The moon had begun to set, for midnight had passed, leaving Brad somewhat tired. Circe still sat next to him, trying to engage him in a conversation, but having been drunk and exhausted, he barely responded.
"Everyone! To the village stage! Last part of the night!"
Circe looked to be in glee at this announcement, taking Brad's back in her arms and practically dragging him to the stage.
I might as well do this and get some rest after…just one more thing to finish.
Brad saw Birdie and Buffalo stumble up to the stage as well, rather inebriated as he was. They hopped onto the stage, and were practically pushed to the forefront, where an audience of the village's adults and children began to clap.
The rest of the amazonesses, save for Circe and three others, walked off of the stage. One of the other ones walked to the forefront of the stage, in front of the three men.
"Hello, everyone! I'm sure you're all aware of the saviours of our chief's daughter…Brad Buffalo, and Birdie!" She gestured to the three of them, one of whom was still drinking liquor. Brad nodded, and the people cheered back at the trio.
"Now, it is time for our main event for the night! Can I get a round of applause for Circe, Adia, and Flavia!?"
The three other girls on the stage bowed, and were met with rapturous applause, as well as with hoots and hollers. Brad was beginning to feel that something was off, but he brushed it off as some village custom.
"Now, young ones, I want you to watch closely, for both your sake and ours! For it is time: to: MAAAATE!"
Brad's jaw dropped. He looked at Circe, who gave him a sly look. She rubbed her hands together, and began to undress.
"Wait, wait, wait." Buffalo held out his hands. "In front of the kids? You're attractive and all, Adia, but I'm not going to do this in public, or in front of kids, for that matter!"
The crowd stood still, never having seen someone interrupt the village festivities like this before. The announcer paused, before looking back at Adia and nodding. She nodded back, and pounced onto Buffalo, who wasn't expecting the attack. She began to rip off his clothes, starting with his cloak, before Brad leapt in to headbutt her. Birdie, too drunk to process any of this, started whooping and hollering.
"BRAD! I'LL GET BIRDIE! GET OUT OF HERE! WE'LL CATCH UP!"
Brad booked it towards the trees, while Circe and a group of the amazonesses attempted to follow him. The rest of them stayed behind to secure Birdie and Buffalo, arming themselves with their Mamono realm silver weaponry.
One of the women pleaded with the pair. "Please, stop this madness! You're ruining the festivities!"
"What the hell is wrong with you all? What kind of perverted shit is this!?" He tackled through the amazonesses while holding onto Birdie's poncho, dragging him along for the ride. Although they were fast, the crowd was faster, quickly surrounding them once again.
Buffalo paused. "Birdie, firebombs! Shit, no, that'd kill us too at this distance…fuck this! Birdie, get ready to throw down!" He assumed a fighting stance.
Birdie drunkenly nodded, raising a bottle to strike at whoever came for him. Just as they were going to be overrun by the sheer force of the crowd, gunshots rang out. Screams emerged from their enemies, and they fell, one after the other.
"GET DOWN!" He forced himself and Birdie down to the ground, narrowly avoiding the gunshots that whizzed by their heads. They could hear firebombs being ignited, tossed, and broken, as well as the slashing of a machete.
When the gunfire stopped, Birdie was the first to get up and look around. There were strange men clad in pink masks, holding guns and other weapons of Olathe. They were led by another masked man whom only Birdie recognized, wearing a spike-topped hat. Corpses of the amazonesses surrounded the pair, with the occasional fire here and there. Some survivors tried to pull themselves up, but the men surrounding them quickly fired at the living ones, ceasing their struggle for life.
"Well, what a coincidence…" the hatted man said. "I had wagered that the chances of finding you all were low…but yet, here you stand."
Buffalo got up and swallowed. "Cut the crap. Who are you, and what do you want?"
The figure stood ominously. "I'll only say this once…if you don't answer me, I'll kill you. Where. Is. Bradley?"
"Damn it…you alright there, Sindy?"
Sindy Gallows cracked his neck, and turned to the archer in the other seat of the truck. "Yeah…I almost hit someone, then hit a tree. It was another one of those strange women, wasn't it?"
Olan's eyes widened. "Women? You mean…"
"Not sure if they're human, but yeah, women. Don't forget, you're still riding with me. But I don't really care if you get a girl along the way."
The banging of a fist on the metal wall behind them reverberated throughout the truck.
