A/N: Went very horny on some part but hey, you can't protest! This story is tagged as mature! Mwehehhe. Oh and no excuse if i'm late to publishing, played all of the mass effect saga massively without moving my ass to write.

Lungmen: Tuesday 9:11am

Indra: Hey Verna?

The aslan turned to her friend as the two approached the bar that served as the base of operations for the small team.

Siege: Hm?

The golden-haired woman raised an eyebrow, a lollipop in her mouth like 75% of the time. The streets of Lungmen were filled with mist from the early morning, and the glow of the sun was still soft, leaving the city cool.

Indra: You know I'm your friend, but are you sure we're doing the right thing?

Siege: What do you mean by that?

Indra: I was just wondering if you're sure this whole thing with the doc is a good idea. You know, it's kind of sudden.

Siege frowned. Indra almost never questioned her ideas, but this realization gave her another one, for her choice could raise questions. She had really decided to place all their trust and their future in the hands of this man. She who had become accustomed to trusting only with great difficulty someone outside Glasgow or Victoria...

And yet, Siege had no sensible answer to give to her friend at the moment. It was like a hunch that Sebastian was giving, something that instincts felt, that he could take those who want him to their goals and beyond.

Siege: You know I hate to owe anyone anything Hannah. Besides, do you really think the doctor would go that far to set us up?

Indra shrugged, it didn't make much sense that the doctor really wanted to hurt them. Because he could probably kill them all...

Siege: Call it a female's instinct, but I have a feeling I can trust Sebastian.

Indra: You? Female instinct? If you didn't have bigger tits than me I'd think you were a guy Verna.

Siege: Oh fuck you.

Indra: Seriously, have you ever even worn a dress?

Siege: Of course I have! I can be much more feminine if I want to.

Indra: Yeah yeah... Put on a skirt and we'll talk about it.

The two young women after about ten seconds of walking (express because Siege was offended that Indra made these remarks to her.) arrived at the world's end entering immediately while a limousine parked further in the street.

Immediately the two young women's eyes fell on the doctor who was sitting in the nearest booth, the table in front of him completely filled with a huge mess of electronic components and chemicals.

Aside from him, the bar was full and almost everyone was already there. The original members of Penguin Logistics were sitting at another table, Angelina was coming back with a teapot in her hands and a big smile on her lips.

And one wondered why, seeing that Sebastian had an empty cup next to him...

Mostima, as usual, was eating what seemed to be an astronomical quantity of stir-fried noodles on a plate with a big smile on her face, a dish which, in spite of the hour, had a very appetizing smell.

Irina was lying on the couch opposite Sebastian's, a brand new phone in her hands.

Siege: Oh hey doc.

Sebastian: Hi.

Siege: What are you doing ?

Sebastian: Pipe bombs.

Siege: What the-

Sebastian: Among other things. I also have several other larger bombs in the works.

Indra: I think you're saying that a little lightly, Doctor, for what you're doing.

Sebastian: Hey I'm doing us a favor here. It's in case any of us run into those guys that take pills to make ourselves stronger. Having an increase in our firepower is a must. Don't you have your lions today?

Siege: I left them with the rest of the gang, they should be fine...

Angelina approached the Doctor and filled his cup with a smile as he connected wires.

He looked up and gave the girl a smile and a thank you, sending her over the edge.

Sebastian: Girls do what you want, Yushia should be here any moment and we can get started.

The two members of Glasgow approached the bar.

Irina: Hey doc, I was looking at some stuff about Rhodes Island on the internet and... Is it normal that you make a hot guy calendar?

The ursine's last sentence drew a lot of attention from the others. Angelina raised an eyebrow and Irina showed her a picture of several bare-chested muscular men working out on top of a plain calendar with a small Rhodes Island logo.

Angelina: It looks like...

Murmured the young woman a very light pink on her cheeks provoked by her most primary instincts.

Sebastian: A fireman's calendar? It's the same principle. We wind them up and ironically it's one of our best sources of income.

Irina: You're that much of a deficit?

Sebastian: I know, yeah... We're a pharmaceutical company, and our pharmaceutical business doesn't make a dime compared to what it costs us. I guess it's the lack of offering revolutionary treatments for a pittance.

Exusiai, who was listening softly from her seat, asked the doctor.

Exusiai: But won't it make more money to sell a calendar with women from Rhodes Island?

Sebastian: From what I understand, the most popular women back home don't want to participate in this. So according to the simulations it wouldn't make us much money.

Angelina looked into Irina's eyes with a frown and the bear understood the message.

On her phone she searched all the photos from all the years in the hope of finding a certain person.

Sebastian: You don't have to look for me in it, I never participated.

Angelina was startled and her face was flushed, because the doctor had seen through her.

Irina: But that's not what we were looking for...

Sebastian: Yeah... If you say so...

On a bar stool Indra quietly put away her phone as the bell above the door rang to show that someone had arrived. Sebastian had just finished assembling all his equipment and stood up to face the zalak.

Yushia: Doctor...

She simply greeted with a smile.

Sebastian: Yushia. Welcome, I hope you are ready to start the day.

The young woman silently greeted the rest of the room before turning to the giant who had taken his place at the board with their evidences.

Emperor: So doc? What are we doing, except for the casino, yesterday we were at a standstill.

Sebastian: I've been taking advice from the night. Yesterday I noticed that the gangsters had the latest military crossbows from Columbia.

Emperor: I wonder how they got their hands on that kind of equipment... So what doc? Did you blackmail the D.I.A. boss again?

Sebastian: Nah. Columbia is flooding the market as much as ursus with military crossbows on the black market, the only useful third party information I have is that a large shipment just arrived in Lungmen. So it's impossible to keep track... Well, that's what I would have said if Columbia didn't have an immoderate taste for overuse of technology. They've been implanting microchips in their expensive crossbows for a while now.

He pulled out his cell phone quickly and seemed to tap on it.

Sebastian: So it wasn't hard for me knowing that to rig up a city antenna to locate the special GPS waves that these crossbows emit. And I've got several places where they are amassed in large numbers and close by, so probably where they are stored.

He pulled out his map of the city and placed it on an empty table before drawing circles in black, marking possible locations. Four. The others had already stood up to look at the map.

Yushia: Doctor.

With her voice that she didn't like to let out, Yushia called out to the good doctor and pointed to one of the locations.

Yushia: It's on one of our controlled territories. They opened a Yen-style restaurant here, but they refuse to trade with us. Our spotters noticed that many trucks were turning this way and disappearing into the street.

Sebastian: This is also where I got the most crossbow signals...

Mostima: So the hot spot.

Sebastian: I'm going in. I won't let you take the risk.

Croissant: By yourself?

Sebastian: Irina? Will you come with me?

Irina: With pleasure!

The young woman took back her leather jacket hiding her frail arms, as well as her weapons and walked towards the doctor. Lappland from her place sent them a murderous look.

Sebastian: Can you make the teams without me?

The other members of the gang nodded as the doctor turned to his companion on this adventure.

Sebastian: You can leave the grenade launcher behind, if we're in a closed environment it will cause us problems.

Irina: You're no fun.

She put away her weapon with a sigh.

Sebastian: I'm the one who's going to eat your grenades if you miss.

He said with a little venom on his tongue.

Irina: I'm sure that even without it I would do better than you anyway...

Sebastian: If you say so... Did you take your medicine this morning?

Irina: Hm hm.

Sebastian: Angie?

He asked the vulpo girl who passed by him to grab her scepter.

Angelina: O-oh yes... I took my medicine.

He turned his gaze towards Lappland who was still sitting, not caring about the teams that were going to be made because anyway she would stay with Texas. But as she saw the giant's gaze rest on her, she began to stare into his eyes.

Sebastian: Did you take your medication...?

Lappland's wolf ears lowered.

Texas saw that, and froze. Sora, who was also silently watching the scene, was so shocked that she dropped the cup in her hand. But it magically reappeared in her hand as Mostima had changed location.

Texas thought that she really had to have this discussion with her lover.

It was simple to understand.

Lowering her ears was a more or less instinctive and voluntary gesture to signal her submission.

Something Lappland would never have done.

Sebastian deduced from this a negative answer to his question. So he approached the young woman who gave him an injector while looking away.

Lappland: Sorry...

Sebastian: It's okay. It's mostly for you. As I told you, this technique won't work forever.

He said, taking her hand and his began to glow.

Immediately he could see that Lappland seemed to calm down.

Sebastian: Do you feel that your treatment is working at least?

Lappland: Yes... I have less pain all the time. And my mind is less foggy...

Sebastian: Do you want to continue the treatment?

She nodded her head yes. The doctor didn't say anything, knowing how much it cost his patient to admit that she needed care. She would normally refuse any form of treatment, or even to be treated after a fight.

He looked in his belongings for a tube of some kind of cream or ointment and handed it to the lupo.

Sebastian: You have severe Oripathy. You won't be able to do without the injections. If you apply this cream it will turn off your nerve receptors in the area where you apply...

Lappland: So I won't feel the injection...

Sebastian: If you are still not confident, ask Texas to do it for you. It might help you.

He stood up and turned to the rest of the team members who were finishing their discussion.

Sebastian: Okay. We have two objectives, the main one is to destroy the weapons shipments to weaken the influence of the triad. But secondly to get as much information as possible. So try to get a hold of a leader and do whatever you can to get them to talk.

Mostima: Everything?

Sebastian: They knew what they were getting into. Well, good luck to everyone. We'll all meet back here once we're done. Ah and get the bombs on the table. It's like a military model with a five second fuse. Two per person.

He started to leave, Irina immediately following him as everyone else took their things. The giant took a deep breath and pulled out his car keys.

Irina: Aren't you going to take your sword?

Sebastian: Can you explain to me the interest of taking a sword of one meter fifty if we are inside a building?

Irina: And you can fight in a building while standing?

Sebastian: Shut up and let's go kick some ass...

Irina: Well said! Go ahead.

Sebastian: Why? Are you using me as a human shield?

Irina: No, it's just to keep looking at your ass.

As the giant started to blush, not totally sure that she was joking, he kept his discussion with the ursine as he got into his car, another group came out of the bar, the two members of Glasgow and the two lupos that had made up as one of the fighting groups.

Siege: Are you sure you don't mind if we come along?

Texas: Hm. Nah.

Indra: You're not a talker, are you?

The second lupo shrugged, smiling as usual.

Lappland: Oh you'll get used to our ice queen... But thanks for helping us out.

Texas glanced at her lover, thinking that their discussion really couldn't wait. Because if it was weird for Lappland to act so strangely with the doctor, then it was even weirder to be even cordial with people who were almost strangers...

Texas: Could you go ahead? We'll meet you there, we just need to talk a little bit.

Indra and Siege looked at each other, feeling the lupo's sentence like what a person would say to a couple before having an argument. They nodded and hurried away.

Lappland: Is something wrong?

Texas: I don't know. You tell me.

Lappland: What do you mean?

Texas: You're different right now. Don't act like you always do.

Lappland: What the-

Texas: Stop it, we all noticed. How you're all nice and sweet with the doctor. You put your ears down, you admit that you are afraid of the syringes...

Lappland: What? Is that all? Hey relax... After all Sebastian is trying to do for me and the others and with the fact that we got off on the wrong foot it's only fair that I apologize-

She didn't believe that crap.

Texas: There you go, a few weeks ago you would have never apologized for anything-

Lappland: So what? Is it better when I act like a bitch?

Texas: No, of course not, it's just that you're so different than usual... Especially with him, you really look like a different person.

Lappland: It could be my medication... I could realize that I was really foggy with bloodlust and-

Texas: Stop it, even before you had your Oripathy you wouldn't have acted like that.

She said, raising her voice.

Lappland: But what are you afraid of? What do you really dislike about me lately?

The white lupo also started to show some signs of frustration and annoyance.

Texas: That you get so close to the doctor...

She said, lowering her head...

Lappland: What? Are you jealous...? Please... Giulia...

She took the hand of her lover who had difficulty looking her in the eyes.

Lappland: No one will ever replace you in my eyes. And I will always love you.

Texas: Lapp...

Lappland: Why do you hate the doctor so much...? He didn't do anything to you though...

Texas: I'm just afraid he'll hurt Exusiai... You saw how she fell in love in no time...

Lappland: Do you really think he would want to hurt Exia?

Texas: I don't know, but he does the same thing with Sora, or Mostima, or all the other girls, he surrounds himself with hot girls who are crazy about him... He's a pervert and then you heard him talk, a real psychopath on top of that. He got us into a fucking war with the mafia...

The white lupo frowned.

On this one she found Texas paranoid... No doubt the doctor might not have been the sanest man in this group, but he was also far from being the craziest. And he also had a certain supernatural magnetism to his person that attracted many women for many different reasons.

Lappland found it strange that Texas was so hateful towards the giant. Especially since she would have thought that the lupo would be a little more grateful to a man who had saved her life.

Texas did not pay attention to the face of her lover, and happy to have let out the steam approached her head and kissed her lover.

But it was the cold shower again for Texas. In normal time Lappland would have kissed the other lupo with all her heart, but there she did not seem really in mood to return the sign of love.

Lappland pulled her head back breaking the kiss, her mind a little heavy with the discussion they had just had.

Lappland: We better get going...

What was wrong with her? Lappland wondered, what was wrong with Texas? She didn't really have that much reason to hate the doctor, did she?

The two had a disagreement about the giant that Lappland didn't want to get into.

Texas, frozen, watched the other lupo walk away.

Why was she like that the last few days...? Was it the doctor's fault?

Surely...

She gritted her teeth and started walking.

Sebastian got out of his car and Irina followed him closely as he approached the restaurant. A small, unremarkable neighborhood establishment with a traditional Yen-style storefront.

