1. Tartaros Fairy: spell casting-Takeshiro

2. Desirée Cavalry: physical endurance-Shugo

3. Pheasant Peak: hand-to-hand combat-Ryouichi

4. Titania Devil: potion creation-Ryouichi

5. Snowblood: song-Ushizumo

The patch of forest where Otto, Kiki, and Mars are buried is known as Walkers Pass. This is due to the fact that the portion of force field through this particular area is commonly used for traveling outside Loner Village territory. People walk that past very frequently, hence "walkers" pass haha

- ML

Chapter 14: The Entity VS The Beast

Day 10-11

10-11 October X820

Walkers Pass Forest

For the next three days, Reiji continued to visit the Loner Lumber Circle woods to practice different potions and spells, specifically the spells Riki used against Chief Pruzo in battle. "Aurora's Dream" was a wonderful studying tool. Unfortunately, her efforts to learn those unusual attacks ultimately amounted to nothing. Whatever curse power Riki wielded, she refused to share it with Reiji. Riki would not so much as invade her dreams with clues to honing the lost curse, or whatever power it was. Even Takeshiro failed to get through to her. Whether it be "Aurora's Dream" or "Grimhilde's Mirror," the telepath was no closer to understanding the entity.

On day ten, Reiji decided to put spells and potions aside to begin the next task of combat without curse, magic, or her battle axe. Personally, she did not enjoy fighting and wished to avoid it as much as possible. Ryouichi volunteered to guide her once again, while Shugo settled on "the rest of it," whatever that meant.

And so, Ryouichi and Reiji agreed to meet in the Walkers Pass Forest, a safe distance away from the scene of a certain trio's grave. The best hour was at night, so Reiji could test her natural night vision in addition to whatever combat she thought she knew.

The green haired female rushed around her apartment, having slept longer than she planned to. She snoozed all the way through the hour they were supposed to meet at (21:00) and now scrambled to get ready at nearly 23:00 in the evening.

Undergarments, check. Boots, check. Clothing—

Reiji yanked drawer after drawer, frantically searching for something to wear. The weather was still warm, as was her body for once. This called for a simple dark blue t-shirt and black shorts that reached just past her knees. Reiji completed her look with a white ribbon securing her long hair in a big messy bun. Her two bangs shaped her face as usual. Reiji decided to leave her glasses behind, in case she might break them. Thanks to Riki, they were essentially useless now.

The green haired demon locked her apartment, then jumped off the second floor, skipping the stairs.

"Lelitaan!" she whispered. Without using Hair Shower, her body soared through the air, flying across Sunset Avenue and over the other streets below. The river on Sunset Avenue was empty of any boats or water-dwelling creatures. The dark skinned female sniffed the air for Ryouichi's scent. To her great relief, the Beast Soul demon was still present within the woods. His scent was stronger than usual. Must be his time of month, she thought, thinking nothing more of it.

She gradually descended, covering her face with Hair Shower as a shield against tree branches and other obstacles. Reiji stumbled to the ground, tripping and falling on her face in front of Ryo. The dark blue haired male jolted in surprise, then cackled as she crashed her landing. He was clearly waking up from a nap, leaned against a tree with his feet up on a small rock. Even his rugged black t-shirt and dark grey shorts were dusted with grass from his assumed slumber.

"Ho-ho my god, about time!" he exclaimed, holding his stomach from the laughter. Reiji agitatedly brushed herself of leaves and grass.

"I was so sleepy, I forgot to set an alarm and completely missed our meeting time," the green haired female blubbered with embarrassment. She turned away from her friend, hiding her face. "It's not funny, that actually hurt!"

"I'm sorry, it was just sudden," Ryo snickered. "Besides, how could I possibly pass up an opportunity to spar with my new buddy?" Reiji looked at him, puzzled. New buddy?

"You don't mean Riki, do you?"

"Obviously!" the Beast Soul smiled brightly. "Ever since I saw her for the first time, I just knew I had to fight her myself!"

