City Verdin was not a prosperous City. There were many abandoned buildings and districts that the City had not bothered to reclaim ever since the Mana Emergence. For almost a thousand years, those areas had stayed abandoned, cordoned away from the main City. As such, it was a very easy thing for anybody to set up shop in those areas. Any amount of criminals set up bases there, trading in illegal goods, committing crimes, and scheming. The only force against that was the Verdin Search and Rescue Guild, nominally built to rescue anyone who got lost there, though in reality meant to sniff out any illegal operations. However, there was no way for them to catch everything. And even if they did, it was all too easy for them to run into a monster.

  “Phoo…” a man breathed out as he observed the bridge that laid ahead of him. “What a mess.”

  The bridge was strewn with mangled bodies and limbs. Its grey colour was almost completely hidden by the blood that coated it. Numerous battle marks enveloped the bridge, but what was by far the most common were blade slashes. Hundreds of them, everywhere that could be seen. The bodies were VSR members and it was evident they came across something they could not in any way handle.

  The man stepped on a bit of the blood and briefly recoiled. It was too dirty for him, especially with what he was wearing. He was wearing a fine suit and tie, alongside some nice gloves. Curiously enough though, this man had the head of a goat, instead of a human head.

  “I’ll have you handle this for me,” he called.

  A lumbering, giant monster strode up beside him. The monster was a giant bull, with rippling muscles and horns that were wreathed in flame. Each breath it took was smoky and carried with it a few embers of flame. This was a Blazing Bull, its name was simple for it was a simple creature. A giant bull with the ability to emit flame.

  The bull exhaled a flame breath that burnt the dead bodies and blood away. The man adjusted his black gloves and his tie before walking over to the other side. As he did so, the flames parted way for him.

  The crackling of the flames continued. The man looked around to ensure no one was watching, then descended a staircase that led to the bridge’s underside.

  Underneath the bridge was a dirty middle-aged man sleeping on a piece of cardboard. He had clothes covered with grime and a dishevelled appearance. The only thing clean was a bucket hat that he had covering his face.

  “Are you awake, Dalan? I am Gilliam from Chimaera. I’ve come with an offer,” the man called out.

  The man lying on the floor raised his hand to shoo the man with a goat head away.

  “Ahem. It’s important. By that I mean, you’ll want to hear this,” Gilliam continued.

  “I told you to buzz off,” a raspy voice commanded from underneath the bucket hat. “Or did you not see what I did to those guys up top?”

  “Erebus Squad is here.”

  “Hah!?” Dalan sat up. His bucket hat nearly fell to the ground, but he caught it just in time.

  “Reina Yamato has been sighted in Verdin City. But, and this is the part you want to hear, Galas Derrida and Lemuel Salas’ new squads are here in the City as well,” informed Gilliam.

  “Their new squads? You mean, the ones with kiddos right?” Dalan asked with an interested tone.

  “Yes. I have also on good word that they are the ones that trashed your warehouse yesterday.”

  “Hah!” Dalan barked. “Would you look at that. Those Erebus bastards can’t stop being a pain in my ass.”

  Dalan slowly stood up and dusted off his nice bucket hat before placing it on his head. He yawned a little bit as he did so.

  “Now, Dalan, I have an offer for you. As you surely are going to be attacking the squads of Erebus, I would like to ask you to please capture Plue Salas, Lemuel’s daughter, and hand her over to us. You will be rewarded greatly.”

  “That it?” Dalan asked, with just a hint of anticipation.

  “If you choose to take us up on it, we will lend you our Blazing Bull to assist you. Make use of her however you like.” Gilliam slipped off a bracelet and held it in the palm of his hand.

  “Hmm… Yeah…” Dalan trailed off as he walked up to the goat man. He made an expression like he was really deep in thought as he walked. He brought a hand up to his beard and stroked it, mimicking one of those philosophers. The action was really off-putting on him.

  “I can do it.”

  A glint shone in his hand.

  Suddenly, in one swift motion, Dalan dashed past the goat man. A spurt of blood gushed out of his throat and he quickly grasped it. Heavy stomps shook the bridge and Dalan looked up with a sneer.

  But before anything more could happen, the goat man raised his other arm and yelled, “Stop!”