As the two of them stood in the middle of the empty road Sebastian froze and looked down.

Sebastian: Did you see that?

The ursine's eyes began to glow a bit of blood red, signaling the use of her arts.

Soon enough she could see the tracks otherwise imperceptible on the road.

Irina: Truck tracks...

She followed the tracks to see that they stopped at a garage door right next to the restaurant.

Sebastian: That's not all.

The ursine looked in the same direction as him to see a discreet surveillance camera hanging from a lamppost.

Irina: It has an angle on the intersection, and on the front... Are you sure it's not installed by the city?

Sebastian: I've memorized every detail of this city's plans, the locations of cameras, phone booths, gas and water pipes, sewers, and I can assure you that there shouldn't be a camera in the whole block. But this is the fifth one.

Irina: They must have sounded the alarm...

Sebastian: And so you wanted to be subtle about it?

He said, approaching the restaurant with a smile. The young woman behind him laughed and cracked her fists. Sebastian arrived in front of the door of the restaurant, the windows rooms covering his arrival, he raised the leg and pushed the door a great blow by drawing his handgun.

The people inside turned to him, he could immediately spot the innocent civilians from the gangsters with their neck tattoos. To his right was a counter that doubled as a bar, and to the left were tables with chairs for customers.

His gaze landed on the table closest to him as he could see a mother with her three children eating their meal before they turned to him. The only children present in what was about to become a living hell.

He took a step to the side and looked at the mother.

Sebastian: Get out.

A second passed, and the mother snapped out of her torpor and led her children out, who passed by Irina, who closed the door behind her.

There was a staring contest between the two intruders from Rhodes Island and the people remaining in the restaurant.

A simple second...

After which Irina seized an empty plate next to her and sent it towards the head of the gangster who was leaning against the back wall of the room, destabilizing him. She threw herself to the left and kicked the nearest table sending it flying near a group of mobsters who were getting up, sending them to the floor.

While Irina was performing her action, Sebastian raised his firearm and shot one of the mobsters in the head coming out of the bathroom, then three others coming out of the kitchen, hearing the mess that was going on in the room, while the screams of the civilians still present resounded.

On her side Irina approached the group of 4 gangsters that she had just disoriented and jumped over the tables to arrive right next to one of the gangsters who had had time to take out a knife. He tried a strike towards Irina that she dodged, she grabbed the neck of her opponent, sending his head against a wall to knock him out, her other hand concentrating all her strength reduced the armed hand of the mobster in a red mush to seize the weapon, and to plant it in the gangster on her right who had taken out a crossbow, killing him on the spot and making the body fall on the ground. Except that by accident the arrow he had loaded was shot and flew straight at the giant.

Being the man he was, Sebastian dodged the crossbow bolt, but that half-second of inattention was enough for the doctor to get shot again and this time not dodge. The cashier behind the counter got up with a heavy crossbow and fired at the doctor, the bolt split the air and destroyed the giant's magnum and cut off some of his fingers. When he realized that his weapon was destroyed, the doctor felt his fangs lengthen and an irrepressible rage rise in him. He threw himself at the man behind the counter, screaming with rage, ignoring another bolt that lodged in his shoulder.

Quickly he jumped on the counter and took advantage of the support he had to give a kick that threw the shooter against a shelf filled with bottles and cutlery, the man breaking his back on the wall and the boards of the furniture.

Irina looked at the giant because of the scream he gave and because of her inattention, she took a chair on the skull that one of the gangsters she was fighting sent to her. This made her move back a few centimeters and with her mind still sharp enough she managed to punch her opponent killing him on the spot. The last of her four opponents went to stab her but he took a bottle thrown at the back of the head making him fall heavily on the ground knocked out.

Irina glanced at the doctor who was struggling with another man who came out of the kitchen and tried to stab him. Sebastian dodged with a step backwards and grabbed a chopstick that was lying on the counter, which he stuck in the mobster's right eye.

He let out a blood-curdling scream and tried to deliver another strike with the kitchen knife to the man, Sebastian grabbed his wrist with his left hand, and the back of his opponent's head with his right hand.

A rotation of his wrist and the knife went in the air, a rotation of his arm, and the mobster's face crashed on the counter, the chopstick he had stuck in his eye now going through his skull. A rotation of his pelvis and he dodged the blow of the machete that the man who was right behind the one he had just killed.

The knife that was in the air landed in the hand of the giant who slashed the forearm that held the weapon of his opponent with a sharp blow, making him drop his machete.

Sebastian grabbed his opponent's shoulder and stabbed him in the stomach twice in a row before driving the knife into the man's sternum, and slicing downwards like through hot butter. Splitting the bones of his opponent's rib cage and causing his guts to fall to the ground.

The brutal murder he had just dirtied his hands with had just terrorized the only remaining gangster who was about to shoot the doctor with a crossbow, making him fall to the ground so shocked.

But he couldn't see Irina right behind him, who raised her leg above her head before bringing it down on his skull killing him instantly with a hammer kick. Everything calmed down... except for the crying of the civilians who had stayed behind.

Irina turned to them.

Irina: Go away.

They all ran away immediately, Sebastian pulling an object out from under his coat and placing it on the counter, before reaching for an object impaled on the wall from a crossbow bolt.

Irina: How long before the police arrive?

Sebastian: More than thirty minutes with that.

He said, pointing to the object he had just dropped.

Sebastian: EMP jammer. There's not an electronic circuit that works for two kilometers around.

Irina: EM- what?

The giant looked at her before remembering that this technology, like nuclear physics, had not yet been discovered on Terra, and that electronics did not even exist twenty years ago. Or even simpler things like gunpowder. Or anything to do with astronomy were not developed in this world…

Sebastian: A special technology... Tell you what, it sends waves to the whole area, and all the devices like phones don't work anymore...

Irina: But how did you manage to get your hands on such an advanced Columbian technology...?

She said with wonder before noticing the tape on the box that held the wires...

Irina: Did you do it?

Sebastian: Yeah... It's the kind of thing you can do with what you find in a hardware store...

Irina: You'll have to show me how to do it...

Sebastian: If you want... Fucking asshole!

Irina wiped the blood off her boot and looked up to see the giant with an angry face, the ruined handgun in his hand. He walked over to the man who was embedded in a shelf and lifted his leg to kick and crush the balls of the man who was already dead.

Irina: Uh... Are you sure you should be so upset about a weapon...? After all, you can probably get another one if you managed to get some for us...

The giant took a deep breath to calm down, his irises turning green again.

Sebastian: No, no, I know... It's just... It was a gift from a friend.

Irina: Oh it's because it was a gift from the woman in your heart that you are in this state...

Said the ursine with a sly smile, already taking pleasure before the giant started to blush.

Sebastian: N-nah... Stop meddling in my love life. It's just that she's one of the people I've known the longest technically-

?: It was! Awesome!

Surprised the two acolytes turned to one of the tables of the restaurant on which was placed a mountain of empty plates, but also where was installed a woman. The strange thing was... she didn't make a sound, and she didn't seem to be scared at all.

She was a white-haired ursine with a black streak and black furry ears.

Sebastian and Irina watched her clapping her hands, mouths agape.

?: Oh wow, I say bravo, perfectly choreographed! You'll be a real star!

Sebastian: Thank you... Miss...?

The woman made a shocked face, a little too exaggerated.

?: It's me! The great Wan Shêng-shêng! But you know my stage name of course, FEATER!

Irina stepped back an inch, her ears struggling to receive the avalanche of screams from the ursine in front of her who struck a pose.

Sebastian looked at the ex-leader of the reunion and she shrugged.

Sebastian: Never heard of it.

Irina: Neither have I.

She looked even more shocked and disappointed.

Feater: Have you ever seen Hard target?

They nodded their heads to say no.

Feater: Sudden death? Replicant ? Nowhere to run ? Black eagle ? Who am I ? Knock off ?

They did not react to the titles of the movies...

Feater: Haven't you seen Knock off ?!

Sebastian: Ah...

The giant seemed to remember something, making the actress excited again.

Sebastian: Oh no, nevermind…

Feater: But have you two ever seen a movie in your lives?

Sebastian: I have amnesia so technically I've seen three...

Irina: Unless you've done some detective movies in ursus ten years ago then I've never seen your face...

She put her hand on her face and took a deep breath.

Feater: Well, that's okay!

She approached the two of them, and smiled a big smile.

Feater: How would you like to make movies...? I think you have a real talent for action movies-

Sebastian: Well, no... I already have a job...

Irina: I don't want to have my face on TV either...

Feater: Then why did you do such a performance?

Sebastian: A performance...? Is she stupid or is she doing it on purpose?

The man who was embedded in the shelf fell heavily to the ground as a puddle of blood spread at their feet from one of the many corpses.

Feater: It wasn't a performance art, was it...?

Both nodded their heads to say no.

Feater: Then you are even more qualified to be actors if you are really that good! You'll see I can get you some golden roles !

The giant sighed before lifting his arm and grabbing the young woman by the collar of her dress with one of his hands and carrying her effortlessly as he started walking towards the exit.

Sebastian: Well, we don't want to become actors, get out of here we have work to do, thank you, goodbye!

He opened the door and threw away the ursine he was holding before closing the door violently and putting the closed sign.

Irina: That chick was weird as fuck...

Sebastian: You said it.

Irina: Hey, I don't see any weapons here.

Sebastian: They must have an underground access somewhere. All this part of the city have been created with an underground...

The young ursine looked at the scene before noticing something, there was a door to the kitchens, another to the toilets and a last one that was guarded by a gangster who was standing next to it when they arrived...

She went in that direction, the giant followed her because he too had surely made a similar deduction.

The door opened and there was a kind of closet with boxes and...

Irina: A bookcase?

The two of them looked at the furniture that didn't have much to do there, to see that all the books looked the same, except for one bigger than the others with a red cover without title. Prominently displayed.

Irina looked the giant in the eyes.

Sebastian: Nah... They wouldn't...

In doubt, she raised her hand, and pulled the book.

A mechanical noise resounded and the bookcase came off the wall like a door to reveal a staircase.

The ursine sighed and heard the giant give himself a facepalm.

Sebastian: I'm going to bust my fucking skull.

Irina: Can these guys be any more cliché...

Sebastian: Don't challenge fate Irina...

Irina: You go first.

He let out another sigh and walked down the stairs in the darkness, they came to a place that was far too dark to see anything Irina shifted to try and see something, Sebastian squinted before suddenly widening his eyes, he pushed Irina well behind him and raised his other arm in front of her eyes. A deafening explosion sounded and the ursine felt a burning heat against her skin and was almost sent flying backwards.

Soon she heard more heavy crossbow fire and art but soon realized that the doctor was protecting her like a human shield.

She could spot green dot-like lights in the darkness, spotting the night vision goggles.

Sebastian: Close your eyes!

Without thinking, trusting him she closed them and saw him throw something, an explosion sounded again, a flash that was almost blinding even with her eyes closed, and a deafening noise.

Irina shifted, her heart pounding with adrenaline, Sebastian collapsed to the ground from the amount of damage he had taken. Then she realized that he had just given her an opportunity to fight by blinding their enemies.

Irina's irises began to glow and her pupils dilated, allowing even the smallest photon to pass through. She could finally see what was around her. Multiple casters and crossbowmen were hiding behind concrete pillars and now they were all destabilized. With enough room to maneuver she pulled out the sword she had on her back and jumped forward, propelled to the right side of the room she gave a single sword strike scraping the ground, and was surprised to slice one of the gangsters on the ground in half, as if he were made of butter.

She continued her trajectory to the wall of the room, and she took hold again to propel herself towards the second group of enemies. Letting her blade protrude in her leap, she sliced through the concrete pillar and the other gangster who was with the first one she had killed. Irina reached the second group in a flash and stuck her blade in the chest of the only one unlucky enough to have stood up, using him as an anchor to stop herself by killing him. The ursine drew her blade and spun around planting her sword in the neck of a caster who was still crouching and planting the weapon in the concrete.

Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, she ducked just in time to dodge a stab. Taking advantage of her agility, Irina gave a kick while remaining lowered, breaking the knees of the man who had had time to stand up. She picked up her machete and took cover behind the pillar when she saw that in the third and final group of opponents, there was a man with a grenade launcher aimed at her.

He fired, and Irina was protected by the pillar, which nearly collapsed from the explosion. She could have charged in, dodged and destroyed everything, but she realized that she had to be careful with her art if she wanted to walk out of that building because of her treatment.

She looked down as she thought and could see two objects on her belt, the homemade grenades... She smiled and picked one up before pulling the pin and waiting a bit with the object in her hand.

Irina: My turn.

She threw it behind her, without looking, smiling already. The explosion sounded again in the closed environment, surprising her because of the power of the blast. Bits of flesh and blood flew everywhere. And Irina stood up, taking a deep breath with a smile. And a business well done~.

But soon she remembered that she was not alone, her eyes turned to the giant who was lying in a pool of blood.

Irina: Doc? Are you still alive?

The giant's body gurgled in blood as it lay motionless.

The ursine approached him and took two green vials before turning his body to see his wounds, a gastric reflux came to her so much Sebastian was in a bad state she poured the two vials on him and looked elsewhere to recover her spirits moving towards a switch on the wall to turn on the lights of the room, she heard him seize his sword before chanting what resembled prayers, before getting up.

She turned to him to see him pretty much taken care of except for a few scratches and a little blood, but mostly his clothes were torn on his upper body, her arts having stopped at healing him this time.

Irina looked at him.

Her eyes inevitably attracted by the body of the man in front of her.

This torso so muscular that it seemed to be carved in the rock to imitate a god...

She felt her heart beat rapidly and her body overheating.

