"For the last time, Jet," Juliee huffed as she dropped the bounty hunter's crossbow bolts onto the counter in front of her, "I can't do it."

Jet looked down at his ammo then sighed with disappointment. He shook his head while saying, "Come on, Juliee. I have the money for it, so why can't you do it?"

Jet stepped back as the mage pointed a finger in his face, feeling his body tense up as her navy blue eyes stared daggers directly into his green ones, "Money isn't the issue. The danger and possibility of blowing up my shop are!"

"How hard could it be?" Jet shrugged while trying to not stare at the woman's jiggling breasts as she leaned forward on the smooth wooden counter, "It's just enchanting some crossbow bolts with a fireball spell. What's the problem with that?"

"Oh, nothing, just the ever-present risk of one of the bolt tips hitting a hard surface and blowing up in my face!" Juliee straightened up, crossing her arms under breasts barely contained by the collar of her short red dress. She leaned on her left foot, sending her short skirt swishing slightly along with her solid black hair.

Jet stepped forward, his eyes roaming the counter and lingering on three unlabeled vials and glass bottles to his right. Eyebrows raised in interest, he pointed towards the group of multi-colored liquids, "Then can you at least those? They look interesting."

Juliee followed his finger then waved her hand dismissively, "Some potions I'm experimenting with. They're mainly out for decoration, but if you'd like to test them for me..."

Juliee's sinister smile made Jet furiously shake his head. He leaned to the right and called out, "Hey Blitz, Sen! You two done yet?"

Blitz kept her back turned to her comrade as she scanned a greenish shelf, picking up a glass bottle with red liquid bubbling in it. She answered without turning around, "Still looking. Be patient."

Sen yelled an agreement from around a corner, making Jet groan in annoyance and worry. He was thankful when he heard the door to the shop open behind him. He turned to it just as Juliee shouted her standard greeting, "Welcome to The Magic Shield! How can I...eeekk!"

Juliee ducked behind her counter as the new guest closed the door behind them. Jet raised his eyebrow at her reaction before turning back to examine the newcomer. A wide grin lit up his face as he recognized the familiar attire, "Hunt! Good to see you!"

The Huntress smiled beneath her bandana as she walked towards the young man, "Greetings, Jet. Likewise. How have you all been since I've been gone?"

Jet walked to the Huntress' side and patted her on the back, "Oh we've been great, but what I wanna know is how you've been. How'd you even find this place?"

"I simply asked around for places that sell items that would be useful to travelers," she shrugged before waving her hand at the numerous trinkets, potions, and other items set up around the building, "This is actually the second place I've come to. I found it easily thanks to the directions I got from the blacksmith yesterday.

She frowned as her eyes roamed the room for a moment, "Did you also hear a girlish scream before I came in?"

Jet nodded and pointed a finger towards the counter, "Yeah, that was Juliee. She ducked the moment you opened the door. Don't know why. Hey, Juliee! Come out and meet my friend Hunt!"

Shaky hands reached up to the countertop as the raven-haired shop owner slowly revealed herself. But the moment her eyes caught a glimpse of the Huntress, she immediately went back into hiding. She shouted from behind her hiding spot, "Please don't touch anything! It took me weeks to make all inventory! Not to mention the time it took to get the materials to make them! Don't drain away my livelihood, please!"

A confused expression came over Jet as he looked at the Huntress who's gaze was pointed towards the floor. He frowned, whispering to the Huntress while jerking his thumb at the door. She nodded turning around as he led her outside into the morning sun. Jet stretched before leaning back against the store's wall, watching the citizens of Pran as they went about their day to day lives. He turned to look at the Huntress as she did the same, clearing his throat before asking, "So, should I ask what all that was about?"

He jerked his head at the door to the store as the Huntress turned her gaze to him, "Do you remember what was discovered during our mission together? The reason Sentinel wanted me to join the Order?"

"Yeah, but...oh right," Jet nodded his head in realization, "The whole 'eating Mana' thing. A mage like Juliee wouldn't exactly like having you near so many magical items."

"Unfortunately, yes," the Huntress looked down at her gloved hand, the fabric cool against her palm, "Yet another way this power of mine endangers those around me. How is Sentinel? Has his arm healed?"

Jet nodded while smiling, "Yep! Good as new! He might be old but he's still able to pump out Mana. But, does that really stop you from going into any Magic Shop? Or interacting with Mages? Do you just suck the Mana outta anyone the moment they get close to you?"

He stared at his right hand with worry written on his face. The Huntress shook her head, "No, I don't believe that's the case. It seems to be limited to skin on skin contact. As long as I don't directly touch someone, it should pose no danger to them."

