Nerdro- the hamster type humanoid with black fur and toned muscles- walked alongside Zark- a ferret humanoid who wore a brown hat with a feather in it.
The two wore work suspenders, as they had just come from the factory which they currently worked in.
Looking up into the clear skies, Nerdro was blinded for a moment as he stared straight into the sun.
"Agh.... that damn ball of fire... why is it still there? You'd think the monster who made it would run out of mana at this point."
Nerdro closed his eyes, flinching away and blinking furiously, almost having lost his sight by staring into the raging star.
"I can't even look at that thing without getting punished.... that must be the statement they're making with it, right? That nobody is even allowed to so much as look at them. That they're some sort of higher beings and that we should be grateful to even be called their slaves."
Nerdro spit to the side as he stood up, rubbing his eyes which were now back to normal.
"But now we have master Vex on our side. The only way to fight those beings is with another being on their level, right?", Zark commented while helping his friend up.
"I guess you're right."
Walking through the alleyways, Nerdro and Zark made their way through the town to investigate the situation.
Soon enough, they began to hear some strange sounds for this town.
The sounds of people laughing and conversing.
The clinking of drinks and the pouring of liquid.
Looking up with confusion, Nerdro saw something which he considered to be excessively strange.
It was a commercial area.
The commercial areas of the ratmen village were once excessively popular, however at the time in which the sponsors were mysteriously slaughtered, the fighting in the city increased to the point where even leaving one's home was filled with risk.
"How many years has it been since people have been able to drink together without running for their lives?", Nerdro murmured.
"Isn't that right.... if it weren't for that bitch trying to kill almost everyone in this entire city and enslave everyone else, maybe we could have seen scenes like this more often.", Zark agreed.
"It must be the work of Vex. He's protecting the people of this town just by being here. If he wasn't here, then I don't even want to imagine what horrible things that demon would have already done to the people."
"Hey. Take that back."
Nerdro looked forward to witness two teenage ratmen- one male with the features of a rat and the other a female with the features of a mouse.
"Stop it. You're going around causing trouble again.", the mouse stated while she tugged on the shirt of the rat, who approached Nerdro with an unyielding expression.
"No, I heard what he just said loud and clear. I can't just let him say something like that."
"I'm very sorry. He doesn't know his place, and never understands where to quit. We will be going now.", the white mouse stated while forcefully grabbing the shoulder of the rat.
The rat boy looked back with a face of complete determination, and spoke firmly.
"No Lisa. Not this time. I understand that most of the time I'm just being stubborn and foolish. But you heard what he said, didn't you?"
The girl looked to the side with guilt as she was scolded by the boy, as if this was an unusual occurrence.
"I would have elbowed you in the gut by now, but...."
The girl let out a sigh.
"Fine. I got it."
Stepping forward, the two now held unyielding expressions as Nerdro gave them a wicked glance.
"What are you two going on about? Take it back? Take what back?"
Nerdro was legitimately confused as to why these two had appeared out of nowhere and acted as if he had said something wrong or offensive.
But even more so than confusion, he felt a certain emotion within him.
'Why do I have to listen to these people?'
'Why are they giving me a look like I've done something wrong?'
With a smirk, Nerdro stepped forward, not backing down from whatever challenge he was being put to.
"Well? What are you trying to say? Are you telling me I said something that I should take back?"
Nerdro approached the rat boy, bringing his face close enough to the point where they could feel one another's breathing.
Even so, the boy didn't step back.
"Yes, you did. Just now, you said 'that demon' would be doing horrible things to the people of this village if she wasn't being held back by someone. Just who are you talking about when you say 'that demon'?"
Nerdro pulled back, giving the rat a look of complete shock and disgust.
"You don't even know that much? Who else would I be talking about? The bitch who calls herself the Determined.'
The word bitch irked at the rat, and the mouse girl seemed to hold a hand before him, taking the lead.
"Hey. Where do you think you get off calling someone a bitch like you know them?"
Nerdro at this point was becoming irritated with the behavior of the two.
"What the hell are you guys talking about? You don't make any sense. Are you actually sticking up for that THING?"
This statement was met with a fist in the stomach of the built hamster, who puked up his own lunch.
"Don't ever call a lady a thing."
Keeling down, Nerdro looked up with fury at the girl before him.
"You bitch...."
Zark too at this point was looking over with anger.
"Hey. What are you two doing? Are you the lap dogs of that demon? Going around like you're some sort of justice league, beating people up if they don't like the person you serve? Isn't she just a tyrant who has you two wrapped around her fingers?"
The words spoken by Zark carried a deep weight to them- specifically the terms 'lap dog' and 'tyrant'.
"Don't you have any shame?", he asked.
At this point the mouse girl had stepped back and Nerdro had stood up, catching his breath with reddened eyes.
"Do you think the servants of that demon would have any shame, Zark? They're hopeless. At least our leader will stop her."
Jumping up with a smirk, Nerdro cracked a few knuckles and stretched his right arm, preparing to brawl.