Sebastian: Irina.

Those muscles on the giant's body... She wondered what else he could be hiding... But even now she wanted to run her hands along that tan skin.

Sebastian: Irina?

These cursed clothes, what prevented her there and now to tear them all off one by one before finally feeling her insides being smas-

Sebastian: Irina!

A clap of the hands and a scream was enough to bring the young woman back to reality.

She blinked several times in surprise from her trance before looking up at the doctor to look into his emeralds.

Sebastian: Irina, are you okay? You looked... elsewhere...

Irina: E-everything is fine...

She looked at his chest again before looking away.

She knew what was wrong with her.

Behind her back the doctor smiled, and without a sound came closer to her before whispering in her ear.

Sebastian: You're still feeling the effects of your season, right?

She gasped, almost jumping to the ceiling, and when she turned to the doctor, he could see that her face was redder than Exusiai's hair.

Irina: Shut up!

Sebastian: Look who's embarrassing who now... You called me an old pervert but it was you who imagined me without my clothes...

As he could swear to see the bear ears of the girl giving off steam, Sebastian burst out laughing. Taking a malicious pleasure to get back at his torturer.

The doctor examined the rest of his equipment, making sure his explosives or healing kit were not damaged, before moving on to a valve door at the back of the room leading to another underground room.

Sebastian: Come on, let's go this way. We have a mission to finish.

Irina wordlessly joins him, still embarrassed.

Sebastian: Don't worry, I've got some spare shirts in my car...

Irina: Stop it please... It's not my fault...

Sebastian: it's okay, ursine season ends in a few days for the latecomers... 'I'm lucky I don't have any as a non racial.'

The giant's hands clutched the door valve to open it, and his muscles tensed to turn the rusty piece of metal.

Irina hurried to look away. To avoid having her mind fogged...

She really needed to get her hands on some anti-heat medication...

The giant went first into a much larger room in the underground. Well lit, several crates were there, marked with a Colombian crest among others. Two trucks were at the back of the room, opposite concrete ramps leading to garage doors that probably led to the street.

Irina walked in just past the giant and saw two men playing cards on one of the crates. The two mobsters were watching them too. Sebastian grabbed two of his throwing knives and threw them at his enemies, while Irina leapt forward as fast as she could to attack her enemies.

One of them had the time to raise his hand and from it a fireball flew straight towards the two fighters. Because of the intense heat, the air expanded, deflecting Sebastian's knives, completely missing the caster, and hitting the other gangster in the left hand, causing him to fall to the ground and crawl behind a pillar, while the caster was completely spared. But that didn't stop him from taking cover behind another pillar. Irina herself was forced to dodge the giant fireball that was thrown at her.

Sebastian picked up one of his grenades, deciding it was best not to get too close, and as he was about to throw it he felt the heat rise too high in the room and flames shoot out from behind the pillar. Instinctively he shouted.

Sebastian: Irina take cover!

He threw himself behind one of the concrete pillars and Irina did the same, as a giant wall of flames flew towards them. Sebastian felt the hairs on his body scorch at the heat, which reminded him of the events after his awakening. Half of the pillar behind which he was hidden was incinerated by the power of the flames. Irina shielded herself as best she could, stressing out as the power of the flames reminded her strongly of a certain draco.

The caster let out a howl and Sebastian looked over, he was covered in flames, his eyes bloodshot and salivating profusely. This enraged behavior coupled with the spike in power made the giant conclude that the man had just taken one of the combat drugs and that his arts had been boosted.

The giant looked at the ursine and motioned for him to go around the man, before throwing himself out of cover towards the caster. Another wave of heat came in his direction, as the mobster swung his hand like a sword. Sebastian swung his sword in the same direction as the flame blade, and to the mobster's astonishment, the blade took the heat and began to vibrate a faint orange color.

Sebastian began to smile. As he would expect from one of his creations, it would take the heat of a star to melt it. The enemy followed with the same attack in another direction which the giant dealt with in the same way. His opponent wasn't stupid, so soon another wall of flame came towards him and this time the giant couldn't counter it. He rolled to the side, narrowly dodging it. At the caster's back Irina was about to give a high kick to the skull of her enemy.

But at the fateful moment when her leg was supposed to decapitate their opponent, on the last centimeters, she felt her skin hurt, and the fabric of her tights burn. Quickly she stopped her attack and stepped back. Realizing too late that her opponent's flame armor was working too well to deal with.

The man behind her felt the wind move and swept his arm towards her, sending another torrent of flame with a howl.

Irina leapt, passing just above the danger zone, the pain of the flames still reaching her enough to make her grit her teeth. She landed next to another pillar, behind which she took refuge. Right next to the giant.

The air was becoming unbreathable as it was so hot in the room and Irina was sweating profusely. She looked down and saw a burn on her leg, the pain not being felt because of the adrenaline.

Irina: I can't hit this guy! My sword would melt! And I can't distract him!

At that moment, she almost felt useless.

The environment was not open enough to allow her to create a diversion with her mobility. But on top of that she couldn't do any damage to their opponent.

She clenched her fists in frustration, unable to even think of a solution.

Sebastian started to think and, not having any ideas, he thought it might be better to take the problem in another direction. After all, he too could be covered in flame...

How could anyone beat him when he was using his body's combustion a little more intelligently than during the fight with Irina?

To attack the source of the problem... The heat and flames came from the vibrations of the air molecules. So to remove the heat... we had to remove the air.

The light bulb went on in his head after that quarter of a second that he used to think.

He looked at Irina.

Sebastian: Hold your breath!

Irina: What?!

Sebastian: Do it!

He could see the young woman take a deep breath of air. He reached his hand towards the valve doo, and used his body's magnetism to close it with a superhuman effort. Then.

He took a deep breath.

Irina only heard the beginning of it.

He had no more the least sound.

No more the crackling of the flames, or the cries of their opponent, no more. Not even the giant when he stood up. She felt as if her eardrums were going to explode...

Sebastian approached the burning man who looked around surprised to see that his flames had disappeared. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth.

The giant in front of him smiled, the caster seemed to try to breathe but nothing came out of his mouth.

Sebastian drew back his fist and slammed it into his opponent's skull with all his might, turning his opponent's head into a splatter of blood that hit the wall like an impressionist painting. He hurriedly walked to the door and opened it again, a great current of air flooding the room. Irina caught her breath, close to choking. The giant ran to her to make sure she was okay and she nodded.

Irina: What the hell was that?

Sebastian: Didn't you ever have chemistry class?

Irina: I dropped out of school in seventh grade...

Sebastian: If there's no air, there's no flame... I emptied the one in the room...

Irina: Wait, wasn't there another guy?

Sebastian: Oh.

The two heard one of the two trucks in the distance start up and one of the garage doors open.

Irina stood up with the giant as the truck started to leave.

The young woman pulled out her second grenade and was about to throw it at the truck but at the last moment the giant stopped her. Before retrieving an object from his pocket, he threw it back at the truck, to stick to it.

Irina: We don't destroy it...?

Sebastian: I put a bug on it. Maybe it will help us to trace the trail...

The giant bent down and picked up the pin of the grenade before giving it back to Irina who put it back in place before putting away her grenade.

Before approaching the boxes of weapons that had not yet been destroyed. He gathered them, and opened one of them to take out a strange device.

Sebastian: You better run.

Irina: What?

He pressed a button and ran off, leaving the bomb behind.

Irina reacted a second too late and ran after the doctor.

Irina: Holy shit!

The two of them went out through the garage ramp before getting out of the way of the exit when suddenly the explosion sounded, sweeping the windows into the street and sending a torrent of flame out of the building which collapsed.

Irina: Couldn't you have set the timer for a few more seconds?

He looked at the bear with a smile.

Sebastian: I could. But what fun would that have been? Much less anyway…

The young woman looked at him, before bursting into laughter.

God, this man could be stupid despite his genius. And with him there was never a dull moment.

Sebastian: Come on, let's go back to the bar.

He said while walking towards his car, taking out a shirt from the trunk and a tie that he put on as soon as possible. The young woman felt her thoughts being released.

Irina: Don't you want to stop somewhere first? I'm starving.

Sebastian: If you like. I know a nice place nearby.

Irina approached the car and when she opened the door she could see that the windows had held.

As he tied his tie, the giant noticed her expression and answered before she even asked.

Sebastian: The car is armored.

Irina: Eh... Even cooler.

She went inside, and soon the smell of the giant assailed her nose.

That smell of ashes, and slightly woody...

It just made her want to take off her clothes and start licking his-

No! Irina calm down!

She shook her head left and right before closing her eyes and holding her head to calm her mind, her face red.

Why was this happening to her? Was it just seeing the doctor shirtless that made her season twenty times worse? But why? He was a man like any other... Maybe just more handsome, more muscular, tall... Attractive... With slightly wider arms... Probably perfect for wrapping those around her... While he was savagely pound-

Stop thinking about it Irina!

She said to herself.

She really needed to get her hands on some anti-heat medication, or her collaboration with the giant would take a turn for the worse.

Or maybe if she let it, this collaboration would become a relationship...

Nah nah. Don't let your heat rule your thoughts... And everything is gonna be okay.

Sebastian: What's wrong?

She heard the giant right next to her, without her noticing it he had already settled right next to her.

Immediately the giant's eyes went to the young woman's legs. Before grimacing when he saw her burn. He took his dagger in hand and beckoned to her.

Sebastian: Give me your leg. I'll fix it for you.

Hesitantly, she nodded before moving her frail body into the large cabin to hand her leg to the doctor. Adrenaline still masked the pain well. But she grimaced because she was apprehensive-

Irina: *moan*

He looked up at the young woman. That moan was strange...

Sebastian: Did I hurt you?

Irina: A little... But it's okay...

She felt as if her skin was on fire, asking to be touched more and more by the giant...

How she wished she didn't have that pantyhose right now... Or just that he would tear it off her to take her like a beast anywhere.

He said his prayer as the wound healed cutting her devious thoughts only for a brief moment. But the giant's touch on her legs made the young woman unable to calm her overflowing thirst for sex. The cocktail of hormones in her messy body effectively reminded her that she was part animal.

Quickly the giant let her go.

She left her leg there. Breathing heavily, her two ruby orbs, piercing through his emeralds.

Irina: Nah... Don't take your hands off... Touch me... Wherever you want... Take off my clothes... Tear them off, I don't care, I want to feel you on me and inside me like no man before...

At least that's what she would have liked to say at that moment.

But a small piece of her sanity remained intact.

Irina: Thank you...

She put her legs away and the doctor started, while she opened the window to take less of that smell.

At that moment, she prayed to whatever god it was, that she would not be intolerant to heat medication. She glanced to her left.

Or else the giant was likely to suffer the consequences... And so was she... But surely to a lesser extent...

Irina: Ah god~... I'm so full~…

Sebastian: You told me you were hungry, and on top of that I warned you that they give monstrous portions.

Irina got out of the car with difficulty, her eyes heavy, all her energy being used to digest.

She turned to the giant to see him as usual.

Irina: But how do you not get sick with all that you ate?

Sebastian: You have to feed the beast.

He said with a smile and approached the door of the bar. But soon Irina could see the giant's ears moving in a way that showed he was concentrating on his hearing.

Sebastian: Oh no...

He hurriedly walked to the door, Irina hurrying to keep pace with him. He opened the door and both were assaulted by a camera flash. Irina raised her hand in front of her eyes before recognizing a certain voice among all those who spoke.

Feater: So of course I had to stop shooting for a while after that incident-

Sebastian/Irina: God fucking damn it...

Everyone in the bar turned to look at the two who had just entered. Including the actress and Exusiai, who was right next to the ursine posing in front of Sora who was taking a picture.

FEater: Hey! It's you! I knew I would find you here!

She said with a smile, while the doctor sighed.

Sebastian: Emperor... What the hell is she doing here...

Emperor: Mrs. Wan is an old friend of mine. And this is my bar so she will always be welcome here.

FEater: Whenever something interesting happens in town I come here! Ah ah! So you still don't want to shoot with me?

Sebastian: No.

Irina: Still not.

The others in the room looked on dumbfounded. And Indra started screaming, half tearing her hair out.

Indra: Have some respect for FEater, for God's sake! Do you have any idea who that is?

Sebastian: An actress?

Indra: An actress? An actress?! The greatest action movie actress of all time?!

The giant looked away at Siege, who seemed unaffected by the whole mess.

Sebastian: It's hard to imagine that she is such a big fan of action movies...

Siege: Action is still okay... It's worse for science fiction movies...

Exusiai: You don't know who she is either, Irina?

Irina: Don't know. Don't care.

Sebastian: Well, we get it, we're both ignorant and all that. Miss Won-

FEater: Wan-

Indra: *incomprehensible fangirl screams*

Sebastian: Miss wan, we don't want to shoot with you, we don't plan on doing it anytime soon or change our minds, so leave us alone, we have some private work to do here.

FEater: Oh, Big E told me all about it, I'm willing to help you take down the triad! I don't have any shooting right now and it will be a good training...

The giant looked at her.

Before he let out one of the biggest sighs some had ever heard.

Sebastian: Please tell me I fell into a coma in the restaurant and that this is a hallucination to torture me...

Emperor: You know, Doctor, she's very good at fighting in real life and-

Sebastian: Never mind. Welcome aboard etcetera etcetera... Debriefing everyone. I managed to put a tracker on one of the triad's trucks. I'm thinking of leaving it for a bit before I see where it's stopped. We also managed to get rid of the last of the weapons shipments on top of that. How about you guys?

Siege: We didn't get any resistance, and the shipments were destroyed.

Emperor: Same on our side.

Yushia: I may have something.

Angelina cleared her throat and looked at the zalak.

