"So you failed."

Those words stung with their brevity. Indeed, Roderick chose them clearly out of an express desire to convey his disdain for the woman now standing before him.

He approached her at a menacing pace, wrinkles forming along the ridge between his eyes. And as they stood face to face, he further deepened his voice, such that what came out was nothing more than a gurgling grunt, "Again!"

She barely stopped herself from slinking away at his intimidation, but her shoulders certainly tensed up, along with most of her upper body.

Already weary from an eventful day, and yet further aggravated by the decrepit man before her, she returned his stare, despite her better judgement.

Consequently, his eyes narrowed, and expression, darkened.

"I believed you had a bright future ahead of you. In the end, you were no different from the rest of the bumpkin trash you surround yourself with." He uttered these words vividly, injecting emphasis specific words so as to drive home his sentiment.

Alas, all she could do was take it, digging her nails into her palm as she clenched her fist.

"How disappointing."

Her lips parted, allowing a shallow breath to pass through. She intended to, somehow, open yet another negotiation or simply talk her way out of her predicament, but then, like a crack of a whip, his palm slapped across her face.

Startled, she unconsciously braced both legs, only to hurt herself from putting weight on her injured shin. The pain buckled her knees and soon enough, she fell to the ground.

Low snickers erupted among Roderick's men.

"Hmph. Ridiculous, do you think that pathetic act will earn you pity? Fool."

Seeing him turn his back and return to the midst of his sycophants, she cursed him beneath her breath.

Moments later, he passed them, saying, "Dispose of this trash."

"W-what!?" Hearing this, it was almost as if her heart fell right off her chest.

The men ushered him away, leaving but one of their own - the largest among them, whose shoulders were so broad, the definition of his musculature was visible even through his mantle.

His footsteps thundered like an ogre's. Dead branches cracked beneath his feet, ominously reminiscent of bone, which, by his mere presence, gave the impression that he intended to break each and every one of hers, the moment she fell in his grasp.

"W-wait!" She cried, whilst dragging herself desperately through the dirt. "Please!"

But the man showed no inclination of listening to anything she said. Instead, he unsheathed a large knife and reached for her wrist.

"Ack! Let go of me! I said let-"

Then, the moment she began to struggle, he thrust his gloved fingers into her mouth, preventing her from screaming.

Eris choked and heaved, whilst struggling to pull his hand out. Her resistance was futile. He towered over her in almost the same way she towered over her Lady, and the difference in build was simply beyond comparison. Not long after, he then grabbed her by the back of her head and drove his knee into her abdomen.

"Buh-!" It knocked the wind out of her, along with all the saliva that had collected in her mouth.

Unbearable pain coursed through her body, robbing her of strength. The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back, pinned violently against the ground with a knife hovering over her neck.

Nevertheless, she struggled.

She had to struggle - however way she could. Even with her slender, frail hands, she clasped the man's forearm, so burgeoning with brawn that it nearly resembled a crab's claw.

"Mmgmffmhfgh!" she cried. Literally, cried.

Teardrops streamed down her eyes as she held on for dear life against the blade's encroaching tip, threatening to pierce her throat.

But her strength waned.

It was not only due to exhaustion, but the hand shoved down her throat made it difficult to even breathe. Every time she gasped for some air, the dirty leather would rub against her back of her mouth, forcing up a gob of vomit. But that, too, couldn't escape, and the reflux would thus enter her windpipe, sending a spiral of violent, twitching pain throughout her body.

Meanwhile, the man cackled in sheer, vicious glee. Despite her failing resistance, the knife still approached as slowly as when she pushed against it with all her might.

Bastard! He's... toying with me...!

Harder and harder she gasped, only to choke on more vomit.

Asshole...!

Her body convulsed as asphyxiation soon took its course.

Shit...! No!

Slowly, her eyes rolled back.

In the end...

Everything faded to black.

... You're telling me...

Then, right before she lost consciousness, she felt a sudden lightness coming over her.

I couldn't escape... this outcome?

In that moment, all suffering seemed to dissipate.

I'm scared...

But then, a hard object suddenly slammed against her forehead.

"Mbf-!?" Startled, she reflexively made one more gasp for air, and to her surprise, she hardly felt any resistance, doing so.

The hand had turned limp, opening a path for air to filter in.

Soon, she realized the source of the lightness: The man now laid beside her, rather than mounting her like a wild animal.

W-what...?