"Now that I'm serving master Vex, somehow I feel like I have nothing left to fear."
The gray rat immediately stood in front of the mouse, ready to protect her with everything he had.
"What? You walk up to me to tell me that I'm wrong for calling a demon a demon, and then you expect me to just take a blow to the stomach and not fight back? What's with that face, kid?"
Nerdro slammed his fist into the rat, sending him flying to the ground.
After rolling a few times from the blow which boasted a far greater power than it should have carried, the rat boy slammed into a wall, coming to a sudden stop and looking up while barely conscious.
Walking forward, the grin on Nerdro's face became greater.
He couldn't feel better right now.
It was as if there was no way he could lose.
"Master Vex.... he must have done something to protect us."
Walking over to the boy, Nerdro called back to Zark.
"You take the bitch. Make sure she gets a real good beating so she knows that she messed with the wrong person."
Zark stood forward and put his fists up, ready to fight.
"Will do."
----
"Weren't you just talking about being ashamed of yourself? So what, you're gonna take on a girl in a fistfight and then brag when you win?"
Lisa taunted the man in front of her, who squinted with irritation at this.
She was concerned and scared for the sake of Mori, but she knew that this was his own decision.
It was something he could not back down from.
And it wasn't something that she could back down from either.
These two had insulted C, the person who came into this city and saved their lives.
'I can't let them badmouth her like she's some sort of demon.'
"She may be the weirdest person I've ever met, but you two took your insults too far. I can't just let you say whatever you want about the Determined.", Lisa said as she raised her fists as well.
"Oh? The girl's gonna fight? Well if you're talking about punishing people here, then I got something for you too. I can't just let a dog run off their leash when they're serving the very person who's trying to destroy everything in this city."
Zark let his fist fly, aiming for the head of Lisa, however she raised her own fist to block the blow, reducing the damage.
Even so, her brain was rattled and she felt herself becoming dizzy at the sudden impact. It was all she could do to remain standing, though she was about to topple over at any moment.
Her nose dripped with blood, which she wiped away as she swayed back and forth.
Meanwhile, Nerdro began kicking at Mori, who was already on the ground.
"That demon's rule won't last long. She won't reach her goal so long as Vex is here. We have a head of one of the 7 houses on our side. And what do you all have? A silly legend that probably won't live up to it's hype."
The foot of the hamster slammed into Mori's chest over and over, and cracking sounds could be heard from what were likely his ribs.
"Pathetic. You step out of your way to defend a demon, and then you keel down when we fight back? You were all bark and no bite, weren't you?"
"Don't touch Lisa."
Mori grabbed onto the leg of the hamster with such strength that his own claws pierced into the skin, drawing blood.
"Get your hands off her."
Dragging himself up with a furious expression, Mori looked up at Nerdro with rage.
"What are you focusing on, you little shit? You're mad for her sake? You're scared that she's gonna get hurt?", Nerdro said while pointing behind him, as Lisa leaned on the wall while panting.
Mori continued to stand, using everything inside him to push his body upwards and back into fighting position.
"Do you think you're the only one who's pissed off here!?", Nerdro shouted while slamming his fist into the back of Mori, who was already bowing over just trying to get his bearings.
The boy was sent smashing to the ground head first, and looked up while gritting his teeth.
"Sorry.... Lisa..... I went and did it again.... you really have to stop me.... when I do this stupid shit like taking people on who I stand no chance against...."
Zark seemed to be waiting for Lisa to gather her bearings, as the previous strike had been a hard one- and he seemed to be waiting to give her another.
Looking over to the boy on the ground, the girl made a sour expression which was a combination between a smile and a grimace.
"You're an idiot, and C is a weirdo. You always go and put yourself into danger without thinking, and end up in a bad position because of that tendency.... but I said it before, didn't I?"
Mori looked up to see Lisa smiling down on him as she readied herself to fight once more- this time two on one.
"This time is different. These people said something unforgivable."
----
"The orders were awfully unspecific, weren't they? Just to go around and see if anything was happening in the city.... I wonder what plans her eminence has?"
"Unnecessary information. The only objectives I hold are to protect sister and to serve her eminence. That is all."
The gorgeous ferret who once stood as a queen above all bit her lip as she looked over to the half mechanical gerbil beside her.
"You're no fun! Can't we speculate a bit? Why is it always objective this and objective that with you? Let's just talk about something. Like regular people!!"
"Is there a reason for doing so?", the gerbil responded as her goggles seemed to zoom in and out with confusion.
"There is!! It's called bonding between two people. You know, you talk to each other to get to know each other better. By doing so, you will work together well with someone."
"Does that imply that you worked well with anyone at any point? Based on the data I have obtained on you, I cannot come to such a conclusion."
Tiffany flinched at the harsh assessment of the girl who spoke with robotic tone, however she didn't give into the insults, biting her tongue in attempt to change herself.
"Of course I did!! See now, I recall back when I was at the head of my subordinates. I would often grace them with a sample of my own DNA, and they would go wild fighting over it. It's because they all loved me."
