girl with shoulder lengthened ashen hair and red eyes, wearing a white dress and that was barefooted looked at the samurai once she woke up. "U-Uh?"

"It's alright, you're free now." Tsukuyomi told her with a caring smile. "You think you can move?"

"N-Not really…" The girl answered. This made the other girl think carefully on what to do. She couldn't even lay them down on a proper spot since she destroyed the bed.

"Hmmm…ok, then. I'm a mage of Shogunate Pride sent here to rescue you. You think you can stay here? There shouldn't be more troubles now. That monster won't probably move that much. Me and my friend will end this."

"I-In that case…can you help my fiancée? H-He's somewhere in this house…we've been both dragged here…" The girl then asked.

Tsukuyomi slightly widened her eyes in surprise. This was something she already heard. "You're…Ike's girl?" She asked.

"You…know him?" The girl, Sayori, asked.

Tsukuyomi nodded with a smile. "Yes. It was his father who sent the request. I'll bring him back to you." With those words, she left, making Sayori and the other guys feel more secure.

Tsukuyomi came out, aiming to get back on the others, but right in that moment…

"Tsukuyomi!"

"Wha-" The girl turned around and saw Rere right in her face. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The two ended up scaring each other and yelled before shutting the each other's mouth. Once they could see better, they took a deep breath.

"Gee, Rere, don't come up to me like that!" Tsukuyomi told her.

"Y-Yeah, you're right…my bad. Glad to see that you're ok…" Rere replied.

"Kinda…you don't have any idea of what I had to face…" The other girl told her.

"You too!?" Rere exclaimed, surprising Tsukuyomi.

"Seriously…this placed is so messed up…so, Cal isn't here with you yet?" The black-haired girl asked.

"No…I think he's still on the underground floor…I've searched for you first. Let's get him before things get worse." Rere replied.

With that the two nodded and started to search for the missing member.

---

"Gh…uh…" Cal slowly stood up after regaining consciousness. Even for someone like him, the impact of that paw turned out violent. When he was able to get back his composure he gave a look around and noticed that he was in another room. He could see a staircase that brought up in front of him and when he turned around, he could see a long corridor with only one door towards the other side of that floor.

"That thing brought me down to the underground floor…" He commented before thinking carefully. "The attack it gave me was more prepared and direct compared to when it attacked us at the window. Therefore, it must have realized that we entered and we were going to do something in its territory." With a careful thought, he looked up with his usual serious stare, which almost looked empty. "Now I know how to act. This time I'll be ready." He thought. "I'll catch up with Rere and Tsukuyomi and then head up for it. They've been attacked too, after all…" He then was ready to get back on the ground floor, but then, a noise caught his attention.

"Uh?" By turning around, he could see that the noise came from that single door in the floor. It would have been hard for him to describe the sound he heard. It almost seemed like…someone trying to swallow a big object or regurgitate it. It wasn't clear from that distance. The only thing the samurai was certain of was that it was disgusting.

Still, he felt pushed by a sense of curiosity and confusion, considering that from what he heard, the mansion was supposed to be abandoned, and the monster was on the second floor. So…who could have been there?

This question made him slowly move towards that door while holding his sword at hand. Naturally, he didn't know what was waiting for him. As soon as he was close to the door, he entered the room with a slow pace in order to not disturb any possible being that was inside there. And his thought was right. There was someone inside the room. Someone who left Cal slightly bewildered. "What…am I watching-?"

Inside the room, was a gigantic old man with just a night vest as clothing and his black hair collected into a small bun. The most notable feat of him was naturaly his dimensions, caused by a clear overweight. He was sitting on a sofa (that somehow didn't break up) looking at a crystal projection showing an entertainment show. Cal could see that he was holding a plate of pancakes in his hands.

As soon as he saw the figure, Cal's senses were fully active, trying to move in complete silence. While coming closer and trying to not be seen by the tall figure, he gave a look at the rest of the room. While being mostly empty, he could spot several boxes full of empty food cans and other products for cooking and a small kitchen set, with the objects that were in a clear decay state.

But what alarmed him the most was seeing a small group of guys being stuck in the kitchen wall whil getting slowly consumed by some organic tubes. What made him extremely cautious about that was seeing a young boy with red spiky hair, black eyes, the welcome to the no-judgement zone T-Shirt, the short trousers and the black boots with golden buttons.

"Ike…" He thought. He gave a quick look at the old man to make sure that he was still focused on the watching the crystal projection and eating and then started to slowly walk towards the small group, while taking out the katana. "Ok, guys…I'm coming for you…" He thought. Thanks to his movements, he was sure to reach them easily, but he didn't see one particular.