  The stomping of the bull ceased and Dalan’s sneer faded away with it. He coughed and sheathed his dagger that he had drawn.

  “So you don’t have a goat head after all. You’ve got a human one underneath it. It’s just a bunch of flesh you grew. Boring. Whatever. I’ll take the job.”

  “Urgh…” Gilliam knelt down and slid a bracelet to Dalan’s side.

  Dalan picked it up and considered whether to kick the goat man in the ribs just a bit, but he decided against it. He’d probably grow more flesh and fur over it to protect himself, so he wouldn’t feel that crunch super easily.

  With that, Dalan left on the Blazing Bull to go hunt some kids. Gilliam’s bleeding neck slowly healed, new flesh and fur growing and bonding together to cover it up.

  “Fucking maniac. Baargh…” Gilliam coughed. “Damn you, Dwyn. Why’d I have to come out here and hand over one of my girls to some serial killer?”

  “Just because my branch happens to have the most monsters… Yeah, no shit because you keep telling Leona and Scias to keep fighting some fuckass monsters. Meanwhile, I’m here, stuck with…” Gilliam stopped. He took a few deep breaths then slowly got up and dusted himself off.

  “Best move on. I have a job to do. Those kids are as good as dead.”

  ———————————————————————

  “Ernest, you ready?” Machua asked.

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  Ernest hopped up and down and nodded before getting into a sprinting position. Their target was just ahead of them. A lone deer that was munching on some grass. On its back were a few purple spots. It had big antlers that looked sharp enough to gore any predators and they were coloured in a variety of bright colours.

  This was a Venomous Deer. The name itself was actually widely contested as the poison that laid within the spots of their skin could also be used to launch a spit attack. And in addition the antlers themselves were coated in poison which had both defensive and offensive purposes. Whatever the case though, everyone could agree these things were not just meek prey like normal deer. They were known to 'hunt' carnivorous plants and could handily defend themselves against most predators.

  “I’m ready to dash in when you need me to. It’s the biggest one yet though. Are you sure you can kill it in one shot? If it catches you, we might hafta run away.” Ernest asked.

  “Yeah. I can do it. It’s not hard to sneak up on animals. I’ll get in close and smash its head in, just like all the other ones.”

  “I think that’s just you. But alright, go for it.”

  Machua’s strategy for sneaking up on the deer was nothing special. She was going to walk up on it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Ernest watched as Machua casually walked. The sound she made was nothing out of place. They blended in the environment so well he wouldn’t believe she was there if he didn’t know it. And he had the Wind Aspect. While his senses were dulled, the connection he had with Wind couldn’t be taken from him. Out of anyone on the team, he could feel the movement of the wind better than anyone else. Yet, to him, it seemed as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

  Machua walked up to its side, the deer completely unaware. Brandishing her tonfa, she suddenly dashed and launched a powerful strike to its head. Her mana flowed into her arm and into her tonfa, but it connected just a bit after the impact, causing the deer to be more dazed than damaged.

  “Damn! Missed the timing! Ernest!”

  The deer hurriedly jumped back and shot a glob of poison at Machua. She rushed after it, undeterred by the poison. Just as it would appear to hit her, a strong gust of wind shot it slightly off course. The deer, still a little bit dazed, tried to strike her with its antlers, but Machua dodged through it. Then with all of her might, she launched a powerful uppercut.

  [Mana Burst]

  The deer’s head rotated sideways and its neck snapped with a crunch. Machua quickly backed off as a pool of poison began seeping out of its body.

  “You said you were gonna kill it in one shot,” Ernest said as he arrived by her side.

  “The timing of a Mana Burst is hard okay? I think I’m just now getting it,” Machua responded as she took out her phone and took a quick picture of the dead deer.

  The two of them watched as the poison slowly seeped out of the Venomous Deer. The squad had taken up a mission to hunt down some Venomous Deer in the abandoned area around City Verdin, as they were overeating the local plant life. To prove their progress the squad took pictures of the dead deer, but their antlers also sold for good money, so they were harvesting them too. The deer cultivated a poison in their body through eating poisonous plants, and when they died, the poison left their body. They had to wait that out before it became safe to harvest the antlers.

  “We’re done with our count, but I bet all the others finished up first,” Machua said.

  “…” Ernest didn’t say anything.