"What's going on? Did we hit something?" a hispanic voice asked.
Sindy sucked in air from between his teeth. "Yeah. Let's get out. We have to survey the damage."
The doors to both the small truck and the trailer opened, and the four men hopped out with their weapons. They converged at the front of the truck, where the vehicle had collided with a tree illuminated by the sunrise.
"Damn it…" Fardy muttered, before going into a rage. "You know how much mechanics cost nowadays, Sindy!? You better have the mags on you to fix that! I swear, if-"
Terry pointed towards the sunlit forest. "Wait, guys, look! Women!"
"This isn't a joking matter, Terry! I swear-…hoooo-ly shit. Are those…?"
Olan and Sindy looked towards where Terry pointed, only for their eyes to lock onto the same thing. There were women; strange women, with wings, tails, and other strange features, but women nonetheless, sitting around a fire in a camp of sorts.
"I'M GETTING IN THERE!" Fardy leapt towards the encampment, but Sindy grabbed him by the shoulders, stopping the fat man in his tracks.
"Not yet. Remember your pledge? I know you all haven't seen a real woman in ages, but we're going to deal with this civilly. We'll get some information and supplies from them, and maybe, MAYBE, if you seduce one, we can bring them along for the ride. Got it?"
Fardy was about to shake his head, but Sindy's deadly glare pierced through him. He nodded, and Sindy let him go as the entire group walked into the camp.
They noticed a few glances from the women as they approached, before one of them, a black-skinned woman with tufts of black fur, sprinted towards them. Sindy immediately assumed a stance with his spear, and Olan pulled back an arrow. She leapt onto Fardy, who gladly accepted the touch of a woman, before she ripped his pants off. Sindy nodded to Olan, who fired the arrow into the back of her neck. The arrow snapped in half, forcing Sindy to rush in with his spear. He leapt into the air, and crashed down onto the hellhound, impaling their arm just as it had undressed Fardy. She screamed out in pain, rolling off of the Hernandez brother and retreating back into the camp.
"Damn! Fardy, get up! We need to leave!"
Fardy waves his arms in objection. "She was into me! You saw that, she wasn't trying to attack me! It didn't hurt, I swear!"
More of the monster women took note of their presence, and closed in around the four men. They had a strange look in their eyes, and carried odd steel weapons; some of them gathered energy around their hands, preparing to fire spells at the crew as well.
"Oh, hunters~…won't you join us~?"
Sindy assumed a defensive stance with his spear, preparing for the worst.
"You three, get to the truck! I'm not in danger, I can hold them off…"
"Oh...we aren't going to hurt you~…we'll just extract essence from your members~"
"That doesn't sound half bad…" Fardy muttered, before Sindy turned his spear towards him.
"Idiot! Let me make it simpler for you. If you surrender and it's a trap, they'll kill you. If you surrender and it's not, I'll kill you. You'll only live if you get to the truck! NOW GET TO IT!"
"You know what? No, fuck this!" Fardy fired back. "I'm with the women who're down to fuck! Screw you all, you're all going to be fucked, and none of this matters anyways!" He ran into the crowd of women, disappearing in the crowd of bodies.
Sindy sighed. "Damn it…are you two planning to jump ship as well?"
Olan put a hand on the warlord's shoulder. "Never back down, boss. You taught me that, remember? I'll drive the truck. Terry, you with me?"
"Of course! What are friends for? Plus, if we don't get out of here, we'll never find Brad. But only on one condition." The man in the cheetah-print jersey turned to Sindy. "Please, Fardy may be selfish, and he can sometimes be an idiot, but please don't kill him. He's still our friend…"
Sindy paused. "Hm…we'll discuss this later. Now, let's go!"
The monster-like girls charged at Sindy, who began using his swift spearwork to keep them at bay. Terry and Olan charged back towards the truck, but some of the women followed them past Sindy. Olan pulled back a bomb arrow, and fired it towards them, scattering their ranks. Terry pulled out a firebomb, and threw it towards the staggered enemies, covering the path in gasoline and lighting them ablaze.
The truck was in sight, and Olan and Terry made a final dash for it, narrowly dodging bolts of mana cast past their figures. As they closed in on their destination, the women behind them came ever closer to reaching them. The archer quickly leapt into the driver's seat, and started it. He almost let out a sigh of relief, before a single concern crossed his mind.
Where's Terry?
