Journey To Castle Csejte Chapter 2:

The Witch and the Warrior King

It didn't take long for Ritsuka to put on his disguise, but as he looked at the reflection in the puddle beneath his feet, he couldn't help but smile a bit. Given how festive the town was, it was best for their disguises to be that of costumes so as to make them seem like they belong. Before Mashu and the other girls left to get changed, they handed him his own costume, and he felt like it would suffice. It was a pirate costume with a blue overcoat with black trims, with a white shirt, blue pants and red sash and simple, yet eye-catching brown leather boots. His pirate hat was also blue, but he felt that it could have been a different color. All in all, he felt that the outfit looked decent, but he didn't know if it suited him.

"There you are, Puppy!" Liz's voice rang out from behind him. Ritsuka turned around and saw that the Lancer decided to stay in her witch's outfit, her impish and proud smile never leaving her face. The pink haired girl raised an eyebrow in amusement at his attire, and with a flick of her tail, spun her trident into her left hand. "Not bad, though you have nothing on my costume!"

"Now now, I think both of you look great!" Mata Hari said as she stepped out of the shadows, causing Ritsuka to shake his head in amusement at Mata Hari's costume. The Assassin basically wore something that was similar to her regular Servant form in how revealing it was. It was a very tight and skimpy pumpkin colored tavern wench costume with a brown corset that made her breasts nearly spill out of the top, and the bottom half of the costume could barely be considered a costume as it was merely a small green skirt that barely covered her luscious thighs, and transparent enough to show off a bikini bottom.

"That outfit suits you." Ritsuka said eventually.

"Personally I give her outfit an 8.5 out of ten." Carmilla said as she walked in stealthily. "She wears it well, but sometimes more clothes give off more allure."

Ritsuka noted Carmilla's costume, and it felt jarring to see, yet also somehow she made it work and look good on her. The white haired Assassin wore a tight black catsuit with her face mask enhancing her already bright golden eyes. "Personally I think I'm the only one who looks perfect."

"Hey! You can't beat my cute outfit!" Liz shouted.

"Well both of you look better than mine!" Iris shouted. Everyone turned around, and nearly snickered at what she wore. The Irish magus wore a very high quality Dorothea outfit straight from Wizard of Oz. Complete with the wig with pigtails, ruby slippers and picnic basket. "I look ridiculous….."

"Oh come on," Ritsuka said. "I think it looks cute."

Iris grumbled and rolled her eyes. "Great, now I'm receiving pity…"

"I think it is better than mine…" Mashu said from behind the trees. "I do not thing I do this costume service…."

"Oh come on, Mashu," Mata Hari said. "I think you look cute! Come on out and don't be shy."

After a few moments of whimpering shyness, Mashu came out from behind her tree, and Ritsuka could not help but be in awe at what the Shielder wore. Mashu wore a pretty pink princess outfit, complete with white gloves and white shoes. While for others this costume would simply be a costume, to Ritsuka, Mashu looked radiant. The Shielder blushed a bit and covered her face to hide her embarrassment. "I really do not make this costume look good."

"As if!" Liz shouted. "Sure, you don't look cute as me, but that outfit suits you well!"

"Y-yeah, Liz is right." Ritsuka said, finally finding his voice after what felt like forever. "You look great, I, on the other hand, feel that this outfit is merely serviceable for me…"

"Sorry for being late Anchin!" Kiyohime said as she rushed towards the group. The blue haired Berserker wore a simple sailor fuku for schoolgirls in Japan, complete with a blue jacket, and backpack. "What do you think?"

"It looks cute." Ritsuka said.

"And with that, everyone is here." Mata Hari muttered. "Anyway, chin up, Mashu, you look great!"

"I….I do?"

"Aye, and if you don't believe us, then believe Ritsuka when he says it." Iris said, trying to get used to her ruby slippers.

Mashu looked up and stared at Ritsuka who smiled back at her. The Shielder felt her heart beat faster as she took note of his clothes and started to smile back. "You look great, Senpai."

Ritsuka's smile faltered, his expression uncertain of what to think. "I-I do?"

"Yes! In fact, I think blue is definitely your color." Mashu answered.

