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Swordplay for Days

"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property: Capitalism 101."

This article, A Can of Worms, belongs solely to The Great Swordsman and cannot be utilized without his permission. Otherwise, you'll find yourself in pieces. If you wish to use the contents of this article, make a concise request on his page.
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Ambush[]

Even more time has passed. Though she started out in a great hurry, eager to return home, she now found herself dithering in eastern Ishgar. Was it because she was trying to work up the courage to ask her out? The assassin had settled on taking the plunge when she returned, but it was one thing to decide to do something, and another to actually execute it. Then there was her confidant and likely only true friend: Jackie Whitechapel. Rene hadn’t expected to see her, nor how much she’d grown. The menace was still there, without a doubt, but it was in check now; it didn’t take much to figure out what had spurred the personal growth. Was her love that strong? Rene couldn’t help but be a little jealous.


hat jealousy had been enough to send her south to Sin, where she resumed her hunt of Whispering Wind’s remnants. Disposing of some “old friends” had proven just the tonic she needed then. Now? Renesmee wondered if she was regressing as Jackie was progressing. Maybe constantly being saved was getting to her. How many times had it been now? Five? Ten? She didn’t dare keep track; just the thought brought a bubbling anger, nay rage, to the surface. She needed to see that place again.

“Thon, can you turn east? I want to go there,” she requested. Aethon immediately banked right, before flying forward, her pace increasing. The eagle didn’t need any prodding to know what place Rene meant. The final spot of triumph, the great moment of truth: it was probably the assassin’s greatest achievement as far as Rene was concerned. Yet, Aethon couldn’t help but be worried that murdering one’s own mother, as bad as she was, was something worth being remembered by. It didn’t help that she felt the assassin’s troublesome, incessant darkness manifesting as bloody rage. What she would do to see her smile happily, innocently; the one time she had seen it, Aethon was struck by how much it suited the assassin. How different would she have been had she grown up with her parents? Raised as an Aquitaine in a loving household, darling of the family.

“We’re here.” Aethon was snapped from her thoughts as the space emerged. Esme’s final resting place; she wondered if the vampire’s corpse had been picked apart by the crows. Maybe other scavengers helped; it was a fitting end for her. Diving, she landed nearby, shifting into her human guise after Rene jumped off.

“Looks like the land is already healing,” she commented.

Rene didn’t respond immediately as she studied the ground. She had expected to at least see the picked clean bones…maybe a larger predator dragged the body away? Still, Aethon was right; signs of the fire-fight her and her mother had were fading fast as nature resumed its course. Even the indentation that marked the final resting place was gone; she touched where it should have been with two fingers, her figure crouched. The assassin wondered if maybe she hadn’t quite moved on yet herself, even after all these months. Was something wrong with her?

“Nature’s resilient that way. You can’t keep her down no matter how hard you try,” Renesmee said finally, shading her eyes as the sun’s rays spread among the trees. A name popped into her head: Ah Kin. Another godly ancestor: her great-grandfather. A small part of her hoped he wouldn’t butt in next; she doubted her pride could take one more rescue. And after her pride, what did she have? 

She didn’t dare probe further, standing. “That’s enough delay. I know you’re looking forward to giving Mr. Piggy a piece of your mind again,” Rene said, trying for a smile. It was thinly transparent however; a lapse in the assassin’s usual poker skill.

Aethon nodded with a smile back, even if she felt inwardly troubled. She wanted Rene to get her happy ending; gods know the woman needed and deserved one. In the blink of an eye, an eagle stood in front of Rene once more. Keen to be off, she tapped the ground impatiently, managing to draw a small smirk out of the assassin, who jumped on to her back. As soon as Rene was secure, Aethon took to the skies, a favorable wind and the expenditure of magic lending speed to her flight.

Unbeknownst to both the assassin and the bird, two pairs of eyes were locked onto their bodies from within a nearby forest as the duo began to take flight. 

"Is that the one we've been looking for?" A voice spoke. 

"Yeah. There's no doubt. I can sense both Esme's trail and scent on that woman" Another voice spoke. 

"Is that right? Heh, then we've hit the jackpot. I thought we'd have to turn this entire country upside down to find her but she actually came to us" The voice belonging to clearly a male cackled before he stepped forward. "Well then, shall we?" 

"Very well" The other voice, which sounded like a female's, agreed and not a moment later, both their bodies vanished as a trail of smoke was left were they stood. 

Their continued flight passed in silence, one heavy with contemplation. Eventually, Aethon could bear it no longer. "So...are we heading straight there now?" she asked.

"Yes. Well, except for a stop in Joya. Since we were close to the border, we should be in Bellum soon, then we'll cut across the lake region into Joya. I doubt you want to fly through the deserts of Desierto again. Once we reach Joya, we'll rest and retool for the last push home."

"Alright...so, are you going to tell any of them what happened?" Another silence followed.

"Violet and Jaziah..maybe Tetsuya. That's it. If it doesn't come up the rest don't need to know."

Aethon let out an inward sigh of relief. At least she was telling someone, though she was a little surprised Alexis wasn't on that list. Probably wanted to save that for later. "And then?"

"I muster up the courage to ask Lexi," Rene blushes for a second, "out."

Now that caught the bird's attention. She chuckled warmly. "Sounds like a plan." Aeth picked up the pace a bit, ethernano trailing along her wings. If she was being honest, she couldn't wait for the love confession; she only hoped it went well.

At that moment, something whipped through the air at blinding speeds and headed straight for the flying figure of Aethon from beneath her. The object that had been thrown soon revealed itself to be a crimson lance that was covered in a bright red glow as it gave off an intense murderous intent and aimed to penetrate the bird's stomach. 

"What the-" Aeth veered wildly, Rene barely holding on. She managed to see a crimson lance shoot by and into the distance, lightly skimming across Aeth's tender underbelly. Seconds after, the murderous intent registered for the assassin. Trouble. From who though?

Aethon meanwhile, was indignant. "Who threw that??!!" she huffed. Overlaying her wings was ethernano of a light green quality, as the eagle pushed to go even faster. A light boom emitted as she took off like a bat out of hell.

"Turn around."

Aeth blanched. "Excuse me what? Did you not register that lance or something? Cause I'm sure there's more of them where tha-" remembering the feel and intent, she veered again as another flashed by.

"Fine." Rene turned around herself, her gaze ranging out across the world below. Another glimmer gave her the warning she needed; a regular sword manifested from a pebble in her hand before she slung it at the incoming projectile.

"We need to land soon."

"Are you mad??!! That's probably what they want!" Aeth complained.

"And I want to know who is attacking us out of the blue. I like to think I do a fairly good job of eliminating adversaries and neutralizing potential additions," Rene responded coolly. She was almost certain they wouldn't make it to the lake region, even if Aethon's blistering pace meant they were well into Bellum territory. Plus, she wasn't keen on dragging whatever trouble was after them to the doorstep of her home.

As if sensing Rene's resolution, Aethon sighed. "Fine, but I want to put as much distance between us and them as we can before landing," she conceded, starting to descend while leery of more surprises.

“Hm?” One of the figures hidden within the forest noticed the bird begin to descend onto ground level as they ceased their attacks. “Looks like they’ve taken the bait”

“Only because of your sloppy method of getting their attention” The other figure responded in a bored tone.

“Our orders were to bring them in alive so of course I wasn’t gonna kill em. I even made sure to aim for the non vital spots” The figure responded.

“That’s a poor excuse”

“Shut up! Anyway, why don’t we go and greet our long awaited targets?” Excitement was heard in his voice as he vanished, causing a sigh to escape the woman’s mouth.

“So childish” She also vanished as the two of them trailed the descending Renes and Aethon.

Aethon remained tense as she descended further. "Are you sure it's a good idea? I feel like we're headed into a trap," she said, her reservations deep.

"It likely is one," Rene said. No lances had come their way in a while, convincing her further that something, or someone, would be meeting them when they landed. She placed her hands on her two beloved blades as they reached treetop level. A clearing could be seen just ahead.

"Be ready the moment we land." As if taking her own advice, she released a steadying breath, eyes closed for a second before reopening. She weighed her options as the ground rushed towards them; she didn't want to use her ability right away as she wanted a fail-safe should things go awry. From what Rene had gathered, whoever had thrown that was fairly strong, and accurate; given time to deconstruct the initial and follow up attacks, they were meant to maim or incapacitate, not kill.

"Here we are." The moment Aethon touched down in the open space, Rene was off her back. A second later, Aethon was human again, her and the assassin back to back as they waited.

"So what's the plan?"

"We see who we're up against, and adjust accordingly."

Aeth heaved a sigh. "Sounds about right."

An eerie silence descended upon the back to back duo as they awaited the arrival of their pursuers. Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to wait long as suddenly, two figures appeared before them standing a respectable distance away as they wore cloaks to cover their faces. 

“You’ve saved us the trouble of running across this entire blasted country to hunt you down, so we appreciate that” The taller cloaked figure stated as a chuckle escaped his lips. 

The smaller one didn’t speak, only staring at both Renes and Aethon with a curious gaze, eyes fixated especially on the face of the young Dhampir. It took a moment before a realization dawned on her and she opened her mouth. 

“....They look the same” The feminine voice suddenly spoke as her partner turned to her. 

“...What? The hell are you blabbering abo-” The man suddenly turned back to Renes and focused his eyes on her face. The hair was different but the eyes and face were nearly identical to a certain someone as the man’s mouth hung wide open. 

“I-It can’t be…” He trailed off, unable to believe his eyes as he called out to the former assassin. “Hey! You’re Esme right? I can't believe it! Why didn’t you tell us you were still alive!” From the tone of his voice, he seemed excited and happy that one of his comrades was still alive. 

However, the one standing next to him wasn’t buying it as she remained quiet, observing for now. 

"I'm a proponent of saving time where I can," Rene responded flatly, shifting her weight slightly. With their faces covered, she took to monitoring their body language and tone in a bid to uncover their intentions.

She didn't have to wait long; the taller figure's body language changed immediately, pure joy written all over them. It was followed by an exclamation with that special trigger word, and laid down some pieces in the puzzle. So they were here for Esme; which meant they knew she died; and from the menacing energy earlier, they knew Rene had killed her.

But now, they thought she was Esme; did they really look that much alike? Just the thought of it made her skin crawl and her heart drop like a stone. Even dead the vampire still haunted her. The assassin could imagine Esme cackling in whatever hell had been devised for her.

More disturbing though was the realization of Esme having allies. How could a sociopath have comrades? Unless...they were as deranged as her. Her mind continued racing as she weighed whether or not to go along with it. After all, she needed to know who these people were and where they came from.

Aethon speaking up decided for her. "Esme? She's not Esme; that hellspawn is where she belongs: dead in a ditch. That vamp played around with my friend's life long enough and got was coming to her," the woman snapped in response. She could feel their confusion but figured the rest was Rene's to tell.

"Huh?" The taller man stopped moving as he listened to Aethon's words, confusion apparent in his tone. "...You're not Esme? But then why do you look like her?" He tilted his head, seeking answers from the depths of his mind as to this strange situation. 

"I thought so" The smaller figure seemed to come to an understanding of something as her partner turned to her. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Take a better look at her you simpleton" She responded.

Following her advice, the taller man gazed at Renes' displeased face once more, squinting his eyes until he finally understood what she meant. 

"There's a resemblance but the woman standing there is not Esme. She was taller and far less serious than this woman, not to mention the raven black hair.  Master asked me to keep tabs on her and I had heard rumors that she had an offspring but I dismissed those since I couldn’t fathom the idea of someone making love to that lunatic. But it seems that those rumors were true” 

“So that would mean….” The taller man trailed off as he looked back at Renes. “That this kid is Esme’s daughter? And she killed her by herself?” 

“That seems to be the case” 

“Hey!” The taller man suddenly shouted to the assassin who hadn’t said a word yet. “Is it true your Esme’s kid? And you killed her yourself?” 

So much for needing to explain; the smaller of the two cloaked figures was both smart and observant. And so was this "Master" of theirs. Who that was? Yet another question in the pile of things needing answers. It seemed the second figure had a low opinion of the late Esme. So maybe not quite allies.

Aethon looked at the silent assassin, whose expression turned unreadable. She didn't like the way things were headed.

Finally, Rene spoke. "And if I am and did?" she responded coolly. Rene had ceased to think of Esme as her mother years ago, if she had ever thought of her as such; the vampire simply birthed her. Nothing else.

“...Sheesh, cold ain’t she? Admitting she killed her own mother like that without batting an eye. How sad” The man said as he shook his head. 

