(Sorry, but the work gets a bit more explicit here. TW for that.)

"Three cheers for Brad, Buffalo, and Birdie!"

Whooping and hollering erupted across the feasting table, glasses raised to celebrate the saviors of their chief's daughter. The drizzle from earlier had passed by, the outside dry enough to sit and eat in. While Birdie was preparing to drink another bottle of wine, Brad moodily reflected upon his situation while Buffalo sat with him at the helm of the table.

"You good there, Brad? You haven't said much after the battle…" Buffalo asked.

"…I'm fine." He leaned down to his glass of wine to take another sip, slightly uneasy.

Drums echoed across the village grounds, and the laughter of children came from the clearing where they played. Their mothers and fathers watched as they roamed around, while the unmarried women's attention lay upon the three men they celebrated.

With a group of her friends, one of the taller amazonesses looked at Brad, smugly smiling. "He seems sad…you girls think I should try and 'cheer him up'?"

"Yeah, go ahead. But my eyes are on the blonde one with the eyepatch…"

Taking the initiative, the taller amazoness walked over to Brad and Buffalo, swaying her hips seductively. She leaned onto the table, one hand on it and one on her hip.

"Hey there. Having fun here at the feast?"

The armless man nodded, while the footballer looked away and blushed. Like the rest of the amazonesses, she was dressed lightly in only a few rags around her chest and waist. Their single wings and tails let Brad know that they weren't exactly human, but were perhaps another kind of humanoid in this place.

"Ah, not the talkative type, 'Brad'? Tell me, where did you come from? You certainly don't look like you're from the Order territories around here."

"I'm from…a far away land. I lived there with my daughter, but I'm trying to search for her now. She was kidnapped."

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that…what was her name? Maybe I've heard of her somewhere."

"Buddy. Her name's Buddy."

"Sorry, I can't say I know a 'Buddy'. And you're not a mage, since you can't teleport to her either?"

His eyes widened. "I can do some magic. See?" He conjured a small flame in his hand, and snuffed it out shortly afterwards. "Where could I learn to teleport to my daughter?"

She pouted. "That eager to leave?"

"Well, I-"

"Just kidding. If you wanted to learn that, you'd probably want to talk to a spellcaster of some kind. I've heard the best in the world are from the Shirokuto Sabbath. You could get transportation there at the Greila Sabbath, which isn't too far away. It's over to the west of the village. You could also get something from your arms at Greila."

"…what do you mean, something for my arms?"

"Well, they could certainly give you false arms. I've heard the strongest pharmacomancers can even regrow limbs."

"I…see."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Brad was thankful for this woman, but he didn't often thank people. He decided against giving her thanks just yet, for he had a few more questions.

"Are there any other men here? I'm looking for people in blue and red uniforms."

"Oh, yes…we found some of them near where we found that…thing. They had all perished, probably due to that bloodthirsty beast."

"…I see. What is your name?"

"Ah…my name is Circe. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your arms?"

"…it's a long story. I have a few enemies, one of whom cut them off in exchange for one of my allies' lives and our belongings."

"Oh…how selfless…do you have a mate-I mean, wife?"

"No. I adopted my daughter, if that's what you're asking." Brad noticed a faint smile that appeared on the woman's face after he said this. "What are those tattoos all of you have? Some sort of cultural thing?"

"Oh, these?" Circe turned her tattooed arm towards Brad. "These are traditional charms to draw out my inner strength. I'm not exactly sure how they work, but if I'm this strong, then something's gotta be working, right?"

Brad nodded, and looked over to Buffalo, who had struck up a conversation with another one of the warrior women. They seemed to genuinely be enjoying themselves; something that Brad hadn't felt in a long time.

He looked back over at Circe, who had now disappeared. In her place was a girl in a white dress, hung on a noose extending into the sky, which had turned a blood red.

"DON'T FORGET WHY, BRAD."

He blinked and quickly came back to reality. Circe stared at him, head tilted and wide-eyed, and tapped his shoulder.

"You okay there, Brad? You seem a little distracted…"

He shook his head. "I'm alright. Just feeling a bit off."

