"B-Boss?"

"Well now. If it isn't Fie. And the rest of Class VII too. Hmm? Seems you've gotten some new faces in your class since our last meeting." As usual the Jaeger King treated the unexpected reunion with the same excitement one held when discussing the weather.

At least Rean seemed properly surprise, "W-What are you guys doing here? A-And why are you wearing bunny ears?"

"We're here to rescue you." Musse giggled out.

"...I don't want to talk about it." And yet despite her claims of annoyance Altina continued to stoically wear those ears.

Those precious few moments were enough to shake Fie out of her stupor. Now that she got a good look at it the situation was really weird. Rean, Sara, and their companions were challenging Boss and the other Zephyr members to a game of Vantage Masters?

...And from what she could tell they were getting crushed.

"What's the stakes?" She asked once she recomposed herself.

"These fine folks were looking for information, but we both know something that valuable ain't free. So I figured why not spice things up a bit with a card game. Sure beats having to waste our night off leveling half the town in a fight, don't you think?"

Fie was sure the situation seemed really weird to her classmates, but to her? "Yeah. Makes sense."

If Boss and the others were staking their information on a game than it must not have been anything that went against their current contract, but the mercenary leader had his own sense of honor – if he was staking anything on a battle like this then it was probably something worth fighting for.

Even if the battle was fought using trading cards.

But right now it seemed like Rean and the others were losing. Sara especially was sporting an ugly scowl on her face as Xeno's side of the board seemed a lot busier than hers. She might've talked a big game but it seemed her card game skills weren't all that good.

Ammunition for later.

"Let me sub in for you, Valestein." Seems Ash had the same idea, "I can turn your game around."

"I know this game to some extent." Fie almost snorted at Musse's innocent comment. The girl was an absolute menace – best to not let Leo know that, "I'm not quite as adept with complex calculations as you, Major, but would you mind if I took your place?"

The ex-Zephyr girl was about to lament her uncharacteristic slowness when she noticed Rean was looking at her thoughtfully. ...He wasn't, was he? "Would it be alright if I allowed Fie to take my place?"

Well damn. He did.

"I got no problem with that, but you sure? You might've been losing, but that was because I could tell you were too busy worrying about these ladies. I got the feeling you'd fare pretty well in a rematch. Sure you want to risk everything like that?"

It galled Fie to agree with Boss's statement, but it was true. As confident as she was in her own skills she knew Rean was way better at VM. For some insane reason he'd had proven to be a real pro at the game, even enough to give Musse a hard time.

"Haha. I'm sure. And I'd advise you to underestimate my students at your own peril. They have a tendency of surprising people."

"Heh. If this one is any indication..." Boss said as he glanced her way, "...then you're probably right. Alright. Let's switch it up."

For some odd reason as Fie took the seat just vacated by her teacher she couldn't help but feel a surprising amount of nerves. She was just playing a card game for low stakes and yet it felt like she was about to take on a Magic Knight by herself.

Given her opponent that comparison might not have been too far off the mark.

"Want to keep things balanced with my spare deck or you confident in your own?"

Not the worst offer, but Fie shook her head confidently as she pulled her own VM deck out of her pocket, "Nah. My deck's special to me. My friends helped me make it."

"That sounded cool but we didn't help you make it. You stole our cards after beating us!"

Naturally Fie ignored Juna's comment. The peanut gallery didn't have the right to comment. Surprisingly though Rutger didn't ignore it, "Is that so? Still a jaeger through and through I see."

"Old habits die slow, I guess." That exchange was enough to calm her nerves a little as she placed down her master card before shuffling the rest of her deck. That calm lasted for mere seconds as she found herself gaping when Boss placed his own master down, "T-The hell is that?! I've never seen a card like that before!"

"Haha, yep. This Beast is pretty strong, ain't it? Had to pull a few strings but I was able to get my hands on it a few months before it hit the open market."

"It's bullshit if you ask me!" Xeno groused from beside the boss, "Hard to win against a guy when his cards are that much better than yours, don't you think?"

The older Claussell simply laughed off his subordinate's words, "Maybe, but it suits me, don't you think?"

Fie considered the card, "Yeah. I guess so." She tore her eyes away from the playing field to glance back at her classmates and teacher, "Don't let his cool attitude fool you. On the battlefield he is as much a beast as he is a man."

"Hey now, I resent that. I'm nothing like Baldur or the Ogres."