The smaller figure rolled her eyes behind her cloak. “Drop the act. Everyone knows you wanted to kill Esme yourself. You were only happy earlier because you thought you’d get another chance” 

A hearty chuckle escaped the taller man’s mouth as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Was it that obvious? Aw well, I guess that dream’s dead. Besides…” He turned back to Renes, an excited glint sparkling within his eyes. “...I’m far more interested in her daughter who was able to kill that immortal vixen” 

“Control yourself. Remember Master’s orders; we’re to bring the one who killed Esme before him” 

“Yeah yeah, I got it. The Master’s word is law, I remember” He waved her off as he took a few steps forward before addressing the duo in front of him. 

“If you're really the one who killed Esme, then we’ll need for you to come with us. You got a name, kid? I don’t wanna have to keep calling ya ‘you’” 

Even less than allies then. Frenemies? That felt too cozy a term to describe the duo in front of her and the late Esme. More like semi-hostile entities forced to work together/tolerate one another by someone stronger. Clearly not a happy home.

"Considering she abandoned me at birth, I didn't owe her anything beyond an overdue grave," Rene responded, her tone dry. She also didn't like this "Master" business. A light wind swept through the space between both pairs.

"I fail to see how my name is any of your business, nor are we going anywhere with you. I don't know you from Adam." She decided whatever information she could gain was not worth dealing with them; from what she had gleaned so far, it would be a one-way ticket.

Aethon agreed. Never mind the duo being trouble; this "Master" sounded like bad news if he could rally a sociopath like Esme and the taller bloodlust-filled figure to his banner. "You seem awfully angry; like a spurned lover or someone who had the wool pulled over their eyes," she commented.

“Angry? Far from it. I’ll admit I’m a bit annoyed that my chance at taking that bitch down is gone but considering I’m face to face with the person who killed her, I couldn't be happier” He stated as he licked his lips. 

“Well, I figured things would end like this” The girl sighed as she, along with her partner, removed their cloaks and revealed their identities. As expected, it was a young man and woman duo, the former being short while possessing ruby hair while the latter had sapphire hair and was noticeably tall. 

“Name’s Agito, pleasure to meet ya” Agito grinned, his handsome features being highlighted as he rested his shoulders on the crimson lance that had appeared in his hand. 

Velvet” That was the only response that came from the petite girl whose red cloak covered her mouth as she looked indifferent at the potential fight that was about to break out. 

“But man, I still can’t believe Esme had a kid. I really wonder what kind of nut job would be crazy enough to knock that bitch up. He’s your dad right?” He looked at Renes with a curious gaze. “Did he have a screw loose or something? Must have if he fell in love with that witch” He said insensitively, unaware of the weight of his words. 

“Esme was a master of deception. I’m guessing that the Esme we knew was different from the one that her father knew” Velvet theorized. 

“You think so? Knowing her, she probably put on an act to trick the poor bastard until she got bored of him. Still, that guy must have been a complete idiot if he couldn’t see past her fake personality. Don’t you think so, kiddo?” Agito asked as if that answer was obvious. 

Names and revealed identities. A short red haired girl and a tall, blue-haired man with a crimson blade and the eyes to match. Interesting. Agito for guy and Velvet for the girl. The girl seemed like the analytical type, and was of few words, a trait the assassin somewhat respected.

However, her eyebrow began working as Agito continued to run his mouth, despite Velvet's own, more plausible theory. The air around her thickened, her ethernano building as she felt her tightly leashed anger start to loosen.

Aethon's eyes widened slightly, but before she could intervene, Rene spoke first. "Do you...have the slightest idea of what you're talking about? He's dead. Because of her. He loved her and died because of it."

The area stilled as she continued. "The only idiot is the one who neither shuts their mouth nor stops poking their nose where it doesn't belong." Her cool tone from earlier turned positively frigid.

“Why are you upset? Hey, why’s she mad? Did I say something wrong?” Agito was generally confused as he asked his partner who looked at him with a pitiful gaze. 

“Maybe it’s the fact that you insulted her father right in front of her? Clearly, she holds him in high regard so of course she’d be upset that you slandered him. It’s your bad habit of running your big mouth” Velvet answered. 

“I was born this way, can’t help that I’m like that” He gave her a thumbs up and grinned before turning back to Renes. “Sucks about your dad kid. But I can’t say that I have a better opinion of him if he really did fall in love with that nutcase” A mocking expression formed on Agito’s face as Velvet sighed, aware of what the man was trying to do. 

“I may not be that smart, but I’m hell of a lot smarter than that fool who fell in love with an illusion. Sucks that he’s dead though, I wish I could have gotten a good laugh from meeting the guy” He laughed out loud with no regard for his words and actions, even as the temperature in the area dropped as murderous intent began to fill the air. 

A freezing radiance emanated from Rene as a dark thought came to her. It escaped her mouth before she could stop it. "I wish you had fought her. And I wish she had ground your bones into dust." What was wrong with fighting evil with evil? The best scenario was that they neutralized each other. She had met monsters before; saw some that even became decent, loving people. Who found a purpose for their impulses. But this...was unfettered bloodlust; a guy who was as fake as the dead vampire he spoke ill of.

These were the kinds of humans she killed. Just like their vampire equivalents. Her rage disappeared, replaced by a lucidity. "At least he knew how to love. All you seem to do is run your mouth, pretend, and incite. That's what trash does. Then again, what could I expect from someone who can't even throw a lance properly?" Somewhere from her place in the dregs of hell, Esme smiled. "That's my girl. Don't let that clumsy simpleton get to you. Maybe I should have killed him before I died."

“....Tch, I guess she really is her daughter. They’re both good at pissing people off” Agito admitted with a frown as his opinion of Renes had to be changed. He was certain making fun of her dad would have been enough to get her angry but it looks like that plan had to be scrapped.

“Seems your plan to incite her anger failed” Velvet commented with a faint smirk, as if she was enjoying the fact that Agito’s scheme had blown up in his face. 

“Shut it” He snapped before a grin spread across his face at the jab from the assassin about his lance throwing skills. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you” He trailed off as he flexed his finger, causing the spear’s that he had thrown earlier to respond to his command as they flew backwards through the air like missiles from where they had landed. 

It didn’t even take a few seconds before the sound of something speeding through the air was heard by all those present and before Renes and Aethon had a chance to acknowledge it, the four separate spears all crashed right at the location of where the duo had stood as Agito smirked while Velvet remained silent as dust and debris covered their view. 

“Still think I can’t throw a spear properly?” Agito laughed. 

“You really think that was enough to defeat the person who killed Esme?” Velvet inquired with a skeptical face. 

“Of course not. I just couldn’t let her get away with talking shit about my lance skills y’know?” Agito responded with a proud expression. 

“So childish” Velvet sighed, focusing back onto the location of where she expected to find the assassin. If she really had defeated Esme, that level of attack wouldn’t have been enough to kill her. 

It wasn't. He wasn't as fast as Eva, and he wasn't nearly as shifty as Esme. Nor did he have the guile of a seasoned Sin assassin. In short, he was all talk. As the dust cleared, Rene could be found standing atop a pile of tiny, bite-sized pieces. The remains of the four spears. A wicked, blood-red katana gleamed in her left hand, as if taunting Agito. Oathkeeper.

"You overestimate yourself," she said simply. Rene didn't have to acknowledge the blow, her body and her magic did that for her. A far more visibly stressed Aethon stood next to her, perhaps remembering the close shave from earlier. Yet this scene reminded of how much Rene had grown, despite how hard the assassin was on herself. Fighting with vampire queens, dealing with battle happy guildmasters and learning from dragon witches had to pay off sometime didn't it? Not to mention that one of a kind lava god slayer. Aethon failed to imagine a scarier pregnant woman.

"I'll say it once and only once. I’m not going anywhere with those who were once allies, if you can be called that, with Esme. Nor those who call their leader “Master” and see happy to heed his "Law" as long as they can satiate their bloodlust.”

A long whistle came from the impressed Agito as he dangled the red lance over his shoulder. “Not a scratch on her eh? Looks like her claim of beating Esme wasn’t a lie. I’m kind of getting excited” He smirked while licking his lips, his wild and uncontrollable urges to fight a strong opponent taking over him. 

He then turned to Velvet. 

“Hey, it’s fine to do what I want as long as I don’t kill her right?” He asked with an hopeful look on his face. 

Velvet remained quiet for a bit longer than usual, simply staring at Renes until she finally opened her mouth. 

“Words are meaningless now. I can see it in her eyes, she’d rather die than go with us. Master told us to bring her back alive so I suppose anything is fine as long as she’s breathing” she agreed, but not before a smile graced her soft and cute features. “But do you think it’ll be that easy? She’s stronger than you think and your powers aren’t really the best when it comes to capturing someone alive. It would be better if I-

“No! I’m the one who's fighting her and I won’t let you hog my prey!” Agito argued back as Velvet could only shake her head in disbelief. Why did she have to be partnered with this simpleton? Everything always became much harder to deal with because of his insatiable desire to fight. 

“...Do what you want” She shrugged, content to let Agito do what he pleased as the blue haired man celebrated with a backflip and looked back at Renes. 

“Hear that, sunshine? It’s just me and you. You're free to decline our offer but you’ll have to beat me if you wanna leave” He spun the lance in his arms masterfully before he took a stance as he pointed its edge towards her. 

“Last chance to surrender kid” He knew she wouldn’t, or rather he was hoping she wouldn’t. 

Surrender. To them? Velvet was right; she would rather die than go with them. Find a way to get Aethon to safety and then move from there. Rene didn't have to do anything for Aeth to know what plan B was if the fight went sideways. After all, their priority was getting home in one piece; especially with this new information. Something told the assassin what stood in front of her was merely the tip of the iceberg.

"Fine. But that better be a promise." From the backflip he just executed, she noted he was highly energetic. Or at least he wasn't the type to pace himself. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes for a second.

Aethon groaned inwardly; another battle-happy, bloodlusting figure. Was that all the world could make these days? What happened to good, decent people who got along and had a nice meal together? While she wasn't surprised Rene accepted the offer, the eagle woman couldn't help but worry that it wouldn't be so simple. But she was sure Rene knew that already.

Collision[]

"Count on it. I'd never go back on my word" Agito declared with a firm nod, sincerity oozing out of him for the first time. 

"If she beats you, I'm telling the others about this and you'll have to explain to the Master how you let her get away" Velvet said as Agito paled with a nervous expression. 

"H-Hey, that's not funny! You can't snitch on me like that! We're supposed to be allies!" 

"We're just in the same guild, that's all" Velvet rebuked while avoiding Agito's gaze as the man pouted heavily, the tense atmosphere from before having disappeared. 

"Your so cold, Velly. Well, that'll only happen if I lose right? So there's no need to worry about that" Agito boldly claimed as he focused back on Renes as he dug his feet into the ground while his body crouched forward, ready to explode forward. 

"Game on!" He shouted as he burst forth with tremendous speed, leaving foot imprints on the ground as he rocketed towards the stationary Renes while wielding his signature lance in an attempt to impale the assassin in her stomach.

"Good."

It seemed she was right about them functioning more as frenemies than actual allies. How a guild could function, never mind exist, remained a question. Unless they had an authoritarian ruler figure. Which, if she recalled correctly, it seemed they did.

Anyway, it was clear Agito was confident in his power, given his claim and the speed he rushed at her. A forward charge with plenty of pace. As the tip of the lance closed in, she jumped, using the long weapon as a springboard before somersaulting just over Agito's head.

Twisting, she would land facing his back, placing her feet in a stance. Using the flat of her blade, she attempted a swing, with the aim of using Agito's forward momentum against him so as to send him careening.

“Nimble ain’t cha!” Agito complimented, his grin furthering at Rene's skillful movement. Her attempt at striking at his blindside after dodging was also quite impressive but he had anticipated that as he dug his lance into the ground and lifted his body, avoiding the blade as he spun on his lance. 

“But so am I!” Using the force of the spin, he swung around and now aimed a kick at the assassin’s unguarded face.

Well that was new. It seemed like his mouth ran even in the middle of combat. Rene decided he was either that confident or just had the gift of gab. As for the foot intent on colliding with her face, her free hand rose to meet it, snaking around the ankle to stop its momentum.

The ground under Renesmee cracked. As she thought; letting that foot reach her face would have been a terrible idea. Rene twisted with her right hand, pouring her dhampir strength into the motion.

Recognizing her intent to crush his leg, Agito stopped resisting as he let his body twist whilst in her grasp as he let go of the planted lance as he continued to spin. 

With the added momentum, Agito placed both his hands onto the ground as he mustered his own monstrous physical strength added with his spinning motion to break free from Renes’ hold and used his other free leg to launch a kick now aimed at her stomach, intent on sending her upwards into the sky. 

So much for that. She let go as he broke free, anticipating a follow-up as she braced herself. This time, however, Rene didn't reach out with her free hand to block or catch. No, with that power it would be a terrible idea. And trying to adjust with her existing blade would be terrible.

So she closed her eyes and breathed in, her free hand already resting on the hilt of her second katana. "Iaidō." A lithe, blood-red slash flared out to meet the monstrous kick.