  “You’re supposed to say ‘Yeah, but if you wanted it to be faster, then why’d you pick me?’”

  “Huh? Am I?”

  “Actually, that’s more of a Machi thing, isn’t it? Anyway… I did want to talk to you.”

  “Okay. What did you want to talk about?“

  “Do you… really want to be here? You could’ve stayed behind, you know. You already told us where you think the hideout is. You’ve been distracted all day just thinking about what could happen.”

  Ernest didn’t answer immediately. He looked at the pooling poison leaving the deer’s body. In it, he saw his troubled face, and of the bandages he had newly applied. For the first time today, he saw the apprehension in his own eyes, the quivering of his pupils and his quickened breath. He was aware his heart was beating faster than usual, and he was also aware he was breathing quicker, but he didn’t know it was by this much until now. He thought they were unnoticeable, minute differences between the him now and the normal him. But now he knew that everyone had been seeing this all day.

  Ernest let out a deep breath. He took a few more deep breaths before finally settling down. “I have to be here. The only way I know I’ll be safe is if that guy’s dead.”

  Machua looked away to the sky and, without looking at him, asked, “Even if he can mess you up again? Even if he could do something worse to you?”

  “You’re not gonna get any deep answers from me. He scares me and I wanna run but I’m already fucked. I have to go all the way, I don’t have a choice. I have to bet on your group. There’s nothing more to it.”

  “But you could have chosen to stay behind,” Machua pointed out, “You could have chosen to do nothing in that hotel and wait for us. Accept whatever happens.”

  “I dunno. I just… can’t sit still with my life on the line. I don’t wanna roll over and suffer again. Even if I have to look him in the eye, I wanna be able to die doing something.”

  “Better than me then,” Machua spoke and turned to Ernest. “Okay, if you’re able to say it, then I will too."

  “I’m gonna get you through this. All the way to the end. I won’t let you die,” Machua promised with a nervous smile. Her smile was the sort of smile that wasn’t fully true, but rather one that hoped. That was unsure of herself yet hoped for the best.

  Ernest was momentarily stunned to silence. But that moment was all Machua needed to figure out what that meant.

  “Machi said the same thing didn’t he?” Machua awkwardly scratched her cheek.

  “I should have expected that. Your mood was in the dumps yesterday, but after you went out with him you felt a lot better.”

  “I… Yeah, he said the same thing. You two really are twins.”

  “We’re closer than that really. I wish I got ahead of him, but it’s just like him to understand faster than me. But that’s all the better for you. Ernest,” Machua paused and took a deep breath, “we’re gonna get you through this, so there’s no need to fear.”

  Machua’s tone was a bit shaky and she had on a nervous smile but she did her best to keep eye contact with Ernest. Ernest, faced with her words, was quick to break off that eye contact however.

  “Ah… Thanks,” was all Ernest could mumble out.

  “Heheh. I think it’s safe to harvest now, so let’s do it then meet back up with the others.”

  ———————————————————————

  “Geez, why did we have to change location?” Machua called out as she walked up to the top of a multi-level car park.

  She stepped onto the top level just as Ernest jumped his way there. He didn’t quite stick the landing though so he began to fall backwards with his arms flailing, so she gently pushed him forward. She looked to the side and spotted the other 4 members of her squad sitting on/in a long-ruined car. The car’s windows were all broken, and it seemed her squad cleaned the glass shards out as both Carmine and Rasa were sitting inside. Her brother and Plue were sitting on the roof. Machia specifically had binoculars in his hand and was looking at something.

  “Machu, we found something!” Plue called out.

  “Take a look,” Machia said.

  Machua took him up on his offer and looked through the binoculars. What she saw through it made her breath hitch. A bloody bridge with charred corpses.

  “Let me see too.” Ernest grabbed the binoculars. “That’s Dalan’s work alright.”

  “Uuu… I can’t believe he uses fire too.“

  “Does that check with what you know of him Ernest?” Machia asked with a hand on his chin.

  “Nah. It doesn’t at all.”

  “Doesn’t match up with what I know either. Could be someone he’s working with.“

  “We’ll just knock that guy dead too. Easy,” Carmine jumped in.

  “I’ll remind you that our goal today is not to come into contact with Dalan,” Rasa reminded. “We are here only to investigate his hideout and gather some clues as to his operation before handing it over to the Bureau.”