For a moment, Ritsuka had nothing to say. But soon, an even happier smile appeared on his face. Something that Mata Hari and Liz noticed with amused and knowing grins. Carmilla cleared her throat and tapped her staff on the ground to grab everyone's attention. "Save the pointless chatter for later. Right now we have a job to do."

"Hey, who died and put you in charge?" Liz shouted in annoyance.

"Well she is my second in command here…" Ritsuka countered.

"And you all would do well to remember that." Carmilla said. "Now, let us figure out where we should start. Finding information is paramount, but we must know where to look first."

"A town that big is bound to have loads of gossip and rumors, true enough." Iris replied calmly. "The problem is that we might not be able to find who has any clues as to what's happening."

"Why not go door to door?" Mashu asked. "We could pretend to be trick or treating. Oh, I always wanted to go trick or treating!"

"An adequate start for options," Carmilla said. "However, we do not know if anyone else would be performing such a childish passtime tonight. We'd probably look even more suspicious."

"You're the only one who looks suspicious, you damned dominatrix…." Liz muttered.

"Then why don't we just find any groups outside and ask them for info?" Iris asked.

"That could work, but that would require us to look safe and welcoming." Mata Hari replied. "I could easily do that, though I might just come back with mere idle gossip."

"Right, we could put your spy training to use," Carmilla replied. "However, sending out one person to do all this would take too much time."

"Then send me in!" Kiyohime said. "If anyone lies, I shall burn them!"

"I do like the idea of torturing them…." Liz said.

"Same here," Carmilla said. "Though preferably I'd rather be the one torturing them."

"We're not burning them!" Ritsuka and Iris said together in unison.

"Anyway, I think the best bet is going into one of the taverns." Ritsuka said. "It's got lots of people, and most of them would more than likely have the information we'd need."

"Oh that's perfect!" Mata Hari said.

Carmilla groaned. "So we have to mingle with the riff raff….."

"Carmilla, you were the one who said we need information." Kiyohime said. "Would this not count in getting it?"

"Besides, everyone might be drawn to you." Iris said. "Think of all the attention you'd get."

Carmilla thought in silence for a few moments, making everyone wonder what she was thinking. The white haired Assassin tensed up, her nostrils flaring in irritation and annoyance. She soon closed her eyes and sighed, relaxing her body and stared at her companions with a stern look. "Fine, but I expect a nice table, the finest wine and food. And a veil to hide behind. I refuse to let just anyone gaze upon me."

Liz gasped in realization. "Oh then we should find a place with a stage! That way I can bless the piggies and squirrels with my singing!"

"NO!" Everyone shouted in unison. Liz stared at them in shock for a moment, before Mata Hari cleared her throat and smiled. "Liz, now wouldn't be the time to perform, not when Fou is missing and the Singularity is running."

Kiyohime's eyes twitched at the comment. While it wasn't an outright lie, it wasn't exactly the entire truth either. She did concede that the maternal Assassin was right, on the other hand, and that this wasn't the best time for this lizard to go off and blow their cover. Especially when she could show off to her beloved Anchin and show that she's better than her!

"But they're practically begging!" Liz countered.

"No they aren't." Iris replied. "At least not yet, I think."

"Iris, don't encourage her!" Ritsuka whispered. "A-anyway, how about we make a trade, Liz. You save your singing for your upcoming Concert, and I'll buy a backstage pass to support you."

"You will?" Liz asked, her eyes beaming with excitement.

"Of course!" Ritsuka said.

"W-well, if you really want me to save my voice for later…then I guess it's a deal, Puppy!"

Everyone felt their minds sigh in relief for the briefest of moments. Before they could say anything else, Liz got up and walked towards the town. "Come on! The sooner we go down there the faster we can find out where Fou might be!"

Iris and Mata Hari rushed to try and keep up with Liz, leaving everyone else to stare at Ritsuka in slight astonishment.

"I cannot believe you said that." Carmilla said in irritation.

"Hey, she's been going through some stuff lately, so I'm going to support her as a friend." Ritsuka countered.

"Then I want tickets too!" Kiyohime said. True, she was curious as to how the show would turn out, but more importantly, it would help her keep a close eye on Liz so she didn't try to pull any moves on Anchin.