"B-but she could seriously hurt you," Reiji argued.

Ryouichi got up from his napping spot, stretching his arms over his head. "I get hurt with Shugo literally everyday. You think I care about Riki sluggin' me in the mouth?" He spread his feet apart, holding up his fists. "Enough whining, hit me!"

"What? I-I couldn't!" Reiji stammered, waving her hands in disagreement. Ryouichi slouched as he scoffed.

"Rei, hand-to-hand combat requires hitting people."

Oh yeah, first time learning that. Never woudl have guessed! "I know," Reiji pouted. She raised her fists. Her muscles were naturally bigger than Ryouichi's, something she almost always forgot. However, the green haired female had not thrown a real punch in a very long time. Even when Riki used her body to fight, it wasn't really her hitting things. She placed her left foot forward, looking to and from Ryo's feet to copy him.

"Is this right?" she asked. Ryo looked her up and down, humming in thought.

"Eh, close enough for a first try. My legs aren't as long as yours, so your stance is too narrow," he said. Reiji slid her feet apart a little more. She brought her fists a little closer to her chest.

"Great! Now, hit me. Face, ribs, kick in the balls, doesn't matter," Ryouichi said with a little too much confidence.

"W-what if I hurt you?"

"Rei, it's perfectly okay if you hurt me, that's the whole point!" he reassured her again.

She inhaled. "Alright, here I come!" Reiji took a step toward Ryouichi. She rolled her dominant shoulder forward, bending her elbow to throw a punch across Ryouichi's face. To her surprise, his head was knocked to the left. He nearly stumbled in that direction, a look of shock clouding his once confident expression. Their eyes met in a wide eyed stare. His cheek was already turning red. Reiji faintly smelled blood.

"Whoa, you actually did it," he muttered, wiping his bottom lip.

"Oh no, I over did it! You're bleeding!" she exclaimed. But before she could tend to whatever wound she created, a right hook struck her across the face. Her lower jaw was open and instantly tasting iron when teeth broke inner cheek flesh. Reiji stumbled back several steps, falling on her butt. She shakily touched her cheek, staring at Ryouichi in disbelief. Her eyes filled with tears on instinct from the pain in her face. The Beast Soul demon maintained a serious expression.

"T-that hurt," she whimpered, rubbing her cheek.

"That's the whole point, for the one-millionth time. In a fist fight, you can't leave yourself open after the first—"

Reiji shot up from the ground, ramming her head into Ryouichi's stomach. He grunted in pain. The Beast Soul gasped as an unexpected hand grabbed his throat, slamming him on the ground. He gritted his teeth, breathing hard for the air that was knocked out of him. Reiji stood over him, glaring darkly. As he kind of expected, crimson red eyes looked over him, ten tiny marks surrounding each thin black pupil.

Reiji—or was it Riki?—grabbed the collar of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. He appeared to weigh very little in the dark skinned demon's grasp. She power walked toward a tree, then slammed him into it. The wind was knocked out of him for a moment. The back of his head stung from the impact. Ryouichi forced his head to once side as a fist struck the trunk, splintering the wood. Ryouichi pulled both his legs up, kicking Reiji in the chest. The green haired demon slid back several feet, wincing as she covered her chest with both arms. Ryo thought the entity looked exactly like Reiji when she got insecure. It was kind of funny, but he could risk angering her off by laughing at the similarity.

Internally, Reiji felt like she was shouting into the void.

STOP, RIKI! IT'S JUST TRAINING!

"T-Time out, time out!" Ryouichi shrieked, holding his hands in a cross shape. Riki jogged backwards, focusing on Ryouichi's stomach. Riki, no. Riki, no! Hey, don't you dare!

The entity ran at Ryouichi with full speed, then jumped with one foot out, aiming for the Beast Soul's abdomen. Ryouichi hurriedly stepped to the side, punching the entity's knee. Riki—probably Reiji again—sloppily kicked the tree Ryouichi previously stood in front of. Reiji watched her leg bend at an unnatural angle in slow motion. In seconds, she was on the ground. Her eyes returned to bronze-gold, full of pain.