The hintster had been left behind, having tripped on a tree root. He got up, but was immediately pinned down by one of the succubi behind him. She raised her Mamono realm silver sword, prepared to extract his essence, but from behind, she was pierced by a spear, belonging to none other than Sindy Gallows.
He picked Terry up, hoisting him over his shoulder, and ran towards the truck, taking the spear from her body. The Mamono tried to hold him back, but his strength let him easily break their grips and run away. The truck was backing up now, and the side door had opened, allowing Sindy to leap in with Terry and lock it shut.
The truck had now turned around, and sped into the plains in the distance, leaving the Mamono and Fardy behind. Yet, Sindy couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't over yet.
A great wall of earth rose from the ground in front of the truck, causing Olan to slam the brakes on the vehicle. It skidded to a stop, crashing into the wall and totalling the front of the truck.
"Well, well, what do we have here? A strange machine piloted by Mamono hunters? Did the Order send you?"
Sindy slammed the side door open, and shook Terry awake. He got to his feet and stepped out with Sindy and Olan, staring down the woman who had stopped their escape.
She was a white-skinned, voluptuous woman, with small plates of black armor covering her, as well as wings and a tail similar to the other women.
Sindy swallowed. "Stay back. We're armed and dangerous, hear that!"
The lilim laughed. "Oh, I know. And I intend to stop you from hurting my people any further."
Olan drew back a deeply poisoned arrow. "Hurting your people? You attacked us on sight! We had no choice but to defend ourselves!"
She scoffed. "Oh, please, they were only trying to capture you as mates. You could've lived the rest of your lives in bliss, like the friend you left behind over at the camp."
Sindy held his spear tightly. "Well, some of us have things to do with our lives besides fuckin' around. Is that a crime now?"
"If you came with weapons, then you must have been hunting us. You came with the intent of violence!" She charged a fireball of pleasure and lobbed it towards Sindy, who dodged it with ease.
"We brought these to defend ourselves from people like you. Seems that we'll have to use them now, then!"
Sindy leapt towards the woman with his spear, which she narrowly dodged. He thrust his spear at a rapid pace, blowing by her each time, keeping her at bay while dodging her magic. Wind blew by her with each hit as she began to strategize.
…I can sense his strength. If I get punctured by him, it would hurt like nothing else. He's strong and fast, so he'll force me to go on the retreat with teleportation if he stabs through my vitals…
He thrust it forth one more time, before arching back and tossing his spear at her, which she barely dodged with a flick of her neck, having it blow past her and land in the grass. In order to avoid further conflict with that man, she flew into the air, prompting Olan to fire his arrow. It clipped her wing, inflicting her body with a poison that numbed her wing. As she began to fall from the sky, she cast a spell to slow her descent, but Terry threw a bottle of dirty water at her, interrupting her casting. She put up a barrier wall in response, blocking Olan's subsequent volley of arrows and a spear thrown by Sindy. She slowed her descent, but as she did, she felt the inside of her body heat up.
…a spellcaster!? From where?
Her body burst into flames from the inside as Terry swung his body around, performing The Hottest Dance. In order to keep her innards unscorched, she used her mana to freeze her veins, cooling her down enough to rush towards the jerseyed man and pin him down. She put up a barrier around them, blocking his allies' attacks, ranging from small bombs to arrows to a rush with a spear.
As Terry struggled, the lilim smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "It's okay. Just relax, and I'll make you feel good, I promise…"
Terry felt drained, but as he looked past the monster in front of him and at his allies, he realized the plan at hand.
"So, mademoiselle, may I ask for your name, before we engage in this?"
"Oh, young man, you flatter me! I knew you weren't like those brutish friends of yours. I am Druella, the fourth-born of Royal Makai, daughter of the Mamono Lord. And you are?"
"Oh, I'm just someone who's not a punk-ass bitch like you. Stupid ass makeup, look like a fucking clown, trashy hoe."
A tear welled up in her eye. "E-e-excuse me?"
"You heard me right. You're just another no-name piece of trash hoe on the side of the road. Get out of my way before I slap you in your face!"
Druella looked offended at first, but laughed it off. "Oh, sweetheart, you won't be saying that once I bring you to my subordinates. You'll be screaming in ecstasy!"
"Not quite. See you in hell, bitch!" He stuck his middle fingers at the woman, which she didn't quite know the meaning of.
Wait…a signal?