Circe smiled. "You know what would cheer you up? Joining me on the village stage tonight!"

"…what does that mean?"

She quickly blushed. "Oh, you know, just the usual festivities that humans also do…sometimes…it's tonight, by the way. Would you like to join me?"

Brad thought to himself for a moment, and decided to take her offer. "…sure. Not like I should leave without a night's rest, after all."

The amazoness grinned with glee, squeezing her hand to her heart. "See you later, Brad!" She went off into the distance, towards the village's central stage.

These people may be odd, Brad thought, but they are much kinder than the men of Olathe. When I leave tomorrow morning, I need to find this "Greila Sabbath". But, if the bartender was to be believed, they are not to be trusted with Buddy. Still, they are my only lead.

"Hey, Brad! Lookie here!"

Brad turned to Birdie, who sat next to a large pile of mugs, once filled with liquor, now emptied. Next to him was another amazoness who had passed out from what seemed to be a drinking competition.

"I won…yeah! I won!" He raised his handy bottle of whiskey high, before his face planted itself into the table in front of him.

I fear this is going to be a strange night…

Big Lincoln was not happy.

Sure, he had fought a few people. Some women, even, which intrigued him. Though, all of them were still too weak. Nobody in this forest remotely challenged him. In addition, ever since the second Flash, he had lost the few men who followed him, the few men he truly respected.

He came to a stream, where fresh water flowed down a rocky pathway. His survival skills rang through his head, reminding him that most settlements are built downstream.

So, after taking a drink of fresh water and adjusting his wolf mask, the strongest warlord began to walk downstream. Until night fell, he kept walking, still killing anyone in his path, be it human or Mamono, with ease.

Just as the warlord was beginning to sicken of the constant greenery surrounding him, he came to the edge of the forest, where the trees met a moonlit field filled with strange crops. This sign of civilization allowed Big Lincoln to smile under his mask.

*BANG!*

A gunshot erupted somewhere in the distance, past the field. The warlord immediately grabbed a nearby grape-like fruit hanging from a tree, swallowed it whole, and rushed towards the sound of battle.

The remaining Joy Boys in the house, darkened by night. Some downed a blue pill, one after the other, almost ritualistically. They sat in the high of the drug, taking in how it felt to feel nothing.

"…we need food. Or we'll starve, soon enough."

"Shut up, Derek. I'm trying to numb out."

"I have an idea, guys…"

The group looked over at one of their own, a fat, long haired man in one of their pink masks.

"I'm trying to chase that high high, right? What if we did something grand? Like, stupid grand…so stupid grand that it's grand stupid?"

Derek leaned in. "I'm listening."

"Let's kidnap one of those noble girls that strong chick mentioned…Wilmara, something like that? We can hold her hostage for food, or whatever…"

"…I haven't had a taste of tail in a while, now. And it's not like anyone besides the boss could stop us, and he's gone, right? Not a bad idea, Ced. But where would we find her?"

"The boy went west with the girl. Maybe we'll find 'em over there. She's also some sorta 'hero' or somethin', right? We could take another hostage over there, wait for 'er to show up!"

Cedric picked his semi-automatic pistol up. "Well, let's get going…who's with me?"

Two other Joy Boys stood, masks in hand, while the other five remained seated, too inebriated to listen to what he was saying. The group of three left the house, weapons in hand and a plan in mind.

They walked westward, towards one of the more populated areas of the city. They were not there to watch from afar, though. They sought to get into some action. Eventually, they found a crowd of people, and in it, their target; an important-looking, frail, purple haired woman, led between two guards.

Ced raised his pistol, and fired it twice at the guards. Both of them fell to the ground, a hole having been put through their heads. The sudden sound and violence caused the people around them to scream and scatter, leaving only the purple haired girl.

"What a bunch of dumbasses. Do they even know what a gun is?"

The two other men walked towards the woman, whose eyes widened in incredulity. She stumbled back, trying to get away from them, but she fell back, allowing them to easily grab her by the arms.

"Got 'er, Ced. What d'ya reckon we should do now?"