"AH! AAAAH!" the green haired demon screamed in pain, writhing on the ground. The Beast Soul took deep breaths, hands still up in case Riki resurfaced. He relented when Reiji began to sob from the pain.

"Shit, shit, shit! Um, uh, I-I can heal you, it's okay!" Ryo stammered in his feeble attempt at damage control. He touched Reiji's leg, muttering a spell under his breath. Reiji could not understand what he was saying or doing. Every alarm bell was going off in her head. All the green haired demon sensed was an abnormal position of her leg, and anger at the entity.

Just when Reiji thought it would get worse, the deafening mental alarms died down. She jolted in pain when something in her leg popped. She gritted her teeth, sitting up on her elbows. Ryouichi had indeed casted a healing spell and repositioned the bone back into place. Reiji collapsed on her back, groaning loudly.

"Oh, thank god you're okay!" he sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, but you were about to break me in a half. I had to, okay?"

"T-that wasn't me," the green haired female murmured. Ryouchi's eyebrows raised.

"W-wait, you weren't conscious?" Ryo questioned. Reiji shook her head.

"I'm sorry, s-she thought I was in danger," she replied. Ryouichi chuckled lightly, crossing his arms.

"Well, we're off to a good start. You almost broke all my damn ribs. Good job!" he grinned. Reiji raised a brow.

"Thank you, I think? OW OWW!" she squealed in pain as her friend punched her cheek. Reiji got up off the ground. "Stop surprising me!" Reiji dove out of the way when arm of a feral beast flew past her face, claws just barely missing skin. A mound of green locked barreled into Ryouichi, sending him flying across the clearing.

He landed on the ground with a thud, skidding a couple of feet across the clearing. His face scrunched up in pain when he landed on his shoulder first. Ryouichi climbed to his feet, holding his limp arm. With a loud 'POP!' his shoulder shifted back into place.

He muttered a healing spell as he rubbed the shoulder. He rolled his arm back and forth, then stretched his arm out. Reiji's eyes were red again. This time, the stripes on her face took shape. He grinned with excitement.

"RIKI, BUDDY!" he shouted with glee, charging at her. Their arms locked in a struggle. Reiji took a few steps forward; Ryouichi's stubborn feet slid on the ground, then he flexed his thigh and calf muscles to push back. Beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads as one pushed the other for several minutes. Reiji—maybe—leaned her head back, then slammed her forehead against Ryouichi's. The Beast Soul shouted in pain, staggering back as he held his head. He hissed, rubbing the affected area. He glared in frustration, panting.

"Th-that hurt, Riki! Your head feels like a rock!"

Oh, boohoo!

Reiji pouted, making teary motions with her fists beneath her eyes. Ryouichi healed his face with the same spell. Reiji murmured the same spell, healing the few bruises that might've begun to form.

"Tiath fier Thuron," she whispered as the fatigue and soreness perished. Ryouichi's jaw dropped in surprise. Reiji smirked internally. Once upon a time, Reiji would have backed out of sparring before it even started. Violence was scary, even if it was just practice. But ever since the entity came into her life, she miraculously pulled through every punch.

I hate you, but I thank you.

... No.

"Hey, I didn't teach you that!" Ryo pouted. Riki stuck her tongue at him. Ryo couldn't help but laugh at the gesture. Before, he was a secretly afraid of the entity deciding to kill him one day. It almost felt like a crime watching it emerge the first time. But now it has the audacity to act sentient.

"We should rest for a bit," he suggested. The Beast Soul returned to his napping spot, sighing contently as he kicked his feet up. Reiji smiled.

I almost forgot this was just practice.

Hurting...

Reiji felt like a robot on her body, moving closer to Ryouichi. Her golden eyes never left his, although he had since closed his grey eyes. Riki, stop it. We're not sparring right now.