As she turned to look at her barrier, she saw a large bundle of a red block labelled "TNT", which subsequently detonated. A huge explosion engulfed her barrier, cracking it and ultimately causing it to disintegrate into the air. Terry backed away from her, falling into the crater, before sprinting towards his allies. She tried to follow him, but another poisoned arrow pierced her leg.
"Olan! Any more poisons?"
"Nope…just regulars, bombs, and big ones…"
Sindy leapt towards her with his spear in hand, but at the last moment, she teleported behind him, launching flames of pleasure at him. He was forced to take the hit, the flames absorbing into him and depleting him of some of his essence
"We'll lose her in the forest! Help me get Fardy back!" Terry yelled out. The trio followed the idea, escaping into the forest while Druella sat there, unable to move her leg or wing. She thought of teleporting to the spearman, but decided against it; if she were to try it, the strong man would have a small chance at beating her. Not a great chance by any means, but it was a risk Druella wasn't willing to take.
Damn…my body will process the poison, but it might take some time. Best if I just take the weakest one back to camp, and have my subordinates deal with this mess.
She snapped, and teleported in front of Terry, grabbing him by the collar of his jersey.
Olan reached out helplessly. "TERRY! NO!"
The lilim snapped and whisked them away, leaving only Sindy and Olan.
Olan held his forehead in defeat, chastising himself internally. "Damn it…Sindy, we need to go back! She led those women, she'll be back at that place!"
Sindy thought for a moment. If I don't retrieve him, and possibly the Fardy, I'll be down to only Olan with no items or supplies. Another encounter with a fighter like that without support, and I might die along with him. We're in the middle of nowhere, so recruiting more people isn't an option. And that dance…I've never seen someone use pyromancy via those movements. That could help me greatly…it's settled.
"You're right. We'll head back in immediately. Keep your guard up…this will be dangerous." Sindy slammed his spear into the ground, before changing to a prepared stance.
"Right." Olan loaded a large arrow into his bow, his nerves steeled for even a dance with the devil.
A masked girl and her similarly-masked guardian walked through the streets of the town at dawn, receiving suspicious looks from the various townsfolk due to their bloodstained clothes. Still, they marched on, trying to search for various ways to earn cash so that they could obtain weapons and food.
"Rando, you know anything about weapons?" Buddy asked.
Rando seemed distracted; perhaps he was watching the people around them go about their day. Thus, he didn't respond.
"Rando? Rando!"
"H-huh? Oh, sorry there, B-Buddy. I d-didn't hear you at first…"
She sighed. "I asked if you knew anything about weapons…"
He shook his head. "No…I'm a p-p-pacifist, generally."
Buddy put her chin in her hand. "I used to love reading this old magazine…a normal one, though. It was about tons of fighting techniques with different weapons. I always gravitated towards the swords, even though I only ever had a knife. So I'm looking to get a sword, somehow."
Rando nodded. "Interesting, B-Buddy. The Arms-I mean, my t-technique doesn't use b-b-brass knuckles or gloves, just f-fists."
"Why not?"
He flexed his fingers. "You n-need to flex your hands for p-palm strikes and f-fireballs. Fireballs m-melt the metal too."
Buddy turned to him. "Huh, neat. What did you say it was called again?"
Rando's brain short-circuited as he tried to make up a false name for the technique. "Uh…uh…the uh…k-kung-pao style…"
She nodded. "Haven't heard of that one. Sounds cool."
"…it is…"
The pair shared an awkward moment of silence as they realized that everyone around them was steering clear of their path.
Buddy turned over towards the people who had passed by her, flipping them off. "Lookin' for a fight, assholes!? Screw yourselves!"
"B-Buddy…calm down…" Rando whispered.
She grumbled. "Why should I!? You wouldn't question me if it was an enemy!"
"…b-but we're not in Olathe. N-not anymore…these p-people could be different…"
Buddy scoffed. "And yet, I had to see what happened last night. Different places, same people…it's up to us to fix this. Change will be brought through violence. If it's not by us, then even more girls will have to suffer until someone else fixes things."
"…ok-k-kay."
The duo continued on, searching for a means to earn currency. They eventually came across a post, near where a black man in blue robes stood.
"Hey, Rando, can you read that poster?"
Rando nodded. "It says: 'Six-swords style m-m-master looking f-for an adventuring party. I will p-pay a sufficiently p-powerful party to join. I am s-s-searching the world for my lover, T-Toby, and I will do anything to meet him again. P-please, come by this post at 8 o'clock in the morning for m-more information.'"