"L-let me go! I'm a princess of Lescatie! Francisca Mistel Lescatie! Please, my father can pay your ransom!"

"Heya girlie, don't cry…save those tears for later. You know a girl named 'Wilma-something' around here?"

She gulped. "W-Wilmarina? She's probably out practicing her magic…or her swordsmanship…but she'll stop you kidnappers! I'm sure of it!" She tried to pull away from the masked men, but they kept their grip on her arms.

"We'll wait for 'er. In fact…" the man next to him raised his gun into the air, before firing it at the sky. "Let's play a game while we wait."

The man pulled some blue pills out of his pocket, and shoved a handful of them down Francisca's throat, forcing her to swallow the numbing drug.

"Rod, you fucking idiot! How are we supposed to fuck her if she's numbed up!? You fucking retarded little piece of-"

"Derek, calm down…we'll fuck the girl that comes to save her, damn it…goddamn, little baby bitch boy…"

The Joy Boy turned to face Ced, raising a short blade to his friend's neck. "THE FUCK YOU JUST CALL ME, CED? COME CLOSER, YOU LITTLE SACK OF SHIT! SAY THAT BULLSHIT TO MY KNIFE!" Derek brandished it, inviting Cedric to raise his pistol to his head.

"Calm down…all I called you was a baby bitch boy…now put that shit down before I have to blow your bitch-ass brains out…"

The two continued to string insults at each other while Rodney kept his hands on the girl, who had been trying to break out of his grip. Due to the influence of Joy, she was slightly stronger, but still no match for the seasoned drug dealer.

"Stop right there, you three!"

The Joy Boys' infighting ceased as they turned to face their target. She was a blue-haired knight, in light armor and a red cape.

"You are under arrest for the kidnapping of…Francisca!? You bastards…let her go this instant, or face the full fury of the strongest hero of Lescatie!"

Ced raised his pistol, and shot it into her shin, shattering bone and rending flesh, leaving a bloody wound in its place.

"GAH! My leg! A…gun!? Where…how did you get that!?" The hero tried to stagger towards the three hostage takers, trying to block their aim with her sword, but this only prompted Cedric to fire at her other shin. Francisca covered her eyes to shield herself from the horror, but the sound of the gunshot and screams still met her ears.

"ARGH!" Wilmarina fell to the ground, trying to calm herself in the face of death. Pain radiated from her bullet wounds, and as the men got closer to her, she feared that this was going to be the end.

"She's hot! I'll be the first to take that pussy, hopefully?" Derek turned to his joyed-up teammates, who shrugged.

Taking this as a sign of confirmation, Derek rolled his sleeves up, before pulling down his pants. He shuffled towards the wounded hero, who appeared to turn away in fear. As he got closer, he felt that something was off, but his lust forced him forwards.

"You know how to give a handjob, bitch? Start with that."

Wilmarina steeled her resolve, before reaching towards the man. Once her hand was under his member, she chanted a few words, and released a charged spell, freezing the man's genitals in a block of solid ice.

"Oh, that feels kind of-HOLY FUCK! YOU LITTLE SHIT! YOU FROZE MY FUCKING DICK!" He stomped at her body, into her shielding arms, before pulling his pants back up, the block of ice between his legs preventing him from pulling them all the way up.

He stumbled over to Cedric, who was reloading his pistol. "CEDRIC! FUCKING SHOOT HER IN THE HEAD! SHE'S FIGHTING BACK!"

The rotund Joy Boy chambered his pistol, before turning to his friend. "Hehehe…serves you right…baby bitch boy…oh…uh…uh oh…."

"WHAT? I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU SAY 'oh your junk got frozen hahaha' OR SOME SHIT LIKE THAT I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL-"

Cedric raised his pistol, and fired. Derek closed his eyes, expecting to die. But, as he opened them, he saw that his friend had aimed above his head. As he stood there, he felt a few hot pieces of metal fall onto him, and then the grip of two powerful hands on the sides of his head.

"Oh god…he's right behind-" The man's neck was snapped, putting him out of his misery.