Hurting!

Nobody is hurting!

Ryo nearly jolted in surprise when Riki was suddenly on her knees in front of his, grasping his face. He let out a muffled grunt as her lips pressed firmly against his. Reiji's eyes widened in horror. Stop, stop, stop it NOW!

"Mmph!" He tried to protest, but Riki's hands were easily stronger. Reiji internally let out a shrill scream of embarrassment. No matter how much she tried to twitch an eyebrow or a finger, Riki refused to let her resurface. Ryouichi voice was soon silenced by his friend's cold tongue entering his mouth. Why was she so cold? His eyes clicked with an emotion Reiji could not read. He grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back.

Riki stared at him blankly through gold-bronze eyes. Reiji could feel her heart threatening to burst through her ribs.

It... hurts...

"W-what, are you doing, Reiji?" he trailed off as she silenced him with another kiss. The Beast Soul shut his eyes tightly. This is wrong, Riki. Please, stop this!Ryouichi was less resistant the second time. When Riki tried to pull away again, he leaned forward a little. He recoiled when they locked eyes. Why did he want more?

The green haired female looked away, frowning. "I... s-she took over," she murmured. "I could not control my body, b-but I still sensed everything. Riki said you're hurt," she added, scratching the back of her head. "Y-you're probably just in heat, and the entity is, um, feral. I'd never force myself onto you, I promise!"

"She wasn't wrong," Ryouichi replied after a paused. Reiji's heart leaped into her throat when the Beast Soul touched her shoulder gentler. He cracked a light smile.

"You're probably gonna leave this dump behind next month, and it's kind of sad," he confessed with a shrug.

"But, but Riki violated you, a-and—"

"Shhh-shut the fuck up," the Beast Soul sibilated, placing a finger over her lips. "I don't care about that, Rei. Think about it: she thought she was helping me relieve my symptoms. That's pretty unferal!"

Reiji grumbled as Ryo grinned innocently. She stood up, turning away. "I think we should end the training for now, I just... need a break," she said tiredly. Ryouichi got up afterwards.

"Are you really running away from me? It was just a kiss! Friends kiss all the time!" he exclaimed with his arms in an outward gesture. The green haired female turned back to him, glaring.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ryo! The last time I kissed a male, he ended up underground with no eyes!" she shouted. "We don't know the limits of a thing like Riki, she could kill you anytime and I am utterly powerless to stop it!"

"No way, she wouldn't harm your friends!" he protested. "Wouldn't she have killed me a second ago when I was vulnerable?"

"Well, maybe. I don't know," the green haired female wilted. "I hardly know what she'll do..."

"Exaaactly," he drawled. Reiji shot him a look.

"Anyway, Riki is beside the point. Why aren't your pheromones suppressed like every other month?"

Ryouichi averted his gaze with a deadpan expression. "My medicine kinda... expired?"

"Liar, we all keep fresh supply your medicine. Takeshiro said he stocked up on it to last six months!" Reiji reminded him with a stern look. She felt like a mother scolding a dog. The Beast Soul kept his eyes elsewhere, suspiciously nervous. Reiji looked over him, clenching her fists.

"Ryouichi, tell the truth now!" she demanded.

"Fine! I confess! I stopped taking them at the beginning of the week!" he blurted. He got on his knees, hands clasped together with a pleading look. "The suppressants are awful, Rei! I feel like a zombie with no drive! Please, I'd rather be a little bit uncomfortable and in pain than drugged off my ass!"

Reiji crossed her arms, still glaring. "Hmm, something tells me Riki doesn't think you're telling the truth either."

"But you barely know her," Ryouichi whimpered like a puppy, even going as far as sprouting a tail and ears to droop pitifully. Reiji sighed, shaking her head. Unfortunately, the lie did not work.

"Forget it. Let's just continue my training, then go home."

