"Leave?!" Ramone stammered, "But why?"

Monica closed her eyes and seemed to reflect on where she had been. "I must set out and find my brother's killer! I can't get tied up with your goverment affairs. Already some of them think I'm Django!"

"Well surely," the satyr said. "You wouldn't leave a poor farm animal in his cage to get executed. You can at least let me out."

Monica sighed. "You're right, cabro," she said, walking over to the other cell. "But that's all I can do. The rest is up to you."

She fitted the key in the lock and it clanked to the floor. The satyr, though he had been freed, still sported an antsy expression. "You know, my dear swordswoman, I am not exactly equip to fight hordes of enemies."

Monica walked over to the guard whose head was still lodged in the bars and snatched it. "Hey!" the guard cried. I spent a whole years salary on that blade."

She handed it to Ramone. "There you go, cabro," she said slyly. "Now you can go rescue that tiny, obnoxious chica."

The satyrs well dressed knees nearly buckled as he struggled to hold up the weight of the sword. "Oh you are so kind," he said with a sarcastic scowl. "Perhaps when I die, they can stuff my head for taxidermy so I can glare at you for the rest of your life."

"That's perfect," Monica said pointing at his horns. "I could always use an extra coat rack."

Ramone glared some more, but at last he said, "Very well. But know you are not as noble as I thought you were."

She rolled her eyes. "Perhaps I will guide you to the door, at least? Is that good enough?"

"That's not saving Annabell," Ramone muttered. "But it's the least you can do."

As they headed up the stoney stairs, Ramone could not believe his luck. Somehow he had found himself a girl who was even more insufferable than the queen herself.

As they emerged into the lobby of Dedlam, there was an unpleasant but highly predictable sight. A squad of at least twelve guards had gathered to stop the prisoners from escaping.

"To the door, cabro!" Monica cried as they ran towards the entrance but it was too late. They had found themselves surrounded at all angles.

Everyone had drawn their pistols or their blades. Ramone gazed at everyone nervously, still quivering with the guard's sword in his hands. They only had one to match. And that didn't even count the pistols that could make shorter work of them than their guns.

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"Sword please," the bold Monica Montero asked of Ramone. "I ain't going down without a fight."

"Do you really expect to take them all on at once?" Ramone asked.

"Somehow… but I'm not so sure," Monica answered. "Now hand me my weapon."

But Ramone stared transfixed at the reflection of his face in the sword. The gears in his brain started turning when he thought of Monica's power of the Loveblade. He then thought back to his schooldays as a buck.

"Love is a circle...an eternal circle…" he whispered to her.

"Que?" she answered back.

"Do you have a way to combine your Loveblade with a spinning attack?"

There was a glow of realization in Monica's chocolate eyes. "Si. I do. I like your thinking, cabro."

Ramone handed her the sword and made a hooved fist. "Let's take em all down at once."

"Surrender yourselves!" the head guard demanded. "We will not let enemies of the Mainland goverment be free!"

But Monica merely laughed, drawing a heart of pink aura in the air. "Duck cabro!" she said as she wound up her arm.

Ramone hit the ground as she unleashed a spinning attack that spread the pink aura around, hitting a guard at every angle.

Ramone covered his eyes with his hooves as he shook on the ground. He waited for the ripping of lead or the shing of swords aimed at his rear end. But instead he heard a soft moaning. "Oh Monica," several male voices said. "We would do anything for your approval."

He opened his eyes and saw several guards blushing and drooling over her visage. "Good muchachos!" Monica said, very pleased. "Then lock yourselves in the dungeon. Here are the keys."

"Jokes on you…" one of the guards said as he took the keys. "I'm into that…"

They all staggered like zombies towards the dungeon, leaving only one guard. She had noticeably longer hair that was tied back in a pony tail and a fair face. She still had her sword drawn. "What's going on with you?" Monica asked accusingly.

"I am a woman…" the guard said. "And I'm only into men."

"Ahhh," Monica said, walking unafraid towards her. "Do you want a gold star for that, chica?"

The woman quivered before Monica took the back of her sword and slammed her adversary in the head. "Wheeeeere's my gold star?" the female guard asked, her face spread in a dumbstruck smile.

"Oh," Monica smirked. "I'm sure you'll be seeing stars soon enough."

She helped Ramone to his feet. "Good thinking indeed, cabro. You really got some smarts."

"Ah yes," the satyr said, quite proud of himself. "I did study at the University of Goatre Dame!"

Monica patted him on the back. "Very good. Now I must leave and…"

"HELP!" Chloe's voice echoed down from the pipes again.

The female swordsman was silent. Ramone put his hooves together. "Can you really leave such an innocent child to die?"

"Innocent is a very debatable word in her case," Montero snarked.

"But," the satyr said. "She was kind enough to save you from that vile Django. Surely, you can return the favor…"

Monica opened her mouth to talk, but was suddenly silenced by something. "'An honorable swordsperson,' my papa told me, 'always returns a good favor.' Eet is such a sappy saying, but I feel I cannot disobey my papa.'"

"I figured that," Ramone chortled. "I knew there was a code of honor hidden somewhere in that bah-thersome brain of yours."

"Let us go before I forget it, cabro!" Monica said. Together, they hurried to the elevator and pushed the lift to the highest floor. But when the doors opened, they couldn't believe their eyes.