Putting any other thought for later, she pulled the man's hand out of her mouth, and finally rolled to her side, allowing her to gasp and cough to her heart's desire.

Again and again, she spat onto the grass, unable to get the taste of unwashed leather out of her tongue.

What in the world just happened...?

She ran her palm across her drenched forehead, only to find, mixed in with her sweat, a streak of thick, viscous blood.

Hngk-!

She flicked it away in panic.

No...!

She clutched her arms together and trembled while she slowly turned her eyes to the man laying beside her.

Please don't...!

She scanned his body from the leg up, as though she already knew what she would behold. And yet, deep in her heart, she resisted this encroaching reality.

And then, once her gaze had reached his torso, there was no turning back.

Anyone but them!

She withdrew both hands to her chest in horror.

There, her assailant laid, blood spilling out of the stump where his neck used to be. And a couple of feet away laid his head, face upturned towards the moon.

Oh Gods! They're here!

She saw them beyond the corpse.

Like formless shadows, they shuffled in the darkness - dozens of eerie, shining orbs floating through the field of grass.

Her heart raced.

I-I'm going to be killed! I need to go, now!

Eschewing any dignity still left in her veins, she crawled on all fours as quietly as she could; as quickly as she could.

But not even a moment had passed, when she felt a tug on her collar.

"Hic-!" Her entire body recoiled in fright.

"Hey," whispered a tiny voice, "where do you think you're going?"

Beside her, Sylphia, crouched down whilst beaming a cruel smile her way.

"Relax. You did the right thing," the girl added, "I'm proud of you. Now watch. I'll show you something cool."

W-what...?

The young lady then stood up. Placing her hands on her waist, she then took a deep breath, and screamed, "Hey! Scumbag! Hold it right there!" She then turned to the shadowy figure monster closest to her and uttered, "Do it."

"Nyaa!"

And thus, like a gale of wind, the creatures fanned out.

He recognized that voice.

He had heard it once or twice whilst observing her from the shadows.

Roderick turned around.

And there she stood, right before his very eyes.

The prize.

The so-called... "heroine".

He could not be mistaken.

Her presence was captivating - this young girl whose long, silvery hair seemed to glitter beneath the moonlight. She stood alone yet defiant, even without a weapon in her hand, unless one would count a mere folding fan.

He rubbed his eyes, almost unable to believe the absurdly fortuitous twist of fate. But it was so. Perhaps, in her haste, she had neglected to bring the village guards with her. Perhaps she was foolish enough to attempt to subdue him with her title, which he already knew was fraudulent. It mattered not. For he had taken enough precaution to bring top-notch mercenaries, capable of massacring not just the guards, but the entire population of Dellwick, if necessary.

His lips parted wide, revealing a malevolent grin.

Ah, he thought, here is a chance to set things right. Truly, the Goddess of Fortune smiles at the bold!

But just as he swept his arm forward to order her capture, a dull slap, akin to the sound of a tanner's knife splitting leather, pierced his ears.

His heart skipped a beat. For the next thing he knew, the man standing in front of him - the captain of his security detail, fell to his knees, clutching his neck while letting out a gurgling shriek.

Wha-

The little girl jeered, "That's right, kill all the rest. I only want that old man in the middle."

What the hell!? Don't tell me-

Alerted to the threat that fell upon them, his guards quickly formed a circle around him. They drew their weapons and raised their shields, which immediately came under attack from some unknown force.

Shadows seemingly flickered from the few streaks of light filtering down from the forest canopy above. They revealed shining, golden orbs, dancing within formless silhouettes that just as quickly vanished from existence, like a candle buffeted by a strong wind.

These things... they are almost as if...

His gaze met with the girl's - a mesmerizing golden-amber that seemed to glow in the dark.

They are indeed her eyes! This witchcraft...! Could this truly be... the power of the heroine!?

But it cannot be! That woman, she said-

He then turned to the figure beside the young girl. And from what he saw, his face would contort in utter rage.

It was Eris, the one who had given her this information, and she was, to his shock, alive.

Fffffilthy harlot!

That wench! She had been playing with me all this time!?

That bitch! That street trash scum! I ought to strangle her with these very hands-

"Sir, we must retreat!" screamed his second-in-command, cutting his train of thought.

Despite the persistent attack, the guards held fast thanks to their magically imbued shields and armor. Aside from that, however, their only recourse was to blindly swing their weapons in the darkness, which, even with the magical power stored within, did nothing to advance their position.