Cedric raised his gun again, firing at the figure who had killed Derek, but they had no effect on the figure cloaked in darkness. The towering thing stumbled around, before charging at him. Gunshots were fired, but they only periodically illuminated the figure's visage, covered by a blue wolf mask. They picked the Joy Boy up, before slamming his head into the ground, crushing his skull.

"W-wait! You can have 'er!" Rodney shoved the princess towards the towering man. "Please, Big L, don't kill me! I'm with the Joy Boys! I'm beggin'-"

Too inebriated to hear his words, or perhaps because he just didn't care, Big Lincoln raised his clasped hands, and spiked them into the Joy Boy's head, denting his skull in.

Wilmarina looked on towards the scene of violence in awe. Someone had come to save them; but who? The massive man wore a leather jacket, with a wolf mask and two cloths around his wrists, which had been covered in blood. He appeared to be somewhat inebriated, stumbling around aimlessly.

She tried to contain her pain as she talked to him. "Excuse me…sir…who are you?"

The man turned to the wounded hero, maintaining his silence. People began to come out of hiding, crowding around the man and the hero, in awe of his feats of strength.

"Is that another hero?"

"A mercenary?"

"Is he…drunk?"

"Who are you?"

The stoic figure stumbled around, unaware of his surroundings. He simply picked himself up, and walked away. None dared to follow him, but a few noticed the injuries on Wilmarina's legs.

"By the Chief God! Wilmarina, what happened!?"

She looked away from the crowd, ashamed. "I…don't know. I think…he saved me from them…could someone…help me to the infirmary? I can't stand…"

A few good samaritans from the crowd hoisted her up, and began to walk her back to the military hospital. Even after street cleaners arrived to pick up the bodies, the people of Lescatie stayed on edge, in case of yet another strange occurrence.

"One of the rookie sabbaths…Renrushka's, you mean?"

The demon shook her head. "No, no, I mean Runya Runya's Sabbath. You heard the rumors, haven't you?"

Druella paused. "…no, I haven't. What…what happened?"

"They say it was a targeted assassination. Had to be. Some poor guy, two baphomets, and Runya Runya herself, found dead. The whole sabbath was evacuated. Signs of torture on her as well. Without her, we've now lost our archived information on Lescatie's defenses. Checkmate."

Druella swallowed heavily, before picking up her pieces and rearranging the board with magic. "By mother and father…I pray that Renrushka will be able to revive her soul. Get me a mirror to her, as soon as you can. Wait…who would even want to hunt the Runya Runya Sabbath? Their existence benefits everyone in terms of information, does it not?"

The demon shrugged, before picking up her pawn. "Not sure…Runya Runya never had any enemies. My guess is that they're looking to slow down the spread of some information…not sure why, though. D4."

The lilim moved a pawn in the same column. "D5. Perhaps it was an attack of terror, then. Hm…no, if it was, they would want to keep that sabbath alive to spread news of their attack. Maybe the information they're trying to hide is their existence, so that they can perform more unexpected attacks in the future?"

"Hm…certainly a possibility." The demon picked up another pawn. "C4. But what are they hoping to target? Other sabbaths? That's quite the fool's errand. But, that could mean they're working their way up the Sabbaths, from the weakest baphomets to the strongest ones."

The fourth-born's eyes widened. "Ah…I see. Fetch me Marune's mirror. Same with Greila's. We should warn them, just in case. Pawn takes C4."

"Right away, ma'am." The demon got up, left the large tent, and flew off, in search of mirrors to contact three different sabbaths.

The lilim sighed, before examining the exquisitely crafted king piece on her side. "Oh, I cannot wait…soon, Lescatie, you will be ours. I will welcome you to your new life…"

As she put the piece back in its place, she heard the sound of motors, similar to those in the automatons, and an odd screeching outside. It was soon joined by actual screeches, and a crashing noise, followed by the rustling of a tree.

Those are certainly odd noises…I should check it out regardless.

The white lilim gathered her immense reserves of mana in her hands and spread her wings, preparing for anything in the realm of plausibility. What she found, however, would spark an ember culminating in the battle of her life.

(A/N: Guess who I have planned to fight the fourth-born? Anyways, thanks for reading!)