Yushia: Well, we might have something.

Angelina: Among the arms shipments we found, there was also a crate full of those red pills that had just arrived...

Yushia: I thought they were too well packaged and transported to be normal. So I decided to question the guy who had just delivered them.

Angelina: Hey, I'm the one who stopped him from running away!

Said the angry vulpo.

Yushia: What does it matter, you didn't have the courage to make him talk. Do you have something to prove?

She said with a slight smile, knowing full well that the young Siracusan just wanted to show off for someone here.

Sebastian: You two stop right there.

Of course the giant had no business giving them orders, nor did he have any authority over them, but the tone he used, halfway between a disgruntled parent and a teacher on the verge of reprimanding, made the two young women stop their bickering.

Angelina: So we were able to find out that the shipment came from a place called the lab... We just knew it was in the Cai-Hayou area and there was an accident we couldn't get more information...

Sebastian: An accident?

Angelina looked at the ground, feeling humiliated, her fox ears laid back. The doctor's gaze softened, understanding that she must have made a mistake that made her feel guilty.

Yushia: Go ahead...

Angelina: I-I'm sorry... I let go of my grip on my arts and it allowed him to jump out of a window...

Sebastian: He ran away?

Yushia: Most people are not you doctor, able to survive a fall from the third floor down through a window...

Angelina: I-I'm really sorry that this shouldn't have happened, it's just my fault that we didn't know where this particular lab was, I'm really sorry-

The doctor held out his finger and a spark flew from his finger to the nose of the young woman who gasped with a sound of astonishment.

Sebastian: Hey relax Angelina. It's all good. The most important thing is that you come back safe from the missions. We don't care how many windows the building we have to go to has as long as we remotely know where it is and that you're safe.

Emperor: A lab?

Mostima: Nah, THE lab. It's got to be one of their important strongholds.

Indra: Wait a minute, I thought they were making their drugs in a lot of different places...

Lappland: They could do that, plus have a main production location. On a larger scale. It's a way to muddy the waters and compensate if the small labs aren't doing well enough.

Everyone looked back at her, who was still covered in blood from her last few fights. Showing once again that intelligent side of herself.

Sebastian: it's getting to be a habit for you to be more intelligent...

The lupo started to smile and raised an eyebrow. It must be admitted that by feeling less her immense thirst for blood it was easy to use her mind.

Lappland: I have to show that I'm good for something here...

Sebastian: Hmm the Cai-Haoyu district...

Yushia: The industrial district. There's hardly anything left since Lungmen became the bank of the world.

Sebastian: Wait, I have an idea. To synthesize drugs they need a lot of electricity and good ventilation. There's a whole network of underground air ducts that run underneath the neighborhood for the factories that were there so...

He went to get the map and redeposited it again.

Lappland: All you have to do is find the points where the high voltage lines intersect with the air ducts.

Sebastian: Right.

He drew four possible locations for the lab on the map and let Yushia look at them for her expertise.

She pointed to one location.

Yushia: All four are probable, but this one is close to the main roads, so I'd say that increases the chances a bit.

Sebastian: I see. I'll take care of it then. Let's split up again to take care of the other three.

Irina: Okay, I'll-

Sebastian: Nope.

He crossed his arms.

Sebastian: You're not coming with me.

She frowned and the others wondered what was going on in the giant's reaction.

Irina: But why?

She asked, almost offended.

Sebastian: I don't want to take any chances. I don't want you to go all out like you did this morning and collapse in the middle of a fight. It will be better for you if you stay in a group with more people who can ensure your safety if you have to give it your all again. I couldn't do it alone.

The young woman jumped at his explanation. Before blushing very slightly. She felt quite embarrassed and at the same time happy that the giant was so worried about her safety... She didn't dare to contradict him...

Without suspecting the murderous looks she received from the most jealous of this mark of affection.

Sora: You still don't intend to go alone, do you, doctor?

Sebastian: No, of course not.

Soon Angelina, Exusiai, Mostima or Yushia were going to offer to accompany the giant, but before any of them could say anything, Sebastian spoke.

Sebastian: Lapp, still in?

There was a dead silence in the bar.

It wasn't the kind of thing you'd expect...

After all, the anecdote of Lappland's brutal encounter with the doctor had gone around the whole team by now.

Lappland: Sure am...

The young woman stood up and picked up her swords.

The other lupo looked at her.

Texas: Lapp...?

Honestly the tone she was using at that moment sounded like the one someone would use when seeing their lover in bed with someone else.

Lappland: What?

Texas: Aren't you coming with me?

Lappland: Uh... No...?

Texas: Are you sure?

Lappland: Yeah, relax we'll see each other as soon as it's over anyway.

Either the white lupo was the one who didn't understand anything, or indeed she didn't understand what was wrong with Texas.

FEater: Hey, I can go with you too, sir...

The giant remembered that he had forgotten to introduce himself.

Sebastian: Sebastian. Doctor Sebastian. And the answer is no.

The bear pounded her fist on the table. Feeling disgusted.

The groups organized themselves as the giant went to open a crate to retrieve some vials of chlorophyte.

He turned to Lappland who was standing behind him and handed him two.

Sebastian: Take them. In case we get separated and I can't treat you.

The lupo looked at them with some hesitation before taking the vials.

He stood up and waved as he opened the door to leave.

Sebastian: Good luck to all!

And the door closed behind him with Lappland.

Texas looked down, confused. Was this the first time she had voluntarily left her?

Exusiai came to give her a pat on the back. And when the lupo looked her in the eyes, the sanktah gave her a smile with her thumb raised.

Normally Texas would have felt happy to have Exusiai to comfort her. But now she felt differently. She only felt a friend, who wanted to comfort her, and not something else... After all, she knew that Exusiai's heart did not belong to her anymore... If it had ever belonged to her in the first place...

Angelina looked around, feeling like a child not knowing which table to join at the cafeteria.

But one by one, Irina, the two women from Glasgow, and finally Yushia... Who was having a hard time finding a group, joined her. The five women hurried to leave for their next destination.

Lungmen: 12: 57

The young women had just arrived in the industrial district. A small distance still separated them from their target.

Irina who was in the middle of the group looked at the other women around her. Not only was she the smallest in size of the group... Standing just a few inches below Angelina who was younger than her, she also couldn't help but look at some of the other women... Particularly just below their heads, but above their midriffs.

Feeling jealous.

She sighed and walked forward to get the melons out of her eyes.

Angelina frowned and looked at the ursine.

Angelina: Is something wrong Irina?

The ursine turned to the other four women and took a deep breath.

Irina: Okay. How did you all do it?

Siege: How did what...?

Irina: How did you all get big breasts?!

exclaimed the ursine, both sad and angry herself. The young women were surprised and embarrassed by her question.

Irina: Look at you Siege, they look like watermelons ! While I have nothing! Rien ! Nada!

Siege lowered her eyes to look at her own chest... Yushia raised her eyes to heaven...

Siege: You know sometimes it's not practical too, I have to put on things that half choke me if I don't want them to swing everywhere when I do a spin forward...

Indra: You're exaggerating...

Irina: No! Look Angie! You're sixteen, I'm almost seventeen! And you already have those that could make a man more than happy!

The girl started to blush.

Angelina: Y-you know Irina, it's not that important you know... If a man really loves you then he won't pay too much attention to the size of your breasts...

Irina: It's not that important?! How would you feel if you were flat as a fucking puddle of water and the doctor kept looking at Siege's tits?

Angelina: He does that...?

Asked the uncertain girl, suddenly not very confident in her seductive abilities.

Irina: I don't know, I'm not in his head.

La vulpo breathed a sigh of relief as Siege stared at the floor, eyes wide open.

Siege: Yeah...

Maybe she had caught Sebastian looking at her chest once... twice... fifteen times... But she didn't really blame him... After all he was only a man and her fruit basket was pretty hard to miss...

Irina: So how did you do it?! I don't want to end my life being flat!

Indra: Oh come on, you must be exaggerating...

The girl looked left and right, making sure they were alone on the street, before grabbing the hem of her loose t-shirt, and lifting it to reveal her torso.

The other four immediately fell silent and looked at her without saying anything.

If Irina didn't have a feminine voice, and very slight curves on the rest of her body, it would have been easy to mistake her for a boy.

Indra: Oh well, nevermind.

Yushia: Have you thought about surgery?

She let her shirt fall to reveal her eyes almost on the verge of tears.

Irina: You see?! I've never worn a bra in my life! I'm tired of being a fucking cutting board with two warts on it! Seriously what guy would like to touch that?!

Expressing more and more her hatred against biology Irina looked really sad about her fate...

Angelina: You know I used to drink a lot of milk when I was a kid...

Irina: Really?!

Believing she was being offered a solution, the bear's eyes filled with a little hope again.

Irina: Is it true?!

Angelina: Y-yes, but I'm not sure it's 100% related...

Irina: I'll take anything they give me!

She looked at Siege.

Irina: And you?

Siege: It's genetics...

Yushia: There is that to take into account too, maybe genetics doesn't play in your favor... And then if for example your mother was also flat and succeeded in giving birth to you then for you too it is possible to have a relationship-

Irina: My mother had the biggest breasts I had ever seen. My grandmother was even a forte.

The zalak was silent.

Yushia: Are you sure you weren't cursed as a child?

Siege: Wait, I thought that if you had a forte in the family, as soon as you reached your teens your breasts would go...

She made a rather clear gesture, not daring to speak about the taboo.

Irina: Yes. Normally. But even with me it doesn't work, as if my body didn't understand that I was a woman...

Yushia: Hey, it's okay... Women's growth stops at eighteen... You still have a little time...

Irina nodded. Setting a plan in motion...

But she wondered for a moment what had suddenly caused this outburst on this subject...

Probably an effect of her season...

At the same time, she wanted to please her future mate.

Get it out of your head Irina!

She shook her head as the group had resumed walking. Thinking that she really needed her heat treatment as soon as possible.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination...

A factory like the others... Most of them being abandoned, but some still being in activity provided a background noise strong enough to camouflage for example... Shots...

Angelina: It is there?

She said, pointing to the building she could see.

Indra: Hm. Apparently.

Angelina: So what are we waiting for?

She said as she grabbed her scepter with strength and determination to be able to fight and have something to impress the good doctor by telling her exploits...

But as she took a step forward, the hood of her jacket was grabbed by someone much stronger than her forcing her to stay put and almost falling to the ground.

Feeling like a child being held back by a parent, she turned around to see Siege blocking her from going, his hammer on her shoulder. Without saying anything, she pointed to the roof of the building and Angelina could see a sentry on the roof armed with a crossbow.

Yushia: Go for it kid... And we'll all be spotted immediately...

Angelina: Ah...

Indra: So we have to take out that guard before we can even hope to get into the building...

While some of them were discussing what they were going to do to get into the warehouse, Irina stepped forward, retrieving a palm-sized rock from the gutter, throwing it a little into the air before catching it to balance it's weight. She drew back her arm and sent the rock with all her strength towards the guard. There was a slight supersonic crack and the rock flew up to the sentry and decapitated her, her body falling to the ground, out of sight of the young women who were all amazed by the ursine's immense abilities.

Irina: What? We're not going to wait here, are we?

The ursine grabbed the sword behind her back and hurried to the factory, Angelina gasped, hurrying to fly on her scepter like a witch and her broom in hopes of catching Irina who was already climbing on the roof of the building. The other three young women looked at each other before they started running towards the building. Yushia split from the two Glasgow members, taking in an alleyway where there was a small service door.

While the aslan and the feline waited in front of a gate that was used to bring goods into trucks.

Angelina touched down gracefully and landed right next to Irina who was looking down on the factory from a ceiling window.

Irina: Can everyone hear me?

she asked, putting a finger on her earpiece. Angelina nodded, and soon confirmation came over the radio from the other young women.

Yushia: What are we waiting for to jump inside?

Irina: A little patience...

She stretched her ears, to try to hear what was happening inside.

Her eyes immediately fell on one of the men below. He was sitting at a bench, doing science... Or whatever it was he was doing that Irina didn't know enough about science to identify...

The man was in the middle of other men in anti-contamination suits, working on producing drugs. While still other men, equipped with crossbows and in suits were watching them.

One of them approached the man Irina had noticed, he stood out from the rest of the scientists. The man with the crossbow grabbed the scientist by the collar of his lab coat, making him drop his tools, pulling him out of his chair.

Gangster: Come on doctor, stop for now. A control team will be here any minute.

Scientist: But I-

Gangster: We're being nice and listening doctor... Your project has gone far enough that you are no longer essential...

Said the man in a threatening tone, raising his crossbow very slightly. A drop of sweat fell on the scientist's forehead and he readjusted his glasses before heading straight for some sort of small room in the corner of the factory.

Angelina: Irina? Did you hear something?

The ursine slowly opened the window, grabbing a deafening grenade and then put a finger on her earpiece.

Irina: There's an important guy in there, in a room in the northwest corner. Don't hurt him...

Indra: Copy that.

Siege: Mm.

Yushia: Who made her the leader again?

Irina: 3... 2... 1!

She let her grenade fall into the building, covering her ears as Angelina hurried to do the same.

The explosion resounded, with a sound loud enough to be felt on the skin and in the hearts of the two women who were on the roof of the building. Irina immediately threw herself out of the window as everyone was thrown off balance.

A wrenching sound resounded, and Irina threw herself slightly backwards, dodging the portal that had been knocked down by a huge hammer blow from Siege, the portal being shot through with a few golden sparks just like his hammer.

Angelina landed right next to the ursine, looking around as balls of blue flame began to appear from the end of her scepter.

The smoke cleared and Irina pushed Angelina away as she sensed danger at their backs. Angelina felt some of her hair being sliced off by the tip of a crossbow bolt.