Krrrr…

Cal widened his eyes and looked at his feet, noticing that he stumbled on an empty chip bag. He slowly turned around, hoping that the giant didn't hear it.

But he already had his eyes locked on him…well, kinda. He had a pair of sunglasses, and with the dark, he didn't recognize Cal's figure. "Ellie? Is that you? Come here, bring me some more food from the fridge. This one isn't working." He spoke.

Cal didn't know what he was saying, especially with him saying the name 'Ellie'. But he didn't want to make the situation worse. So, he decided to stick with it. Luckily for him, the persons were closer to the small kitchen set, so this actually helped him. The only thing he needed to make sure was that he could grab the sword at any moment.

After quickly freeing the people form the organic tubes, which retired by going up, he opened the fridge and saw if there was something he could bring. It was full actually, and the food, somehow, seemed carefully conserved. To make things quick, he took a plate with some ham on it and started to bring it to him. His stare started to get apathetic, since he was getting ready to attack in case something went wrong.

The old man in the meantime, breathed heavily due to his weight and tried to grab one pancake. He was able to chew it, but the food fell down on his body, which became transparent for a moment.

"Is he…a ghost?" Cal thought.

"You know…this terribly sucks. I'm not talking about the food here. I'm talking about the fact that for some fucking reason, the food doesn't go down. Isn't it just bad when even food starts to reject you? After everything that happened because of you and your parents that weren't serious enough, this life has become miserable. And now, I can't even enjoy the only satisfaction I have left. Anf…where is my food?" The man then complained. "You know…I really envy these guys here on this projection. They can move and breathe so easily. And yet it seems so hard for me. When have I stopped being like them? Do they…anf…do they use some sort of magic? Everyone here relies on it. Seeing these scenes makes me so…frustrated. To the point I could hit someone, even you. You deserve it, just like the other times! After everything you and your parents done! You should have done more like I did at your age. And yet you let this family crumble down. Anf…I need more food…"

At hearing him, the Cal's grip on his sword was tighter. He could understand that this man was violent and just putrid on the inside. He didn't know what happened with that family stuff, but those words made the young mage understand a lot already.

In the end, he came closer to him and placed the ham plate on the small table that was close to the sofa. Hearing the noise, the large old man took a slice of the food and put it in his mouth. He tried to swallow it, but once again nothing. Out of frustration, he grabbed the plate and threw it away, cracking it up. "AH! This is all your fault, I'm sure of it! I'm sick and tired of this situation! And I'm tired of all of you! I can't taste crap anymore!" Out of frustration, he tried to throw a punch on Cal, thinking that he was Ellie, but Cal promptly moved on the right and tried to cut his arm with his magic. "Applied Magic: Lock on!" By locking his eyes on the specter, the sword got infused with magic and sliced a piece of the old man's arm.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The old man could see part of his limb evaporate before glaring at the samurai. "What is this story!? You've never did something like this!" He exclaimed.

"Next time, instead of complaining about your life going bad, try to do something about it instead of abusing a girl and letting your family mess up, dipshit." Cal replied with a cold stare. He didn't matter if the old man acknowledged that he was talking with someone else. He could now see that he was a threat, and he wanted to make him intend that he was going to get him down.

"Wha-!? What's this voice!?" The old man took out his sunglasses, and could see him better. "You're…you're not Ellie! Who are you to telling me what to do, you brat!? You just need to SHUT UP!" After one last freakout, he started to change form as well, leaving Cal shocked and forcing him to make some steps backwards.

"What!?"

Just as the other two ghosts, the old man started to shapeshift, but this time, with a more concrete form. His massive body started to take out a grotesque and slimy appearance, and his face stretched himself, making him have the form of a gigantic ghost toad.

"I won't be able to eat anything…but I'm sure I can swallow you!" The specter tried to catch Cal with a large transparent tongue, but the samurai mage hah his reflexes ready and promptly jumped away to dodge it. He gave a quick look on the people laying on the kitchen to make sure that they were fine. Once he got the confirm, his stare turned back on apathetic, and he swung his katana. "Applied Magic: Lock on." Once again, he equipped the magic to have his eyes and his blade locked on the target, who tried to run aggressively against him.

Cal promptly ran against the toad, sliding down to dodge him and reach out his paws, starting to generate a slash on each one of them, to make sure that he started to lose balance.

"GRAAAH!" And just as he expected, the toad fell down.

"Aim to something that makes them fall. Just like Yori-Shishou said." Cal thought, remembering a lesson that his fellow comrade of the guild told him once.

"Even if it doesn't seem like, even bigger opponents have something that make them vulnerable. A good tip is to aim at the legs, so that they can fall off easily."

