Meilfour,

Six Days Ago...

"What did you just say!?"

Hektor shrunk back from Lunette's terrible glare. There was nothing of the cute songstress he had become accustomed to. In her place was a fiery demon with cold glare that threatened to petrify him. "K-Kashi's been taken," Hektor repeated.

Meilfour's Hopeful Maggots (with the exception of the orchestra) were gathered in Muko's underground cellar/meeting room. Hektor and Jade stood across from Lunette and Shadow, separated by a table. Syèl and Shoko stood some ways off, silently monitoring the situation. Kira, meanwhile, seemed content to sleep near the stairs, apparently unperturbed.

"He's not a purse," Lunette pressed. "How exactly does someone get taken?"

"That would be a result of my actions," a voice answered. All eyes turned to the top of the stairs where Muko stood with two Chetahs and a Sphinx.

Kira momentarily raised her head to commit their scents and faces to memory. Once done, she lay back down, her nonchalance as good an approval as any they would get to enter the chamber.

Asha warily glanced at the massive direwolf as she walked past. It seemed the songs of Kashi and his demon hound weren't as farfetched as first assumed. Diatte and Kaga flanked her on both sides as she approached the guild.

"That's far enough hon," Syèl called, finger raised. "Name and business."

A sadistic twinkle in his eye sent a shiver down Asha's spine. A single glance around the room confirmed her thoughts. Every living being in this room was a monster. Apart from herself, Diatte and Kaga, she had no doubt they would clear through her men with relative ease. Her hand clasped tightly around the sword they had so arrogantly let her come in with. "Asha," she answered. "My name is Asha, and these are Diatte and Kaga, my lieutenants."

"Nice to meet you," Lunette greeted, trying to put her best smile on. She failed. It ended up coming off as a cold warning. "My name is Lunette Falsetto, and this is my brother, Shadow." She went on to introduce each Maggot. "Ms. Asha, could you elaborate on what you meant by this being a result of your actions?"

Asha raised a surprised brow. Of everybody in this room, she had least expected the songstress to take the mantle of interim leader. She looked the weakest of the lot. However, as those cold eyes suggested, there might be more to this girl than met the eye. Asha would have to be careful. "I have been searching for Kashi of the Dark Elves for a long time."

"Why?"

"To kill hi—" A cold blade against her jugular froze the words in her mouth.

Shadow whispered into her ear, "Choose your next words carefully."

"You!" Diatte yelled as he made to pou— BAM! The ground shook as Hektor grabbed his face and slammed him against the floor.

A translucent flaming dome encased Kaga before he could process the volatile situation. He looked across the room to Syèl's cocky grin. The blood mage wagged his finger in playful warning.

Despite the explosive chaos, Asha could not afford take her eyes off the greatest threat in the room at the moment: Lunette's measured gaze. It was a terrible, terrible sight. Once vibrant greenish-blue orbs now resembled the eye of a typhoon, cold and merciless.

Both women stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, then Lunette closed her eyes. When she reopened them, they had relaxed, losing most of that goring animosity. "On another day, I would ask for your reasons for wanting Kashi dead," Lunette revealed. "However, right now, time is of the essence. So, if you know anything of his current whereabouts, please, speak."

Asha mentally released a sigh of relief as Shadow removed his blade and retreated. She couldn't shake the feeling she had just survived an execution. However, despite the clear threat to her life, she maintained her composure. "Just to be clear, I aid you only because I owe a life debt to the daeben. Immediately this debt is fulfilled, I will return for all of you."

"Whoo," Syèl mockingly whistled. "Still think you stand a chance?"

"I have faced demons and men far stronger than you and lived." Asha's gaze challenged his. "You will be no different."

Syèl grinned. "You th--" Oof! Shoko's blow to his stomach knocked the air out of him.

"This is not the time for your games," Shoko chided. She fixed Asha with a hard glare. "Where is he?"

"He is most likely being taken to Second Under," Asha answered.

"Where's that?" Hektor asked as he released his grip on Diatte.

"A hard week's ride North-East," Asha replied. "It's the last surviving Dwarven settlement in this country."

Syèl playfully elbowed Shoko. "Hear that? We're gonna meet dwarves."

"This is no joke," Asha rebuked. "If he is indeed on his way to Second Under, he has but a few weeks to live, if he is not immediately executed on arrival."

"You seem to know a lot," Lunette observed. "Who exactly has Kashi and what's your affiliation to them?"

"They go by various names," answered Asha. "We call them The Church. Before your guild invaded, I was the sole resistance they faced in this region. They wish me dead."