"Oho? Let's see which is stronger, your blade or my leg!" Agito jeered as he activated his magic to summon forth a lance from the tip of his leg as it met the assassin's crimson slash as the two forces clashed with another, sending a tremendous shockwave throughout the area.

Another thing to note; he can summon lances from different parts of his body. That could prove troublesome at one point or another. Still, as he jeered, her red blade glowed, the shockwave disappearing to reveal the foot lance and blade pressed against one another in a tug of war.

"Reflect." The katana's glow reached a fever pitch before releasing the shockwave and impact it had collected from the initial clash at foot lance, the leg it was attached to, and Agito writ large in a bid to send them flying back.


Velvet, who hadn't moved from her spot since the battle had started, sighed as she jumped, avoiding the dust and debris that now covered the area and merely floated in the air while calmly observing the battle. 

“As always, his fights are always so loud and noisy” Velvet frowned, before she spotted the human from before who was standing next to the daughter of Esme. She hadn’t paid attention to her before but now that she thought of it, she did recall seeing her transform into a bird earlier. 

Interesting. She feels different from an ordinary human or a modified human. Perhaps an enchanted being?”  Velvet thought as her body vanished, by some means of teleportation magic, and reappeared next to the blonde who had been staring at the battle intensely, clearly worried for her companion. 

“Your friend fights well” Velvet suddenly said next to her while staring forward. 

Aethon jumped. "Gods above!" she complained, glaring at the smaller figure. Velvet if she remembered correctly. The eagle had already moved a safe distance away, remembering how she had severely compromised Rene when the assassin fought the Vampire Queen. Aeth wasn't sure if she would ever live that down. All she could was work to prevent that from happening again.

Still, her expression turned thoughtful upon Vel's comment. "She has no choice. Not when you live the life she did."

“....I see” 

Velvet understood immediately. Being the daughter of Esme was quite a burden to bear and she could only imagine the kind of hardship the girl had endured. On top of that.... 

“She’s a Dhampir, isn’t she?” Velvet suddenly asked, not acknowledging the surprised look the transformed blonde had given her. “I have a very unique way of sensing and identifying people with my eyes and your friend has both the traces of a human and a vampire within her. So based on that, it’s fair to assume that her father was a human” Velvet explained, speaking far more than usual while displaying her deductive skills.  

“...What a cruel fate she has” It was faint but the trace of pity could be felt from her tone. 

"Don't pity her," Aethon responded upon recovering, picking up on the small sprinkle of "sympathy", "it's not a good look. And yes, she's a dhampir. Fate's only cruel if you let it be, and she's done her best to keep it in check."

Aeth then thought of a question. "How'd you end up with someone like him anyway?" She gestures to Agito. "Never mind in whatever organization or syndicate you're both part of."

“Fair enough” Velvet responded, acknowledging the woman’s words. She guessed this creature or being was the closest one to Esme’s daughter as she noted the passionate tone she had spoken to defend her friend. 

At the question of how she came to be partnered with Agito, her expression turned into what seemed to be slight annoyance at having to explain. 

“...It was our guild leader’s decision. I have honestly no idea why he wanted me to be partnered with that battle happy idiot but the law of our guild dictates our leader’s orders are absolute so I can’t complain. I suppose if I could think of a reason, it’s because I’m one of the few that can reign that simpleton in when he goes overboard” Velvet revealed. 

“As for how I ended up in said guild...” Her annoyance disappeared and was replaced with her usual indifference as she stared at the ensuing battle. 

“That’s no one’s concern but my own” She said and proceeded to remain quiet, having said enough in her mind. Those who knew Velvet understood that once she decided not to speak, she wasn’t going to talk until she felt like it again. How long that was? No one could tell.

So they were in a guild. The fact Esme was in a guild at one point astounded Aethon. But she quickly recovered when Velvet explained how the partnership came to be. "Absolute? That sounds horrible. And having to deal with a battle hungry motor mouth like that? Probably worse," she responded before watching Velvet fall silent. The silence grew heavier as more questions buzzed in Aeth's mind. But even though she didn't know Vel before today, the quiet was clear; this conversation was over.

So she turned back to the conflict, her hope pinned on Rene winning. Ae had no intentions of going back with them to whatever beast of a guild awaited.


Having been blown back from the reflected shockwave of their attacks, Agito flew through the air before raising his hand to grab the embedded lance he had stuck in the ground earlier. Thanks to the friction, his body gradually slowed down to a manageable pace as he flipped upwards and angled his feet on the tip of the spear, having come to a complete stop. 

"Clever move, sunshine" He smirked with an elated expression. When was the last time he had fought an opponent this skilled outside his own guild mates? He couldn’t remember. This is why he always loved getting assigned missions far away from home, for the opportunities to meet new and strong people like this. 

It was intoxicating! 

“This is just getting better and better!” He roared, back flipping off the lance as he grabbed it with his hand, pouring his mana into it. Soon, the color of the lance began to change as its radiant crimson glow began to turn into a beautiful sapphire color, just like the man’s hair. 

“Try and keep up” Agito warned before he rocketed forward once more towards Renes, twirling the lance masterfully between both his arms, his intent unclear. 

Rene sighed inwardly. He was just like Tetsuya; the assassin was certain Agito and the Dawn GM would get along famously. Proved they didn't beat each other to death first.

As she watched his weapon change color, she steadied herself. "Ready Darkheart, Oathskeeper?" She felt a steady hum in response, the blades' red hue turning as bright as the rising sun. With the way he rocketed towards her, she could tell he was going even faster. So Rene prepared to meet him and the newly colored lance, new stance adopted as she drew upon vampire blood flowing in her veins.

“Gazelle Hunt!” Agito shouted as he began to thrust his spear forward at blinding speeds, creating the illusion of thousands of spears charging forward. The speed being displayed now was on a completely different level than when his lance was still crimson in color. 

Dodge or block? Possible, but the chances of success weren't ideal, even if she could hear the real lance whistle among the many afterimages. Had she fed like a normal vampire or dhampir should, the speed upgrade would still be a non-factor. But Rene didn't. So she would have to use that; a low level application would do.

"An Empty Body." His spear thrusts would hit home. One after one. But there was no blood. No person on a skewer. The assassin was there in front of him, but not there, looking more like an illusion than the real thing.

"Are you done yet?"

"Hm?" Agito immediately noticed the absense of flesh being pierced during his thrusting and jumped backwards, raising his eyebrow as he tilted his head. 

“What is this? Illusionary magic? No, it’s different. A mere Illusion could never fool me. So a unique magic then? Spatial magic?” He theorized, trying to figure out what he was dealing with here. There were all kinds of magic that existed in this world but this was a type he hadn’t seen before, at least not to this extent. 

Velvet, who had been watching quietly the whole time, narrowed her scarlet eyes that began to radiate with magic and opened her mouth in awhile. 

“....Concealment magic. And a very unique and powerful one at that”Velvet sounded almost impressed. “She certainly has no shortage of tricks up her sleeve” She spoke to Aethon besides her.  

And now it was Rene who went on the offensive. As Agito skipped backwards, Rene adjusted her stance. "Fūha-ryū: Shifting Tides." Her movement started as a forward charge, strength pouring into her legs as she closed the gap with deceptive quickness. But as one blade surged forward in an emphatic thrust aimed at the midsection, the other wavered in wait, hunting, testing.Aethon sighed. "She wouldn't have lived this long if she didn't," Aeth responded. She realized Rene had grown into her magic more. Though the assassin was still holding back; why?

Agito’s eyes flashed open at Rene’s quick movements that led her straight towards him, attempting to slash at him whilst her other hand stayed, waiting for perhaps a counter strike. 

With his blue lance’s speed boost, parrying her strike was pitifully easy as steel clashed against steel and he knocked her strike away, countering with his own thrust as he aimed the tip at the woman’s unguarded shoulder. 

Shifting tides was more than just a simple strike. The impact from the parry was absorbed for later, as she switched grips on the denied attempt; it had served its purpose. Her left hand, meanwhile, adjusted for the incoming blow, as her red blade turned tyrian purple before meeting the blue tip.

"Eviscerate." As soon as she uttered that word, the blade ripped into the lance, tearing forwards on a warpath's abandon, with the ultimate aim of reaching the wielder.

Agito was unable to hide his look of surprise as he watched his lance get sliced into like hot butter and could only look stupefied at the sudden explosive cutting power displayed from Rene’s weapon. What awaited him was surely impalement as her blade continued its path, intending to skewer him but instead of worry or fear, a look of pleasant ecstasy was on Agito’s face as Velvet smiled, a very small one but a smile nonetheless, under her cloak. 

“You know” She suddenly spoke. “That guy may be a battle obsessed simpleton and a motor mouth, but I’ll say it now; there’s no one in our guild who has keener battle instincts than him” She surprisingly admitted.

Agito smirked as he materialized another lance in his hand, adding his magic towards it as it changed colors once more. This time however, it changed into a light lime green color as he threw it into the air, looking back down at Renes who was seconds away from making contact with his body. 

The moment that her blade seemed to pierce his skin, Agito’s body vanished in a flash from that position and reappeared right above where he had thrown his lance, catching it as he aimed it straight down at the momentarily surprised and unguarded Renes. 

“Wyvern Impact!!” Agito charged his tremendous magic into the lance, changing its color from green back to crimson as its aura grew and he threw it downwards, intending to crush her with his destruction lance at her blindspot. 

Indeed it was her turn to be intrigued. If the red was normal, and blue seemed geared towards speed...what was lime green? She didn't have time to decide as he threw his lance upward. Sadly for Agito, what he didn't realize was Rene had experience with another who was too much a pea in Agito's reckless, battle lusting, misdirection pod. Seeing him leave himself open put her on red alert as much as the lance throw did.

So when he disappeared, while Rene couldn't say she was necessarily ready, the assassin failed to be as surprised as she should have been. Her ears ticked as she heard the screeching roar of the incoming lance. And then Rene swung her right blade behind her, keeping it flat to maximize the surface she was working with. And caught the tip of the lance downward bound lance.

The ground cracked beneath her, then started to crater from the sheer force and magic of the downward projectile. Darkheart sang as Rene's magic poured through it, while it happily fed on the abundance of magic power poured into still driving lance. Rene gritted her teeth as she finally stopped the downward momentum, vampiric strength finally pouring in en masse as her eyes glowed bloodred. Another backwards slash from a still purple Oathskeeper snapped the balanced lance in two.

She straightened. "No more games." And then, Rene was gone, leaving the crater empty.

"And there's no one who's more of a survivor and dealt with more of his 'acute battle instincts' kind than her," Aethon responded.

"I'm sure. Your friend has been countering Agito very well, which says a lot since there aren't many who can handle his wild and unpredictable fighting style for very long" Velvet complimented, but didn’t look worried at all for her supposed companion. 

It’s like I thought, she’s a bad matchup for him.  But knowing him, that’s exactly what he wants”  Velvet chuckled in her mind as she continued to watch. 

Agito himself had landed back on the ground after his Wyvern Impact had been blocked, a feat which still had him rattled a bit seeing one of his stronger moves countered so well. Still, there was a struggle and that was all he needed to know regarding her physical strength, which would crack if he just applied more power. 

That could wait for now as his eyes darted from one corner to the next, trying to find any sign of her. 

This is different from the one I saw her use before.  I can’t even see her body anymore. Just what the hell is this magic?” Agito frowned. He wasn’t fond of enemies who used illusion and concealed themselves as he believed warriors should always fight face to face but he also understood that in a battle, all bets were off. 

“So you wanna play hide and seek? I’m game” He grinned, summoning forth his red lance once more as he awaited whatever move she’d make. 

"Good." Rene was certain that he was aware of the block that she executed earlier being a bit of a struggle. As she watched him heft his red lance (having summoned yet another one, something which irritated the assassin slightly), she attacked.

One blade's aimed for a brutal cut to the midsection, another to the leg. Both were designed with incapacitation in mind.

Meanwhile, Aeth nodded slightly. She wouldn't stop being tense until the battle ended with a Rene victory. Was it bad that she was starting to miss the Mr. Piggy in this situation? Well, at least his cooking.

Agito closed his eyes, shutting off his mind as he relied purely on his instincts from here on while anticipating the assault from the concealed assassin. Having fought against enemies that used concealment magic before, Agito was used to situations where he couldn’t sense or see his opponents and remained calm, analyzing what parts of his body that she’d attack. 

The moment Renes’ strikes made contact with both his midsection and leg, his body instinctively dodged what would be critical strikes as he twisted his body and spun his place.  He still had taken the cuts but they had been reduced to mere flesh wounds as he kept his eyes closed, anticipating that she’d strike once more. 

So she wasn't the only one with experience of the other; sure her strikes hit home, but the way he moved to minimize damage told her that she wasn't the first to take him on with something like this. Rene didn't know how she felt about that.