Once he had the confirm to this, Cal made a large jump backwards and tried a dive attack to finish him off. But to his surprise, the toad rolled away to dodge him. "Uh!?" The mage didn't expect it to happen, especially with his legs' conditions.

"Stay still for once!" The specter then started to shoot several piles of slime from his mouth, attempting to block him.

"Applied Magic: Acceleration." Seeing the attack, Cal used his magic to increase his reflexes and make sure that his sword could cut of the piles and that his legs were fast enough to dodge the rest of them. In an instant, he was at the ghost's side, slicing his spleen with the katana infused with magic and making the target cry out of pain.

The toad though didn't falter and turned his head to spit an adding pile of slime. Not expecting this, Cal got attacked and got stuck in the slime. "GAH! Eugh, what is this!?"

"I've got you now!" The toad tried to grab him with the tongue yet again.

"I don't think so. Applied Magic: Water." Knowing how to answer this, Cal stabbed the katana on the ground, and from that spot, a small geyser of water came out, freeing and cleaning him from the slime and allowing him to get out before the tongue reached him.

"Uh!?" The ghost exclaimed.

"Applied Magic Combo: Water + Acceleration." Cal then used one of his magic quirks, combining two of its effect to be more effective in his attacks. And by doing so, he was able to dash at an outstanding speed, with his blade that was infused by magical waves that followed it. And in an instant.

SWISH!

The toad saw the water surround him, thinking that nothing happened, but in the blink of an eye…his head was cut down and fell on the floor.

Cal cleaned the sword with a smooth movement and then turned around to see the ghost in his second last moments.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Why…what gives you the right to do this to me!? What are you even doing in my house!? Get out…get out of this house! GET OUT!" With one last shout of anger, the third ghost evaporated, giving the room a sense of calm emptiness.

Even after the enemy was defeated, Cal stayed still to look at the spot where he was, feeling a bit pity for him. "I'm sorry that your family had to go through some unpleasant situations, but this doesn't give you the right to be aggressive and abusive with others. Maybe the peace in the spirit realm will make you understand." He spoke. Now that it was over, Cal could look back at the civilians, who were in bad conditions.

By using some of his magic, Cal made each one of them drink some water, and they were able to at least wake up. "Ah…" Ike in particular, could see the samurai.

"Feeling better, Ike?" Cal asked.

"Who…who are you? And how do you know my name?" The boy asked.

"I'm a member of a mage guild. I've been sent here to find you and the others. Your father was concerned for you." Cal replied.

"Is that so…?" Ike said with a deep breath. "T-Thank God…I didn't know things would have gotten so bad…we were just going back home and that thing…caught us! It was…terrible." He added with shining eyes and sighs.

"Hey, there's no need to worry. You're safe now. That monster won't try to take you again." Cal assured him.

Ike looked down. "If so…can you please look up for my fiancée? Her name is Sayori and-" The young boy was going to ask something, but a familiar voice anticipated him.

"There's no need to worry. Sayori is safe as well."

"Hm?" When Cal and Ike turned around, they could see Tsukuyomi and Rere standing at the door of the room. "Tsukuyomi! Rere! You're both ok!"

"We were looking for you!" Rere replied while coming closer.

"Hey…is it true what you said?" Ike then asked to Tsukuyomi, who nodded.

"Affirmative! She's in the first floor, resting for now. She was concerned for you as well." The girl replied before she got caught by surprise by an extremely weak hug from Ike, who had some energies to, at least, extend his arms.

"T-Thank you…I don't know what to say…I was so worried. I wouldn't know what to do without her." He quietly spoke.

At such comment the three samurais smiled. Tsukuyomi in particular felt a sense of pleasure to see someone grateful yet again, just like it happened after she defeated Kabuto.

"No need to worry anymore. We'll reach the crux of the matter right now." Cal told him.

"And we'll make sure that you and Sayori will spend a serene and cheap honeymoon!" Rere added. With that comment, the other two mages looked at her with a sceptic face. "…It was out of place, wasn't it?"

---

All the important rooms were checked and the missing people were found. Now, there was only one last thing to do. Get rid of the problem itself.

After giving a quick chance of the remaining rooms, in which there was nothing, Tsukuyomi, Rere and Cal headed out to the point from which all the victims were taken: the second floor.

After they passed another empty room, they found themselves in front of another door. "It must be inside here." Tsukuyomi commented.

"Judging by the position, this must be the attic. Is it really large enough to fit something like that?" Cal wondered.

"I'm more concerned about us at the moment…" Rere commented while holding her hand in the bandages. "I…I hope I don't have to use-" In that moment, she could see Tsukuyomi's hand holding hers, making her surprise.