  “But if we happen to encounter him then it’s no holds barred. And he’s in the area, we know that for sure now,” Carmine pointed out. “Unless…”

  Carmine turned to Machua. “You’re gonna tell us to pull out?”

  Machua responded, a bit startled, “Uh, it seems like it. I mean, Dalan isn’t something a newbie squad like us can handle, right?”

  Carmine gave a pointed glare at Machua which was quickly cut off by Machia. “Carmine, scoot over. Machu’s sitting in the driver seat. You too Rasa.”

  “Wha-?”

  “Let’s all discuss it in the car.”

  The group all awkwardly followed Machia’s suggestion and got into the ruined car. Machua sat in the driver’s seat, while everyone but Machia sat in the back.

  “Great, now that we’re comfortable,” Machia began while getting in and slamming the car door. “We can sta-“

  The car door fell off of the car. Machia looked to it and gave it one glance before taking it into a dimension.

  “Anyway. Machu, start us off.”

  “With pulling back?”

  “Yeah. We’ve received new information that tells us Dalan is definitively in the area. He’s a threat that our group shouldn’t be facing. We took that into account when we decided to go investigate his hideout with Ernest’s info, but we wanted to avoid him if possible. Now what?”

  “We keep going,” Carmine answered. “We can take him.”

  “But what if he’s stronger than you think and kills us all?” Plue asked her.

  “He won’t.”

  “Machu, your thoughts?” Machia looked at Machu and asked. His eyes were confident and he had a slight smirk on his face.

  “My… thoughts?”

  “You’re the leader, we all follow your choice. If you want to pull out, then we have to follow. Including you, Carmine.”

  Carmine rolled her eyes.

  Machua looked away from her brother’s eyes to look… anywhere else really. But his continued stare alongside the silence got the best of her so she just spluttered something out.

  “How strong would we say we are?”

  “Hella.”

  “We’re a C-Rank squad,” Rasa stated. “And Dalan is someone who even Lemuel was incapable of apprehending. That puts him at A Rank at the very worst.”

  “He was busy with a lot of stuff at the time though! That doesn’t really count. Let me see his ranking.” Plue pulled out her phone and searched Dalan up. “He’s B Rank.”

  “Says here…” Ernest began reading from behind Plue’s shoulder. “He’s had encounters with Erebus Squad but they were always brief. Runs away at first sight if he can and always has a plan for it.”

  “Hah, then we can be the ones that take him down. He’s gonna underestimate us and that’s when we get him.”

  “We’re not going to fight him if we can though. This is only an investigation after all,” Machia said. “So what’s the verdict?”

  Suddenly, all eyes were on her. Machua hastily looked away again and took a few deep breaths. After a bit she turned to look back only to see everyone still looking at her. She slowly nodded and decided to look forward out of the car.

  ‘Urghh I hate you Galas! I hate this so much!’

  Machua took a few more deep breaths and cleared out her mind. She just needed to calm down and then think this through. What were the benefits of going after him today instead of another day?

  ‘… I don’t know.’

  If it were the downsides Machu could think of a thousand, most prominently that they could get massacred. And die. And worse. Ernest could get his other ears cut off. But… they all knew the risks when they agreed to go out earlier.

  The group had all discussed what their plan was after dinner. They tossed around several ideas and they landed on this one. All of them collectively agreed. Sneak around and get some info then hand them over to someone more qualified to handle him. Objectively, a B Rank threat who’s even faced Erebus isn’t something a C-Rank squad could handle. Hell, her, Plue and Machia were all D Ranks. They were C Ranks based on numbers alone. It was crazy of them to tell Ernest they could protect him.

  “…”

  Machua slowly raised her head and looked to the rear-view mirror. It was miraculously not broken, and the grime and dust on it covered most of it up. But there was still one spot that she could see someone through. Ernest and his focused and calm eyes. Ernest, who was waiting for her decision and could accept whatever the decision could be. Ernest who she made a promise to.

  No, that was wrong. Who they made a promise to.

  “We’ll get you through this,” Machua finally whispered after a long silence.

  “Let’s do it. Whatever happens, we’re gonna get the job done. We’re gonna get that guy in jail or knocked dead on the ground.”