"Can you lead us there?" Lunette asked.

"Yes I can," Asha said. "However, I would advise caution. A rescue mission in Second Under's mazes can turn bad, fast."

A dark, haunting laugh escaped the blood mage. "Rescue mission? Who said anything about a rescue mission?"

Shoko nodded. "This Church of yours crossed our guild. There can be only one logical response to that."

Asha's confused gaze travelled from the two, to the Interim leader. Her heart seized for a second at the steely glare Lunette regarded her with.

"We shall obliterate them," Lunette promised. "This is an execution."

Jade watched the tension-choked room from beside Kira's side. She patted the wolf as she whispered. "You know where he is, don't you? That's why you're not worried."

Don't Follow.

Kira replayed Kashi's instruction in her head. Somehow—how or why, she couldn't guess—the daeben desired this outcome. He knew they would chase after him. As to whether the Chesch was part of his plan or not... who knew. But he definitely banked on Kira's ability to track him. If so...

Kira released a low contented growl in reply.

Jade grinned. "Guess it'll be our little secret. That crazy bastard must be up to something..."

Stolen novel; please report.

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Present Time,

Second Under

Perdition Pit.

That crazy bastard was up to something... Staying Alive!

Kashi sharply jumped back as the female daeben lunged for him, teeth bared. She landed on all fours, swiveled like a trained animal, then drove straight for his throat. Kashi hand shot up as he ducked under her charge. His arm grabbed onto her jaw as he twisted in place, then slammed her into the ground.

The little beast cushioned the blow with her arms, angling her head so her body swept to the ground with one fluid motion. Her hands propped up, and she swung with the continued motion so her leg shot up to Kashi's face.

Kashi winced, the blow sending him staggering away from her.

The little beast saw the opportunity and jumped on Kashi, locking her legs behind his back. She made to claw at his face, but he grabbed both hands. Their gazes locked in the darkness, a split-second before she struck down to bite his head off.

"You little!" BAM! The beast faltered for a second, brain rattled by the sudden headbutt. She did not release her grip around Kashi's waist though.

Kashi ran to the wall and slammed her back against it. Her mouth opened in a wordless cry, soon replaced by a snarl as she once again tried to bite Kashi's nose off. He released her left arm and pinned her neck to the wall with his elbow. "Cool down," he repeated in a soothing voice. "I'm not your enemy." Her eyes bulged, and drool soaked his arms as she relentlessly struggled to break free of his hold.

Kashi stifled a scream as fingers dug into his side. God, this girl's nails were sharp! He slammed her against the wall again, and this time her leg-lock loosened a bit. Kashi grabbed the hem of her shirt. Teeth gritted, he pulled her above him, then down in a arc.

The girl's eyes went wide with shock as her back slammed against the floor. Before she could catch her breath, Kashi had turned her over and had her hands locked behind her with his knee pressed down against her spine. Frightened, and enraged she squirmed and fought against his hold, but he wouldn't budge.

Kashi's brows furrowed when the girl began to cry. He had thought this to be some sort of intense role-play. But judging from the way she was trembling beneath him, this girl was genuinely afraid of him. Attacking him had been by instinct, not choice. Put him with the other one. It should be happy after months without a friend. How long had this girl been down here?

The girl's struggles laxed after what felt like forever. Apart from an occasional half-baked tussle, she was deathly quiet.

"Have you cooled down?" Kashi asked.

"..."

"Sorry for the rough treatment," Kashi continued. "I needed to talk to you, but you weren't very forthcoming." Still nothing. Kashi frowned as he realized a possibility he hadn't even considered. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" The girl still didn't move or say a word. "Okay, I'm going to release you now." Kashi gently released the pressure on her back, "I just want to talk," then let go of her hands.

The girl instantly sprung to life and rolled so she was on all fours. She resembled a cat the way her back arch upwards and head placed low to the ground, teeth snarling. Was this girl raised by tigers or something? The diamond above her head countered that argument.

"What's your name?" Kashi asked, raising his hands so his palms faced her. When she only cocked her head to one side, he repeated, "Your. Name. What. Is. It?" Her stance relaxed somewhat, though she was still clearly tensed. "Me. Kashi," He pointed to himself. "You?" He gestured towards her, palm up.

The girl frowned, as if trying to process his words. She pointed at him. "Ka-shin." Her voice was tiny and timid, a direct contrast to the scary picture her thick dishevelled hair portrayed.

"Kashi," he corrected with a smile. One he knew she could see despite the total darkness.