Still, he was right about her striking again; though she changed the trajectory of her strikes after seeing his somewhat successful dodge. This time she aimed for the midback with her first slash, her right blade positioned at the ready before it too came down, ready to bite into his right side.

Once again, Agito remained motionless, formulating in his mind his most vital and exposed area’s so as to predict her next target. That would lead him to believing she was going to strike near his back as he braced himself and twisted his body once more as he felt her blade dig into his flesh. 

Though I’m starting to get the timing, this isn’t good…” Despite taking several wounds on his body that could have been much worse, his confidence didn’t waver as he tried to devise a way to bring the assassin out. Even if he could dodge her fatal strikes thanks to his incredible reflexes and battle sense, his body would eventually wear down from the accumulated damage and the fight would essentially be over. 

I was able to deal with assassins that fought like this before by waiting them out and striking when they let their guard down but this woman is using something completely different. I can’t sense even a faint trace of her damn presence anymore. I’m sure Velvet can but I’d rather die than ask for her help” He shook his head to deny the thought. The guild would never let him live it down. 

At that moment, a crude but brilliant idea surfaced in his head as he thought about trying to overcome his current predicament. He didn’t like resorting to methods like this but he hated losing even more, so in the end he chose winning over pride. It would also expend a lot of his magic but it’d be worth it. 

Opening his eyes once more, Agito began to tunnel his magic into his lance as the crimson spear changed colors once more from red to yellow, a different color this time. 

“You really think these little cuts are gonna be enough to bring me down, sunshine? C’mon! I know you can do better than that!” He challenged as his voice rang out in the crater, believing that she had heard him wherever she was. 

Yet another color? If blue was speed, green allowed him to transport to its location (at least that's what she assumed), and red was the default setting, what did yellow correspond to?

She skipped back slightly as she felt the upsurge in magic power from the yellow lance. Whatever he was doing, Rene decided it would be a poor idea to let him finish. As for his comment? Rene didn't answer; she had no time for playful back and forth banter.

Adjusting her stance, she kicked off, beginning her rotation. Round and round and round she went, faster with each rotation as Rene built momentum. Then she flew towards him like a pinwheel, blades ready to dig into each and every exposed part of his body. The crescendo had begun.

The moment his now golden spear had finished charging, a wide grin spread across Agito’s face and he hoisted it in the air, having only a few seconds before Renes would reach him. 

“Is that…?!” Velvet immediately recognized what Agito was about to do when she spotted the color of his lance and turned to Aethon. 

“If you don’t want to go blind, close your eyes right now” She warned, following her own advice as she shut her eyelids, cursing her companion for using such an annoying technique. 

“Phoenix Burst!” Agito roared as he gripped his lance tighter, activating his magic as a large blinding white light exploded out from the crater and completely enveloped the surrounding area they were standing in. The light was so blinding that everything began to cast a shadow in the nearby vicinity, even small pebbles and rocks. 

"What do you me-" the increasing brightness cut her off, Aethon shutting her eyes as tightly as possible. One of her hands changed into a wing, which she used to cover her face for additional protection.

Not fast enough. The increasing hum told her the spell was just about complete. Then she heard the warning. Faint between her constant movement and pinwheeling blades, but any doubts about its validity were expunged by the glare; any longer would be suicide.

So the assassin snapped her eyes closed, breathing deeply as she focused on something else as the blinding, incessant light permeated the space: his heart. The steady thrum kicked up a notch from his magic exertion. Rene's focus intensified, as everything else dropped away, even the light which started to leak around the corners of her closed eyelids. She ignored her watering mouth as she whipped her pinwheeling motion forward to cover the last bit of distance between them.

Then she struck; combining the punch of a charging elephant at full speed with the whirring motion of a relentless chainsaw.

At that speed and velocity, there was only one fate that would befall anyone foolish enough to to stand in its way. 

Death. 

The moment that the bladed pinwheel came into contact with Agito, his body was ripped to shreds in a rather gruesome manner as it was cleaved into two separate parts that were flung across the crater. Since his opponent was still concealed with her magic, it looked as if he had just exploded out of nowhere as the light that came from his earlier attack started to vanish and soon, the scenery had returned to normal. 

Velvet slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust her sight as she looked around and tried to verify what had occurred. 

Narrowing her eyes, she spotted the supposed corpse of her comrade split in two and whistled, genuine surprise written on her face. 

“To think she’d force him to use Phoenix Burst. She’s better than I thought” If she was concerned about her guild mate, she certainly didn’t show it as she looked at Aethon who was still covering herself. “You can open your eyes now, you know?” 

Rene's rotation stopped after she plowed through to the other side, landing on the ground lightly. She looked at the two bloody halves; did she go too far? The assassin was suspecting she did. Still, the woman did not dispel her magic, not yet anyway. She had lived too long in too harsh and unpredictable of a world to accept things like this at face value.

Aethon slowly removed her wing from her face, the entity shrinking until it was an arm once more. She first opened one eye, then another. Then she blinked several times in rapid succession; dead? No way. That Rene was still nowhere to be seen told the eagle that the assassin had her own doubts.

This thought caused her to register the nonchalance in Velvet's tone. "Um...your guildmate is currently split in two bludgeoned pieces. How can you be so calm about that?" Aethon questioned. Just what was wrong with this guild and its people? She shivered at the thought of what other crazies it might contain.

Rene moved further back, as she could feel a familiar hunger creep in. Now wasn't the time; she sighed.

At Atheon's words, Velvet glanced at her with a confused face before turning back to the battle. 

“What a silly question. Why wouldn’t I be calm when I know that he’s not dead?” She revealed. 

At that exact moment, a hand popped out from the ground underneath and soon enough, the familiar figure of Agito pulled himself out, coughing a bit as he dusted himself off. 

“That idiot’s way too resourceful to die so easily” Velvet explained with what appeared to be a smirk, though it soon vanished as soon as it came. For someone who usually didn’t use his brian, for him to think that many steps ahead to avoid being sliced in half, even she had to admit that it was impressive. 

And he’s also set up his trump card. This’ll be an interesting fight from now on…” Velvet could already picture the surprised face of the assassin. 

“Man, I really hate using that move. Drains the shit out of me and I’m also affected by the light as well” He complained as he stretched his body, glancing at his “corpse” that suddenly disintegrated into broken pieces of his lance, indicating that he had cloned himself. 

Agito walked over to the yellow lance he had plunged into the ground earlier and picked it up, swinging it around with a carefree expression before taking a casual stance, appearing to still have no idea where Renes was. 

“Hey sunshine, you're a cold one you know that? I really could have died back there!” He comically complained with a pout before a laugh came. “But man, I’m really starting to like you. It’s been hella fun fighting you. You sure you don’t wanna come with us? It’s not as bad as you think it is” He smiled. 

So he wasn't dead; and a clone no less. Any thought of her overdoing it vanished. For the time being, she would ascribe that light value to the golden/yellow lance. Given its name of Phoenix burst, she guessed there was an additional cloning or "reincarnation" value as well.

As such, she didn't respond to his complaints; not when her state of suspicion was still high and only climbing. And the yellow lance remained; he had something else planned. Or already had it in place. But what? He was more than the simpleton his supposed ally complained about being.

She touched both of her blades, each glowing faintly for a second. Then, she waited.

Aethon was flabbergasted. A clone??!! What kind of fighter like him would have such a spell? The answer came to her as soon as she thought of the question; the kind who knew people wouldn't expect him to have it. Aeth knew if she was on edge, Rene was certainly worse. Or maybe she was calm; didn't she have a work life where she couldn't help but expect the unexpected?

Still, when Agito asked his question, the eagle couldn't help but be miffed. "Why would she?" Again, Aeth was glad her and Rene had cut the introductory conversation; that Velvet seemed too keen of an eye for the eagle woman's liking. She was sure Rene had similar reservations from what just had happened on the battlefield. These people were dangerous.

"Forget it Agito, she's made her choice" Velvet shouted towards her companion, who could only sigh in acceptance. 

“Bummer” 

He took the silence from Renes as a clear rejection to whatever they were offering and could only shrug in response, sad that he’d have to take her by force. That would be easier said than done however as he was very low on magic after having to use both the Teleport Lance and the Absorption Lance’s trump card. 

However, with his Phoenix Burst now in play, it was time to end their little game of cat and mouse as Agito took a few deep breaths while stumbling a bit, as if the gravity around him had gotten heavier but remained strong as he called out to Renes once more. 

“I think it’s time you come out hiding, sunshine!” Agito roared as he placed the lance back into the ground, closing his eyes once more as it looked as if he was preparing to use another technique just like before. He looked noticeably slower so whether he'd make it in time was up in the air. 

It didn't take an idiot to know he had another big surprise up his sleeve. Or maybe he was ready to activate something. Either way, she had no intention of letting him finish; the first scaled spell may have been largely harmless, but something told her this one would be different. Not to mention she could feel her magic power ebbing; soon The Veil would cancel on her.

So she'd have to use that. Renesmee's eyes glowed, her sclera turning black. Her fangs poked out from top and bottom lips next. Both blades turned a searing, bloody red, a salty tang emanating from them. The heritage she worked so hard to keep at bay flowed through her like a welcome rush, warming her muscles while purring as if greeting an old friend. She was hungry; and a tasty little morsel was dangling himself right in front of her. A dark crimson aura enveloped both blades; they were hungry too. Already circling as she licked her lips.

Then she saw the weak point she wanted on the wobbly figure. Bingo. She took off like a bat out of hell, relishing the swiftness of her new limbs before assuming a laser like focus. The blade in her left hand spun like a tornado before she released a thunderous slash with it: Oathskeeper.

"Sever." Yet, it would be different from the brutal slashes from earlier. For it was one not designed to tear limb from limb nor shatter steel like brittle glass, but to break magic. To cancel the link.

Darkheart eagerly followed in a thrust, with the aim of something just as sinister. "Steal." It glowed like a leech as it honed in on the target, ready to rob the precious source which "made the magic happen".

Unlike before, at her current speed, Renes would definitely reach him before he could finish activating whatever kind of spell he had left. And with her two blades dishing out both magic cancellation and magic absorption at the same time, there was no chance Agito could do anything in this situation to counter her flawless assault. 

The fight was essentially over then, wasn’t it? 

Wrong. 

Renes had made one fatal error, one critical mistake that she hadn’t accounted for or rather, couldn’t account for due to Agito playing up his acting to bait her into attacking him under the pretext of him needing time to activate the final part of his Phoenix Burst. 

The mistake? 

She had assumed that his Phoenix Burst wasn’t already activated from long ago. 

The moment that Renes crossed a certain distance within the crater, her body was hit with a significant increase in both gravity and density as her speed lowered tremendously whilst still flying towards him. However, the biggest surprise that shocked both Velvet and Aethon watching nearby was when Rene's body suddenly became both visible and tangible as her cloaking ability vanished into thin air. Any form of magic that had been surrounding her body and her blades also vanished as a faint yellow line formed a circle in the diameter within the crater, having the same glow as Agito’s golden lance from before. 

“Surprise!” Agito’s head and eyes snapped forward, his gaze trading with the no doubt surprised assassin’s as he raised the embedded lance in one swift motion, aiming a powerful and well timed slash against Renes entire stomach as her own blades sliced into his own body and the two stood facing away from each other, their weapons outstretched as silence descended within the area. 

Moments later, blood gushed out from both their strikes against each other as Agito knelt on one knee, panting heavily as he coughed blood. It was one of the riskiest gambles he had ever used before, to seal off the magic of not only his opponent but also himself while acting as if he hadn’t, as he slowly looked back to look at the damage his attack had caused his opponent. He wasn’t allowed to kill her so he had avoided any vital spots but thanks to the element of surprise, her defense has been lowered enough to land a critical hit, one that would hamper her should the fight continue. 

Aethon's mouth dropped to the floor. No way. As she saw the gushing blood. But then, she saw Rene laughing from the spot where she landed, her fangs flashing in the sunlight even as the blood poured from her stomach as she shakily got to her feet. So she had transformed too, that black sclera visible as day. Had she lost her mind?

No. The eagle's mouth somehow dropped even further as steadily, incredibly, the monstrous gash on the assassin's stomach closed, the skin knitting together as if a master threader was afoot. Soon, she was whole again, a fresh flush to her face as if she had just had a satisfying meal or been given a clean bill of health.

"Thanks for canceling my magic; saved me the trouble," the assassin responded, licking her lips. She had to give credit where credit was due; the stunt Agito pulled off was a nifty trick, and bought him the time he needed to return the favor. But, he had missed one or two things Velvet had identified; the foremost being her heritage.

She would see surprise flash across Agito's expression after she regenerated. The two katanas she carried were not ordinary swords; they were forged from her very soul by a master weaver. They were an extension of her; so when they fed, she fed. And though the magic she had woven through them (and the intended effect) was canceled, the blood they feasted on was simply delectable. And just the thing she needed after having fasted for so long; the poor dhampir had been starving.