The waning moon was past its peaking point in the sky, indicating the hour was nearing 04:00. Reiji and Ryouichi continued their sparring all through the night. This time, there was no sign of Riki. The Beast Soul demon demonstrated a high kick. Reiji attempted the same, but nearly fell as she was not nearly as flexible as Ryo.

"You almost got it, you don't have to go as high as me," he said.

"I know, but I have to give my all or I'll look foolish!"

"Do you even want to impress Pheasant Peak?" Ryouichi questioned. "They're pretty boring for a dark guild."

Reiji shrugged. "I don't know, truthfully. I read that their main objective was to establish a guild town in the northwest, then expand from there," she said as she climbed to her feet.

"There's a little water fall nearby. I'm parched!" Ryo got up from his spot and hopped through some bushes. Reiji jogged around them to find Ryo squatting in front of a tall pile of rocks in a small river. The rocks were shaped in a makeshift dam that still trickled water through. He was inside the ditch, palms under a small waterfall. He splashed water on his face, then drank from his palms. Reiji slid down the semi-dry slope. She nearly slipped, using Haur Shower hands to balance herself. She frowned at the mud soiling the ends of her locks.

"I hadn't noticed this here," she commented. Ryo stepped aside so that she could also drink. She used her palms to drink mouthfuls. "The water tastes clean, too."

"Yeah, some kids made the dam and no one knocked it down yet," Ryo replied. "Anyway, level two guilds. We know Snowblood is one of the few vampire guilds out there. Tartaros Fairy is, well, OG Tartaros. Titania Devil is anti-black-witch. Desirée Cavalry is super militant and strict. Then there's Pheasant Peak..." Reiji nodded along. Her hair rose over the dam of stones to rinse the mud out in the main body of water, lathering itself. And suddenly, I really don't like mud... thanks, Riki.

"I checked out a library book on the current level two dark guilds. It said that Pheasant Peak is old, probably as old as False Line, made it X481 as basically a small club of maybe four creatures, then spent like 300 years in limbo, growing, whatever. They're pretty much already an unofficial city guild with almost 650 members."

"I thought city guild could earn the title with only 400," Reiji said, wiping her mouth dry of water.

"Negative, they changed it to 700," Ryo said. Reiji's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Thats huge! Thats nearly a third of our village. How does one manage so many guild members?"

"Eh, private council," Ryo shrugged. "We have ourselves a little council too."

"But we're not a city guild..."

"Not yet, at least," Ryo smiled. "Pheasant Peak requires about 50 more members. We're pretty much a guild town since 200 residents here do missions and other guild stuff."

"Well then, how big is the False Line guild?" Reiji asked.

"Probably over 800 with a pretty big council now," the Beast Soul answered. The green haired demon gawked in surprise.

"Six-hundred people?!"

"Yeah, and False Line is named after the city itself. The guild master of Titania Devil, Jerza FDS, was also on that council before she formed her guild.

"City guilds are so big, they're ran like an organization: way more rules and regulations, too much competition for missions, it fucking sucks!"

The duo climbed out of the ditch as they talked more. Pheasant Peak would probably continue to expand, and this assessment was just another method of that. Good grief, she could not imagine fitting in with so many folks. It was a good thing False Line was too advanced to even dream of joining.

"That's exactly why Tartaros Fairy is the best option!" Ryo chirped. "They've only got six full members, they're literal legends, they go to other dimensions for work, and their goal is super cool!"

"Sure, if surviving to the next day was an inspiring objective!" Reiji snickered.

"No, they free interdimensional beings from supernatural imprisonment!" Ryo punched her arm. She grunted in pain, then punched back. He fell into a bush with a thud.

"Oh dear, are you okay? I didn't mean to hit so hard! I'm sorry!" Reiji blubbered, rushing over to help him up. He gave a trembling thumbs up. The green haired demon pulled him up by multiple strands of wet hair. He hissed it pain when she pulled to hard on his injured arm.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, releasing him. He landed back in the bush, bursting with laughter at her reactions. "It's not funny, you jerk!"