Buddy tilted her head. "Hm…six-swords style?" she said to Rando. "That's one of the magazine's swordplay arts…so they are from Olathe. At least they're not after me."
The black man standing beside the pair turned to them. He had a sorrowful look in his eyes, and carried six sheathed red swords.
"Hello…wait, Rando? Huh. It's nice to finally meet you. Have you read my request? Are you interested to learn more?"
Buddy looked at the man suspiciously, before speaking in a deep voice. "Sure. We would love to talk over a meal, but it seems that Rando and I are out of money. Are you able to pay?"
"Of course. All as long as you hear me out."
Buddy smiled at Rando from under her mask, giving him a thumbs-up. He nodded, and the three walked to a tavern, which served eggs, bread, and ale.
"I forgot, I must introduce myself. My name is Crisp. Do I know you from somewhere, little boy?"
"I'm…well, it doesn't matter, and this is Rando. I'm sure you know his name well, seeing as you recognized from Olathe."
Crisp was unfazed. "I knew from the red skull masks. You had a good reputation back in Olathe, trying to save humanity with the girl and all. Anyways, I suppose you two are happy, seeing as humanity is better off here."
Rando affirmed the statement. "Y-yes…I assure you, I'm v-very glad. You aren't still after the g-g-girl, are you?"
"No, never was. I'm homosexual. Now, you two are wondering about what conditions I will join under, correct?"
Rando nodded, but Buddy stopped him. "Actually, we were wondering about the monetary rewards you offered. What would you be able to buy in terms of weapons, food, and other supplies?"
"Ah, of course. I assure you, I have obtained enough to supply the three of us for at least three weeks, after which we'll have to find jobs. I will only use this after I have joined, however. Think of this meal as a bonus for listening."
"S-so what's the c-catch?"
"Rando, I have little doubt about your strength. You were recognized by the warlords, after all. But, I must ask, is your little friend strong enough to travel the world? I'm sure you know of the monsters of this realm by now…they are quite draining to battle, even as an adult. Should a child even be in that sort of environment?"
Buddy slammed the table, before speaking in her normal voice. "Listen. I'm the fucking girl of Olathe, alright? I know how to evade, how to fight, how to kill. And there's worse people in this place than those men you knew out there…if you haven't already noticed, places like that 'Sabbath' change girls like me into the monsters you've seen out there, with no regard for their age. Nowhere is safe, not as long as they exist. That's why I'm travelling, to exterminate these kinds of 'people'. And if you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me first."
Crisp sat still, taking in the information he had just received. "So that's where I know you from…" he muttered. "I'm sorry for what's happened to you, child. I believe I'm familiar with your father, too…I'm sorry for all he's put you through as well."
Buddy raised an eyebrow from underneath her mask. "You knew him?"
"He's the reason my lover is missing…he forced me to join him if I ever wanted to see Toby again. But that's not for you to worry about, kid. If you want me to join you, prove your strength to me. Best me in one-on-one combat…if you cannot beat me by the end of today, I beg that you give up your quest. But if you win…I might as well protect you if I can't stop you."
Buddy looked back at Rando, who nodded to her. While she had no intention of giving up, it wouldn't hurt to try to recruit this man. If she even got some weapons and food out of this deal, then it would be best for her to accept the challenge.
She crossed her arms. "If you can supply us with food and weapons, I accept."
"Consider it a done deal. I will buy whatever you require, and by the end of today, we will have battled." He outstretched his arm, which Buddy remembered was a gesture of agreement. She took his hand and shook it vigorously; for it was the sweet beginning of a new day.
(A/N: I know I've made quite a few fics already, but I'm still looking to see which ones my interest sticks to. I have another idea for a fic of MGE (yes, I know this would be the sixth one) crossed with the SCP Foundation. I'm just getting back to reading SCP articles, and the idea of Mamono being big fish in a small pond very much interests me. It'll be kind of like The Karcist and the Lord on FFN, but a bit less stompy (the Foundation will be like its more overworked and underfunded iterations) and starting on the common MGE trope of DotR (portals open on Earth connecting us to MGE). If any of you are familiar with the SCP wiki or the DotR-style fics, please review or DM on what you'd hope to see in that kind of fic. Thanks for reading!)