To that she could only shrug. Hard to see much of a difference when the man in front of her once cut through an entire platoon of jaegers with a single swing of his buster glaive solely because they had her pinned down.

"Alright, then. How 'bout we get this game started? I don't mind chit-chattin' while we're playing, but it'd be mighty awkward if we're still just gabbing away when these other battles have finished."

Right. Fie had almost forgotten that Ash and Musse were having their own duels. A quick glance showed both students seemed to be holding their own, but it was clear they were still in the early turns of their matches.

With a nod she watched as Boss shuffled his deck. The first two turns passed uneventfully as both sides worked to build up their mana reserves and deploy a wall of Natials to shield themselves. Much to her relief as crazy as Boss's master was the rest of his deck seemed to be full of relatively standard card. Dangerous, yes, but nothing she couldn't handle.

But it was the master itself that promised her the most headaches. Her Thief relied on dishing out multiple quick attacks each round while Rutger's Beast was all about countering anything sent its way with absurdly powerful counters.

In other words it was the perfect counter to her Thief.

"So I'm curious." Boss chimed in as his master claimed a mana crystal, further increasing its damage output and mana generation, "You've been at that school for a few months now, yeah? Found yourself a boyfriend yet? Or maybe a girlfriend?"

It was a good thing Fie hadn't been drinking anything as she would've spewed liquid across the table. Instead she found herself coughing violently on air for a moment. Eventually she recovered enough to glare at the smug looking man across the table, "The hell!?"

It took all of her concentration to focus on Boss and not let herself be distracted by the laughing Juna or Ash. Hell, even Musse and Rean both let out noises that sounded suspiciously like snorts of amusement.

Only Altina and Kurt remained silent. Her true best friends.

Somehow the Jaeger King had the gall to act unaffected by her glare and the reactions of her classmates, giving a confused look in response, "What? I know work's kept me busy, but that doesn't mean I can't be curious about your life, right?"

"That's fine, but did you really have to start with something that lame?" She countered with a pointed look, "Ugh... I'd forgotten how annoying you can be. Taking out your Dullmdalla with my Tarbyss, by the way."

"Aww. Don't be like that. You're breaking my heart."

"You should hurry up and answer the question."

"Yeah! We're curious too!"

Great. Now Leo and Xeno were getting in on the action too. She opened her mouth to shoot them down, but paused before she could speak. Any poor sap she named would find themselves suffering greatly at the hands of the three warriors across from her, but maybe...

Maybe she could take advantage of this.

Forcing herself to adopt the sweetest smile imaginable the girl reached her hands out to either side of her with one landing on the shoulder of Musse and the other Ash, "Yep. You got me. This is my boyfriend Ash and my girlfriend Musse."

"The hell!?"

"Oh my..."

"I'm dating both at the same time. Didn't mean for it to happen like that, but they kinda pressured me into it. These last few weeks have been... wild."

Seeing Ash begin to squirm uncomfortably and blubber out denials as Xeno made threatening gestures? Priceless. Seeing the ever in control Musse shrink back under Leo's judgmental stare? That was something beyond priceless.

Seeing her two biggest headaches suffer was the healing salve Fie never knew she needed.

Too bad it didn't last long as Boss put his cards down long enough to slap both jaegers... hard, "Enough of that, you two. We've watched the school long enough to know she's lying."

Fie – who had been in the process of buffing up her Thief before ending her turn – froze at his words. Did he just say...?

"Is that to mean that you've been spying on our school?" Seems Rean heard the same thing she had.

Rutger waved him off nonchalantly before pausing to draw his next card, "Don't worry about it. We made sure to stay away from any private areas. Just gotta make sure our little Fie is living her best life and all."

"I see...?" Rean muttered out before shaking his head violently, "W-Wait, no! That's not the point! As a teacher I don't think I can allow that to continue."

For once Fie was grateful to her teacher. Sure she didn't think he stood a chance in hell at stopping Boss on his own, but at least he saw just how crazy it was that she was being stalked by her own family. Maybe if he got Randy to help out or better yet he could take it up with the princ-

"Heh. If it makes you feel better the Golden Rakshasa told us she was fine with it. My Marme is attacking your Thief."

"She did!?" The question came from her, Rean, and seemingly everyone else at the table who wasn't currently wearing a Zephyr uniform.

The Jaeger King let out a chuckle at their combined reaction, "She did. Thought we were in for a hell of a fight when she caught us, but in the end she made us drink with her. That crazy woman drank poor Xeno here right under the table."