Jet feigned wiping his head in relief, "Oh good! I was worried patting you on the back might have drained me a bit!" Jet started to laugh but stopped when he noticed the Huntress serious contemplation on the subject. Instead, he leaned back against the wall, "Anyway, how have you been? Haven't seen you in a good while."

"Almost a week to be exact," the Huntress replies, lifting her head from her gloved hand to answer him, "And I've been fine. Pran has proven a fine place. I even bought a house with my cut of the reward."

"Really?" Jet's eyes widen in surprise, "Didn't expect someone like you to do that. No offense, but I kinda had you pegged as the wandering type."

"Well, for some of us, constantly moving from place to place gets...tiresome," the Huntress' expression darkened for a moment before she shook it off and asked, "What of about you? How are Blitz and Sen doing?"

"Oh, we're doing fine," Jet replied, knowing the Huntress wanted to change the subject, "no new jobs yet, but we've got plenty of the reward from the last one leftover. We're gonna be good for a long while. Sen's getting on in years, but he's still going strong. I'd actually bet gold on me biting before him!"

They shared a small laugh at the joke before Jet continued, his expression dampening as he started, "As for Blitz, she's doing fine. Not much to say there. She's stopped moping about your feud, but I've been with her long enough to know that doesn't mean she's over it. I'd suggest stepping on eggshells if you decide to speak to her."

"Understood," the Huntress turned her body to face him directly, "which leads into my real reason for tracking you all down. I have a favor to ask of you."

Jet nodded, turning his body to face her while keeping one shoulder on the wall, "Hmm. Normally I'd be negotiating our price, but we're basically set with our current funds. And we do owe you for helping us take on that pack. Don't think we would've made it out of that one on our own. So, we'll do this for free! What do you need?"

The nervousness the Huntress spoke with surprised Jet as she asked, "Well, umm, how are you three with children?"

----------------------------------------

"They. Are. So. Cute!~" Blitz screamed as she scooped Horace and Gloria into her arms. She pressed their cheeks against hers, rubbing them while giggling softly to herself. The two children actively fought to free themselves from the woman's grip but to no avail.

The Huntress smiled at the three as she sat on her couch in the living room, watching Blitz interact with her children. The young woman spun around the room with Horace and Gloria in her arms while babbling incoherent nothings to them. Gloria tried to wiggle her way out of Blitz's grasp, while Horace tried to pry her arms off him. Sentinel laughed heartily at the display, a bright smile on his face as he stood under the entrance to the living room. Jet passed by the older man and sat down next to the Huntress. He leaned forward, waving at his companion as she asked the children their names, "That answer your previous question?"

"Indeed it does," the Huntress nodded at him, "Seeing Blitz take to the children that way is surprising, to say the least."

"Yeah, Blitz has always had a soft spot for kids. Think it might have something to do with our time training with the Order," Jet's eyes scanned the room as he leaned back in his seat, "This is a pretty nice place, Hunt. How much did it cost you?"

"Fifty thousand," the Huntress mentioned with a shrug, "Most of my funds, but I believe the house was a worthwhile purchase."

"Aye," Sentinel said stepping into the room, "Though I'd say this is more like a manor. I half expected to see a noble start walking down those stairs when we came in."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The Huntress gave a slight bow to Sentinel as he sat in the vacant chair, "Thank you for the compliments. Shall I explain my request to the three of you?"

"I think I can make a pretty good guess," Sentinel said while pointing towards Blitz, who was tousling Horace's hair, "you want us to watch the young ones while you're off taking care of important business?"

The Huntress' nod was quickly followed by Jet's reply, "Sounds like an easy job. Mind formally introducing us to the kids?"

"Of course. One moment," the Huntress stood up from the sofa, walking to where Blitz was seated, "Blitz, can you release my children, please?"

The young woman jerked the kids in her arms away from the Huntress, staring daggers at her as she did. But the returned glares from Jet and Sentinel made her stop. She released the children, who quickly ran to their surrogate parent. Gloria hugged the Huntress' right leg, burying her face in her black leggings while Horace stood in front of his sister. The Huntress knelt and picked up both children before turning to the gathered bounty hunters, "Thank you, Blitz. Everyone, these two are my children. The boy's name is Horace, and the girl is Gloria. They're twins I rescued from the slums. Horace, Gloria, these are friends of mine. Jet, Sentinel, and Blitz. They will watch over you when I leave tomorrow, so I expect you to be good for them, ok?"

"From the slums?" Blitz asked with a confused frown, "So...they're not...you know 'yours'."

"No," the Huntress answered with a shake of her head, "I adopted them. They were being abused by a gang calling themselves 'the Vipers'. I took them away from that."