Rene closed the gap with a step, blades flashing like falling stars as she fell into the rhythm of her self-made Fūha-ryū. One blade sang with the speed of the wind while the other rushed forward with the rising tide of waves, each even faster now that the assassin had properly fed. Both bore down on Agito.

"Shall we?"

Well shit. 

Having forgotten that he was fighting a Dhampir, Agito almost laughed out loud at his carelessness but realized it wouldn’t have mattered anyway against an opponent like this who was just one surprise after the other. The surprise on his face soon turned to laughter as he forced himself up, grinning widely as he parried both of Renes’ strikes with his lance and crossed gazes with her. 

“Let’s!” 

Soon, a flurry of attacks exploded out from both of them as they parried and struck each other at blinding speeds, neither giving in to the other. It was almost mesmerizing as Velvet watched the exchange with far more interest than before, believing that the fight would soon come to an end and the one who had the most endurance would triumph. Since Agito’s Phoenix Burst was still in place, neither could use their magic for a limited duration and so now, it was a battle of attrition. 

Agito was enjoying himself far more than he imagined and judging by the excited look on her face, he guessed she might be too. Though, he also imagined it was because she was just dying to suck more of his blood due to her heritage. 

In anycase, he had no intention of losing and began to push forward a bit more as he drew upon his reservoirs of stamina to press the attack. 

She would return the favor, pressing back as her blades flashed. First the ubiquitous pinwheel, then a cross slash, the connected strikes. The assassin gave as good as she got, the rush of strength flowing through her body proving intoxicating. So this is how one felt after feeding? Everything before felt like a pale imitation, night and day. No, the quality of the blood had to matter too; she hadn't felt like this when she was assassinating corrupt government officials in the cities of Sin.

So she pushed even further, keen on seeing just deep the transformation went, the heft of her strikes growing in tandem with their speed. And yes, secretly enjoying herself too.

Aethon just shook her head; Dawn Horizon had begun to change Rene. She was undecided on whether the changes were good or bad. They were certainly changes though; Aeth felt a certain intensity radiating from Velvet as she watched the two go at it with a gusto.

"They're something different," Aeth said finally, realizing how long she had to go if she even hoped to hold her own in such a high-paced affair.

"They certainly are" Velvet agreed, showing far more interest than usual in something that didn’t even involve her as her gaze softened when she looked at the happy expression of Agito whilst he was fighting. Such a simple minded guy who was also able to formulate surprisingly brilliant strategies in the midst of battle; his existence was both a thorn and a source of intrigue for the quiet magician.

“This is the first time I’ve seen him this happy in a fight before” She suddenly said to Aethon as she then looked at Renes who shared a similar expression, sort of. Even in the face of countless mages, Agito never showed such a spirited reaction before and her interest in the daughter of Esme grew even further, to the point that she hoped they’d still be able to convince her to go with them without having to injure her too badly. 

Meanwhile, Agito could feel the push back from Renes as he pushed himself even further to keep up, realizing that her speed and strength had grown due to her vampiric genes. He also noticed that she had changed her style from stealth like to full blown offense and was far more aggressive than before, most likely a side effect from that power up. Also seeing as how slashing at her would only make things worse, he needed to start inducing some blunt damage. 

If that was the case, he had a technique just for that. 

In  the midst of their flurry of attacks, Agito suddenly stopped countering as the rhythm of their exchange was thrown off and Renes fell forward, stumbling just a bit. In that moment, Agito slipped in, dodging her blades by the skin of his teeth as two slash marks appeared over his face. He winced at the cuts but carried on as he drew his fist back and gathered not magic, but his own life energy that many would call “Chi” and struck at her unguarded stomach. 

“Dragonic Burst!!” He shouted as his fist landed, causing a small shockwave to erupt from the ground as the blast had enough power to inflict internal damage that couldn’t be absorbed as he coughed blood, having to expend his spirit energy which was dangerous to use when low on magic. 

Well that didn't feel good. She nearly doubled over from the impact, skipping back a bit. That didn't feel like magic, and there were no signs of damage on the outside. Inside was another story though, as she felt at least two ribs snap before resetting, the wind taken out of her before she righted herself.

Even as she twirled her blades for a counterattack, she made note that it was a double edged sword. The spattering of blood on the ground meant as much. A strategy crystallized in her mind as light gathered on the tip of each blade. Focusing her mind brought it into sharper relief, the light outlining her blade before surrounding it in an aura. It was the first time she had used her gift without the lady's supervision. She was certain the woman was snickering about how long it took.

But now was the time as she prepared to clash again, using the light to lend ever greater sharpness to her blades as she pinpointed openings in a slowing Agito. Now was the time for a breakthrough; to end this so she could go home. Eyes glowing once more, she would spin, the light giving the spinning woman the appearance of a wheel as she roared towards Agito.

"Fūha-ryū: Heaven's Ceaseless Wheel."

Meanwhile, Aethon wondered why they were going so far. And why did this feel so fam-it hit her. The memories flashing one after another, of the summoned demon, the chase, lightning flashes, fallen assassin, and dead bodies after someone was pushed too far.

A recruitment mission where no wasn't taken for an answer and the only way to preserve your independence was to beat the living snot out of those trying to forcibly impress you into their ranks. This was just like Dawn Horizon, minus the niceties and certain autonomy. But why? Aeth felt she was missing something important that would connect the dots.

Agito could only smirk, not having felt this exhausted during a fight in a long time as he picked his spear up from the ground, recognizing the intent Renes had with her latest attack. 

“You wanna finish things eh? Fine by me, let’s bring this battle to its proper climax!” He yelled as the yellow light from his spear began to fade, returning back to its original color. At that moment, the magic in the area began to return as Agito thanked the gods that his luck was quite good today as he couldn’t have faced this last attack without his magic. 

Taking a stance, Agito sucked in cold breath as magic began to swirl around the tip of his lance, coating the crimson weapon in what appeared to be a miniature vortex as the pressure condensed itself. This would be his last attack and he was going to make sure he’d use every last drop of his magic to make it his strongest! 

“Leviathan’s Rage!” He screamed as he shot forward, the spinning vortex around his lace exploding outwards as both he and Renes clashed at the center of the crater, generating an explosion that would stretch for miles as Velvet created a shield, blocking the debris and damage from affecting both herself and Aethon. 

Within the crater, Agito’s lance and Rene’s spinning blade continued to clash against one another, neither side giving in as they put everything they had into overtaking the other. Cracks began to appear in both their weapons as blood also seeped out of their mouths at the damage but still they kept going, refusing to yield and eventually, the result culminated in one final shockwave as dust covered the crater. 

“How destructive” Velvet commented as the dust began to fade while standing next to the no doubt worried Aethon. “I believe the battle has reached the end. We’ll see soon who was the winner” 

Aethon didn't need Velvet to tell her what she could see with her own eyes. Yes, the battle was over, but who won? She saw Rene use something she had never seen before, with a feeling as foreign as the penultimate attack by Agito. Neither were magic but still carried weight. And then Agito poured his everything into that last magic attack to meet Rene's own. She knew the ensuing explosion would attract attention too. She didn't know how long until some type of authority, Bellum-based or otherwise, would come calling.

The clash was absurd; the assassin could feel him pushing her back even as she did the same. It seemed Leviathan's Rage was an apt name. She didn't care about the blood coming from herself or him; if anything, it motivated her even more, her vampiric instincts going into overdrive. Her light faded as she was starting to lose focus and be pushed back.

But then..she remembered one thing as she rotated: the lance. Driven downwards; balanced on her blade. Cut by one, absorbed by the other. The green, destructive entity. And no more magic-blocking shield.

Soon, her and Darkheart were in sync, the red blade now a fiery green. "Amplify." The power it had absorbed was now supercharged by her dwindling reserves.

"RELEASE." The final shockwave rocked the area as she found the last push within this action, driven further by an unyielding will. If that bastard could reach from beyond the grave, she could and would win this duel. That dogged persistence was the only thing she would ever claim from the one who birthed her.

The area finally stilled as the dust settled.

"I. Won't. Lose. Not to her past. Not as I carve out my own future."

Meanwhile, another sped along. She had lost them in the ambush and chase, but the seismic final clash and flaring magic signals was all the woman needed to find them again. She nimbly jumped from tree limb to tree limb, aiming for the location with reckless abandon. A small boom was emitted as she covered the last few dozen miles at a blistering, supersonic pace.

What would she see?

An even larger crater than before is what she’d find as the resulting explosion had left the area as nothing more than a barren wasteland. In the middle of that crater stood both Renes and Agito, facing away from each other, both exhausted and bleeding profusely from their wounds as they both still stood, refusing to fall. 

Agito slowly turned around, facing his opponent as he smirked, his face covered in blood. The beautiful crimson lance he had wielded shattered in his hand and he fell backwards, his words clear enough for everyone to hear. 

“You really are…. damn awesome” He hit the ground with a thud as the smile on his face never left, seemingly satisfied despite having lost out in the end. The battle had come to a close and Renes had stood as the victor, though judging by the shape she was in, it could have gone either way. 

Moments after he landed, she was on her knees, her two blades the only thing keeping her from collapsing as she leaned against them. Her fangs disappeared while her sclera turned white. Everything slammed into her

"Thanks for the meal..sweet p. You weren't so bad yourself" She dragged herself up the crater's side, using each blade as a stake, eventually crawling, before slowly, painfully, her lungs screaming and body barking, hoisting herself part way over the edge.

Aethon couldn't wait any longer. She ran for the crater's edge the moment she saw a hand and blade, then another set. Before something flew by her. Or someone? The ensuing wind nearly took the eagle woman off her feet, before she recovered. She then saw a short-haired blonde pulling Rene over the crater's edge, before electing to carry the woman bridal style, tucking the assassin's blades into Rene's grasp.

Aeth's eyes widened as she closed the gap, recognizing the signature. But she looked so...different. It was a completely different vibe from the tawny sand haired girl with brown eyes and a subdued, yet unhinged energy. "Jackie? How?" She grasped Rene's hand, the assassin giving her a grateful nod.

"A little birdie told me. And then I did the rest," Jac grinned, before falling silent as Rene cleared her throat.

"I won. We'll be leaving now," Ren said, addressing the silent Velvet, "let's go Aeth, Kie."

Aeth huffed. "You don't have to tell me twice." While more questions buzzed in her head for Jackie, her priority shifted to getting Rene, herself, and yes, Jackie, the hell out of here. Within seconds she was an eagle again, Jackie carefully placing Rene and her blades on the bird's wide back before climbing on herself.

As Aeth prepared to take off, Jac looked over her shoulder at Velvet, her eyes glowing a hostile, blinding yellow. Murderous intent rolled off her in waves. "Come after them again and I will kill you and whatever you're part of down to the last man, got it pipsqueak?" Her sardonic grin confirmed the statement as a promise; she would do it, no matter how long it took, no matter how many attempts needed to be made.

With that, Aethon was in the skies, magic power pouring over her wings to give extra fleetness to them.

Revelation[]

In a fair and perfect world, Renes would have flown away with her two companions after defeating the man that had challenged her and would head back home to her friends and allies. 

Unfortunately, the world was far from perfect and fair. 

Slowly raising her head, Velvet stared at the fleeing figure of Aethon carrying both Renes and the unfamiliar newcomer, who clearly had deeper affection for the dhampir based on her threatening words, with an amused expression. 

Although she found the idea of that woman believing she could harm either her or her guild rather comical, annoyance surfaced when she was referred to as pipsqueak and in response to that, Velvet stretched her hand out as a black Grimoire appeared and grabbed it while turning a few pages before chanting a spell. 

“Μεταφορά” 

At her command, a white radiant light began to surround the body of Renes who was in Jackie’s arms and in a flash, she vanished from within her arms and was summoned back next to Velvet, floating in the air in a white bubble. 

“I wasn't finished speaking with you” Velvet declared next to the floating Renes. She would feel no pain or discomfort as the bubble was meant to simply trap and hold an individual within it, impenetrable from both the outside and within. 

She then looked back at the confused duo in the sky and inclined her head, taunting the one who had promised to bring death towards her and her guild if she messed with Renes again.

Well, she had. 

"Come and get her, blondie” 

The moment Rene disappeared, Jackie was off Aethon's back, tumbling through through the air before she landed on the ground gracefully, like a cat. She had taken Rene's blades with her, just in case.

She smiled a sardonic grin at the pipsqueak, who acted just like a pipsqueak would. The black grimoire? Perfect for an emo like her. Her attitude told her everything the sweeper needed to know; arrogant, souped up on magic, and probably a dark mage to boot. She leaves Rene alone for a little bit and these are the kind of peeps come chasing after her; it was sad really.

