"Kogero-san!"

Teresa jumped as Akuri sat up in her bed. The sunlight filtering through the inn room's single window highlighted the sweat dripping down the Kunoichi's face. Her raven hair fell around her shoulders and face in an unkempt mess, slightly blown to the side by the wind from the open window. Her eyes were bloodshot as her head darted around the room in a panic until she spotted Teresa closing the door behind her.

"Akuri! You're awake!" Teresa placed the tray holding cups of water and towels down on the bed to the Kunoichi's left as she moved to her friend's side.

"Lady Scarlet!" Akuri tried to push herself out of the bed, but found herself tumbling out of the sheets. Teresa caught her before she hit the floor, hugging the Kunoichi to her chest. Akuri's eyes blinked twice in confusion as she turned to look at her left side.

Then she saw the bandaged stump where her arm used to be.

And everything came rushing back to her.

Her eyes widened as a mixture of panic, fear for Kogero, and anger at the stranger filled her heart. Gritting her teeth she pushed herself out of Teresa's grasp while yelling, "Lady Scarlet! We must go! Kogero-san needs our assistance!"

"Wha-wait, wait!" Teresa shook her head as the Kunoichi started searching the room for her weapon, "What do you mean? What happened? Why were you lying in the street covered in blood and missing an arm?"

"There's no time!" Akuri answered with panic clearly in her voice, "Who knows what that monster's doing to her while we stay here! How long was I unconscious?"

"F-five days. And, what monster? Why would a Mamono-"

"It wasn't a Mamono," Akuri opened up a small chest in the southwest corner of the room, digging into it at a rapid pace.

"Then who...oh no," Teresa's face went white as a sheet as the realization dawned on her. Her hand went to her chest and gripped the leather as her breathing increased with her heartbeat. Memories of the time she was captured by that cloaked person made sweat gather on her brow.

Akuri stood up with her single blade in her hand. Its edge gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting the anger look in her eyes for Teresa to see. The Kunoichi turned to the Dhampir and gave her a quick bow, "I will not be long, my Lady. Stay here and await my return." She started heading for the door but stopped as Teresa dashed in to block the exit.

Akuri stepped back in confusion as the Dhampir shook her head in panic, "No! No! No! Don't go after her! You'll die!"

"But Kogero-san is in danger!"

"I know! But...but you can't beat her! None of us can beat her! Not even...not even my mother would stand a chance."

Akuri's step turned into a jump as she gasped in shock, "Lady Scarlet!"

Teresa hugged herself while looking away from Akuri, "If we're indeed talking about the same person then...then we can't beat her. You fought her...didn't you? You and Kogero?"

"...Yes," Akuri averted her eyes from Teresa's judging gaze, "With Corelia-san. The three of us were tasked to observe the...the monster who defeated you by my Lady. We were just meant to watch and wait...but I...I let Corelia-san's words and my own emotions get the better of me. Corelia-san got away, but Kogero-san and I were forced to fight. We outnumbered her, but soon learned we were unprepared and outmatched. In exchange for letting me go, Kogero-san stayed behind and she took my arm. But this time will be different!"

Akuri swiped her sword through the air while lifting the stump that was her left arm, "We have both faced her before, and she has never encountered anything like your mother. We can get out of this city, find Corelia-san, ask my Lady for assistance, and then all four of us can go defeat her together!"

The ninja's face was determined, but Teresa shook quickly shook her head at the prospect, "Did we even fight the same person? She's not like a normal Hero or some random warrior from the Order! There's more to her than the fact that she has no Mana. When I stabbed her with my rapier I could feel my Mana being drained from me. It's like she...like she absorbed it! How are we supposed to fight that?"

"I am..uncertain...but there must be a limit to it! Maybe if all four of us attack at once-!"

"I hit her with a Lust Spell at point blank range, Akuri. And it did nothing. Not even you and Kogero could beat her when you had her outnumbered. She's just too strong. Please," Teresa put her hands on her head and closed her eyes, "Please, just stop."