"Ugh. Don't remind me. I can't remember the last time I had a hangover that bad."

"After that she told us we were free to come and go whenever we wanted so long as we shared a drink with her after."

"Uh..." For once the teacher of Class VII appeared to struggle for words, "...I guess it's alright then if the principal approves?"

Rutger let out a laugh, "Glad you approve. Wouldn't mind shooting the breeze with you over a few drinks some time. One of those... what's it called?"

"Parent teacher conference?"

"That's the one! Thanks Leo."

The silver-hair girl grimaces. That sounded... awful. Almost as awful as watching Boss buff up his master once again.

She did her best to ignore the embarrassing things to focus on the board in front of her. Right now she had more cards on the field, but that was mostly because she'd been ignoring his master as it was completely unassailable thanks to its potent counters, which were further enhanced by a pair of buffs he had applied to it. Even her strongest Natials would get obliterated if they tried to attack it, and the card itself had enough life points to soak up everything she could throw at it, which would leave her completely exposed to whatever he would throw at her in return. She could chip away with her ranged units, but that wouldn't come close to adding up on its own...

Sure she could keep killing off his Natials and enduring whatever he threw at her, but eventually she'd need to attack him directly and that was when she'd-

Fie paused. She blinked as realization settled in. Maybe that wasn't entirely accurate...?

"Hmm? Seems like you've got something over there." Boss mused aloud. It made sense since he was always a master at reading her.

"Yes? Maybe?" She let out a shrug, "Guess we'll need to see."

To emphasis that point she drew her card, summoned a Natial to fill her front line and a Tarbyss for her backfield, used her Thief's special ability to draw another card, and ended her turn. She didn't attack.

Boss responded in kind, summoning an extremely powerful Tentarch before using the rest of his mana to summon an additional card with his Beast's same ability that her Thief possessed.

It cost her two of her own monsters to take out his, but that was alright as she had a stronger one in hand to replace one of the losses, plus this freed up her Tarbyss to take an attack of opportunity at the Beast. It didn't do much, but every point counted.

"Well now. I ain't the kinda guy willing to sit around and let my opponent keep taking free shots." To prove his point Boss drew and instantly deployed a Vanish card, obliterating her precious Tarbyss. Fie resisted the urge to scowl – that card was vitally important to her strategy, but she still had another one in her deck somewhere.

If that one was destroyed, however, then she would be screwed.

"...Well played." The deep voice of Leo briefly put a pause to their battle as the massive man laid his remaining cards on the table in surrender. Musse bowed graciously as her win.

As much as Fie adored the Behemoth that outcome didn't surprise her in the slightest.

"Heh. Well I'll be... You must be a pretty impressive young lady to beat Leo like that." Musse merely giggled happily at the praise from Rutger, "How you holding up, Xeno?"

"I'm... holding, Boss." Came the strained voice of the Trap-Master. It didn't sound like he was holding up at all to her.

Well damn. With Musse victorious and Ash seemingly close she was starting to feel the pressure. The rules stated that all three of them needed to win, after all.

She smirked as she drew her last Tarbyss, but she didn't deploy it. Although Boss had few Natials on the field, none of which could strike her backfield, the man had already proven he had that capability in his hand. Given how thin his deck was starting to look from his constant drawing of cards she just needed to wait a few more turns...

Instead she deployed her strongest Natial – a Neptjuno. Not only did it have seven health points, but it protected the two neighboring Natials. Boss had no Natials on his side of the field with that kind of power.

Briefly she recalled a not-so-fond memory of Musse using an Expel card to banish that monster and shatter her defenses during one of their matches together. Hopefully history wouldn't be repeating itself that day.

But his Beast was currently sitting at eight attack. Fie had a medic in hand to give it the needed boost, but she didn't have the mana to use it that turn. Boss hadn't been risking his Beast too much thus far, instead relying on its special ability to keep drawing more cards, but she had a feeling he'd see her prized card as too vital a target to ignore, even with the damage he'd take on the counter...

So she moved her Thief into the front. In the space her Neptjuno couldn't reach.

"Hmm? Well ain't that something..." The Jaeger King stared at her for a few long seconds. It was as if he was searching her soul to glean her intent. It was an ordeal, but years perfecting her stoic face seemed to pay off for her as he nodded, "Well, alright. I'll bite. Full attack on your master with all my cards."

On one hand it was good that he did what she needed him to, but on the other it was pretty horrifying seeing her almost pristine master drop from twenty-four health to twelve in an instant.