" saved us," Gloria peeked out from hugging the Huntress' neck to speak, "She gave us a home."

"We don't doubt that little lass," Sentinel replied, "We all know how bad the slums can be. Guessing you had to fight your way out?"

Horace spoke up before the Huntress did, "Yeah, but Ms. Cynthia is really strong. She beat the strangers who came into our house last night all by herself!"

The Huntress quickly placed the two children on the floor and said, "Ok, you two. How about you both run off to do your chores?" Horace perked up at the sound of that, shouting about getting the ax before running out of the room. Gloria was slower to move, waiting for the Huntress to pat her on the head before she followed her brother out. The bounty hunters all turned towards the Huntress, their expressions clearly awaiting an explanation.

The Huntress stood with a sigh, waving in the direction of the stairs, "If you three were to head upstairs, I will explain everything."

Jet and Sentinel shared a look with the old mage jerking a finger at Blitz. Jet nodded before standing and heading upstairs with Sentinel following behind him. The Huntress went to follow but was stopped when Blitz grabbed her by the arm.

"Hold on," clear anger radiated from Blitz's voice as she stood from her chair, "we've got business."

"I know what you speak of," the Huntress didn't try to break out of Blitz's grip, "but know that any worry is unfounded."

Blitz threw the Huntress' arm to the side to grab her collar, standing on her toes to stare the taller woman in the eyes, "You won't blow me off that easily! What are you planning to do with those kids?"

She tightened her grip when the Huntress didn't answer, "Do you seriously think I'm going to trust your story after what you did? That you can just start a family, live a nice life, and then everyone will forget what happened?! Cause I fucking won't!"

The Huntress placed her hands on Blitz's wrist, "Then you shouldn't have a problem with watching over my children when the time comes. Now, please, calm down. I wouldn't want Horace or Gloria to see this."

With a slight tug, the Huntress removed the younger woman's hands from her collar, much to Blitz's surprise. Her eyes widened as she felt the Huntress press down on her thin wrist. It wasn't enough to hurt, but she couldn't break free of the white-gloved hands as they moved her arms back to her sides. With that, the Huntress moved to follow Jet and Sentinel upstairs, Blitz following behind soon after with her teeth grit in frustration.

They made it to the second floor where the Huntress quickly made her way to the door to her room. She pushed the door open, revealing Maggie's sleeping form to her three guests. She moved to stand on the opposite end of the bed, looking over the young girl as the bounty hunters filed into the room.

Sentinel was the first to move, rushing over to the side closest to the door. His eyes roamed her still form as chest rose with her slow breaths. His eyes narrowed then shot open as he said, "This girl's Mana deprived!"

"What!?" Jet and Blitz shouted in unison, both rushing to stand at Sentinel's side.

The old man shook his head while his eyes roamed the young woman's body, "She's stabilized, but her Mana is lower than it should be. At the rate her bodies drawing it in, she won't wake up for two days at least. But, how did this happen? For her to be Mana deprived like this, she was either fighting something or...,"

His eyes moved from the girl to the Huntress, followed by Jet and Blitz. Both men stared at her waiting for her explanation, while Blitz gripped the side of the bed while nearly shouting, "What did you do to her?"

The Huntress held up a hand as Sentinel prepared to reprimand Blitz. The old man stopped as the Huntress began to explain, "Yesterday, I was attacked by a Mamono called a 'Cupid'. While I was getting the children new clothes, it shot me with an arrow and attempted to retreat. I pursued it and dealt with it accordingly. Before that, I met the girl you see before you. Her name is Maggie, and she has a brother named Nick. He led me through the slums and to the children in the first place. We happened upon each other when the Cupid attacked. I asked them to take Horace and Gloria back home while I chased the Mamono."

She shook her head, "I wouldn't have done that if I knew what would happen next. When I returned, the two of them were being assaulted by three disguised Mamono. One ran away the moment she saw me. The other two attempted to fight. I...handled them accordingly."

She stopped for a moment to observe her audience. Jet's eyes were stuck in a perpetual state of surprise, Sentinel had his head pointed towards Maggie's face, and Blitz's face was contorted in frustration but she refused to meet the Huntress' eyes. She felt relief at how none of them asked her to elaborate. Telling them what had happened to the undead wasn't something she was ready to do yet.

She adjusted her hat before continuing, "Unfortunately, Maggie had been close to one of the Mamono for an extended period of time. She was filled with Demonic Spirit Energy and was starting to turn. I...I started to absorb her Spirit Energy. I held her hand in mine and drained the horrid substance from her. Thankfully, it seems to have worked. Which leads me to the rest of my request."