"You just don't know how to leave well enough alone, do you now?" Jackie said, stopping a few feet away from the floating bubble. Rene was still conscious and didn't seem to be coming to any harm. Good. Despite its innocent appearance, she could tell that thing was as close to a safe as a spell could be. Too bad she could still break it. Quick as a blink, Jac flicked the "impenetrable" bubble with two fingers. It shattered.

"Whoops." She deftly caught Rene with one hand as the assassin fell, safely enclosing the woman in her arms before placing the two blades in Rene's grasp.

Well that was an experience. First she was being hoisted over a ledge by a short hair blond that she only recognized later as Jackie. She meant to ask about the sudden change on the ride home, but suddenly she was whisked back by a spell and trapped in a bubble.

And now she was in Jack's arms again. Rene focused on the comforting weight of Oathkeeper and Darkheart before recounting what Velvet had said.

"You weren't finished speaking with me? I didn't realize you had more to say," Rene responded, her tone even. She nodded as Aethon landed silently next to them.

"What else do you have to tell me?"

Velvet recognized that form of magic immediately as there were few magic that existed within this world that could break her own spell that quickly. 

“I see, a user of Crash Magic is it? It suits a barbaric woman like you” She spoke, a bit more interested in whoever this seemingly obsessed blonde woman was. It came as a surprise that she had broken through her entrapment so easily at first but once she recognized what magic she had used, it made sense. Still, if her confidence came just because of that, she was in for a rude awakening. 

When she heard Rene’s question, she turned to face her and asked what was on her mind. 

“What is your name? I want to know” It sounded like a simple question but it was very important to Velvet.

It was anything but simple as far as Rene was concerned. After seeing that spell which casually whisked her away at a moment's notice, it became anything but. Trepidation? Maybe, but it was the sense of danger that had dogged her throughout this confrontation.

This one question triggered her.

"Why should I tell you that? You ambushed me from the grounds below, attempted to impress me into your ranks on the orders of your 'Master', ground me to a pulp in that fight just now, which I had to win just so I could go on my way. Just so I could go home. Then you whisked me away as I was some piece of property. And all this happened because you all got mad that I killed a woman who left me for dead twice. A woman who birthed me like it was some game," Rene's voice cracked while rising with each word. She spat out some blood, one of her fractured ribs poking where it shouldn't.

"So why. Why should I tell you a damn syllable when you let unrepentant, unfeeling monsters like her dwell in your house."

The blood roared in Jackie's ears as she processed this information. They were here because of Esme? Esme had allies? That changed everything. She remembered how excited Rene had been when she told Jack she had pinpointed her mother's location. That she was finally going to meet the woman who birthed her and get some answers.

Then the story of how Rene was found. Bloodied, torn, on death's door before being whisked away by a spectral force. Then of attempted assassinations being frustrated. She remembered watching Esme becoming the object of Rene's hatred. The only thing driving her. Then finally, finally vanquishing that bastard vamp. The fact that the vampire wasn't alone created a whole new ballgame.

"Tell her your name," Aethon quietly interjected, shaking Jackie from her thoughts.

"Why?"

"So she can know the girl, the woman, who was put through it all by that sorry excuse of an existence. And realize just what kind of abomination they had under their roof, what trash they were seeking answers for. And if she, nor they, don't care? Well, that's their problem."

Rene was silent for several seconds as she processed this reasoning.

"Fine. My name? Renesmee."

Well that was a mouthful. 

Velvet had no idea why she was so upset with her when the one who did all of that was Agito but figured the woman was just taking her anger towards Esme out on her supposed “allies”, a thought that disgusted Velvet who thought just as bad of the deceased woman as Renes. 

When it seemed impossible to get her name, the bird spoke up and convinced her to release it. Velvet was grateful, despite not showing it, as she repeated her name. 

“Renesmee huh? I’ll remember it” That she would as Velvet never forgot a face or a name. 

There was still one thing she wanted to make clear in regards to Esme as she continued. 

“Don’t misunderstand. We didn’t come after you because we were angered by the death of Esme. I, nor anyone else in our guild, cared for her. The only reason she was a member was because our guild leader thought it would be prudent to keep a renegade monster like her close rather than to let her wander around unwatched” She explained. 

"It's true"

That voice came from the crater as Agito's consciousness had returned and he spoke whilst still laying down, staring up into the sky. 

"I wanted to kill her just as much as you did but it seems you beat me to the punch" He chuckled, sliglhty turning his bloodied head to see the group. "So your name's Renes? That's a fine name. Sorry about what I said about your pops before. He must have been a pretty cool guy if he had a daughter as badass as you" He smiled genuinely before his wounds opened up and he rolled around in pain. 

"Idiot" Velvet sighed as she vanished and reappeared next to him, helping him up. "What will I ever do with you?" 

Agito just chuckled. "Thanks, and sorry for the trouble" He then turned back to Renes, briefly noticing the newcomer who had shown up, before shrugging and leaving his gaze on Renes. 

"Hey Renes, tell me something. You have comrades right? What are they like? How are they different from us?" 

Rene deflated a little bit at this revelation, though she still remained guarded. She winced as she adjusted her position. "Well, you didn't do the best job watching her," she commented. But could she really blame them? The vampire had been as slippery as an eel. Every time you thought you had her, she disappeared or evaded. The fact that she gave a trickster goddess fits was proof enough of how tall a task it would be.

"How are they different? I trust them. With everything I have. They pick me up when I fall down. And when I need them, they're always there. Just like they are now." Both Jackie and Aethon seemed to stand a little straighter.

"But more than anything they....gave me the home I never had."

She didn't dare voice how many times she contemplated suicide after finally finishing Esme. How many times she thought her job on this earth was done before she was dissuaded by the fiery banter of Aethon and Tetsuya, the girl of her dreams, the new life Mizu brought into the world, even that dastardly vampire queen. And her child on the way; Rene felt a powerful sense of duty to not leave that child alone to face a world hostile to their kind; a world who happily killed their kind and filled the survivors with self-hatred and an acute sense of inferiority.

The tears fell before Rene realized they started.

Both Agito and Velvet were stunned into silence at the tears displayed by the assassin. The tense atmopshere from before vanished as soon as it came as the hostility both sides felt towards one another seemed trivial after seeing the depth of emotion displayed by Renes. 

"Trust... and a home?" Agito and Velvet traded glances with one another as confusion rose in their heads. What she was describing didn't sound like a guild at all, but more like a group of friends and family. When they thought of a "guild", they could only think of a work enviroment that benefited all parties. Requiem was such a place, everyone had their own objectives and listened to the guild master through strength and respect but ultimately, they weren't allies or really friends at all. 

So to hear Renes break down like this when thinking of that place, it was a shock to them. 

"I've never thought of comrades like that... I've always been fighting my own battles and joined Requiem to meet and fight stronger people" Agito revealed. 

"I have my own reasons for joining but it's more or less the same motivation as him. It was for my own purpose" Velvet agreed. 

"But from the way you described it, heh it doesn't sound half bad" Agito chuckled as he winced a bit from the pain as Velvet sighed and continued for him. 

"It does sound... interesting. You've given us quite alot to think about. As promised, we won't pursue you any long-!" Velvet's senses sharpened immediately at the various and familiar presences she felt surronding the area and frowned. 

"Damn, it's them" Velvet cursed in her mind. "Agito" 

"Yeah, I know" 

It was hard to move but Agito stood on his own as Velvet stood beside him as she addressed the trio near them. 

"Don't make any sudden movements and stay near us" She warned, slight worry in her tone, as the pressure in the air dropped immensely from the mages gathering. 

Jackie and Aethon tensed simultaneously. Jac's grip tightened on Rene, her grey gaze turning yellow once more.

"Who are they?" Aethon asked. She didn't like this; not at all. They should be in the air now, on the Bellum coast getting ready for the inner sea crossing.

"Can you stand?" Jac asked. Rene nodded, gingerly landing on her feet before hefting her weapons. Both Jackie and Aethon leaned against her slightly as they formed an outward-facing triangle.

Jac in particular was icy as the coming mages continued to close in. Rene needed medical attention, and the longer they were delayed, the longer she would have to endure. It was starting to piss the sweeper off.

"Just who is coming..."

"Friends wouldn't be an accurate term, so let's just say they're acquaintances of ours. Very unpleasant acquaintances" Velvet explained but from the way she spoke, even she looked a bit tense and Agito did as well. Whoever was coming, the duo certainly weren't glad to see them.

In a flash, the entire area the five of them were standing in was surrounded by dark cloaked figures, some floating in the sky while others stood in far away trees. They were trapped like mice with nowhere to go as any movement would be detected immediately.

Counting them all up, they neared over a hundred and each of them radiated a sinister and powerful feeling of magic within them as they all stared towards Agito, Velvet, Renes, Aethon, and Jackie.

Knowing that they'd want answers, Velvet explained. "They're Requiem's Hunting Legion. Our guild has different units for different tasks and the people you see here belong to the division that watches over any strange activity that happens in this country and eliminates it if it's a threat" Her last words were said with a bit of nervousness that Velvet had never shown before.

"And we sort of took too long with finding you guys, so I'm guessing that's why they're here" Agito continued as he looked just as nervous as Velvet. "But for them to send this many, seems like we're really in big trouble" 

Despite sweating slightly, Jac started grinning upon hearing the words "Hunting Legion". The sweeper could feel her trigger finger itching, only to stop wiggling it when Rene gave her a look.

"Hunting Legion; duly noted," Rene responded. But that wasn't the main nugget of information that she stored away. No, it was the name Requiem, uttered for the second time today. Her and Jac traded glances as the name rang a faint bell, two words accompanying it: dark guild. The organization had only been a "promising upstart" during their days in Whispering Wind. But now...it seemed like it was a bonafide operation. Not good.

And for them to be in Bellum, far away from the hypothesized base some parts of the underworld had thought they operated from. Not to mention a hundred or so.

"Just how big is this trouble you're in?" Aeth dared ask.

"Big enough that even we might not get out of here alive, let alone the three of you. So don't be stupid and start giving them a reason to attack" Velvet spoke as she side eyed the nervously grinning blonde woman. Thankfully, Renes took care of that as Velvet looked forward, sweating when another cloaked figure appeared by himself, in front of the five of them as the feeling coming from him was leagues different from anyone else in the vicinity.

“That’s Brycen. He outranks both me and Agito” 

"Report. What happened here?" The man asked in a flat tone, gazing between Agito and Velvet as the duo looked at each other, deciding which one would speak as Velvet volunteered.

"We discovered the target Master sent us to find and ended up in a skirmish"

"The result?"

"....I was defeated" Agito admitted, not hesitating to own up to his loss.

Brycen gazed at the trio standing behind them and was quickly able to identify which one of them had defeated Agito based on her current condition. A look of surprise washed over him when he saw her face as he also recognized who she resembled.

"Is that...?"

"Her daughter. The rumours we heard were true " Velvet quickly explained.

"...I see. So Esme was killed by her own spawn's hands? How fitting" He spoke dryly before his gaze wandered back to Velvet.

"And she refuses to join us?"

"Undeniably"

"A shame" Brycen shrugged, dropping his interest in her entirely as one of the cloaked figures near him spoke up.

"Shall we eliminate them then? They've disgraced the name of Requiem by not only losing but also intending to allow their targets to leave freely" Clearly, this mage had heard their earlier conversation.

It only took a moment but an ocean's worth of hostility bore down on the five of them like a storm of heavy rain from the hundred or so mages that had gathered around them. It felt as if hundreds of needles were prickling their skin as nervous sweat fell from Agito and Velvet’s faces despite being members of the same guild. They were unquestionably strong but the Hunting Legion had gained its reputation for a reason and outside of the Nine Pillars, they were the best the guild had to offer and the most ruthless. 

Taking on a handful? Doable. 

Taking on a hundred? Along with Brycen, the 4th Spot? It was suicide.

“Still think you can kill them all down to the last man, blondie?” Velvet asked sarcastically with a nervous smile before adopting a more serious expression. "They won't attack unless ordered too, so just watch and wait for now"  Velvet whispered. 

Everything now depended on the order of the silent Brycen. 

Jackie didn't even dignify that with a response; of course she did. And their deep sea hostility was only firing her up. She fed on this kind of stuff; and someone who outranked the one Rene defeated? It was like they wear threatening her with a good time.

But Rene was here. Gravely injured and only standing because of her own willpower. And Aethon? Less of a liability than all those years ago, but she was nowhere near ready to tango with people like this. It'd be suicide for her.

Those two factors were a cold shower for the sweeper, who saw Vel and Agito sweating bullets. She was surprised they hadn't fainted yet.

It took Rene only a few seconds to see the difference between Velvet and Agito and the cohort that was facing her now. While she still hadn't liked their approach, they were at least reasonable enough to give an out (in the form of winning a fight), and own up to their part of what had been a grave misunderstanding.

This group? This was what evil looked like. You couldn't negotiate with it; the moment you didn't do what it wanted, it eliminated you. There was no moral compass to appeal to, no silver lining in the cloud. Even she was beginning to learn nuance in her vampire hunting; there was no such growth here. It seemed Esme wasn't alone after all.