"We'll see if there are enough then." Ritsuka said.

Carmilla sighed and tapped Kiyohime on the shoulder. "Let us be off before I vomit from this display."

Without another word, Kiyohime and Carmilla walked off, and left Ritsuka and Mashu alone for a few moments. "Seriously, Mashu, you look nice in that costume."

The Shielder blushed before smiling. "Thank you Senpai."

The Shielder rushed off to catch up to the others, leaving Ritsuka alone to gather his thoughts. He couldn't help but smile at what she said earlier, as if something in his chest felt happier, and his body feeling lighter and more energetic. "Blue, huh."

As everyone finally regrouped outside the nicest looking tavern, they all took note of the town itself, and were surprised to realize they were the only ones aside from kids who dressed in their costumes. No one batted an eye, thankfully, and simply attributed it to them all just supporting the two younger looking Servants. Soon, they all went into the tavern, and were pleasantly surprised at how clean it was, the air smelled pleasant, especially to Mata Hari and Iris. and much to Carmilla's pleasure, there was a nice table in the back with a nice curtain. The white haired Assassin decided to head over there to sit down and file her nails while everyone else handled the information gathering. Or rather, let the information come to her. Iris joined her to let her leg settle, with Carmilla scooting over to let the Irish woman sit down. That left everyone else to gather the information they needed. Ritsuka and Liz split with the others to ask around one side of the tavern, while Mata Hari decided to go to the front of the tavern, flirting and asking for information, making both men and women blush at seeing the beautiful woman talking to them. Which left Mashu and Kiyohime to ask around the other sides of the tavern. After about an hour or so, they all reconvened to the table Carmilla and Iris sat down on and took their seats, with a serving girl bringing them their food.

"So, did you all hear anything useful?" Iris asked.

"I only heard about the upcoming festival for the town." Ritsuka said. "And at least several people thinking Liz looks cute as a witch."

"They were simply stating the obvious." Liz replied as she flipped her hair with a haughty smile. "What about you two?"

"Nothing about Fou, unfortunately." Mashu answered. "But we did hear something about how some of the nearby towns are dealing with unknown terrors, and are under lockdown."

"Huh, that's interesting." Mata Hari said. "I mainly got information about other people's love life."

"Really?" Iris asked. "You couldn't get anything important?"

"Well I did get some information that might help." Mata Hari said. "But it took some time to get it. Apparently there's something on the roads terrorizing caravans, and if it continues, the town's economy might crumble."

"Well, that is something." Liz said. "Anything else?"

"I have something, and it adds to her information." Carmilla said. "We heard that there are two other mysterious figures that show up to fend off said creature from killing the merchants. They say nothing to them, but simply let them run for their lives."

"Okay, so let us review what we have." Iris said. "We have towns under lock down, something on the roads terrorizing the caravans, and two mysterious saviors stopping it from killing too many people."

"Sounds like everything is connected." Kiyohime replied. "Do you think that it's a scam?"

"No, it doesn't look like it." Mata Hari answered. "If it were a scam or a shake down, why would these two saviors simply let them go without asking for a reward? And more importantly, why would they disappear without saying anything?"

"Yeah, Margaretha's right." Ritsuka said. "But the real question is this; why is this happening?"

"That is indeed the big question." Carmilla answered. "But one that cannot be answered right now."

"Then what do we do now?" Mashu asked.

"Well, we might not have gotten much, but this is definitely a good start." Liz said. "

"Then we should ask the merchants about the situation." Ritsuka said. "They might know what this attacker looks like."

"Let's wait and eat our food." Mata Hari said. "It's been a long day and you guys need to eat, afterall."

Mashu was about to protest, but a gurgling sound rang through the table, making her blush in slight embarrassment. "P-perhaps I could eat something."

"Same here." Ritsuka said. "Besides, I'm actually very hungry right now."