She then turned in the direction of the shot to see a gangster who was already ready to fight with his crossbow raised. Right at her.

He fired again, but this time at Irina, who parried the arrow with a single blow from her sword. He wanted to shoot again, but the service door behind him opened. By reflex he turned to see an elegant zalak in his back. He prepared to attack, but the young woman reached out her hand, and in a flash, shards of glass that had been lying on the ground began to fly towards her hand, gathering to form a sort of rapier, which Yushia planted in the heart of her opponent. Before removing it with a simple gesture of the wrist. Revealing a blade for the least magnificent but also extravagant.

As Angelina stood up, she noticed with horror that most of the gangsters had come out of their shock, machetes in hand and ready to fight. Soon Irina and Angelina were surrounded, and Yushia was also surrounded by enemies. But still, she didn't seem to have a heart rate that was more than average.

Siege and Indra, who seemed to have been forgotten by their opponents, started to rush towards the poor gangsters and started to slaughter them. One by one. Indra didn't seem to have the slightest difficulty in fighting, Siege reduced them to ground meat, using gestures so fast and unpredictable that one could have thought she was a wild animal.

Yushia was just in her corner. Dodging and counter-attacking with her glass rapier, with such ease that no enemy blade came within two inches of her.

Irina, keeping her arts to a minimum, was well below Siege's strength at the moment, which is why she was having so much difficulty facing three mobsters at once. She raised her blade above her head, blocking a sword strike, as another man attacked her on her right, but before he had time to attack the young woman she kicked him in the knee, breaking him without a doubt.

But spotting too late the enemy on her left to do the same... The solution to this problem making a drop of sweat run down Irina's forehead was a fireball in the middle of his head which killed on the spot the gangster with the overwhelming strength whose attack Irina blocked.

Allowing the young woman to dodge at the last moment a club strike from this third gangster. A simple movement of the wrist, and the ex leader of the reunion cut the throat of this adversary, making him fall heavily on the ground.

The other gangsters around Irina and Angelina remained on the defensive, wondering how they could fight the well-trained duo...

But suddenly they all began to look towards the warehouse where Siege and Indra were.

The sound of metal hitting concrete was heard outside, and then a colossal, burly-looking man entered the room, a large demolition mace in his hand.

He looked big and strong. But that didn't stop Siege from sprinting towards him and hitting him with a devastating hammer blow with a spin forward...

But the man grabbed the young woman's weapon with his free hand with some difficulty, before swinging the hammer right into her torso, sending her waltzing through the lab furniture like a rag doll and landing against a wall.

The other young women were shocked at how badly Siege had been beaten, even though she was powerful, judging by the fight she had put up so far.

A second passed and the aslan stood up with a grunt and dismay.

Angelina began to charge her projectiles, and Irina prepared to pounce on the giant with the mace, but this one gave a blow of hammer in one of the shelves of chemicals sending it at full speed towards the two young women.

Surprisingly it was Angelina who reacted faster than Irina. The vulpo put her hand on her friend, both of them glowing with a faint blue light, before Angelina jumped, both landing on the ceiling in no time and without any difficulty, dodging the cabinet and its dangerous contents.

Irina felt strange before realizing that she had just been removed from gravity and was stuck to the ceiling of the building.

The adrenaline filled her body so much that she increased the power of her arts, her instincts taking over, her mind was not even destabilized by the fact that she was deprived of gravity. She took her support on the ceiling and jumped to redirect herself towards the ground, Angelina ceasing to use her arts on the ursine so that she could fight on the ground while she remained up there.

The man with the mace threw himself forward with a surprising speed, right towards Irina, bringing down his weapon on the young woman. But this one dodged in a flash thanks to a clever step on the side.

Taking advantage of the much larger size of her opponent Irina used the handle of the mace as a platform to run on it and throw herself at the attack of her opponent, with a smile when her blade fell on the skull of her enemy.

But suddenly, the eyes of the man with the mace seemed to glow with a red light and his speed increased greatly. He raised his mace, with a sharp blow, making poor Irina fly to the other end of the factory. Angelina, who was watching the scene that had unfolded in barely a second, grabbed her scepter, and shot at the man below with one of her fire bolts.

She hit him without difficulty. But the man barely stepped back, and barely had a scratch from her attack.

Angelina widened her eyes. This was the first time she had met someone of such a high level that her arts did nothing for her.

The man with the demolition hammer, hooked a piece of furniture with it before raising its mass brutally to send the piece of furniture towards Angelina. The young vulpo dodged in extremis thanks to the speed which she had by freeing herself from the gravity, the ceiling where she was a few moments ago was broken by the colossal force of the adversary. But before this one attacked again, he was jumped by Indra who managed to give him an uppercut while he was looking at the ceiling.

The tigress managed to dodge the retaliatory punch that followed by who knows what miracle, just in time for Siege to join the battle. The aslan reached out with her fingers and with a sharp blow of her right hand scraped her nails against their opponent's face, and unlike the last time she had done this, there was not the sound of a blade on metal, but that of flesh being torn apart.

A large scratch mark appeared on the man's face and he bled profusely with one eye gouged out.

He let out a howl, and held his eye, Siege being little more than a wild beast at the moment threw herself on the man and began to bite his throat with all her might, shaking her head vigorously.

The man pushed with his arm and gave strike of his mace blindly. Indra blocked the blow but was sent flying, while Siege was thrown a few feet away. The piece of skin and flesh of the man's throat between her teeth, she spat out, before getting up and grunting.

Irina she had difficulty to get up, all her energy having been exhausted for her arts and her attack which had not worked.

Angelina put herself to think, how could she take out her friends of this bad step. She didn't have the strength of Siege or Irina, let alone their fighting skills. All she had was her arts... Which had barely scratched him...

What to do what to do...

If only Exusiai was there she would have the firepower to reduce the enemy to pieces. Or Sebastian, yes he would be able to kill him without too much trouble... Or at least to guide the others on the actions they should take to win...

Sebastian would surely have an advice for her there...

What could he tell her...

Probably just to do her best...

That's it. Do your best. Like a battering ram knocking on the door of a fortress, her arts had to strike, again and again and again.

She called upon all the energy she had in her body and fired a fireball. Then another. And another. She began firing in a flurry, toward the man with the club, two tenths of a second separating each attack.

The mobster quickly began to be overworked by the flames, and he gave hammer blows in the direction of Angelina, sending bits of rocks.

The vulpo, continued to shoot but dodged, returning to the ground before clinging to a wall. Floating across the room alternating between the ceiling, walls and floor, circling her opponent without ever stopping to shoot at him. The flames that at first had no effect, end to end began to seriously hurt the man with the mace. Making him cry out in pain.

A few seconds and Angelina fell back to the ground, charging a larger fireball, even hotter. So hot that even with the use of her gravity power to protect herself from the heat, she began to sweat, even if it meant stopping her automatic fire.

She threw her projectile, which charred the concrete on the ground and landed in the face of the man with the mace, burning him to the last degree.

He collapsed to the ground.

Angelina fell to the ground on one knee and began to breathe as if she had run a marathon, feeling her oripathy crystals hurt horribly, although she could at least feel them not growing on her skin. Her lungs felt like they were going to tear. Siege and Irina had gotten up, as had Indra, all of them exhausted.

Yushia: Well, finally.

She remembered the zalak.

The four of them turned their gaze to Yushia, who was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.

Siege: What the hell were you doing?

shouted the aslan, enraged that she had not seen the zalak fight.

Irina: Thanks for asking...

All of them felt a certain animosity towards her at that moment.

Yushia: Don't thank me...

She said, pointing to the room around. The young women realized that three quarters of the gangsters were impaled by glass spikes. Soon, they all fell silent.

Irina felt every hair on her body stand up.

She glanced at the man with the club to see him at the last moment put a red pill in his mouth.

Irina: No!

In a flash, the man's wounds healed, and he stood up and started to scream, the group of young women although exhausted got into position. In front of their opponent who had risen.

Irina: Be careful! He took a combat drug-

Slowly the man with the mace raised his hand towards her, and prepared his finger as if to flick it. Irina used her last strength to throw herself to the side. Dodging a flick...

A deafening explosion sounded, sweeping almost everything in the room. A gigantic hole had just appeared in the wall of the factory, and continued for a hundred meters...

The mobster started to laugh softly.

Yushia: You have to do everything yourself.

She took a few steps forward and snapped her fingers while looking at the man with the club. All the glass that hadn't broken around her shattered into small pieces. Half a second later, every bit of glass that could be around flew at the man with the mace, he looked around, but it was already too late.

Like a tornado, the debris began to spin around him, so fast that the wind sent everyone's hair flying. Then an infamous noise resounded. Like the sound you would hear if you put meat and bones in a blender.

The man with the club screamed, as no woman here had ever heard anyone scream in such pain. Yushia continued her attack and a second after the screaming stopped, she moved her finger. The glass dust disappeared. So did any sign of the man with the mace.

Not even a piece of bone remained.

The dust condensed into a beautiful glass cube that landed right next to her, as she rubbed her hands together to wipe off the concrete dust.

The young women looked at the zalak, with a mixture of awe and admiration.

Irina: Why didn't you do that... earlier...

Yushia: Just for you to get the feeling that you're useful...

Irina collapsed, and Siege leaned against a wall to catch her breath, all exhausted.

Indra rubbed her face, checking that her bones weren't broken. Or at least not too badly.

Angelina saw that Irina and Siege were in trouble, got up despite all the fatigue in her poor little body and ran over to the first one giving her a vial of chlorophyte that she quickly swallowed dry. Siege looked at the vial that the kind vulpo had handed her, before taking a sip and spitting it out.

Siege: Who would drink this shit!

The vulpo looked at the aslan. Her eyes darkened.

The precious material Sebastian had gone to such great lengths to retrieve was being wasted... By the aslan...?

Unacceptable.

Angelina: Drink. All of it.

The aslan looked at Angelina, and was taken by a strange fear as she met her gaze, which made her drink the infamous liquid in one gulp. Before the vulpo returned to normal, and Siege's wounds closed.

Indra came to make sure that her queen was fine, the group gathered taking a few seconds to breathe and rest from their fight, before Irina turned to that room where the scientist had locked himself before the confrontation.

The young woman took a deep breath, her sword still held firmly in her hand, and moved closer to the room, the others following her.

She turned the handle to enter. But nothing helped, the door was blocked.

Siege: Move over...

The ursine pushed herself out of the way and Siege kicked the door with phenomenal force, surprisingly able to recover her strength quickly.

The door shattered, giving the young women a chance to see inside the room.

A rather thin middle-aged man with long hair and glasses turned towards the front door with a start.

Scientist: Please don't kill me!

Siege: We won't hurt you...

Since Angelina knew that she was the least aggressive of the team she approached the scientist and gave him a smile.

Angelina: We're here to get you out of here...

For a split second there was a look of incomprehension on the scientist's face, which only Irina seemed to notice, making her frown.

Scientist: Oh thank God... I have been forced to work here for days...

As he said this, Irina felt a slight difference in the scientist's heartbeat.

Her instincts alerted her, she took a syringe that the doctor had given her. And wanting to be sure, she approached the scientist, grabbed him and forced him to sit on his chair before sticking the syringe right into his throat, aiming at the vein with unprecedented precision. The other women gasped at the sudden action.

Angelina: Irina?! But why?!

Irina: Did they force you to work here?

Scientist: No.

Immediately the man's eyes widened, covering his mouth to prevent himself from speaking. As if what he had just said had come out of his mouth against his will.

Siege understood what the scientist had just received in his veins.

Siege: Truth serum.

Irina: Seb had the good idea to give me one...

With little gentleness she took the two arms of the scientist and put them behind his back on his chair, holding them, making him immobile.

Siege: You disgust me, who gave you the order to make the drug?

Scientist: I don't know... It was someone at the top of the organization... He never gave me his name just a nice sum of money...

Siege: Damn it...

Scientist: You are wasting your time... I was just a chemist preparing an order...

Siege: Is there a cure for the drugs you created?

Scientist: ah ah ah... Nope... It's chemically impossible for the brain to get rid of the addiction to the drug I created...

Siege: Dirty bastard...

Filled with disgust Siege moved forward with the sole purpose of killing the man in front of her but Indra held her back.

Irina: So how does the combat drug work?

Scientist: All the wounds of the one who takes it are healed... But he won't survive more than an hour after ingesting it... One of his characteristics will be greatly increased... except physical resistance...

Irina: Tch...

Scientist: For this version anyway...

Irina: This version?

Scientist: I didn't make just one...

Yushia: Don't you want to ask the real questions? Where are your superiors? Where are the drug storage facilities?

Scientist: I don't know.

Indra: This guy is useless...

Yushia's gaze suddenly focused on some pressurized and armored cans on the side. She thought she recognized the sign and approached it before looking at the label.

Yushia: Jellified originium...? Why do you need this?!

asked the worried zalak.

Everyone jumped, and Angelina became even more nervous. She had already raised her scepter to the man preparing a fireball to hold him at gunpoint.

The man saw this and thought to himself that he should not speak...

This city had rotten his life, so he would not participate in its rescue.

He stood up and Irina did not take long to put her back on her chair with her strength. But all the tension that ran through Angelina exploded and she shot her ball of flame as she saw him stand up, burning his face and killing him instantly.

Irina: Holy shit!

She said as she threw herself backwards dodging the damage of the attack. Her hands having been a little hot...

Yushia: Well... That's done... Fuck it...

The vulpo, lowered her ears, feeling bad for having unintentionally shot down their source of information.

Siege saw this and put her hand on the young woman's shoulder.

Siege: Hey, it's okay...