With her Thief having served as bait she was quick to retreat it back, plug the gap with a weak Natial, and enhance her Neptjuno to make it safe from the Beast. She was almost out of cards, but given Boss had been drawing them even quicker than she had he was in the same boat.

They were entering the endgame.

Boss drew, summoned a powerful Xenofiend onto the field, and used a Vanish card to destroy the Greon she thought was safely tucked away under her Neptjuno's aegis, causing Fie to scowl as her monster count was reduced to three. Still she was quick to regain her composure as simple math showed she still had enough to execute her plan, even if another sacrifice would be needed to deal with his Xenofiend before that Natial could get off its special ability.

Belatedly she realized she'd dodged a bullet with that one. Had he kept that card in his hand for a few turns more than she would've been in deep trouble.

Fie drew – her second to last card – And deployed another filler Natial. After that she took out the Xenofiend without letting her Neptjuno take damage, even if it came at the cost of another Natial and three of her master's precious health.

"Gah! Dammit!" Xeno's cry and Ash's victorious taunt heralded the second defeated Zephyr member. That left all eyes on Boss as he drew his final card. The only unit he had on the field was his master and his hand held no other cards so this was the last thing he could play-

"I end my turn." He stated succinctly without doing a thing.

That... was worrisome. Fie's final draw was a weak little Hepetus which she deployed with the minimum of considerations. It was the other remaining card in her hand that weighed heaviest. She wanted to deploy it, but that last card in her father's hand was worrisome. If it was a counter to her plan than victory would become impossible.

But at the same time not doing anything would also leave victory impossible as it would leave them in a total stalemate.

With a deep breath she laid down her final card... her second Tarbyss.

"I see." Kurt mused from his spectator's position. "Fie doesn't have the strength to beat that master directly, so instead she created a wall of Natials to protect her lone remaining ranged unit. By the time the Jaeger King cuts through her front line the counters and missile shots will have taken him down."

"Heh. I see. Seems you've gotten better at picking and choosing your battles." Boss stared down at his last remaining card for a painfully long time causing the silver-haired girl to get antsy with worry. What was it? She knew her plan wasn't foolproof but it was the best she could come up with on short notice. Did he have something to snatch away her victory...?

Instead the older man threw the card down, "I'm out. Congrats, Fie."

Fie let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as she basked in the praise of her classmates, instructor, and the older women that had accompanied Rean. Who knew a simple card game could be so stressful?

And yet as the former Zephyr member began to calm down she couldn't help but narrow her eyes in thought. The way Boss acted with that final card before giving up...

Curiously she reached over and flipped that card, revealing a Disaster, a card that could've done big damage to an entire row of her Natials. Even though she had half expected something like that it didn't stop her from sending an irritated look towards her father figure.

Rutger, for his part, seemed completely nonplussed by her reaction, "Sure I could've played that, but it wouldn't have made much difference either way. Your front line is strong enough to weather such an attack, and while I could've taken out your shooter it would've turned the game into a stalemate. I think you'd agree that nobody wants an outcome like that.

She was mollified... somewhat. Still, between that ending and the fact Boss seemed to play uncharacteristically defensive in that match and she couldn't help but feel he was playing less to win and more to test her. It was the sort of thing he loved to do.

At the very least it seemed she had passed that test as Boss had a tiny little smirk on his face as he gathered up his cards, "Either way you guys have done a damn fine job beating me and my boys like that. Time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain."

Good. Fie knew Boss was good for his word, but the battle had been so stressful that she had pretty much forgotten the reason for the fight to begin with.

"Wait a sec, Fie." Boss called out as she stood from her seat, "Ain't you forgettin' something?"

She was about to question what that could've been when he flicked his wrist and sent a card sliding across the table. Quick reflexes were the only thing that stopped it from falling off her side. Curiously she turned it over to reveal the face.

It was his Beast master card.

"You take a card from the vanquished, right? Consider that your spoils of a hard fought battle." The words of a true jaeger.

For a moment she was surprised that he was giving away his most valuable card like that, but she was quick to hide her thoughts under a mask of nonchalance, "Hmm... It's a good card, but I'm not sure it suits my style very much."

Naturally he responded with an equally nonchalant shrug, "It's your card now. Do whatever you want with it. Think of it as a memento." That statement caused her to give him a confused look, "I have no idea what you're gonna end up doing in the future, but your past isn't something you'll ever forget."