"Lady Scarlet...what happened to you?" Akuri walked forward and placed her hand on the Dhampir's shoulder. She shook the distressed girl with a mixture of frustration and worry on her face, "Why are you so afraid? This monster nearly killed you, captured Kogero, and took my arm! How can you rationalized letting her go like that?"

"Because I don't want you to die!" Teresa's scream was loud enough to make Akuri step back. Tears made streaks down the Dhampir's face as she continued, "I don't want anyone to die! Not you, not me, not my mother, not even that stranger! She let you off with just taking your arm, but next time she'll really kill you! And I...I..." she fell to her knees and started to sob, words turning to babbling nonsense.

Akuri, floored by the sudden and swift breakdown of the daughter of her Mistress, did the one thing that she could think to do at the moment. She dropped her sword, knelt to Teresa's level, and hugged the Dhampir. Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that. Teresa sobbing into Akuri's uniform, while the Kunoichi tried to think of something to say.

Then they both heard a tiny, yet energetic voice call out, "There you are!"

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

They turned their eyes to the back of the room and beheld a child sized Mamono climbing through the open window. It's dark purple outfit, strange black wings, and perky appearance identified it as a Familiar. It jumped to the floor with its two back wings flapping, before dashing over to the kneeling girls. It's high pitched voice rang in their ears as it produced a scroll from thin air, "I've got a message from Corelia for a Kunoichi named Akuri! Only took me five minutes to get here, too!"

Teresa tilted her head in confusion while Akuri grabbed the letter, only to realize she couldn't open it due to her missing arm. She turned to Teresa with a pleading yet shame filled expression, handing her the letter while avoiding eye contact. Teresa took it and removed the embroidered scroll from its container before rolling it out in her hands. Her eyes scanned the message for a few moments, until she got to the end. Then she gasped in shock.

"What is it? What's happened?" Akuri asked with clear interest. Teresa looked between her friend and the smug looking Familiar, before reading the message aloud:

Akuri, don't go after that monster yet. I've made it to Lescatie, got an audience with Druella, and told her everything. She's agreed to contact our Lady and set up a team to come assist us that she will lead personally. She just needs three weeks to prepare. You need to get over to Lescatie before then. Find out as much information on the bitch as you can. We need to find something we can use against her.

If you can manage it, find Teresa and bring her too. I'll be waiting for you by the front gate.

From, Corelia.

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

"Wow, Spencer," Valarie slowly walked towards the massive tree at the center of the public garden. Her focus kept switching from the centerpiece of the area to the various brightly colored flowers planted along the sides of the cobblestone walkways. The sun was setting in the distance, its rays lighting up the Heroine's hair as she moved from one group of flowers to another. Spencer walked to her side, getting her attention as she asked, "This place is beautiful. How'd you find out about it?"

The young mage chuckled nervously, "Oh, it wasn't hard. I just asked the stablehand if there were any interesting places around and they pointed me here." His eyes jumped around the area. There were a few other people around, but not so many that the place felt crowded. The majority were couples watching over the flowers or sitting underneath the shadow of the giant yew tree in the center. He was hoping that it would just be the two of them, but at least there weren't too many people there. He looked down at one of the flower beds and pointed towards a nearby pair of red roses, "Hey, don't your parents grow those in the garden behind their stables?"

Valarie nodded, following Spencer's gaze to the two flowers, "My father bought the seeds when he was courting my mother. He had them planted in the shape of a heart, and the two of them were wed right in the middle of the orchard when they bloomed."

"Oh yeah. I remember my father telling me about that. He said the two of them looked perfect for each other."

"They were," Valarie reached down and, careful of the thorns, plucked one of the roses. She raised it up and twirled between her fingers and thumb, "My mother would have the servants fill vases with the roses and place them all throughout our manor. I would always awaken to the sweet smell of flowers."