The group nodded together, and began to eat their food. During that time, they discussed where to find the merchants, and how to earn their trust. After deciding on their best course of action, they finished their food and left the tavern, with Mata Hari thanking the bartender with a wink and blowing a kiss at him, causing the young man to blush as several patrons laughed in his triumph. The group then looked around, and found the Merchants' Guild hall, only to be stopped by a man at the door. "Sorry, but only guild members are allowed in the halls."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but we were just hoping someone could help us." Iris said.

"I might be able to help…." The man said. "But speak quickly, we're not exactly in the best mood right now."

"We heard that several merchants got attacked on the roads." Ritsuka said. "We were hoping to ask around about it."

The man furrowed his eyebrows. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"You would do well to hold your tongue." Carmilla replied harshly. "I will have you know I am a countess of this nation, and I will not tolerate such a tone."

The man gulped and his skin went pale. "F-forgive me, my lady. I just took you for a regular of the village."

"Well, you would do well to remember your betters." Carmilla said.

"Yeah, otherwise I'll have to punish you!" Liz shouted.

"W-well regardless, I cannot let any of you into the hall." The man said. "You know how these things work, right my lady?"

"Oh very well, we shall wait out here." Carmilla said. "Bring out the merchants and bring them here."

The man nodded and rushed inside the building, leaving everyone to look at Carmilla in disbelief.

"I cannot believe that worked." Kiyohime said.

"Well, Carmilla can be…persuasive." Iris muttered.

"I can be persuasive too!" Liz shouted.

"How about you leave the talking to me, and Ritsuka?" Mata Hari said. "They'd probably be more willing to talk when there's less people asking them the questions."

No sooner did she say that, the doors to the guildhall opened up and several merchants came out, their eyes nearly popped out as soon as they saw the beautiful woman standing before them with a smile. "Hello gentleman, we're hoping we could ask you more about the attacks on your caravans?"

"I-I see." One of the merchants said. "What do you wish to know?"

"First, can you tell us if you got a good look at what attacked you?" Mata Hari asked. Some of the merchants went pale, their expressions telling the Chaldeans all they needed to know. Mata Hari did not relent, but decided to throw in something to sweeten the deal. With a small sympathetic smile, she lowered herself, showing some of her cleavage and winked. "It's okay, you're not in any danger. So why don't you all relax, and help us help you."

"H-help us?" One of the merchants asked. "W-why would you be interested?"

"We might be able to help." Ritsuka answered calmly. "So, what can you tell us about what attacked you?"

One of the men walked forward, his eyes showing the horror and trauma that came from the attack. "I was probably the only one who got a good look at that thing. It definitely looked human, but much larger than any man I have ever met."

"Is there anything else?" Mata Hari asked curiously. "Any distinguishing features?"

"Well aside from that, all it could do was roar in a weird way." One of the merchants said. "Whenever it did so, that's when we ran for our lives….."

"I'm just glad those two saviors came when they did," The lead merchant said. "They didn't even tell us to run, but they seemed to know we were in danger."

"We heard about that in the tavern." Ritsuka said. "Can you give any more details about the monster that attacked you?"

"Well…I think it was heavily armored." One of the merchants answered. "I can't say the style, but it wasn't from around here."

"And what about these saviors?" Iris asked. "Did you get a good look at them?"

"No ma'am." The lead merchant answered. "They were hooded and cloaked."

"Interesting…." Mata Hari muttered. "Thank you for your help, boys. We have all we wanted to ask."

The playful Assassin winked and blew a kiss to all of them, making their hearts stop for a moment before the Chaldean's turned away and walked to the center of town to gather their thoughts.

"So, they told us more of the same of what we know." Liz said. "That was a waste of time."

"I disagree." Ritsuka said. "Sure, we didn't find anything about Fou, but we learned more about what was attacking the roads. My guess it's a rogue Servant who was summoned here."

"Not just any rogue Servant." Carmilla said. "But one that is big enough to scare everyone off."

"And I detected no lie in their words." Kiyohime said, "Whoever attacked them, it was probably a Berserker."

"Then what's our next move?" Iris asked.

"Well, for one, we should just leave the town for now and check out the roads," Ritsuka said. "I can tell this is as much info we're getting from this village so we might as well brave the journey and see what else we can learn."

"And what about Fou?" Mashu asked. "He could be here…"

"If he were here, we'd have found him by now." Carmilla replied coldly.