It took every ounce of her sapped strength to keep her hatred from materializing. Renesmee couldn't afford it right now; from Jackie's carefully blank expression and body language, it was clear she realized the same thing. Aethon was just shaking. From fear or anger Rene was not sure. Maybe both. Still, Rene settled in for the wait, even if she was marking targets in her mind.

Jackie didn't need to respond to her; her body language already said enough as Velvet shook her head. If she wanted to go and get herself killed, far be it from her to stop her. Unless she was hiding some godly power, Velvet couldn't understand her confidence. 

Velvet herself wasn’t nervous because of the Legion’s magical strength; what made the Hunting Legion so feared was their formations and battle strategies. They had members dedicated to specific roles amidst battle that made any sort of resistance futile unless you possessed unfathomable power. They had information that spanned continents and knew the ins and outs of every mage that set foot in their territory. 

That’s what gave Requiem its gruesome reputation, even high ranking members like Agito and Velvet could be disposed of without much trouble should the need for it arise. 

At the very least, Velvet wanted to help Renes and Aethon escape alive since they had earned their freedom.  And though she'd never admit it, she also wanted Agito to live as well. The reason? Who could say? Maybe she'd miss that innocent smile of his and his cheeky personality if he were gone. 

Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case today as Brycen finally opened his mouth to end the silence. 

“No, let them go. The Master assigned these two to finish this problem and so if they want to let them go, that’s their responsibility” Brycen’s words had an immediate effect as the hostility disappeared and everyone returned to just observing.

Agito and Velvet breathed easy as they seemed to be out of the water, for now at least. 

“Besides, we’re tasked with eliminating threats and I don’t see any here, which says alot about you two” He spoke dismissively of the heavily damaged assassin, the cowering bird, and the oddly grinning blonde woman, earning Agito and Velvet’s annoyance before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue lacrima. 

“There was another reason that I came here. We have new orders from the Master” Brycen spoke before the crystal in his hands radiated a blue glow as Brycen bowed his head while the lower ranked mages all knelt on the ground, even the ones in the air, to hear the message of their leader. 

Agito and Velvet immediately recognized what the lacrima was as they also bowed their heads like Brycen but didn't kneel due to their status as Nine Pillars members, as the lacrima projected a holographic image that depicted a shadowed man who sat on a throne. His face and body were shadowed so it was hard to identify him but there was something familiar about him towards Aethon and Renesmee.

Jackie took a deep breath to not rise to the bait in that slight. She was just going to collect that arrogance, earned or not, and crush it beneath her feet. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. If there was one thing about her, it was that she didn't forget. And from the looks of Rene's slight eye narrowing, she wasn't the only one who had new motivation.

She refocused as the lacrima appeared and activated, showing a shadowed figure in the holograph. With the way everyone bowed or kneeled, even the big shots, it didn't take much to guess he was the boss. Like hell Jac was going to bow though; she wasn't part of this group.

Rene's eyes narrowed even further after Jac looked away. Yes, his face and frame were shadowed, but little details popped out to her; the shape, the way he carried himself. She had seen all of that before, somewhere. But where?

Aethon was ahead of that question; she had her missing piece now, but the eagle woman was unsure how it fit. Did this man know Tetsuya? There was no way the "recruitment" process could be so similar yet the two never crossed paths. Or was it something closer to home? She didn't know, but she was sure of one thing; this guy clearly didn't pick up "the guild is there to support you" lesson. But it looked like he was about to speak; she'd know more after hopefully.

The message was pre-recorded and so no one could ask or question whatever was said by the man within the hologram who finally spoke, his voice calm and soothing but also eloquent and filled with intelligence. 

“My loyal and dedicated members of Requiem, heed my words and dismiss any current business you may be doing at the moment and return home at once. The preparations for our operation have finally been completed and it is time for us to no longer hide ourselves within the shadows. We shall make those who exist within this world understand our cause, acknowledge our cause, and most importantly” He smiled maliciously. “Fear our cause. Is that understood?”  

“We hear and obey, Master!” Every member said unanimously with no hesitation as the leader continued his message. 

“Agito. Velvet” 

The moment their names were called, Velvet and Agito tensed a bit but didn’t respond as they knew it was a recording. 

“That mission I assigned you to find and track down the one who killed Esme, disregard it and return to the guild along with the others. I was curious as to what kind of being could eradicate that troublesome woman but it’s no longer important. If you do come across them before this message reaches you, be sure to give them my regards for ridding us of that pest. I’m sure they did the world a great service by killing that cockroach” His words were cutthroat and proved Velvet’s earlier sentiment on how Requiem truly thought of Esme. 

The shadowed man then stood up as his face became clearer, the resemblance to a certain man unmistakable. This wasn’t like Renes having a similar face to Esme but different hair, eyes, and body structure than Esme; this man, the leader of Requiem, looked exactly like the infamous guild leader of Dawn Horizon. 

“Now, carry out my order! For I, Ludius Bartholomew Di Alwyn, shall show this world true terror! Requiem shall rule!” He shouted as he stood like a king.

“Requiem shall rule!” They all shouted back in unison.  

Aethon's jaw hurt from her mouth dropping to the floor so much. The puzzle piece fit now; gods above. Mr. Piggy had a twin; if one was bad for the world, two was only worse. This one didn't have the redeeming qualities either; nope, this one wanted to steamroll the world with his cronies. This was bad. Really bad.

Rene, was more composed than her gawking partner. Still, her mind raced as she ran through that name over and over again. Tetsuya had a sibling; did he know? Did he know what they were planning? Surely he wouldn't keep something of this magnitude hidden if he did. Which means he probably didn't. They had to get back; now.

Jackie was confused. What was with the visceral reaction by Aeth? It was almost like she saw a ghost. Yeah, the big shot of big shots gave a pretty speech and shouted his name to his adoring fans, but Kie didn't understand why it Aeth was so..shook. Even Rene; as composed as she looked on the outside, the Jac knew her well enough to know her mind was racing. She was definitely missing something important.

Still, it was time to leave; any more carrot dangling and she might bite.

"So....are we free to go or?" Jac asked Velvet. She already saw Rene gingerly mounting, Aethon gently positioning her with a wing.

"I'll take that as a yes. Later pip and blue." Jac hopped on as Aethon prepared for take off.

Velvet ignored Jackie for now as neither she nor Agito said a word, waiting for the clear as the transmission ended, the message having been delivered. 

The mages who had been kneeling before all stood up in unison as Brycen raised his head and addressed them. 

“You heard the Master. Scatter” 

At his command, the hundred mages that had surrounded them vanished in a flash as Brycen turned his attention briefly towards the trio about to leave, followed by Agito and Velvet. 

“Seems you're off the hook” He huffed, giving a pitiful look towards Agito’s condition. “Clean yourself up before you return. It’d be embarrassing for the others to see you like that” 

“Will do, douche” Agito flipped him off, knowing he was in the clear so being polite was off the menu. 

Surprisingly, a chuckle came from the usually silent Brycen as he shrugged. 

“That’s more like you. At least try not to get yourselves in trouble when I’m around, I don’t want to have to clean up after you guys” He then looked at Velvet with a curious gaze. “What’s your assessment of those three?” 

Velvet pondered the question, glancing at the trio about to leave before turning back. “Problematic” 

“Is that right? Well, your eyes are better than mine so I suppose there might be some truth to that” Those were his final words before he vanished as well, leaving Agito and Velvet by themselves with Rene’s group. 

“And just like that, we live another day” Agito fell over and landed on the ground, laughing at himself as Velvet rolled her eyes before looking back at the trio, something on her mind.

“The two of you looked surprised when you saw our leader's face, especially you” She looked at Aethon. “Why was that?”

Rene and Aethon looked at each other before the assassin responded. "He looked scarily similar to someone we knew. But he wasn't them; so it was a bit of an adjustment," Renesmee responded.

Aethon nodded. "It caught us off-guard, but what's done is done."

Jackie glared at Velvet before shaking her head. "Again, later pip and blue." As she said this, Aethon gradually flew into the air, before turning in the direction of home.

"Something tells me we'll see each other again." With that, the trio took off, Aethon soon a small dot in the sky.

Once they were well away, Rene finally voiced a question that had been bugging her. "You changed Kie; what spurred it?"

Jac blinked. "I just thought it was time; looking like the vulnerable high school girl out and about was fun and all, but I think that ship has sailed. Plus having all that hair was too much. Do you like it?" she responded, struggling to force down a blush.

"I do; it suits you Kie. But why did your eyes change color?"

The blush came anyway. "O-Oh that; I used to wear corrective contacts cause I was super far-sighted. But I met a doc in my travels. She was super smart; she managed to correct my eyesight with one small surgery. When I wanted to pay her, she refused, so I put the money into things her traveling clinic needed instead. And helped out a bit before we went our separate ways."

"I see. She sounds like one of the good ones." Rene decided she liked the gray eye color; it had a certain intensity that fit Jackie.

Aethon shook her head at the two of them. "So are we still making that stop in Joya?"

"No. Maybe we'll stop in northern Minstrel, but ideally I want to head straight back. They need to know."

"Can you hold out that long?" concern flashed in Aethon's tone, mirrored by Jackie's worried expression.

"I've had and survived worse; and the sooner we get home, the sooner I can be fixed up."

"Alright." Aethon picked up the pace, flying faster.

Velvet watched them go silently with an expressionless face before turning to the laughing Agito on the ground. 

“What’s so funny?” She cocked her head to the side. 

“Nothing. It’s been awhile since I’ve lost a fight so I’m just taking it all in right now” He chuckled. 

Velvet sighed. “I told you before, it was a bad matchup. Assassin types are your biggest weakness. You add that with the fact that you were aiming to subdue her and not kill her and it’s not a surprise that you were bested. Not to mention, you didn’t even use your strongest lance” 

Agito looked at her if she was crazy. “You know I can’t use the Black Lance. It’s sealed and can only be broken as a last resort when the conditions are right. Besides, I had the feeling that she was holding back as well” 

Velvet nodded. “She’s a dhampir. She needs to feed blood in order to utilize her full strength. That’s why she got stronger after she tasted some of yours” 

A smile crept upon Agito’s face at that. “She really is freaking awesome. I can’t believe that’s Esme’s daughter. I guess her looks are the only positive things she got from her. Man, I can’t wait to fight her again, maybe next time we can both go all out. Oh, and that blonde chick too. She seemed pretty strong herself, maybe even stronger than sunshine” Agito cackled, even more pumped than before. 

Velvet shrugged. “Maybe. She’s definitely stronger than she appears. I'll give her that. Still, she’s way in over her head” 

Agito shrugged, leaving that matter aside as he thought about what Renes and Aethon had said. 

“Someone that looks familiar to our leader? Do you think that’s true?” 

Velvet’s expression turned serious. “I’m not sure. I’ve heard a few rumors of a guild existing within Fiore that is led by someone who shares the same surname as our leader but I never paid much attention to it” 

“You think that’s the guild Renes is a part of?” Agito asked. 

“Maybe. If it is, then that bird was right. We’ll definitely be seeing them again” 

“I can’t wait” 

Epilogue[]

The last few days had been a blur. They did end up making that one stop in Minstrel, just so Aethon could recharge before the channel crossing. Picking up bandages had been a must too; as well as food to try and spur the natural healing process.

Of course, they ended up getting chased out of the town after some stoolpigeon got wise to their magic bearing natures and told on them. Being chased by a mob with pitchforks had not been in their plans; Jackie had wanted to slaughter them wholesale, but Rene said they hadn't time to waste. So they grabbing their things and took to the skies.

Now, they were back in the relatively warm embrace of Fiore, weakly tossed pitchforks a distant memory.

"How are you holding up Rene?" Jackie asked, the capital of Crocus behind them as they turned in the direction of home.

"I've been better, but I'm hanging in there," came the response from Jac's lap. All this time traveling had given the assassin time to turn over all the information they had found so far. And more importantly, how to present it to Tetsuya. She doubted just saying 'hey, I think you have a brother' would capture the magnitude of what they found. The assassin sighed before cough, feeling a twitch in one of her ribs. More blood welled in her mouth, forcing the assassin to sit up.

Aethon figured as much. "Hold on for a little longer. Now that we're in Fiore we'll be there in a cinch." Sensing Rene's wince only gave speed to the eagle's wings; the bandages they had been able to find in the small Minstrel village had been a stopgap at best. What Renesmee really needed was a doctor.

She went even faster, the trees below reduced to tiny green blurs in her haste.

Her acceleration paid dividends. Soon, the forests would give way to the familiar subtleties painstakingly crafted by the guild's resident witch. Carefully navigating the boundary's edge, the eagle flew lower before diving through.

On the other side? The welcome sight of guild headquarters in foreground, open space in front of it. Aethon continued her descent until she lightly touched down on the grass below.