"Ka-shi," she parroted. She then pointed at herself. "Me..." Her eyes closed for a second, lids squeezed in a worried frown. The strangest thing happened right after. A huge grin spread across her face as her eyes snapped open. "Me, Zuri!" she pronounced with such joy, Kashi was taken back. "Zuri is Zuri!"

"Nice to meet you Zu—" He never finished his sentence because she was across the pit in a single leap and wrapped herself around him. Kashi fell on his back, but his initial frown was replaced by a soft smile as the girl who head was buried in his neck began to sob uncontrollably. "Take your time," he whispered as he patted her head.

Zuri released him after a few minutes, when her tears had seemingly run out. She backed away, then paused in a half-crouch, hands placed on the ground between her legs. She still had the mannerisms of an animal. "Sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized consistently as she wiped her eyes with the back of her arms.

"It's fine," Kashi said as he made to reach for her. She shrunk back, eyes warily studying him. With a sigh, he dropped his hand and relaxed as he sat down, resting his left hand on a raised knee.. Her posture also relaxed somewhat in reply. "How long have you been down here?"

Zuri's brows bunched together in the tightest frown Kashi had ever seen. "Zuri... Zuri can't remember."

Now, it was Kashi's turn to frown in confusion. "What do you mean you don't remember?"

Helpless eyes glanced at him with a mixture of fear and pleading. "I don't know," she repeated, voice rising as panic began to rise. Eyes wide, she scratched her head so violently, Kashi wouldn't have been surprised if she started bleeding. "Zuri can't remember! Why can't Zuri remember!?"

"Wait, calm down," Kashi soothed, voice low and calm. "Just think. When last did you log in?" Again, he was rewarded with that blank stare. The one that said he might as well have been speaking Swahili. A worrying tone entered his voice as he repeated, "When last did you log in?"

Zuri's head cocked to the side as she raised a brow and asked the question that sent a chill down Kashi's spine. "Log in? What's that?"

Kashi's breath froze for a moment as he tried to process her words. This girl was either doing some really deep role-play or something was seriously, seriously wrong here. No, it would require an Oscar-worthy actor to show the relief she'd had at remembering her name. What's more, even now, the way she sat, the way she acted was reminiscent of an animal. Like she'd imprinted on beasts instead of men. "What is your earliest memory?"

"A cage," Zuri answered, voice low. "Zuri woke up in a cage." Her upper lip curled in a snarl as she continued, "then the golden man came for me. He put me in this hole, and made me fight."

Kashi once again looked at the diamond above her head just to confirm he wasn't seeing things. "Have you ever tried to log out?"

"Zuri doesn't know what that means."

Kashi rubbed his face. "Okay, how about this. Your menu, bring up your menu." Again, the blank stare. At this point, Kashi was just about ready to explode from the absurdity of the situation. He struggled to keep his voice level as he confirmed, "You. You don't know what a menu is, do you?"

Zuri shook her head, though a small smile began to creep up her face. She was obviously starting to enjoy having someone to talk to. "What is a menu?"

"Do what I do." Kashi demonstrated for her and his menu popped up in the darkness. Menus had an inbuilt, glow in the dark system to allow people to use it even in the darkest places. Some people used it as a makeshift mini lantern.

Zuri's eyes sparkled with apparent glee as her menu popped up. "Uwaa," She marveled at the light.

Kashi used her momentary distraction to come up next to her. Thankfully, just like him, she had not turned on the 'Hide Menu' option, which meant he could see its contents too. One glance at the bottom of her main options confirmed his fears. There was no log-out option. Just to be sure, he checked his. Sure enough—and thankfully—it was still there. He glanced at her. What the hell was going on? "Your earliest memory. How long ago did you say that was?"

Zuri quickly scampered away when she realized how close he was. She looked up from her menu at him. "Zuri doesn't know. It has been very long." Kashi's frustrated sigh did not escape her notice. She did not want him angry. If he was angry, he would leave. Mustering up courage, she placed one 'paw' in front of the other, then took careful, scared steps towards him. She stopped about a meter from him and regarded him with pleading eyes. "Teach me," she pointed at the menu. "Please."

Kashi's countenance softened as he released a sigh. Whatever her story was, he would find out eventually. For now though, she seemed to have some sort of amnesia. It looked to be the type that kept basic skills like language intact, but made her forget personal memories and experiences. Then there was the fact she did not have the logout option, but the diamond and menu both confirmed she was a Summoned, not a Resident. There was only one thing to do then. With a smile, he pointed at his inventory option. "This is your inventory. It helps with..."