"I hate to say it, but she's got a point," Mata Hari chimed. "Fou would have caused the entire town to faint just from his cuteness, and he'd have found us if he were here…."

"Cheer up, Mashu. Fou could be in the next town for all we know." Liz said. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get going!"

The rest of the group nodded in agreement and reached the outskirts of the village before leaving it entirely. Unbeknownst to them, two cloaked figures watched them from afar, seeing them leave the village and towards their next destination. Without uttering another word, they slunk into the shadows, hoping to tail them and see what they were up to.

The party made their way into the forest, the moon disappearing behind their backs as they entered the thick foliage. It was almost like an old video game, thought Ritsuka, the scenery transitioning to a much darker and more macabre atmosphere as if they passed through an invisible checkpoint.

Thankfully, the ground was dry and thus their movement was brisk.

"Looks like there's been dry weather for a while," said Ritsuka, looking down at the cracked and parched soil.

"How can you tell, Senpai?" asked Mashu, curious as to which clues gave it away.

"In thick forests like this, sunlight doesn't penetrate very deep," explained Ritsuka, heel tapping the compacted dirt, "So, the ground can remain moist for quite a while from just regular rain. If the dirt is this dry, then it means there hasn't been rain for a while."

"Ah, I see! Poor earth, dry skin can be such a bother…" said Mata Hari, imagining how it would feel to have such a condition.

"Hmph, such things can happen during the dry months," said Carmilla, "It also means it's more difficult to track others down by their shoe prints."

Moist soil compressed easily and thus left behind prints when disturbed. The soil here, however, wouldn't leave behind much of anything for the group to follow.

"Ah yes, I remember one of my servants made sure to keep the courtyard watered every day this time of the year!" said Elizabeth, "Thankfully, a beautiful idol such as myself is always prepared for such things!"

With a flourish of her trident, Elizabeth's wings suddenly appeared behind her back. Despite their relatively small size and slow rate of flapping, Elizabeth could take to the air as easily as a bird.

"Ah, that is a great idea, Eli!" shouted Mashu, "It would be much easier to see where to go if you can fly!"

Birds rarely got lost in such forests, as the trees were a much less obtrusive obstruction for one that flew through the air. Elizabeth nodded in satisfaction, enjoying the praise from the cute eggplant. Carmillla, however, had a smirk of foreknowledge.

"I think that stunt might have stirred some sleeping spirits, Anchin." commented Kiyohime, suddenly catching a hint of bones and grave soil within the air.

A thick mist began to envelope the party, while a group of pale blue lights seemed to flash from within the mist. The temperature of the forest dropped, a chill settling into everyone present.

"Ah! This mist is going to mess up my hair! I got up really early to brush it 100 times, and I refuse to let it be-GAHHHH!" screamed Elizabeth.

A spectral figure had suddenly snuck up behind her and raked at her with its long, pale claws.

"Oh dear, it would appear as if the small one has captured the attention of these shades," observed Carmilla, more amused than concerned about the presence of the ghosts, "They seem to have a fondness for that brat, should we make our leave and let her deal with them?"

"No, we don't leave anybody behind!" refused Ritsuka, to Carmilla's displeasure, "Kiyohime, can you burn down the ghost attacking Liz?"

The pale-green dragon girl smiled gracefully, whipping out her fan in confirmation.

"Leave it to me, Anchin!" said Kiyohime.

She took in a deep breath and then bellowed a gout of intense flames. She then swished the flames with her fan, shaping them into a serpent of flames to direct at the ghost attacking Elizabeth. It struck the specter cleanly, burning it to cinders as its weaker mystery fell before a dragon's flames.

Elizabeth, sadly, was also caught in the crossfire. She fell to the ground, her wonderful costume singed and her hair frazzled from the intense heat of Kiyohime's fire.

The mist began to clear, the ghosts deciding to wait for a more opportune time to attack the party. Everyone celebrated the victory…except for one…

"NOOOO!" cried Elizabeth, her dignity gone as she ran her long pink fingers through her hair, "My dress, my hair! It's all ruined! Nooooo, it's not fair!"