Angelina: Hm...

At least her heart was a little warmer... But she still felt pretty lousy for having failed the mission in some way.

Indra: Now we have to leave this cursed place...

The young women left the place disgusted to have been there for almost nothing.

Yushia: Do you think you can make him talk more?

She asked Irina with a smile in a tone of irony, she who seemed so dedicated to questioning this scientist.

The ursine looked at her and raised an eyebrow, before taking her hand and putting it on the jaw of the dead scientist before moving it as if to speak.

Irina: "Fuck you..."

She said before leaving the body. The zalak sighing at not being as good at saying something funny as she is at her arts...

Siege: And we leave empty-handed again...

The others were already out of the room and discouraged they hesitated to leave the place because he had suddenly started to rain loudly. Probably the weather control tower was screwing up again...

But quickly this laziness disappeared, when they began to hear the police sirens to all run away quickly. Except for Irina who took one of her grenades and threw it into the room with the jellied originium, to be sure to destroy all the evidence of their passage but also to get rid of the black blood of terra.

Irina ran even faster than the others to escape as a huge explosion sounded, nearly knocking over the young women who were still in a weak blast zone.

Lungmen 16:34

Irina: So there you go.

Sora: And you thought it was a good idea to explode some originium gel...?

Irina was sitting on a stool, the rest of her team furious around her, as well as most of the group, listening like the testimony of a trial.

Irina: Oh it's okay... We did it a lot at the reunion, and look, it didn't kill me!

Mostima: Yeah, but the people of reunion are infected Irina... You know... The kind of thing most people try to avoid becoming... Like when a sick person blows up some jellified originium...

Irina: Hey, if it was really bad, the doctor would have known by now and called me...

Emperor: And what do you do if his cell phone is busted, kid?

Irina: ...

Sora: Would you really be surprised if his cell phone is broken, like, taking an explosion? Like he totally would?

Texas she didn't care about the ursine trial, all that mattered to her was waiting for the woman she loved to return.

So quickly, her wolf ears perked up when she heard a very familiar laugh outside. And a not so familiar one...

Soon the door to the bar opened wide and in walked a laughing Lappland, covered in blood and guts, but for once, not from her wounds... Because, as it turns out, she had none.

Right after that it was the doctor's turn to enter the establishment and he too was laughing. And he was covered in blood... But he too was strangely uninjured...

Sebastian: So you didn't see it then, but the guy is lying face down on the floor in front of me and starts crying and begging me to let him live, pissing himself... But the worst thing is that the caster who wanted to shoot me there with his lightning ball,

Lappland: The one I smashed into the ceiling?

Sebastian: Yeah, well he's the one who killed him by missing me with his attack!

Lappland: pfff ahahahahahah, seriously, who hired such bad guys...

Said she while slapping in the back of the giant not being able to stop laughing.

The two of them came out of their special psychopathic laughing contest and greeted the other people in the bar.

Indra: Hm. They found each other...

Mostima: They do have more in common than you might think... The main thing is that they are both crazy as hell.

Sebastian: Yo!

He says with a wave and a smile.

Lappland doing the same silently before immediately spotting Texas with her eyes.

Yushia: At least some of them had fun...

It was easy to see that the resentment that had been created during their first meeting had disappeared.

Sebastian: So? Any finds this afternoon?

Emperor: Nothing on our side... A warehouse of another small local mafia... We still smashed them up...

Irina: On our side we found this famous lab.

The crowd moved aside so that the giant could see the ursine.

Irina: It was hard but we were able to find the guy who created the drug.

Immediately the giant's face lit up.

Irina: He didn't really know who he was working for, or where they were... But we asked him some questions.

Yushia: Roughly now we know that there is no cure for the addiction that the inhibiting drug causes. Combat drugs can only increase one thing in a person, except resistance, and finally the guy died without telling us why he had gelled originium.

Sebastian: Jellied originium? And why did he die?

Angelina lowered her head in shame.

Yushia: It was Angie who shot him without meaning to.

Angelina: Hey!

Siege: It was just a mistake. I could have done the same... And then it was Angelina who helped us a lot during the fight... She fought valiantly.

Siege put his hand on the vulpo's shoulder, giving her a comforting smile.

For the aslan it was not difficult to read the younger girl.

She was dying to prove herself as a fighter, but also suffered from a great lack of confidence. So she decided to show her off.

Sebastian: Is it true?

Siege: Umu. She beat a real colossus that Indra and Irina had a hard time fighting...

The giant laughed heartily.

Sebastian: Well done Angie. You really deserve your place here...

Yushia: It is still me who beat the second phase of the boss...

She says whispering, the giant not hearing her.

Sebastian: And what about the originium?

Irina: We don't know either...

Indra: She had the wonderful idea to blow up everything...

Irina: Hey!

Sebastian: Were all the cans together?

Irina: Yep.

Sebastian: Did you use a grenade?

Irina: Yep.

Sebastian: So no danger.

Irina's whole group immediately felt immensely silly for having fought her over nothing. While the ursine smiled triumphantly and drank her big glass of milk.

Emperor: And you doc? What about you, Doc?

The giant was about to speak as he watched Texas take Lappland upstairs with an almost angry look on her face.

Sebastian: We walked into a trap... the place was crawling with guards... We got out of it like a shot and I have something interesting.

He drew another sword he had on his belt, with a clear steel blade, and much smaller than his huge claymore which was bigger than a durin.

Mostima: A sword...?

Sebastian: A sword...? That's a damn good sword. If every ursus soldier had a weapon of this quality, the world would be theirs in three days. Anyway, I asked the bum who owned it, and he told me that this sword came from a forge here in Lungmen. A great opportunity to strike a blow, and to get some information with a bit of luck.

Emperor: Should we do it tonight?

Sebastian: Nah, everyone looks exhausted so take tonight off. There's no point in fighting with no strength left in your arms.

Emperor: Hm. Fair enough. But we have to take care of the casino tomorrow too.

After a moment, Sebastian's face froze.

Sebastian: Where is Exia?

His tone of voice was cold, but it was easy to detect a hint of concern.

Sora: She was hurt...

His eyes widened and before he could react Sora raised her hands in front of her.

Sora: Don't worry doctor, we were able to heal her quickly and she was fine. She was just tired so she wanted to go home.

He nodded, still looking worried.

Sebastian: I... I think I'll give her a visit. Just to make sure she's okay... Everyone can take the morning off tomorrow. I'll figure out the forge. We need to avoid this kind of incident, so get some rest, our supply of chlorophyte is not unlimited.

He took his coat in hand and prepared to leave.

Emperor: There's a shower on the floor doc.

The giant looked down and looked at himself, before thinking that he had better make himself presentable for his favorite sanktah.

Rhodes Island: 5:20 pm

Zima got out of bed, feeling herself wake up after a long sleep. She looked around to see the other ursine students vacantly going about their business.

Zima: Huh...

Misha: Oh, Sonya woke up.

The ursine looked around her room to see Misha, Leto and Gummy all around the table they had. Absinthe came out of the dormitory bathroom to look at Zima.

Absinthe: Look who just got out of her season...

Zima: Oh my gosh... I feel like my head is going to explode...

Said the young woman while standing up.

Leto: I'm surprised, the last few days you've been in a coma in your bed... I don't know what you did to make your heat hit you so hard.

Gummy: I'm glad I can take a treatment...

Zima: I don't even remember...

Istina: Is this the first time your season is this strong?

Says the young woman in the bed above Zima's.

Zima: Yeah... I can usually go out and nothing happens but this... I don't know what happened to me...

Istina: A spike in intensity in the heat... that means you've found your mate.

The green-haired ursine turned her gaze to Sonya, smiling mischievously, as Zima began to blush intensely.

Zima: Nonsense! It's just because I'm getting older!

Istina: Are you sure? Look at Natalya's condition.

The brown-haired bear looked at the polar bear in the bed on the other side of the room.

To see her as if she was struck with a terrible fever... Whispering things she couldn't hear. She moved closer to listen, and after a few seconds began to blush intensely and recoiled at hearing how lewd Rosa's words were... Her red and blue eyes were wide open, giving off the look of a fierce, hungry beast.

Zima: Goddamn it. How long has she been like this?

Istina: Three days. She should be coming out of her phase soon... But you see how it feels to find your mate.

Zima: I was whispering too...?

Istina started to smile.

Zima: Answer me, damn it!

she said with a vermilion face.

Misha: Do I really get this when I'm older?

Gummy: Only if you're really unlucky... Otherwise you can take a treatment...

Istina: Natalya, do you realize that you can't have children at your age, because it would be dangerous not only for you but also for them when they would be born as your body is not in the right state yet ?

The polar bear was silent for a second. Before looking at Istina seeming to come out of her libido trance for a moment.

Rosa: Have you seen my body? I can do it... I'll do it... As soon as he gets home... He'll be mine…

17:36 Lungmen

Sebastian had just parked at the bottom of an apartment building, hurrying to get out of his car. Glad he always remembered the sanktah's address.

He approached the front door and went upstairs to the top floor. He knocked on the door, but heard nothing. Just within a second he started to pick the lock. And entered the apartment.

Maybe he was breaking in, but he was sure that the sanktah would forgive him. It was not the first time he visited her apartment anyway... Even if this time the circumstances were quite different from before.

With a silent step he took off his coat and put it on the back of the sofa, approached the room and knocked on the door softly.

Sebastian: Exia?

Exusiai: Come in...

The young woman's voice sounded exhausted. The doctor entered the room, seeing the young woman on her bed, wearing gym shorts and an oversized sweatshirt over her sheets. There were plushies all over the edge of the bed against the wall.

The young woman's smile widened as her eyes landed on the doctor. The giant walked slowly toward her before kneeling down near the edge of her bed to get roughly level.

Sebastian: Hey, are you okay? I heard what happened...

The tone of his voice was calm and gentle, like a parent telling a story to their child before bed.

Something comforting... And if it would have been someone else than the giant right in front of her at that moment then maybe she would have fallen asleep as she felt so comfortable at that moment.

Exusiai: Yeah... I didn't imagine that chlorophyte was so tiring to heal wounds... I see you all the time taking down vials in combat without stopping...

Sebastian: Hey, get some rest tomorrow morning... We need you in good shape.

The sankta started to smile softly.

Exusiai: Thank you.

Sebastian: Why did you get hurt? You usually stay behind...

Exusiai: Nothing... It's just Tex was fighting like Lapp was with her, so at some point I had to cover her back or she wouldn't have a head as we speak.

The giant looked down, a mixture of sadness and anger adorned his features.

Exusiai: Hey don't be mad at her... She's not used to fighting alone in the front line.

Sebastian: If you say so... But it's also my fault... I shouldn't have asked Lapp to come with me... And this wouldn't have happened...

Exusiai: Stop it, knowing you I'm sure you had a great time...

She knew that the giant and the lupo were perhaps the two least sane people she knew. So obviously the two of them together and surrounded by enemies had to have a hell of a good time...

Exusiai: You took a shower before coming, right? For the blood?

The giant started to smile in a slightly embarrassed way, scratching the back of his head.

Sebastian: Maybe... But it's just that I don't want you to get hurt again. What would I do without my guardian angel armed to the teeth?

The young woman laughed lightly in spite of her fatigue.

Exusiai: To really be your guardian angel in my opinion I would need a lot more power than that...

Sebastian: Hey, I'm serious. I want you to stay safe, I care about you Lemu.

Exusiai: Really...?

Her tone of voice almost indicated that she didn't believe what he was saying. Or not really.

Sebastian: Of course... Why...?

Exusiai: Nothing... It's just that there are a lot of women around you at the moment... So I'm surprised that you take time to think about me...

The giant frowned.

Although the sanktah seemed to be thoughtful about the words she used, Sebastian could easily understand Exusiai's problem, in fact, it was obvious.

She was jealous.

The giant's emeralds were halfway between amusement and compassion.

Sebastian: Are you jealous?

Exusiai: N-no!

Her face was as red as her hair before she pulled herself together.

Exusiai: It's just that I could understand if you'd like to spend a little more time with Angelina, Sora, Siege or even Irina... Must be all better company than me...

The giant's eyes went to one of the stuffed animals on Exusiai's bed, close to his chest, and almost deformed as it looked like it had been squeezed hard... A black rabbit with green eyes.

Honestly the stuffed animal looked like one of those Rhodes Island merchandise that the most popular characters were allowed to have in their effigy.

Sebastian: Trust me Lemu. You're great company. In fact, there's not a person in this town I like spending time with, more than you.

The sankta's face kept its red color although she remained motionless without saying a word.

To get her out of her predicament, the giant looked at the stuffed animal again, changing the subject.

Sebastian: You kept it.

Sebastian's angel turned to look at the stuffed animal.

Exusiai: Yeah. It reminds me of you...

Sebastian: I can understand why... But luckily I am not a cautus...

Exusiai: Do you have something against cautuses?

Sebastian: Exia, could you see me with a huge pair of rabbit ears? (cause I already have the libido of one…)

Exusiai: Not really, no...

She said, laughing a little.

She tried to lift her torso at least to grab the said stuffed animal. But the fatigue gave a blow to the sanktah, so she had to stretch her arm to try to catch the stuffed animal of the Sebastian bunni, but still without success.

The defect of having a king size bed for herself...

The good doctor, amused, raised his arm much longer than the young woman's to try to catch the stuffed animal too, but had to stand up and bend over the bed a little to try to catch it.

Outside, perhaps a stray cat, or a fight of hobos but a strong noise of overturned dustbins resounded. Sebastian, already nervous from his long day, lost his balance and fell forward.

In the blink of an eye, without really understanding how, Sebastian found himself on the bed, on top of Exusiai, about ten centimeters separating their two faces.