She stared the three bounty hunters down as she laid everything out, "I made a deal with the Guard Captain yesterday morning, and I need to uphold it tomorrow morning. I don't know when I will return, so I ask that you all watch over my house, my children, and Maggie until then. Her brother will likely visit while I"m gone. If he appears, let him inside. Any questions?"

Jet was the first to raise his hand. With a nod from the Huntress, he asked, "So...you're name's, Cynthia?"

The Huntress blinked once.

Blitz's palm hit her face with an audible slap.

Sentinel hit Jet on his shoulder, glaring at the young man with disappointment written on his face.

"What?!" Jet yelled while rubbing his shoulder, "Don't tell me you two haven't been wondering the same thing this entire time?"

"That's not the point," Sentinel replied with a shake of his head, "She just asked us to watch over her two kids, and a Mana deprived young lass, and your first question is about her name?!"

"Well...it's a nice name, and I was just wondering about it," Jet tried and failed to explain himself.

Sentinel's next admonishment died on his lips as he heard the sound of unfamiliar giggling. He turned his head to look at the Huntress, who had a hand covering her mouth as she chuckled away at Jet's question. Her fit lasted for a good minute before she managed to compose herself, "No...no it is not. It is merely an alias I used when the Merchant I purchased this manor from asked for a name."

"Ah," Jet smiled, proud to have made the Huntress laugh, "Makes sense. We're not exactly in any position to judge for that. Regardless, we'll gladly take the job. Right Sen, Blitz?"

Sentinel nodded, but Blitz was slow to answer. Her eyes moved from the door behind her, to the young girl on the bed, and stopped at the Huntress. She frowned before throwing up her arms, "Fine. But I'm doing this for the kids. They'll need a good role model for when they grow up."

"I"m sure they will," the Huntress said before moving towards the door. She stopped before turning to ask the three, "Now, would any of you like to stay for dinner?"

----------------------------------------

"There you are," the Guard Captain, Felix, said to the Huntress as she stepped through the gate, "At least you're punctual. The Heroes should be here within a few minutes." He wiped a gloved hand across his brow as the hot sun beat down from above. His plate armor, covered in dings and scratches from previous battles, shined as the sunlight hit it.

The Huntress nodded moving to stand at Felix's right while adjusting her hat to protect her from the sun's rays. She eyed the broadsword sheathe at the Captain's hip, before moving to the cat hanging off its shoulder. She resisted the urge to pet grab the ringed tail as it swished back and forth in the air. Instead, she focused on the open path leading away from Pran, watching for any hint of movement.

"Hope you got all your affairs in order. They'll likely be planning to take you off somewhere for a while," Felix kept his eyes on the road as he spoke.

"What makes you say that?" the Huntress asked, squinting her eyes as what four figures crested a hill in the distance.

Felix's chuckle was devoid of mirth as the figures got closer to them, "Cause if there's one thing the Order can't stand, it's something they have no control over."

The Huntress remained silent. After a few minutes, the four figures were close enough to make out details. Two of them wore similar long black cloaks with matching wide-brimmed hats. They each kept their heads down while holding their hands up in a prayer stance. She deduced that the two of them were likely the Inquisitors. The symbol of an eye with a ring of fire around it on both their shirts was her first clue.

The second was the other two stood out way too much.

At the head of the group was a young woman who had her blonde hair flowing freely in the morning breeze. She had a sword as wide as she was slung across her back, with a circlet wrapped around her forehead. Her breasts bounced with every step her horse took, her armor only covering her nipples and her upper chest. Her midriff was completely bared alongside her arms. Brown boots with knee-length white socks covered led to a short skirt that didn't reach her thighs. A frown was plastered on her face

To her left was a boy who didn't look older than thirteen. He wore blue, full-body robes that even covered his ankles. His boots were black, the same color as the small shock of hair on his head. He held a long curved staff in his right hand that was taller than he was He happily waved at Felix and the Huntress when the four stopped their horses near the two.

Felix bowed to the riders, "I welcome you to Pran with open arms Heroes. I am Felix, the Guard Captain. It is good to see the Chosen of God on this fine day."

The boy made to reply but went silent when the woman raised her right hand. She turned her gaze to the Huntress, speaking without portraying any emotion, "Who would this be, Guard Captain?"

The Huntress stepped forward before he could reply, staring the newcomer down, "I am the one responsible for the destruction of the werewolf pack Felix spoke of in his report. I was informed you were looking for the perpetrator and decided to reveal myself."

The woman's eyes narrowed as she examined the Huntress, "I see." She dismounted her horse and stepped closer to the Huntress, stopping two feet away from the black-clothed woman.

Then she placed a hand on her greatsword and shouted, "On behalf of the Order, I, Valarie Holden, hereby place you under arrest!"