It was almost comical, seeing a Heroic Spirit bawling on the floor like a young child. Mata Hari, however, approached Elizabeth, helping her up.

"There there, don't worry. A proper lady always comes prepared, right?" said Mata Hari, reaching into her pocket for a brush, "You have such beautiful hair, so just relax and I'll have you looking perfect in no time!"

Elizabeth felt her lip quiver with gratitude, but did her best to save face after her embarrassing display. She turned around, letting the beautiful dancer Servant run her brush and fingers through her hair.

It felt wonderful, thought Elizabeth; the woman's fingers nimbly dematted the dried out hair while her brush straightened out the kinks. With a small dab of oil, Liz's long pink locks were restored to their previous luster.

"Ahh! I look so pretty!" exclaimed Elizabeth, practically jumping with joy, "Ahem, thank you Ms. Dancer. I am in your debt for this evening."

"You're welcome! Once we get to the next village, we can do something about your dress as well. I've had to correct several mishaps in the past." responded Mata Hari.

"Do we even want to know?" Iris asked.

"Nothing that's suitable for Liz's or Kiyohime's ears," Mata Hari said with a hint of embarrassment. "Or Mashu's for that matter."

A low rumbling sound filled their ears, and a spine chilling wail ran throughout the forest. The Chaldeans were now immediately on edge, readying themselves for another battle. Their eyes widened, however, as they saw several bodies lumbering towards them slowly. Their bodies smelled of decay, and their flesh falling off almost with every step.

"Oh great, now we have bloody zombies to worry about now." Iris said. The first of the undead rose its hand to try and swipe at the green haired woman, but Iris dodged and conjured several roots from the ground to pierce its body before ripping its head off with one clean stroke. Carmilla used her power over blood to conjure a wave of blood to slow the zombies down, allowing Mashu and Liz to destroy their heads and bodies in rapid succession. Kiyohime incinerated several more of the undead, and Ritsuka froze several more in place, courtesy of Tokiomi's, or rather, his new staff. The black haired Master couldn't help but admire how well it worked in his hands. But that would come later, right now he had several undead monsters to worry about. Mata Hari did what she could, dodging and dancing around each and every zombie from attacking her. She wasn't much of a fighter, but she could at least lure her enemies to those that could. And her patience was rewarded as Ritsuka and Iris fired magical bolts at her pursuers. Soon, more showed up, and the Chaldeans were starting to wonder if there would ever be an end to them.

"How in the heck are there so many?!" Liz asked. "I don't want to be out in the open like this for much longer!"

"Iris, can you trap them in place so we can just get out of here?" Ritsuka asked.

"I can do something about the ones out here, but not anything more!" Iris answered.

"It's better than nothing!" Carmilla shouted. "Just do it!"

Iris immediately got to work and placed her hands on the ground to begin her spell. As everyone continued to fight, she made her incantations, and took a deep breath. Soon, several roots and tendrils shot out of the ground, and trapped each and every zombie in their proximity in place. "There, now let's get running!"

The group immediately sprinted away from the horde, but they soon realized that that wasn't the last of them. More were coming, and were much faster than the ones from earlier. Iris tried to keep up, but her leg was soon starting to affect her, and she started to fall behind everyone else. "Dammit, my leg!"

Mashu immediately rushed to her side, picked her up and carried her like a princess, returning to the others at top speed. Everyone did not look back, but it was clear that they were starting to lose their pursuers. That is until another shriek rang in their ears, and several more ghosts appeared in front of them. The group stopped in their tracks almost immediately, seeing their way was barred. They had to find a new route to escape not just the zombies, but also the ghosts.

"Great, now more ghosts?!" Liz shouted. "Why are they all targeting us right now?"

FWOOSH!

A wall of flame erupted beneath the ghosts, destroying them instantly. The group then heard a roar from behind, and a large man swung at the zombies, killing them all in rapid succession without suffering any wound. Ritsuka caught a glimmer of the man's weapon, but immediately fired another spell that flew past the man, taking out a zombie that the warrior didn't see. The hooded man turned to Ritsuka, and gave a curt nod before mowing down more of the undead, with several bolts of magic from an unknown source aiding him by picking off the ones furthest from him. Mashu put Iris down, and joined the man alongside Liz, and the three soon made short work of the zombies, until there was none left that could stand.