His words caused her to once again look down at the card in her hand. Like Boss she had no idea what her future entailed, but he was right about her past. Even if she was no longer a member of Zephyr that training and experience forged in a pool of blood and violence was as much a part of her as anything else. It's a lifestyle she wouldn't want to experience again, but it was one she didn't regret living through one bit.

Maybe the Beast suited her more than she initially thought.

With her thoughts focused entirely on the card in her hand and the words that went with it she silently ceded the conversation to Rean and his questions.

It was only after Class VII left the casino that Fie realized she had been so engrossed in the card game and its aftermath that she hadn't remembered to ask her father any of the questions that had been plaguing her. For some reason that didn't actually surprise her one bit.

Boss wouldn't have been Boss otherwise.

"Ain't that something." Rutger Claussell muttered just after Fie and her friends left the casino. It took considerable willpower to resist the temptation to light up a cigar. Classy place like this probably had a no smoking rule and it wouldn't be nice of him to ignore it even if he doubted they'd dare try to reprimand the scary looking jaeger guy.

A shame, but at least the booze was pretty damn good. Something which he gladly partook of in lieu of his favorite smoke.

"Are you certain it was alright to divulge as much as you did?"

He waved off Leo's words with practiced ease, "Eh. No biggie. Schwarzer seems like a smart guy. Most of the things I said simply confirmed what he probably already suspected. Hell, Icy Maiden's boss probably knows more than we do."

"Fair enough," Xeno agreed as the lanky man leaned back in his chair, "but why'd you go and hog Fie like that, huh? Would've been fun to challenge her to a match."

"Don't care to hear any bitching from someone who got clobbered by her classmate." The Trap-Master scowled at the reminder, but Rutger wasn't finished yet as he glanced between his two subordinates, "How were they, by the way?"

"I was completely outmatched." Leonidas answered with no shame, "She was able to read my strategies almost as soon as I began to put them into play. It was my total defeat."

With both sets of eyes on him Xeno gave a groan, "The guy was pretty good, alright? Probably not on the same level as that genius girl, but he was aggressive and could adapt pretty quickly. I bet he'd make a damn good jaeger in a year or two."

"Good to know." The Zephyr leader made a mental note on that one. Would be nice to reform the group once everything was finished, after all. He wasn't surprised to see the expectant gazes of his subordinates on him, "Fie impressed me. I could tell she's still the hyperactive little hellion we all know and love, but she's gotten smart enough to hold herself back when the situation called for it."

"Think she's ready for what's to come?"

"Ain't that the big question?" He considered how to respond, "She still has a ways to go, I think, but she's getting there. Pretty big difference between avoiding a fight with a Beast that can't really take the fight to her and the literal beasts she and her friends are getting involved with. Still, it seems like she's growing by leaps and bounds and has surrounded herself with some pretty crafty individuals, so I think she has a chance to pull through alright."

"Not a big chance though."

Rutger shook his head, "Hell, none of us have a big chance at pulling through, but that ain't really an issue for us, is is? Still not sure why I ended up getting plucked from the jaws of Gehenna, but if all I get outta this second chance is another fight like the one old Baldur gave me than I can return happy. Fie and the others still have their lives to live."

"So I take it to mean our mission will continue as planned?" Leo asked.

"Uh huh. Schwarzer, Fie, and his other students seem like a sharp bunch of kids, but against what those snakes are bringing to bear it won't be enough. As fun as it'd be to see how strong she's gotten in a real battle I've no desire to see those kids get slaughtered."

"Makes sense." Xeno leaned back in his chair, "But what if they find some allies to work with?"

Rutger thought about the question, but shook his head again, "Even were they to get assistance from those young ladies or the exceptional folk in the city I still don't see it being enough. Still... maybe they'll have an ace up their sleeves. Wouldn't mind stepping aside if they do, but for now we're operating under our original mission."

"Ja."

"Understood."

The eldest Claussell assumed the conversation was done with, but he noticed both his subordinates seemed to be sizing him up, "You got something else?"

Leo hesitantly shook his head, "It's nothing pertaining to our mission, but..."

"You just gave your strongest card to Fie." Xeno finished.

Ahhh. So that's what this was about. Rutger gave the same smirk he would level towards a worthy opponent on the battlefield, "If you think you're strong enough to take this crown off my head than bring it on. Just be ready to pay the price when you fail."

Sure all jaegers were more beast than man, but he wasn't just a jaeger. He was the Jaeger King and it was time to remind these two that a king stood above any old beast.