The sankta's eyes were wide open after the half second necessary to understand in which situation they were. As well as the giant besides... Who also had the face slightly tinted of red...

Exusiai felt a weight on her hands. With a glance she could understand that it was the doctor's hands that were pressing on her wrists.

The young woman's two orange eyes went to the giant's, and she intertwined her fingers with the giant's.

That look...

The look the sanktah gave him, with her two eyes, a rare thing as one was always covered by her hairs, sent a myriad of emotions through the doctor.

Surely emotions that were transmitted to him by that look.

Excitement, fear, anxiety, acceptance, and finally.

Desire.

The giant swallowed his saliva, calming his nervousness from this sudden turn of events.

All the fatigue in Exusiai's body suddenly left. Preparing herself for what was to come.

Yes... She wanted it to be him... And nobody else...

An inch between their faces disappeared as Sebastian moved his closer.

Texas: Hey Exia?! Are you there ?!

The voice of the lupo came to spoil the party, with the sound of the door opening.

The giant could have sworn that Exusiai's fingernails were about to cut his skin as they clenched.

The two of them got out of their position and the giant got off the bed quickly, hearing the footsteps in the living room.

Sebastian: I-I should go...

Before leaving, he still gave the young woman a smile and a caress on the cheek before leaving. He closed the bedroom door gently behind him. But his step in the rest of the apartment was furious. He arrived in the living room where Texas had just arrived, who had his eyes riveted on his coat that he had left.

The look on his face did not hide the fact that he was angry.

Texas raised an eyebrow, the presence of the doctor here surprised her and put her on her guard...

Texas: Is Exusiai there?

Sebastian: In her room.

He said, spitting venom into his tone of voice before retrieving his coat.

Texas didn't ask any more questions either, not wanting to talk to the giant, not after her argument with Lappland.

The two of them passed by each other without even looking at each other as the giant walked out.

Then suddenly...

**ZAP**

An electric crack sounded and Texas almost jumped forward, the electric shock making her panic for a second. She turned quickly to the giant, who could only be responsible.

She could see that red sparks were flying through his body.

Texas: Hey!

Sebastian: What?!

His eyes were blood red.

And the lupo said nothing, surprised that the doctor's face had changed slightly...

Just enough to be noticed... But not enough to worry someone who had never seen him before.

His face had taken on a more bestial look...

Sebastian: Tch.

He left the apartment and went down the stairwell as Texas frowned. How rude...

Once outside, the giant took a deep breath as the rain slowly started to fall...

He was filled with stress and animosity... He had already been stopped twice from crossing the line with Exusiai. He started to walk, heading towards the bad places. In the hope that some gangsters would pass by and Sebastian could cheerfully slaughter them to calm his nerves.

The good thing about being a psychopath was surely to be able to calm down like that...

Meanwhile, in the apartment, Texas had just entered the room of the sankta. A smile on his lips.

Texas: Hey, are you ok Exia? I just wanted to stop by and check on you...

Exusiai: Yeah.

Texas: Are you sure-

Exusiai: That's twice already.

Texas: What?

The sankta got up, the fatigue having temporarily left her body just a few moments before.

Exusiai: This is the second time you've interrupted an important moment for me, Tex.

Texas: An important moment...? Wait, is that why the doctor was here?

It took the lupo a second to understand what her colleague was talking about.

Exusiai: I don't want there to be a third, so if you could give me some actual privacy from time to time…

The lupo frowned. This was the second time this year that Exusiai was really angry...

Texas: Hey Exia, you shouldn't do something you might regret with the doctor...

Exusiai: ...

Texas: You've known each other for what, a few months? And have you seen all the girls he picks up at his feet? Just be careful before you trust him too much okay... I don't want him to end up hurting you because he's not worthy.

Texas spoke as if she was giving sincere advice to a friend.

Exusiai: Are you serious?

Exusiai's tone of voice was cold. Icy even. Just like her look.

Exusiai: I meet a guy. One guy I fall in love with. ONE FUCKING GUY, since we have knew each other Tex, since we've been friends, and you tell me to forget it? You know how many times he's saved my life? Do you know how many times he's stood in front of me so he could tank the things to protect me? Do you know how many times he took me back to my quarters without doing anything to me when I was almost unconscious?!

Texas: That's just smoke and mirrors he's trying to throw at you-

Exusiai: What the hell! You're asking me not to trust a guy that YOU don't know! Why are you even so much against him? He didn't do anything to you and you spit on him in front of me?

Texas took a step back, shocked to see how much Exusiai was defending the doctor, and how convinced she was.

Texas: Hey, I just don't want him to break your heart-

Exusiai: Is that it, or is it because since he met Sora she barely looks at you? Is it that or is it because obviously Lappland wouldn't refuse to be his mate now?

Quickly Texas' expression changed, she was more defensive... More offended... If it wasn't coming from her best friend, then maybe she would have shut the person in front of her up. But she bit her cheek. It was Exusiai saying that, and she was pissed, she probably didn't mean it, she just had to find a way to make her understand that the doctor would only hurt her.

Exusiai: You want me to tell you the problem is that you're jealous! Jealous that for once Penguin Logistics isn't spinning around you! So now get out and let me sleep ALONE, thanks to you!

The sankta's words had hit the lupo so hard that they left her speechless and unresponsive.

Exusiai's face was as red as her hair, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment, but from rage. She pushed the lupo out of her room and closed the door behind her.

Exusiai: And you will leave your spare keys on the table!

Texas stood for a second looking at the door.

What had just happened...?

Was that really Exusiai there? Texas almost couldn't recognize her because of that...

She would never have been like this a while ago... What had she done to make this happen? She hadn't done anything wrong... It must have been his fault... It must have been his fault that Exusiai had changed so abruptly... The doctor's fault of course. Since he had arrived to make his little charm plays everything had changed... Texas took the keys out of her pocket and threw them on the table, before leaving the apartment in anger.

The animosity that she held against the doctor was increasing more and more...

Tower of the L.G.D

In the penthouse at the top of the tower, as the sun was slowly setting, illuminating the city with a soft golden glow. A kirin was sitting in an armchair, enjoying a cup of green tea with a smile thanks to the combination of the view and her comfortable situation her eyes were fixed on a tablet she had on her legs, a simple tool she used to communicate with her various informants and henchmen. Even Shirayuki was relaxed, sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the bay windows to keep her mistress in her field of vision, reading one of her sappy romance mangas from their home country.

Sometimes she missed Higashi, the princess thought... But nothing that a quick trip could not fix...

At least she couldn't deny that Lungmen had it's charms...

She felt a hand on her shoulder which she removed with a sharp movement.

This was absolutely not a part of it...

The hand rested on her shoulder and Fumizuki got up abruptly before turning around and showing her teeth.

Fumizuki: Don't touch me...

The man on the other side of the chair was well known to him, Wei Yenwu... Her "husband". The tall, beastly looking lung standing there in his bathrobe. His face looked even more bestial than usual.

Wei: You are my wife, I can touch you if I want...

Fumizuki sighed. She was cursing this time of the year. The season of the Lungs, when that man could only think of jumping on her. Shirayuki put her hand on her shuriken, to protect her mistress.

Wei: And as a woman you have to satisfy my needs too!

The kirin frowned.

She was a princess. The heiress of the Higashi royal family, and this man took her for a common whore. She finished her cup of green tea and took her tablet with the idea to go somewhere else.

Fumizuki: If you really want to use the little finger you have down there, you'd better go and buy yourself a bitch because that's the only kind of person who would want you.

She prepared to leave for her room, but she felt a hand on her shoulder again.

Wei: Will you listen to me for once and-!

That was the last straw. In a flash, Fumizuki grabbed the hand of the Lung and putting to use her extensive knowledge for martial arts, she threw him on the ground, his back crashing on the ground.

Fumizuki: I should have married any of the big men of Yen instead of you. You are a disgusting and weak in which world can you believe that I would want you?! I won't let you touch me, not before, not now, never!

Furious she went back to her room, Shirayuki walking right behind her, the anaty glancing at the Lung on the floor who seemed to have trouble getting up as his body was weakened.

And she really didn't want to help him up.

Fumizuki went back to her room, locking her door behind her when Shirayuki entered before sitting down on her bed and sighing.

Fumizuki: When is the end of the lung season?

Shirayuki: If my calculations are right, it's almost a week and a half.

The kirin sighed again, annoyed. Before getting up and heading to her closet, she undressed and took a grey biker suit, before getting a helmet from the corner and getting her suit on.

Shirayuki: Are you going out again?

Fumizuki: Hm, it will take my mind off it.

Shirayuki: Can I go with you this time...?

Fumizuki: Don't bother Shira, I'd rather you stay here and make sure no one notices I'm gone.

She said with a smile before moving to one of the corners of the room where there was an air vent that the kirin removed.

Fumizuki: Hey, I'll come back tonight.

She said with a smile, before sneaking through the air vent with a quick and controlled movement.

Shirayuki: She's going to come home drunk again...

Sebastian was walking down one of the downtown streets, one that wasn't overly crowded with people, but with a few hoodlums passing by. His ears twitched almost imperceptibly as he began to hear something that interested him.

Thug: Do you want us to fucking smash your face in, you bitch? Couldn't you watch where you were going?

He looked down the road to see a small collision between a motorcycle and a car about twenty meters away. From the car came out a small group of low-level ruffians, fragile people who thought they were tough.

Perfect to get over his nerves.

He cracked his knuckles and walked toward the woman on the motorcycle and the group of thugs. As some of the civilians began to watch the scene.

Sebastian: Hey can I help you?

One of the five thugs turned around and although he was a little surprised and scared by the size of the giant at first, he pulled a switchblade from his pocket and pointed it at the giant.

Thug: Hey buddy, you're going to stop right there before I drill a hole in your ribs. You should know better, bitch.

He finished his sentence by turning to the woman on the motorcycle. She kept her helmet on and leaned on the handlebars of her vehicle as if she was watching the scene with interest.

The thug pointed his knife, the tip directly in contact with the doctor's shirt.

The giant raised his hand gently without batting an eyelid, and with two fingers, broke the blade of the switchblade like a biscuit.

Sebastian: What are you going to do now, faggot?

Quickly, the thug tried to throw a punch. But too slow, and too weak for the giant. The doctor parried, without any difficulty, and gave an uppercut with his left hand, making the man fall brutally on the windshield of their car. Another gangster jumped on him with a brass knuckle, but Sebastian just had to kick him in the face to knock him down and break his nose.

The last one pulled out a civilian crossbow.

Ridiculous...

He fired three shots, which the giant caught with his hand in a gesture so fast that it was imperceptible to most mortals, and threw them into the thug's right foot, making him scream in pain and fall to the ground.

The young woman applauded, having dismounted from her motorcycle making the giant smile. Since her suit was quite tight, and the doctor was still a man... He could see that she had quite the body...

Sebastian: Oh thanks, glad to help...

Just as he finished his sentence a thug behind the young woman stabbed her, probably with the idea to pierce her helmet.

The good doctor was about to react, after all it would have taken him only a hundredth of a second to reach the thug and kill him. But as if she had a sixth sense, the young woman shifted her head, dodging the attack, the thug's arm passing over her shoulder. She caught it and made it pass above her back, to crush him on the hood of the car, before moving back her fist and to bring it down on the head of the man who had attacked her, finishing him, his body K.O lying on the hood.

The two could hear the fifth and final thug running off. The young woman raised her hand, and soon the thug was covered with pink and purple flowers. Before he collapsed.

Sebastian: Not sure you needed me actually...

He said while rubbing his neck and looking behind him.

The young woman removed her helmet and the doctor was shocked.

Fumizuki: Doctor... What a surprise to see you here... Last I heard you had Higashian fever...

She said with a smile.

The giant took a deep breath.

Sebastian: Ms. Fumizuki without your bodyguards... It's a surprise to run into you... And for the fever, just an excuse... I'm working on something right now... And I can't afford to help the L.G.D. at the same time...

The kirin sighed.

Fumizuki: Oh I'm sure you must have a very good reason doctor. I just want to know if my niece has a real reason to be worried... But you are working on something...? How about you explain it to me somewhere else? I'm out tonight and I'd love to have a drink.

Sebastian: Um, really?

She got on her bike and put on her helmet, smiling.

Fumizuki: Sure, you can come and have a drink with me, I'm sure we can exchange some information about this job you're doing right now...

Police sirens began to sound in the street beyond.

The giant smiled, hands in his pockets.

Sebastian: I guess I'll have to take you up on your offer...

At that very moment.

An image etched itself in the kirin's head.

The giant was standing in the street. Illuminated by the golden sun at his back, a light reflected by the ground still wet from the rain.

In fact she felt like she was looking at a photograph or a painting.

But what she could say without hesitation was that the view was magnificent.

Coming out of this second of torpor, she waved to the giant before putting on her helmet.

Fumizuki: So, let's get on with it, doctor!

She said while patting the place behind her, he came closer but was hesitant.

Sebastian: Huh... Are you sure? I mean, I got a certain weight, and then I could probably follow you just by running then-

She grabbed his hand, and with a strength he never imagined she had, she forced him onto the bike, before starting off at full speed, the giant almost losing his beret in the wind.

Sebastian: God damn it, I never thought there were worse than Hoshi on a bike...

Said the giant while rubbing his face. He was sitting on the floor, at the other end of one of those Higashi tables with a heater under. Finally the two had arrived at a kind of Higashian bar, made of multiple compartments closed by paper doors.

Fumizuki smiled, cleaning a small stain on her helmet before putting it back.

Fumizuki: Am I that much of a bad driver?

