I think bad people are needed to exist. I didn't know this reality before I came here and its not hard to accept that fact. Its hard to actually be the bad guy. The people that live to be that, are not praiseworthy in the least, but their burdens bend their backs and they are always looking down. Its so easy to call them bad people because you can't look them in the eyes.

My search for any and all clues would prove to be futile. I went around the Gran stage and figured this much that he was sniped on Lady's signal. Beyond that there was nothing. The killer could just have been a hitman working for chump change. With Lady, you really can't tell what is what. At one point I thought of giving up but then the thought of my impending death kept me going. You never know you are madly in love with life until something threatens to take it away.

That evening when I went back to the church (that's what we called it), everyone was in as light a mood as possible.

"Maybe its time we start taking extra rations, since Lady's already going down on 'em", Deli was never doing anything. Actually no one was ever doing anything except June.

"No. We get enough", Lady turned the offer down before noticing my helpless figure had emerged through the entrance.

"No one wants their food if it tastes like my grandma's ass", Grim's opinions were always grim.

"Ugh Lady, you sure you didn't pick this guy off from hell? God, my ass! This man is Satan!", Deli never liked him much, or so I thought.

"You'll grow fat like before. Fat and ugly", Grim laughed in his sleepy voice, he didn't go easy on her.

"You are so lanky, I could use you as a skip rope. So don't be getting too cocky, brat"

"Ms. Deli, that's not true. You are always beautiful, even if you are fat and ugly", Lubbock was often fawning over her.

"Keep talking, Lubbock and one day, you'll learn what to say", Deli did become relaxed around him, despite what she said.

By now, everyone had noticed me.

"How you doin', boy?", Sight asked me ever so nicely. He was always looking out for me, even though he didn't have much to look with. He didn't have eyes, he wore a blindfold, despite his name.

"Sight...I'm hungry-"

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"Perfect timing!", Lady almost broke her table, "Young bright man of no merits, come forth for I have work, even for the refuse".

She was rarely ever so cheerful, though nothing she said made me cheerful.

"You sure took your sweet time. Aren't you one useless man?", she grabbed a bunch of freshly stacked papers from her table that June had placed there earlier.

"Well, rare to see this face", I heard the rest talking as if they'd forgotten who I was.

"Oi", that's when I knew the welcome was not for poor Seraph but for the man standing behind me.

"Aren't you one stray looking mutt?", he shoved me out of his way and walked over to Lady who was ever so delighted to see him.

"Old hag", he began with disgust, "You gave me the wrong directions".

"Oh...", she wasn't a least bit remorseful, "My bad".

"Don't you give me that! I ended up on a different continent, you extinct piece of-"

"Don't shout so much. Isn't that a bit rude of someone who is three months late?"

"You senile.....!!!", the poor man needed all his strength to not lose it. He then turned around and said "Yo", facing everyone.

"I had to walk all the way back. There were monsters on the way and conflicts of war and witches...But the job is done", he reported.

"Alright slacker", Lady was so going down on him, "Here, look".

The man read through the paper she handed over to him.

"This guy's old pals with Bardock", he muttered, "Hag...the hell are you thinking?"

"This guy is your next man, Chopper. He's been gaining foreign favors recently. He disappears for three months after every three years. And every time he comes back, he's stronger than he should be. I don't like that."

"Maybe he's training so hard...what are you basing it on?", no one spoke a word, though no one else listened to their conversation either.

Lady handed him a picture.

"That's a treat. In fact, I heard something regarding this in the south. They say there's a cult that's gaining favors with the king. And that means..."

Silence persisted for a millennia.

"You are sending me back?!"

Lady grinned, "Who else but you, Chopper? You are something like my dog, did you know that?"

"Huh?"

"Yup, that's totally true", the rest finally joined in the conversation, nodding in agreement.

"You old hag, please die", he said, snatched the papers and started outside.

"Oh Seraph you go too", Lady sprung it on me.

"Why? That's not how I do stuff, you know it. I don't even know this guy", Chopper complained in my stead.

"This is different...this is special, isn't it Chopper?", her suggestiveness was dubious, "If you don't know him, then this is perfect. Make friends before you come home. And maybe you'll have something to learn too, Seraph"

No more was said, the two of us left the church that day. I didn't ask him many questions. Chopper was surely one of them, I could tell. And he hated small talk.

He was a man of medium build, slightly taller than me. I knew from his defined muscles that he wasn't one to mess with. He had a perpetual frown on his face, which I later learned was the look he was born with. He found most things annoying. I think his greatest accomplishment was his audacity to argue with Lady without getting in trouble with anyone else. I later learned he was the first Valkyrie.

I realized that this might be the first time I'll see one of the Valkyries in action. Little did I know, we were about to break an empire.