Spencer went quiet, content to simply admire the wistful expression on her face. He resisted the urge to sigh at the way her hair perfectly framed her features. But something changed and he saw her expression turn from happy remembrance, to frustrated anger. Thinking quickly he said aloud, "Is that why you kept a vase of roses in your room at the Cloister?"

Val's eyes turned to her friend with a nod, "Yes, but how did you know that?"

"When I would come to wake you up in the morning, I would catch a glimpse of it when you opened the door," Spencer explained, waving at a passing couple who stopped to stare at them slack jawed.

"Oh," Valarie replied before turning her attention back to the flower in her hand, "I feel I must apologize for that. A Hero such as I shouldn't be sleeping in."

He waved off his friend's apology, "No, no! It was no trouble! Certainly gave me a reason to get up in the morning. Besides getting the to training yard before everyone else. I still remember the look on Instructor Ines' face when she saw us sparring before anyone else had gotten up!"

Spencer started laughing at the humorous memory, which led to Valarie giggling along with him. They sighed before silence settled between them. Birds could be heard singing over head as they flitted among the massive tree's large branches. Eventually, Valarie broke the silence, "How do you think this garden was made? There's no other place like it in Vinvers, and the tree clearly isn't completely natural."

"My guess is one of the city council members pushed for it," Spencer shrugged with indifference.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well," Spencer walked past Valarie over to the western edge of the garden. She followed after him and the two of them gazed out over the entire city laid out before them. Placing a hand over his eyes to block the sunlight, the young mage waved a hand out over the all the buildings and miniscule people and Mamono milling about, "See? You can look at the entirety of Vinvers from here. And everyone can look up to see that tree behind us. Either way it's a breathtaking sight that would raise the citizen's spirits. They probably hired a mage who specialized in nature magic to ensure the tree grew to be as tall as it is."

Spencer's happy smile turned to slack jawed awe as he turned to look at Valarie. The edge had a small bump in it, giving them a high enough elevation for the wind to grab at her hair. Her hands were held together in front of her as the sun's rays shined on her flawless skin. "Wow," she mouthed as her big blue eyes took in the entire horizon set in front of them.

He felt his heart start beating in his chest, before he turned away. Taking five deep breaths in and out, he steeled himself for what he would do next. He reached into his robes until he felt his fingers touch two circular objects, "Hey, Val? That thing I wanted to show you? It's this..."

Taking in one more breath he turned and presented the silver arm guards to the Heroine. Her shocked gasp made him look away for a moment in worry. His heartbeat echoed in his skull as he shut his eyes and prayed that she would like it. The feeling of the armband's weight leaving his hand made him open his eyes with relief.

Valarie observed the armor in her hands with her mouth agape, "This...this is wonderful. How...when did you get this?"

"I, uh, had it custom made a few months back," Spencer felt the uneasiness in his heart lift, but not disappear as he continued, "It was a week after we fought that arachne. You took a bad hit to your arms and couldn't wield your sword for three weeks. So I...I went and asked a blacksmith to forge those for you. I made sure he made them light enough to be worn beneath your plate so..."

Valarie put the arm guards on, her eyes widening further as they snapped onto her arms with no trouble, "These are...a perfect fit. But, how did you know what size to make them?"

Spencer swallowed, scratching his cheek while chuckling, "I kinda...kinda went to the tailor and asked her what your...sizes were. Only for your armor though! I assure you!"

He spotted the beginnings of an angry frown and felt his heart stop for a moment. Then his worry disappeared as her features softened. She gave him a genuine smile that he knew he would never forget, "Thank you, Spencer. This is a wonderful gift. I'm sorry I don't have anything to give to you."

"Don't worry," he made sure to look her in the eye as he walked forward and gently took her hand in his, "Being able to be with you is better than any gift."

"Spencer...," she said as a blush came over her cheeks.

He smiled up at her before turning towards the city of Vinvers. Valarie did the same.

The two of them stood there, wind whistling through the sky, as they watched the sun set on the city below.