Sebastian: I would have said you were a bad driver if we had an accident. When I say worse than Hoshi, I'm talking about your ability to drive even more like death doesn't exist, and yet come out alive...

Fumizuki: So what? That's a good thing, isn't it?

A waitress arrived with a tray, putting down a beer and a cocktail for the doctor and the cocktail respectively.

The kirin hastened to taste her drink before starting to talk again.

Fumizuki: And if not. What's this case you're missing from your job at the L.G.D...?

Sebastian: If it were up to me, it wouldn't be my job Ms. Fumizuki... But I'm pretty sure there's a newcomer in the Lungmen underground scene. And not exactly the kind that would go our way.

Fumizuki: Our?

She said, her cocktail already down by half as the doctor took a sip of his drink.

Sebastian: It's hard for you to believe, but I'm also worried about the population of this city.

Fumizuki: Really? I thought you were more concerned about our infected population...

Sebastian: Innocent people are innocent people. And even if my work is more focused on the infected, I wouldn't stop working for those who didn't take up arms.

Fumizuki: What about this newcomer?

Sebastian: A triad from Yen. Already at war with the Lin mafia and other gangs in the city. Weapons straight from Columbia, artificial drugs distributed just to destroy and create addictions and make money. And finally, combat drugs that turn my opponents into a real challenge...

Fumizuki: A challenge? Even for a man who can turn into a real demon?

Sebastian, who was drinking his beer, froze immediately, his gaze directed straight to the kirin's eyes. He put down his beer.

Fumizuki: How? Well, I guess you forgot about the observation towers in the desert during your last fight... Oh, and you don't need to think of a way to murder me to keep my silence. As I imagine you want to keep this to yourself and avoid that some of your friends find out...

Sebastian: What do you want in return...?

Fumizuki: It's not against you, doctor. Think of it more as security. For my Ch'en...

Sebastian: It's not necessary. I told you. Except for this moment to tip the balance in our favor during the talks, I don't intend to do anything with this information... I thought I promised.

The woman sighed.

Fumizuki: I know, and I'd like to make promises more valuable. But I stopped a long time ago.

Sebastian: I can understand... If it makes you feel better, I already gave Ch'en a treatment. But if she takes it or not is her concern...

Fumizuki: Is her oripathy serious?

Asked the aunt, as worried as a mother.

Sebastian: A lot of skin crystallization. But from what little I could see, understand or whatever, the internal organs have no damage. With a healthy lifestyle and proper treatment, she won't die from that.

The aunt took a relieved smile, finishing her drink in one go before asking for another one with a smile to a waitress who was passing in the corridor before closing the door.

Fumizuki: What good news. For ch'en at least... is this triad really that dangerous?

Sebastian: It is. I would advise you to stay close to your bodyguard for the time being, and to warn Ch'en... Without saying that it's from me of course...

Fumizuki: I see. My niece still thinks you're isolated because of the Higashian fever while worrying as hell for you... Maybe it's better if I don't tell her that you're having fun slaughtering gangsters...

Sebastian: I'm surprised you don't know about it. With your network... and considering the fact that the Lin's main base was attacked...

Fumizuki: I only got the beginnings of evidences. Nothing concrete or that I could connect and conclude anything.

Sebastian: And the L.G.D.?

Fumizuki: Now I'm sure it's you, the nameless murders and the chaos you're creating in the city... Ch'en's already doing overtime because of that...

Sebastian: She's working overtime all the time. Anyway. I think I'll be done by Sunday.

The kirin almost choked on her drink, then burst out laughing.

Fumizuki: Do you really expect to beat a whole triad in five days?

He raised an eyebrow.

Sebastian: You think I can't?

Fumizuki: No, the worst part is that I'm not surprised that you'll succeed. And maybe even in four days...

Sebastian: Well, you didn't invite me here just to let me talk, did you?

Fumizuki: That's right.

She raised her glass.

Fumizuki: Mostly because I find it sad to drink alone.

The giant laughed slightl.

Sebastian: I am surprised to see you without Miss Shirayuki.

Fumizuki: I'm quite capable of defending myself, doctor, and I just wanted a night out of my usual bubble.

Sebastian: And now you're with a thug who pretends to be a doctor.

Fumizuki: It's true, but there's something nice about you, doctor.

Sebastian: Oh really ? Well, I'm glad to have a nice night after a stressful day.

The discussions went well as the evening went on... The drinks too, even if the doctor remained calm on his drink. The answer that he gave to the kirin satisfied her completely, because it had been a long time since she had the impression to talk to her equal...

Whether it was the fighting skills, or the leadership skills, or the ability for underground work, Fumizuki marveled at each new topic to share a little more with the doctor.

Fumizuki: And yes, this might surprise you, but I was a big biker in my youth, so much so that I was called the ghost biker of the windy roads...

Sebastian: The name is too far-fetched for me to believe.

Fumizuki: But if I tell you!

She said, banging her fist on the table, feeling offended at not being believed as the giant smiled gently.

Sebastian: In your youth... You should stop talking like you're an old lady Fumizuki.

The Princess of Higashi frowned.

Fumizuki: How old do you think I am?

Sebastian: Hmm... I know you should be close to forty... But from the looks of it I would say a little over thirty. I'm not so good with antros... I don't see them often in Rhodes...

Fumizuki: Doctor. I had my 127th birthday recently.

The doctor choked on his beer.

Sebastian: What?!

Fumizuki: Hehe... The joys of having a special lineage...

Sebastian: I see that...

Fumizuki: That kind of thing makes me happy to be an old woman in a young body...

Sebastian: In a hot body, yeah...

The doctor's eyes widened, realizing that he had let that sentence slip out of his mouth. He looked at the kirin but was reassured to see that she had obviously not heard. This was the occasion of a return to reality for Sebastian, which pushed him to ask his next question.

Sebastian: Are you sure this won't harm your reputation...?

Fumizuki: What?

Sebastian: You know, going into a bar and staying up drinking until noon with another man... Just the two of you... While you are a married woman...

The princess's face instantly changed to show some anger and even hatred.

Fumizuki: Tch. I don't care. This bastard whose name I bear is well known throughout the city for screwing half of the prostitutes in Lungmen. The only thing that ever made me his wife was that damn contract I signed and nothing more.

Sebastian: You don't really have him in your heart...

Fumizuki: I hate him. I started hating him only an hour after we met, and I will always hate him. (I should consider myself lucky that I never let him pose his hands on me...) So you understand doctor that people would not care a bit, even if I went into a dingy motel with some random man...

Sebastian: I-I see...

Fumizuki: Another drink, doctor?

Sebastian: I think I've had enough to drink for tonight...

Fumizuki: Oh~... Then I'll have another one, or two.

Sebastian: I strongly advise against it...

His cell phone started to vibrate, causing the giant to look over and frown.

Fumizuki: Is something wrong, doctor?

Sebastian: For the last time just call me Sebastian, we don't work together, no reason to be so professional... And nothing. One of my leads in the current operation just closed... I was supposed to infiltrate the opening night of a new casino in town to grab some important people. But my only way to get an invitation has just failed me.

Fumizuki: The opening night of the gold purse?

Sebastian: Yes... I think I remember that's the name of the casino...

Fumizuki: What a coincidence, doctor...

Sebastian: What do you mean?

He frowned, curious.

Fumizuki: I have an invitation, but I don't want to go there... Invitations are not identified by names.

Sebastian: Would you do that?

Fumizuki: With great pleasure, doctor! Yenwu would have liked to go himself... But I don't want to stay a whole evening to watch him wasting mountains of money through windows and trying to chat with the most rotten people in town... Honestly doctor, you'd be doing me and the town a favor by burning this place down.

She said with a smile, the smile of someone who was planning something.

Sebastian: It's in my plans... So would it be possible to delay the arrival of the fire department for a while?

Fumizuki: For me... Of course...

Sebastian: Then it's a deal. What about these invitations?

The kirin finished her glass of whisky, and Sebastian could have sworn he could see the skin of her cheeks red... Probably because of the amount of alcohol she had swallowed that could make Hoshiguma swoon.

Fumizuki: Wait, I have them on me.

Sebastian was startled when the kirin grabbed the top of the zipper of her suit and opened it, maybe even a little too much... Creating quite a cleavage, but also revealing that she was not wearing anything underneath that suit. She clutched her wallet, which she seemed to be hiding in a pocket inside the suit just above her chest.

The doctor hurriedly looked away, taking an empty glass in his hand and bringing it to his lips as if to make believe. But the red on his cheeks remained firmly in place.

Fumizuki took out an envelope from her wallet before putting it on the table and putting her wallet back in the suit, but that's when she realized what she had just done.

She started to blush slightly and a silence settled, she looked away and felt steam coming out of her ears. But what had just taken to him wondered she. She knew she was a little drunk, but not so drunk that she didn't care about her dignity as a woman, so she didn't understand why all her mistrust and her instincts of preservation had been annihilated with the doctor...

The giant began to speak.

Sebastian: T-thank you so much for giving me this invitation, you're saving my operation... But I think I have to go, it's getting really late...

He widened his eyes when he saw the princess taking one of his glasses that he had left almost full because it was an extremely strong alcohol... Which didn't prevent the Kirin from downing it in one go.

Sebastian: You'll really regret this...

Fumizuki: *hic*

Shirayuki sighed as she put down her manga and looked at the time. She sent a third message to her mistress, wondering when she was going to get home. It was a bit close to the time she was coming back from drinking in the bars...

Sebastian: *cough*

The anaty looked up in a flash and could see the giant right in front of her. He was standing by an open glass door, looking out onto the penthouse balcony.

Shirayuki: HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !

To say that she jumped due to surprise and fear was an understatement. She almost clung to the ceiling so much her brain had looped. And with a scream loud enough that one would not have expected it from the young woman who was usually so quiet...

When she fell back to the ground she looked at the doctor, ready to grab her shuriken and slice him to pieces.

Shirayuki: But how?!

Sebastian: I climbed up...

Shirayuki: 'We're at 600 meters high!'

She didn't feel his presence at all, not the slightest draft, not even the sound of dust falling on the ground, or even the warmth of a body... It was terrifying how the doctor could almost hide any sign of life around him to achieve total discretion.

Fumizuki: Hehehe weeiiit that was not Shirayuki's voice... ?

A strangely familiar voice caused the anaty to look over the giant's shoulder to see the backside of a woman who was carried like a sack of grain, but with a tail that Shirayuki recognized instantly.

Shirayuki: Mistress! Release her!

Sebastian: Hey calm down for Christ's sake...

He put the princess back on his shoulder on the ground, throwing the helmet in a corner, the kirin tried to walk by herself at first, but soon it was obvious that she was completely drunk. Sebastian caught up with her so quickly that the anaty couldn't even see him moving.

Fumizuki: Hey, you were the one screaming like that Shira, hehe... The last time I heard you screaming so loudly was when you heard that there would be no more fish supply in Lungmen for a month...

The anaty began to blush slightly behind her mask, as the giant directed the kirin to her bed, the princess collapsing on it with a laugh. Shirayuki looked at the giant again.

Sebastian: What? She had one too many drinks and couldn't go home alone...

Shirayuki: What about her bike?

Sebastian: Downstairs...

He looked towards the night sky.

Sebastian: Well, goodbye!

In a flash he disappeared again, the door to the balcony closing, a slight draught moving a strand of hair of the anaty. The young woman ran to her mistress who was already comfortable in her bed.

Shirayuki: Madam, were you with him?

She asked in panic, but refrained from speaking too loudly.

Fumizuki: Yeah...

Shirayuki: Did he make you drink?

Fumizuki: No... Actually the opposite...

Shirayuki: Did he drug you?! Did he hurt you?! Did he touch you?!

Fumizuki: Nah, nah nah... Calm down I'm not deaf... It's okay...

The anaty let out a sigh.

Fumizuki: But maybe I should have let him for the last one...

Shirayuki: ...

Fumizuki: BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHA look at your face!

The kirin laughed out loud, while the anaty felt stupid for having been manipulated by the last fragment...

Shirayuki: I think I'll let you rest, madam...

Fumizuki: Yeah... see you tomorrow...

Once the anaty was out of her room, Fumizuki turned around in her bed and started to look at the ceiling.

Here she was again in this ivory prison... An old woman who spent her time looking after her niece because she never had the happiness to have children and catching up with the mistakes of a complete moron, to whom she was "married" and who prevented her from really knowing a real life, or even love. She didn't know how long this would be her life, but after forty years, she had already had enough... And yet, she also knew that her life would be much longer...

She might have allowed herself to cry thinking about that. Thinking about how the only happiness in her life was a child that wasn't hers...

Fumizuki never needed all those stupid and excessive luxuries and could have been content with a beggar's life... As long as she hadn't been forcibly married to that hateful man...

But what kept her from crying was the thought that at least she could escape from her prison some evenings to enjoy herself as if she were an ordinary young woman.

This evening that she had spent, in spite of her advanced state of drunkenness had undoubtedly been magic for her. And it was without difficulty that she imagined herself going through the same kind of evening with the wonderful company that the doctor offered her.

Why had fate put her in the path of one man, and not another...

She looked at herself.

Fumizuki: I'm hot, huh?

Maybe she should have a little more confidence in her physique now at the very least...

She fell asleep, thinking that she couldn't predict what the future would bring for her...

?: No. The information you gave me is right. I'm looking at it right now.

A man in the shadows looked at his computer screen, which showed images of what were normally training videos for Rhodes Island operators.

The ones of the fight against Skullshatterer, and also showing the Rhodes Island doctor fighting at his best.

?: So you think you can stand up to me doctor...?

He reached for the wine glass on his table, and swung his hand to the left, the glass quickly filling with the crimson liquid out of nowhere.

?: I can't wait to see you die trying.