"Nnnngh!" He growled, almost popping a vein on his forehead as he creeped closer and closer to an aneurism. "I won't forget this!"

And so, he ran, flanked by two men and trailed by the rest.

"Mark my words, you filthy snake of a woman!" he screamed, "I shall plunge you into hell! And in the depths of your despair, I shall be the one to take your life!"

Sylphia and Eris watched as Roderick howled into the night as he faded into the distance.

"Huh... There he goes." the girl said, shrugging, "Noisy old geezer, isn't he? I bet he's senile. Ah well. He can't escape, anyway. Let's go?"

She felt a flinch the moment she took her hand, as though she were being rejected.

It gave her a moment's pause, but nonetheless, she pulled her along, and with a grin, said, "We have a lot to talk about!"

The two thus returned to the inn, alone, all the while walking in awkward silence.

Elsewhere in Dellwick, in the spare room of a local merchant's house, a man, neither young nor particularly old, let out a deep and anxious sigh.

"Lil... hasn't come back."

He sat on his bed, his arm draped on his knee, such that the ray of light beaming into the room illuminated his copper skin, faintly lustrous off a film of sweat.

All this time, he had been staring out the window with a sorrowful expression scrawled on his face.

That curse... doesn't it weigh heavily on your shoulders?

If so, why do you refuse to have it expunged?

It forces you to deaden your emotions. It imparts an unquenchable thirst for murder.

His fingers rolled inward.

You are ashamed of it, aren't you?

That is why you need to sneak out at night.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Soon, he slid his legs off the bed and began gathering his gear.

I do know, Lil.

He then stood up and one by one, mounted the separate pieces of armor over his body.

The boss must know far more, and yet, I am told so little.

I don't understand. Is it connected to your unparalleled genius? That would certainly answer the mystery of how a young, nameless orphan could develop such-inhuman skill.

Next, he grasped his curved blade, slinging its thick strap around his torso and letting its sheath rest on his back.

Nevertheless, I have taken the responsibility to look after you.

He then threw his cloak on, fastening the two sides together with a brooch over his chest.

Whether or not you intend to suffer with your curse through the rest of your life... I shall be by your side.

Alas, he stepped out into the living room, where he saw a faint candle light approaching.

"I heard a noise downstairs..." said a frail old voice. "...going out?"

With no need to look, he knew - it was the merchant whose caravan he saved the other day, fresh out of bed with his hair stuck in a frizzy tangle, holding an oil lamp in one hand, and rubbing his eye with the other.

"Mm..." He nodded. "My... sister. She's taking too long on her stroll. I'm going out to find her."

"Oh dear. Is that so? I hadn't even noticed her leaving. Please, take care. There are many visitors in town today."

"Thank you. I will."

Gently and politely, he closed the door behind him. In a moment's notice, he was greeted by the cold night wind, sweeping through the street and carrying with it some tiny flecks of garbage.

Now then...

He pulled his mantle closer to his body and began his search.

The sound of battle rattled from afar as with flesh and metal collided, interspersed by myriad shrieks and gasps. As time passed however, even these would slowly drown away, as though the darkness were swallowing everything whole.

Bullets of sweat streaked down Roderick's wrinkled temple. He and his remaining retinue of just a handful of guards had been running from their assailants for close to half an hour, and his aging body could no longer keep it up.

"Ha...! Ha...! Hagh...! Augh!" He tripped, only to be helped up by the man directly behind him. "Rrgh! Curses! I cannot... hah... die here...!"

He saddled himself on his shoulder and resumed their escape.

"Wretched whore..." he continued grumbling, "I swear, you will rue this day-"

No sooner had he said this, than a sudden weight fell on his shoulders. Once more, he toppled over, and this time along with his escort.

"Gods!" he shrieked, "You fool! Hurry up and-"

He flared with rage up to the moment he laid eyes on his guard, when his fury instantly inverted to fear. For there, now stuck in the man's neck, was a knife, draining his blood like sap from a tree.

"Eegaaah!" He leapt away in terror, hurting his back in the process. "W-w-wha-"

A young woman emerged from the foliage. She wore such thick rags all over that nothing could be distinguished from her face but the fair skin around her lips and a few tufts of blonde hair that each glimmered with a certain bluish hue. "Well, look what we got here," she said with a rowdy tone of voice, "Old, wrinkly, and looks like a pervert. Uh-huh. You must be the guy Eris was talking about."

