"Hey, master."
"Hm? Do you need something, Argent?"
"May I ask you a question?"
"Sure, it's not often that you come to me with a request."
"That fiery feeling in my chest... What is it?"
"? Could you be more specific?"
"The first time we met... It was agonising. No matter how many I had slain, I simply couldn't extinguish that fire that kept demanding more and more."
"Ah, that... That was your bloodlust. You sought to kill every Daemon in your sight, endlessly tearing through the legions, in hopes of satiating your thirst for blood. It was quite bothersome for sure."
"If it's so bothersome... Why am I feeling it to this day?..."
"That is because it was subdued, not eradicated."
"..."
"Is there anything you want to ask?"
"No, master."
--
That was seemingly such a distant memory, still being under the comfort of the master's wing; having all the worries and curiosities answered for me.
But now... I feel so lost...
What am I looking for, exactly?
Why did my heart yearn for the outside?
Was the betrayal worth it?
In any case, now I serve humans.
And it is my duty to respond to their call.
Hm? What is this?
Three carriages?
Two purple, one plain...
Taking a closer look I see...
?! Is that?...
The sinner...
I don't know what gets in me when I see him, but for some reason - that fire in my chest which was extinguished long ago reignites once more.
And the only thing on my mind is to—
KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL.
"Hm? That figure seems to be approaching us."
"Huh?... Shoot! It's that guy! It's the guy who tried to kill me!"
"Wait, really bud?! Oh god, Virgilia, there's some loony chasing us on foot!"
That sinner is still with others, so is it excusable for me to have them as mere casualties?...
~
"Let me tell you, tall freak: the world of exterminators is competitive as all hell. Unless you're a groupie - every fellow exterminator is your enemy. Some underhanded bastards I had the displeasure of knowing would even take your kill as their own."
~
Of course.
If the fellows of the sinner are my current obstacle - it should be fine...
"EN GARDE!!!"
=ACT 1: QUICKSILVER=
"Run! Run! Run as fast as you can, Mercury the Boundary Messenger!"
It isn't unusual for me to have an active chase towards targets. Feeling my steps lighten, I feel like I'm skating on land - that feeling always makes quite warm. In order to intercept their movement, I began shooting stakes at the wheels.
"Fucking hell! Virgilia! That dumbass is trying to destroy our cart!" The red haired young man yells inside the carriage.
"Should I wake up Émile?"
"No!! They're going to jump out like a dumbass!!"
"Urgh, I have no time for this; everyone cover your faces!" The woman's voice emerges and from the innards of the carriage emerges a tall lady; in that moment I knew I was for a hell of a time.
=ACT 1: MUCORMYCOSIS=
"Fall apart."
The black smog began to appear out of the lady's wand and I get caught in it. Having my body covered from head to toe helps, but...
Those black particles...
They begin to grow on me...
"Still moving? Tch. And I thought it would've knocked you out for good. Aden! Carmine! Fortune! Unload!"
=ACT 2: STEALTH SPORE=
"It'll be everywhere"
Another stream of that nasty fog comes forth and first in the line to attack is the tree lady near the sinner.
=ACT 1: PARASITE ENMESH=
"Just like how a dragonfly is close to a frog, you too will be ensnared and consumed."
"Haah!"
The tree lady's arm breaks, sprouting aggressive wooden tendrils from it. Due to spores limiting my view on my visor, the only thing I can do is parry... And even then I feel my body growing sluggish.
"Time for your true target practice, Fortune! Shoot your thorns away! Overwhelm them! Tire them out!"
"O-Of course!"
Hm? The kid learned a new trick?
Cutting his finger, he begins to shoot out blood projectiles. Surprisingly they're many in number and the parrying becomes less and less viable. With the spores being sticky and hard to remove - I can't even remove the visor. And so I hear the last declaration whilst being unable to see.
=SOLE ACT: HOTSHOT=
"Ignition leads to Causation."
A flaming nail was shot towards my direction and my body is set ablaze, feeling massive burns from the outside. Thus concludes my loss.
The carriages had disappeared out of the sight as I jumped into the nearest source of the water to extinguish the flames.
Looking down at my charred and smared body... It'll take a while until I'm healed.
That group... I should keep an eye out for them.
---
"That should take care of it! Urgh, that carriage costs us a damn fortune - who the hell does he think he is?!"
"Damn, didn't know Aden could be this... Irritated..."
"I swear I will kill someone who dares to ruin this lady!"
"That's scary... Anyway, Virgilia, um... Was that... The thing you did...?"
"... Yes. What you saw was my true power."
"Then why...?"
"Because fledglings must learn to fly on their own. I will only intervene when the situation calls for it."
"..."
"Heh, kid, what you saw isn't even true-true Virgilia. When she gets serious, when she lets go of her inhibitions, you will realize...
That you're staring at a monster."