"Hey. Don't worry. We're here with you." Tsukuyomi said with a smile.

Rere looked at her in silence for some seconds before making a small laugh. "Eheh…to think that I'm the one supposed to cheer you up." She spoke.

"Well, you did that before. I'm simply repaying the favor!" Tsukuyomi replied with a small joke.

Somehow…this made Rere feel slightly better. She didn't know that girl yet, and she didn't know if it was ok to share some sincerity with her. But…that smile was enough to feel calm. At least until they saw the monster.

"Are you ready to go?" Cal asked to them.

"Yes!" Tsukuyomi replied with a convinced smile.

"Eheh…more or less." Rere said, a bit more convinced.

Cal then nodded and slowly opened the door.

As soon as they entered inside the attic, they could see the window from which the monster attacked them at the entrance and all the ones before them. Still…there was no apparent trace of the creature itself at all.

Naturally, the three samurais didn't feel safe for nothing, and they slowly proceeded while holding their weapons at the ready. Just like they did at the entrance, they gave a look around while being prepared.

The attic seemed pretty much empty. Just a few beams to hold it tightly, the window and what seemed to be a bare mattress with just a sheet on it.

"Mostly empty…like the other rooms…" Tsukuyomi thought. In that moment, she could feel her foot touching something. When she looked down, she could see something…strange.

A plastic doll…without her head. The girl thought that it was an old toy put in there once someone in the house grew up. But if that was the case, they would have seen more stuff in there. So, finding that toy with such emptiness was…weird.

"Do you think that it moved while we were in other rooms?" Cal asked to the others.

"I don't think so…if that was the case, we would have seen it, but all the tentacles we cut before all went here." Rere replied while holding her tanto blades. Before going in, the three of them discussed what they had seen and fought, finding out a lot of coincidences.

And then…their thoughts were cut off. As soon as she saw a drop of saliva fall down in front of her. A total silence followed the moment…and everyone could hear a deep breath…coming from above.

Rere slowly moved her head up…and saw it.

"Fa…mi…ly…" Two glowing eyes were glaring the samurais, before an immense figure started to fall down.

"GUYS WATCH OUT!" Rere shouted before jumping away.

"Uh!?" Tsukuyomi and Cal could see it well, and alarmed jumped away as well. "AH!"

Cal hold his hand on the ground when he saw it. "There it is…" He spoke.

The three samurais now had it in front of themselves.

"Grrrrr…" The creature made a light growl before standing up and showing its distorted form. An amorphous blob with a yellow fur, what seemed six long arms with sharp claws, two cat-like ears in odds angels of the heard, the eyes bulged outwards and cross-eyed and a large split mouth that was left hanging open. As soon as it saw it, the creature started to become restless, trembling with her body before releasing another loud roar. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The vibration was loud enough to shatter the glass of the window.

Rere took a few steps backwards while observing it. "W-What the hell is that!?"

Tsukuyomi was sweating, but she held her katana tightly. "It's worse than I thought…" She commented. But either way, she still needed to fight. "D-Don't worry…I'm with you guys!" She then added, trying to give herself some more courage to accomplish her first mission.

"It's better if we limit its movements!" Cal warned the others, before noticing something alarming. "Huh!?"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The beast was already stretching some of its paws with the intent to crush the three mages, alarming them and making them shout at the same time.

"HERE IT COMES!"

CRASH!

---

And with this we're done! Yes, when I want, I can make out some cliffhangers! After a chapter like this, it's natural to have some suspense! And yes, this chapter was quite the experiment for me to be honest! While trying to stick up with a Fairy Tail-like tone, I've also wanted to make something I've never done before: a horror ambience. I'm surely not an expert in the camp, since it creepes me out as hell in games and movies (I'm more appealled to them in novels if anything else), but for some reason, I came up with this idea for the first mission of the story and I've wanted to go on with it and follow the flow (Great job on traumatizing my main character XD). I've also did my best to portray the OCs by how I've got them, so I hope that the submitters are satisfied with it, I've tried to make them both funny and cool at the same time. This is the good of writing after all, you can follow a glint of inspiration and see where it brings you!

But as always, I leave the last word to you. Did you like the chapter? What do you think of Rere and Cal as characters after seeing them more closely? Did you enjoy the horror ambience? Let me know in your reviews, your opinion is important!

I also thank you for reading this chapter, I really love to see the support some of you are giving to the story and if you're more interested in discussing it, remember that you can join the Discord Server of the story! The invite code is in my profile, if it doesn't work, let me know! With this, I've said everything for now and I'll see you in the next chapter or in another chapter of another story of mine! From Bluestar here, arrivederci!