Behind her followed a large group of similarly dressed individuals, amongst whom a handful carried torches.

"W-what do want!?" he cried, "Who the hell are you!?"

"Just a pawn. Name's Eckhart. I'm nobody important, I assure you. And just so you know, I'm only giving you my name since I don't intend to let you live. Now, on to business. I hear you were the one behind these stupid raids we were tasked with?"

"Raids...!? Then you must be-"

"Hihihi." The woman gave a malicious grin as she pulled a dagger from underneath her cloak. "It was a pleasure doing business with you. Well, we still have one last business, actually."

The cloaked figures loomed over him.

"Don't worry," she continued, "It's all paid for. All you have to do is sit still, and-"

"N-no!" His voice cracked amidst his loud shriek. "Please! I beg you! T-that's right! Money! I have money! So much money! I'll employ you! two times- no! Three! Four times what that bitch offered! Just let me go and-"

"Weeeeell, that is tempting, but..." She smirked, tapping the blade on her shoulder. "...even brigands like us have a code of honor, you see? Who'll want to hire a bunch of lowlives who'd switch sides at the sight of anyone's coin? So the first rule of my outfit - no fucking over our clients in the middle of a job."

"Grrngh!" He gnashed his teeth. "Men! Where the hell are you!? Kill this forest scum! Quickly!"

His voice rang out in the hollow night, but he heard no response but his own echoes, carried by a swift breeze rushing through the leaves.

"Hahahaha! Your men?" the woman jeered, "Where are they? Did they get lost? Ahh, what a waste. I even hired this many 'cause Eris told me your guards were hot shit or something, but looks like she was fretting over nothing. Ah well, whatever." She grinned. "It's all paid for anyway. Now don't move - it won't hurt too much!"

"Uaaaahhh!"

Eerily enough, that scream just now sounded as though two voices melded into one.

Indeed, Roderick was one, and he made no effort in hiding the fact.

However, the screams were followed by another, and then another - all horrendous, blood-curdling screams of death.

"Big sis'!" One of her footsoldiers ran to the front, screaming, "We're under attack!"

"Tsk. So he did have more bodyguards..."

"No! No, it's that! I-it's... the Wraiths of Ealdenshire!"

His words struck her like thunder at first, yet at the fizzled away for every second that passed.

"Huh... You don't say?" She crossed her arms. "So that superstition's finally caught up with us."

"I assure you, it's not just-"

Eckhart suddenly cut him off mid-sentence and shoved him into the ground.

"Get down, you dumbass!" Brandishing her dagger, she deflected what seemed to be a black sword, fluttering in mid-air. The impact of the two blades threw up some sparks, illuminating, for but a split-second, the form of its wielder - a pitch black cat with a massive head.

"Big sis'!" The man quickly got his face off the dirt and drew his own weapon. "Watch out! These specters can come from anywhere!"

"Tsk. I can see that."

All this time, Roderick had been watching the events unfold in silence. He kept his head down, almost to the point of laying on the ground. Slowly, torturously, he crawled away.

Oh, holy Arrange, Goddess of Fortune, please show me mercy! Deliver, oh Lady of Luck, this, your most faithful servant!

"We have no time," she said, "Gather up our men for a retreat. I'll finish up here... eh? Where is he!?"

His shoulders jolted.

Oh, Goddamnit!

His pace hastened, so much so that he ignored the rustling he caused as he plowed straight into a shrub.

"There!" Eckhart leapt in pursuit, but no sooner did she turn her back than the wraith swooped in and charged her from the side.

Twice in a row, she was able to block its attack, but this time, she was caught off-balance, bringing her to her knees.

"Shit!"

The blade then whipped around for a third, only for Eckhart to draw a second dagger and with it, both attacked and parried in the same instant.

"Ungyaaah!" The ghost let out a high-pitched scream, as blood dripped, seemingly out of the aether.

"Heh. I knew it. There is a body behind these swords! Like hell these are ghosts! I recognize these monsters!"

"W-what are they, big sis'!?" asked her subordinate also in battle with a sword furiously swinging itself in the air.

"They're kobolds! Like the ones they used to have up North!"

K-kobolds...!?

"What!? No way these are Rafallian Kobolds! They're using steel blades, not wooden clubs! And you're telling me kobolds nowadays can disappear and shit!?"

"I can't say exactly... but I won't forget that face!"

"Shit... I don't know where you're getting that from, but fighting a kobold is better than fighting a ghost! At least I know kobolds can die!"