"Thanks for the help." Ritsuka said. "I'm guessing you and your mystery friend are the ones who the merchants mentioned who saved them."

"And we've been following you since you left." A woman's voice rang out. Ritsuka and Mashu widened their eyes as they saw the person step from the shadows, and removed her hood. Her partner did the same, and stared at Ritsuka with slight annoyance.

Standing right there with his ax resting on his shoulder, and by his side were none other than Eric Bloodaxe and his wife Gunnhild.

"Do you remember my name, boy?" The Berserker asked in a growl.

"Wait….do you remember us?" Mashu asked.

Gunnhild grinned at the Shielder. "I remember you can throw a mean right hook, girl."

Eric Bloodaxe walked towards Ritsuka slowly, his gaze not leaving the boy until he was right in front of him. He slammed his ax down, as if ready to strike, making Kiyohime and Liz ready themselves. The red haired Berserker snorted in dismissal, while they might seem strong, he could take them both on in a blink of an eye at this range. "Answer the question. Do you remember my name?"

"You're Eric Bloodaxe."

Silence filled the air with a tension that made Iris and Mashu uneasy. However, that tension soon broke as the Berserker grinned and turned to face his wife. "He actually remembered my name!"

Gunnhild rolled her eyes and shook her head with an amused smile. "Thanks for that, he's been worried no one knew who he was because no one recognized him."

"Wait a minute, did you say you were following us?" Mata Hari asked. "How long did you know we were there?"

Gunnhilde raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you, and do you really have permission whoring around in that outfit?"

Kiyohime and Liz immediately prepared to attack the Caster for her rude comment. Ritsuka scowled as well, clenching his fists and stared daggers at the blonde woman. "You're going to take that back."

"Ritsuka, let me handle this." Mata Hari said calmly. "Forgive me, Queen Gunnhilde, I am Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. Or you might have heard of me by my stage name of Mata Hari."

"Oh, so a dancer then," Gunnhilde said. "Guess that makes sense. In any case, we only saw you guys since talking to those merchants."

"Why were you even in the village to begin with?" Carmilla asked.

"No real reason." Eric Bloodaxe replied. "We just got bored being out here in the woods and decided to see what that festival was about."

"Then….do you know what, or rather who attacked the merchants?" Iris asked.

"No, not really." Gunnhild answered. "All we know is that guy is not friendly, and won't show mercy."

"Well that was uneventful." Liz said. "And here we were hoping you could tell us who it was."

"He's strong, I'll concede that much." Eric Bloodaxe said. A small grin formed on his face. "I'm kind of miffed that we had to cut our fight short."

"Um, pardon me, but I have a question," Mashu said. "Have any of you seen Fou?"

"What is a Fou?" Gunnhild asked. "Is that the white furball that helped blow up the armory on the Revenge?"

"Aye, that'd be him." Iris answered. "We're here mainly because he was kidnapped from our base and came here."

"Ah, well hate to say it, but we haven't seen him." Gunnhild answered. "But since we're here to solve this Singularity, we could help in the search."

"You will?" Mashu asked.

"Why not?" Bloodaxe replied. "Teaming up right now would make things go easier than having us work separately."

"In that case, do you know the way to the next village, Carmilla?" Mata Hari asked.

The Assassin looked at the ground for a few moments before staring up into the sky. She tried to see the stars and figure out where they could be headed towards, until a small smile crept on her lips. "The next village is a day's journey from here. I know where we should go."

"Then we should find a good place to camp for the night and start heading there first thing in the morning." Ritsuka said.

"There's a patch of land that would suit our needs." Gunnhild said. "Follow us and don't fall behind."

Everyone nodded as Eric Bloodaxe and Gunnhild took the lead to bring them to their destination. As they did so, Ritsuka felt a chill up his spine as he looked back at the woods one last time. He swore he could hear the ghosts moaning and begging for something, but he just couldn't place his mind on it. He soon buried those thoughts as he rushed to catch up to the others.

Whatever it was, it would have to wait until they decide to come back to the town.