"We're here."

Jackie meanwhile, was in a little bit of awe. That massive building is what they called home? Just how many people lived in this place? Not to mention building some into the natural landscape; that was pretty hardcore.

"Damn. So is this the spot huh." She carefully slid her arms under Rene's frame before sliding off Aeth's back. Once they were off, Aethon shifted back to her human form.

"Yes it is. Our home," Rene responded. Part of her felt a sense of relief upon seeing it again; that encounter with Requiem had left several instances where she wasn't sure she would see it again.

"Ready?" Aethon and Jackie nodded. "Let's go then."

Before they could enter however, a rustling noise could be heard coming from a nearby bush, raising their guard but it soon dropped when they spotted the familiar face of the next heir to the Miyamoto Clan, Violet. She was wearing travel clothes and looked exhausted, holding her arm that was heavily damaged. 

“I can’ t believe I let my guard down like that. Those cowards...” Violet cursed under her breath before she noticed a group standing before her and blinked her wide eyes. 

“R-Renes? And Aethon? You’ve returned!” She sounded thrilled to see them but she clutched her arm once more and knelt on the ground. She wasn’t as injured as Renes but she also needed to be looked at pronto. 

"A few moments ago yes. And significantly worse for the wear. At least me anyway," Rene responded, questions bubbling in her mind at Violet's sorry state. She nodded at Aethon, who walked over to the kneeling Violet. Looping an arm around Violet, the eagle helped her up, looping the swordswoman's good arm around her shoulders before helping her along.

"What happened to you?" Aethon asked as they began their slow, methodical trek into the building.

“I was ambushed. It was the Avalon Brigade” Violet revealed with a grim expression as she coughed a bit, leaning more into Aethon’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you more once we’re inside” 

They entered the guild base and began walking through the desolate halls that were usually filled and brimming with familiar faces. But today? Practically empty, like a ghost town. 

Rene blanched. "Avalon? So they've started making their move. And I only have more bad news to add atop that," she responded, her mood souring.

Aethon meanwhile, noticed the absence of cheerful noise which always emanated from the halls. "Where is everyone? It's never this empty." Something was wrong. Very wrong. She wanted to say something further, but it would have to wait. They needed to get Rene and Violet to the sickbay first. Then the news. Then figuring out where everyone else was.

As they continued trodding down the hallway, Jackie continued to marvel. It was at least double the size of Whispering Wind's headquarters, and with a boatload of amenities to boot from the parts that she could see. The sweeper did feel a small prick of annoyance at having her existence ignored, but even she understood there were more pressing issues. From the concern in Rene's eyes and the worry in Aethon's steps, something big, and bad, was happening. At least, that's what those two suspected.

“Things have been rather hectic since the two of you have been gone” Violet explained as they continued along, nearing the medical room. “The Brigade’s been coming down on us far more lately than usual and as a result, we’ve had to take missions further away from home, which is why the base has been empty for awhile “ 

They passed a corner and finally reached the medical center as the doors slid open, revealing a male Jaziah currently reading through several large books as he noticed the group that had entered his domain. 

“Oh my! What do we have here?” His face flashed with surprise as he stood up and approached the four of them, examining their wounds. “You all seem to have been in great trouble” 

“That’s an understatement” Violet rebuked. “And no offense Jaz, but can you switch to your other side? We’re kind of in need of treatment” 

“Say no more” He smiled before snapping his fingers, his body being enveloped in a white glow, morphing from a tall and handsome male scientist into a busty female doctor wearing a lab coat. Opening her eyes, a look of worry spread across Jaziah’s face at their injuries, especially Renes. 

“You can explain what happened after I look at you. Aethon, rest them over there” Jaziah ordered as she went into her drawer to begin the operation. 

Rene sighed as Jackie placed her down in the designated spot. "So they've become proactive. Why now though?" she started before what Violet said truly sank in, "so that means Tetsuya isn't home. Shoot. We have something that he needs to know about. That all of you need to know about in fact."

Aethon nodded as she helped Violet sit. "It's related to Esme but it goes even deeper."

The name finally clicked for the sweeper before she smirked. "Before you go further, do you mean that Avalon? You mean the MC's hunting dogs? I know them. They'd show up in Sin every so often to show face but not do much. Cause it's so bad that if they wanted to clear out the underworld, they'd have to level the country. Shit would be a PR nightmare that would bring all sorts of trouble out of the woodworks," she responded before turning serious.

"But, I may know part of why they've gotten aggressive. From what I heard another one of their peeps jumped ship. I think doc Vivian said her name was Juska? Anyway, some of the dogs gave chase to the deserter. She ended up crossing into that new empire. From the whispers I heard, the dogs clashed with one of that country's higher-ups, before the dogs' crossing the border brought part some really angry imperial reinforcements. Then the dogs ran with their tails between their legs. I'm guessing Avalon didn't like that little humiliation."

Jack then stops, her gray eyes bashful as she realizes she forgot one of Vivian's lessons. "Oh right. Name's Jackie Whitechapel. Rene and I were a tag-team back in her Whispering Wind days. I'd say it's nice to meet you but it looks like there's a shitstorm brewing."

“It’s a pleasure anyway” Jaziah smiled at her. “A friend of Renes is a friend of mine, since I know it’s not easy for her to extend her trust to others. Wait, you mentioned Vivian?” Jaziah blinked, nostalgia washing over her as she remembered the fellow doctor. “I’m glad to see she’s doing well. It’s been ages since we’ve talked” 

Setting that aside for now, Jaziah withdrew several medical tools from her drawer and walked towards the table that Violet and Renes had been placed on, making a determined face. 

“Now let’s get started, shall we?” 

"Lets."


Several hours passed since Jaziah had begun treating them and after wiping off some sweat on her face, she smiled in relief. 

“The worst has passed. It’s a good thing you brought her here when you did, any later and it might have been close” She sat down in her rolling chair and called for Aethon and Jackie. 

“I need you two to explain to me what exactly happened to the both of them. Neither Tetsuya nor Dyson are here right now and Mizuki and Sabrina are taking care of the newborn so I’ll relay what you two have to say to them”

Aethon finally let out a breath upon seeing Rene's condition stabilized. Moreover, the assassin was sound asleep. She felt Jackie poke her in the side.

"Well? Lay it on her," the sweeper said, "you know more than me."

Take another deep breath, the eagle summoned the courage to start.

"It begins with our trip to Pergrande. We ended up crossing paths with some paternal relatives of Rene, who then guided us the rest of the way to her father's hometown. Following our arrival, we interrupted a session being held by her deceased father's siblings to formalize who was taking the county and the coronation which was to follow. Rene ended up having to prove in several ways that she was the late Count's child. She would end up killing the impostor of one of her aunts before resurrecting the real one."

"Long story short, that place wasn't home. After leaving a doppelganger to take her place as Count/Marquis and visiting her father's burial place, we went on our way. After making a few stops in Sin to blow off some steam, we visited the site where she fought Esme for the last time. What we didn't realize at the time was we were being watched. While in the air on our way home, we were besieged by lances thrown from the ground below. We ended up landing and confronting the two that followed us. Their names were Agito and Velvet."

At this, her expression grew troubled. "The only way they'd let us go was a fight. So Rene fought Agito in a one on one. She ended up winning, but at a cost. What made things worse was that the fight was almost for nothing; shortly after the finish we tried to leave only for Velvet to use some kind of spell to whisk Rene back to her side and encase her in a bubble."

"A bubble I broke with ease," Jackie quipped before picking up Aethon's thought, "but that's not where the spice came in. After I freed her, we ended up getting surrounded by about one hundred dark mages. I think Velvet called them the Hunting Legion? Those peeps were killers; I could smell it on them. Then another big shot showed up, ready to scold the two higher ups about how long it took. Then the bitch slighted us." She sensed Aethon's impatience.

"What's important though are names and objectives. The guild that went after Rene did so to find Esme's killer: Requiem. It sounded like they hated Esme too even though she was in their guild. Oh, they also want to take over the world; you know, usual corny villain stuff. Anyway, why Aeth and them wanted to talk to Tetsuya is because of that dark guild's leader. His name? Ludius Bartholomew Di. Alwyn. And from the shookness in their faces, he must be a dead ringer for this Tetsuya guy.

"Your GM ever mention having a brother?"

Jaziah carefully listened to their stories, grabbing her forehead as she sighed heavily. It was alot to take in; a dark guild trying to take over the world? Tetsuya having an evil twin brother? You add that with the Brigade breathing down their necks and it was hard for Jaziah to imagine a scenario where this would end with a happy ending. 

As for Jackie’s question, Jaziah shook her head. 

“Never. I’m fairly certain he has no idea as that’s not something Tetsuya would ever hide from us. The question is, who is he? And where does he come from? Come to think of it, I don’t really know much about Tetsuya’s background before he became a mercenary” She grabbed her chin, deep in thought. Could this be related to his demonic heritage? She had done check ups on him before and the demonic blood that coursed through his body was something that didn’t exist at birth. 

Just what did this all mean?

“Neither do I. I honestly still can’t believe he has a brother” 

That voice came from Violet, whose injuries weren’t as bad as Renes, so she was still conscious and merely had her arms covered in bandages. 

“I know. I can’t even imagine how he’s going to react. I’ll hold the responsibility of informing everyone once they return. I want the two of you to stay with Renes, though I’m sure you would have done so without my saying” Jaziah smirked as she stood up and headed for the exit. 

“I’ll also stay with them, if that’s alright” Violet spoke up. 

“Of course. However, until we have a firm grasp of the situation, none of you should leave the base for safety reasons” She said before leaving. 

Violet sighed as she rubbed her head, having gained a headache. She was getting seriously bad vibes from this.

Curious about Tetsuya’s supposed brother and his guild, Violet turned to Aethon and Jackie. 

“You guys fought this Requiem guild right? Are they strong? We have enough trouble dealing with the Brigade, we don’t need more problems” Violet was never one to shy from a fight but even she felt a bit nervous at discovering another potential powerhouse aiming to potentially target them.

"Well, Rene did so she'd be the better person to ask. From what I could clean, Agito's pretty strong, enough to make Rene actually use that side of her she hates most," Aethon responded, "but as battle smart as he is, Velvet's more troubling. I don't know if its eye magic or what, but she has a powerful sensory that pick ups information about people. She could tell Rene was a dhampir before I confirmed. Though figuring out Esme was her mother probably helped. She also had a grimoire when she used that spell to whisk Rene to her side, so if pressed...I believe she's a pure magic user. Which means she's dangerous."

Jackie stretched before adding in her two cents. "Oh yeah, they're definitely strong. That Hunting Legion of theirs was something serious; you should've felt the killing intent rolling off those turds. I could have taken the hundred of them, but I bet I'd have fits in the process. Not to mention that other dude..what was his name? It began with a B....but he was definitely stronger than blue or the pipsqueak. No idea what their leader's capable of besides charm and raw power; you need those when you have numbers like that."

"So what happened in your clash?" Aeth asked, looking over at the still sleeping Rene.

Violet chuckled wryly at Jackie’s boastful claim; she had a feeling the blonde might have been exaggerating a bit but confidence in one’s power was certainly a good thing. Still, from Aethon’s words these guys seemed dangerous. Very dangerous. They had to be if their leader was the twin brother of their own guild master, whose charm and abilities were almost peerless around these parts. Violet had trained with Renes for awhile and knew how strong the girl had become, so to see her come back in this shape against anyone was a shocker. 

Biting her lip, Violet was beginning to worry about the other members. 

At Aethon’s sudden question, Violet sighed. 

“I let my guard down. After completing my assignment, I was returning home and was ambushed by a few Avalon squads. I was able to hold them off and escape but I suffered these wounds due to my carelessness. The Brigade has never been this aggressive against us, so I didn’t take the necessary precautions and cover my tracks. A mistake I won’t ever make again” Violet said resolutely before she stared at her precious katana next to her, grabbing it before standing up. 

“I need to train myself more. I sense that the coming battles will be worse than anything we’ve faced before and I’ll be ready for them” She moved to leave the room before turning to the duo. 

“I’ll be back to check on her” 

Violet then left, hiding the frustrated look on her face from Aethon and Jackie as the door closed, leaving them as the only ones left. 

She wasn't the only one who felt that need. Aethon looked at her hands; what had happened in the Requiem ambush felt like a slap to the face. All that training for what? She didn't even have a proper magic yet. Just some raw ethernano manipulation as needed.

To distract herself, Aeth thought of a question. "Are you staying?"

Jackie snorted. "Of course I am. Why do you think I tracked you guys down. "Her Highness" gave me the green light to join you guys. And it seems like you can use all the help you can get."

"Besides, she's here. I'm not leaving her alone like that ever again." On that, Aethon and Jackie could agree. Both placed a hand on the assassin's dozing form.

"We'll be here when you wake up."

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