"Damn right! Now let's kick their ass!"

I see... they're monsters! That accursed heroine is using monsters! This is valuable information!

Amidst the chaos, the onslaught did not let up. Despite lifting the veil from her opponents, it did not mitigate their phantasmal attacks swamping the lady brigand and her soldiers.

Alas, Roderick took full advantage of this opportunity to, finally, slip away.

"Shit!" He last heard the woman lashing her tongue, as it gradually melted into the distance. "Now where'd he go!?"

Hah!! I made it!

It seemed that the Goddess of Fortune had smiled upon him once again.

The kobolds streamed through the forest as fast as they could.

"Quickly, meow!" Yelled a kobold dashing towards forefront, battling through the enemies spread apart and fighting desperately for their lives. "The target must not escape, meow!"

They had never, until recently, even seen the world of 'night'. They were introduced to it by their Goddess who brought them out of the Mythril Cave for an 'errand' - a matter of most holy duty.

Left and right, the warriors brawled with the tall, furless creatures their Goddess called "humans". Each one made utmost use of their innate speed and agility to harass and slowly whittle down their opponents.

But slow did not cut it.

Time was working against them.

"Out of the way, meow! Our brother is injured, meow!" One mewled as he carried away a comrade with a slice across his eye.

"Commando Captain, our force has sustained seven injuries, meow!" Said one of his companions, who had just caught up and was now running alongside him. "The terrain is about as complicated as the mushroom forest, but the darkness is stifling our advance, meow! We have lost sight of the target, but we believe we are still on their tracks, meow!"

"Then keep going, meow!" he replied, "This 'night' is surely a test from the Gods, meow. We must not fail, no matter what, meow!"

"Understood, meow!"

Upon reaching the vanguard, the kobolds came across a brutal melee already underway.

"Unyaa!?" The Captain flinched. "The furless multiplied all of a sudden, meow!?"

Immediately, one of his soldiers approached him.

Clutching his own bloodied arm, the cat-man spoke, "Nyaa! Captain, we secured the initial advantage via ambush, but our group is outnumbered, meow!"

"Rrrrrr...." He clenched his pointy teeth. "Gather some of our brothers fighting at the rear, meow. We must break through, no matter what, meow!"

"Yes, meow!"

As the injured kobold threw down on all fours and dashed away, the Captain uttered to his subordinate, "Remind me to recommend him for an award of valor, meow."

"Of course, Commando Captain, meow!"

"But the problem remains, meow... How can we find the target in this mess, meow?"

"There is also the chance that he has already gone ahead and escaped, meow."

His grumbling grew ever louder.

Placing his paw on his subordinate's shoulder, he then declared, "Brother, stride with me, meow!"

"W-whatever you need, my Captain, meow!"

"We shall use our speed, meow. If we go around, perhaps we can pick up the furless' trace once mo-"

Suddenly, his explanation was interrupted by a whimpering cry dashing in from behind, "Commando Captain, meooooow!"

Right on cue, another kobold leapt out of the darkness, startling both Captain and subordinate.

"Calm down, you sithbrain, meow!" he yelled, slapping the offending kobold over the head, "Don't surprise us like that in the battlefield, we could have stabbed you, meow!"

"I'm sorry, meowwwww!"

The Captain soon recognized this weeping mess as a member of the patrol they left back at the village. "Rrrr.... Speak up already, we're busy, meow!"

"A bandit, meow!! In the village, meow!!"

The Captain jolted at this news. "Say that again, meow!?"

"Nyaa! It's just a single bandit, but it's very strong, meow! I don't think my brothers can win against it, meow!"

"Nyo... This can't be, meow!" It clutched its paw. "Is this the bandits' real plan!?"

"W-what is it, Captain, meow?"

"We do not have the numbers to both capture the furless and protect the Goddess, meow...!

The subordinates looked in terror.

Alas, with a regretful expression, the Captain gave his order, "We must withdraw, meow! If the bandits have infiltrated the village, then the Goddess' life must be in danger, meow!"

"Ungya!? B-but the mission, meow!?"

"The Goddess herself instructed us, meow: To react appropriately to the changing situation, meow - that is the acme of leadership, meow!"

"N-nyaa!" Both of his subordinates nodded in agreement.

"There is no task greater than her protection, meow! If we must fail a mission, meow - let it not be that, meow!"

And thus, all three yelled in chorus, "Nyaa!"