"Is it not because they would have been paralyzed as a punishment for not fighting over it?"
"Erg! W-well, anyways...."
The ferret looked away, twiddling her thumbs at the callously blunt statement of the half metallic girl.
"And I will never desire for you to do such a thing to me. I see no reason for such an action. It represents affection, you say? I fail to see the correlation."
"I.... of course I wouldn't do anything like that anymore!! It was more of... a bond between subordinates!! Like when someone respects you so much that they would treasure even the most disgusting and disturbing bit of you, for even that would be beautiful compared to them."
"Then would you like her eminence to grace you with some of her spit? Would you store it in a jar and maybe put it on display for everyone to see, proudly declaring that she granted it to you?"
"STOP!!! STOP!!!! I'VE HEARD ENOUGH!!!!"
The ferret woman was now closing her own bright red eyes in embarrassment, truly questioning just about every decision she had made in her life.
"Are you too embarrassed to ask her for something like that? Embarrassment is something which is foreign to me. I could ask her for you if you'd like."
"STOP!!! NO!!! DON'T!!!!"
"Why are you reacting as such? Have I said something to provoke such a reaction?"
"You absolutely have!!!"
Tiffany grabbed Fina by the shoulders, glaring desperately into the very soul of the robotic girl.
"L-listen up, Fina.... you absolutely must NOT do anything of the sort!!! I don't want such a thing!!! Do you understand!?!"
The eyes of Fina almost bobbled around like google eyes as the ferret shook her, demanding for her to restrain from such actions.
"That reaction is very confusing to myself. I will keep your words in mind."
Tiffany let go of the girl with a sigh of relief.
"You almost gave me a heart attack there. Hey, are you actually laughing in there!? Is this your real way of getting revenge on me!?"
"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."
Tiffany looked like a little girl who was being strung along by Fina, despite the completely dull look in the robotic girl's eyes which didn't suggest that she was enjoying such teasing in the slightest.
"You're really good at hiding your expressions, aren't you, robot? Hahaha.... alright.... alright, I get it. I deserve to be shaken up a little like this."
"I fail to perceive what you're talking about. Could you explain it to me?"
"!!!!"
Tiffany was tormented at the well placed act of Fina, as if she was legitimately unaware of the mental trauma that Tiffany was going through.
"You... it couldn't be that you really have no idea why I'm freaking out like this.... right? Say you're just messing with me."
"...."
Tiffany let out a large sigh before laughing to herself.
"Hahaha.... hahaha....hahaha! How stupid I am, freaking out about something like this.... don't we have work to do?"
"Indeed. You've wasted precious time, and I don't understand why."
"Alright alright! You sure know how to grind my gears for being a robot yourself. Let's go."
----
The two continued their way through the alleyways peacefully, and Tiffany began to glance back and forth.
She checked all the nearby areas, ensuring that nothing was happening before glancing back at Fina.
"So.... I would like to invite you and your sister to my own home tonight for a dinner in apology for what I put her through. Is that.... alright? Would she be too terrified to come?"
Fina put her robotic hand to her lip in thought before shrugging.
"I see no issues. She has been in good spirits ever since breaking up with that lout of a boyfriend and letting out her rage on him."
"Boyfriend?"
"Ah, were you unaware of what happened between that lecherous fool and her? At the time of sister's kidnapping, your subordinate gave her boyfriend a choice. To run or to die. And the idiot viewed his own life as greater than sisters."
"Pathetic scum will always cling to the bottom of society. They will claim that they are powerless and run when things become unsalvageable, unwilling to stay by their loved ones to comfort them to the end. Can that even be called love? After all, if he truly cared about her, would he not have stayed with her to the bitter end? Even if it meant taking a bullet?"
Despite the irony in the statements of the two, they walked along with looks of disgust in their faces.
"He has proven rigorously that he only used my sister for her charming looks."
"How troublesome that is. I've never encountered a man who has been able to use me, but surely it must be a desperate situation to carry beauty without power. How often would one be abused, attacked, and sought after without the ability to defend themselves and their heart from scum like that?", Tiffany questioned.
"I once said that I do not understand the emotion of anger. That is correct for the most part. No... perhaps it is slightly different. I do not understand continued anger. I do not understand the purpose of wrath, or the desire for revenge. The only time I have ever held the emotion of anger is when my sister has been in danger. So long as sister is not currently being threatened, I cannot fathom holding anger towards another. For it is baseless. It is something which happened in a different time, and as such should not affect the decisions of now."
Tiffany looked over to Fina with complete surprise, and placed her hand on her own chest, grabbing where her heart would be.
"I see.... you are a wonderful person, Fina. I truly am sorry that I ever did something like that to your sister."
"And I truly fail to see why you continuously bring up something which happened in the past. Guilt is another emotion which I fail to see a purpose behind. To feel regret for something which has been done at another state in time? It is meaningless, no?"
"Is that so? Even then, I feel that I must say it over and over."
Tiffany gave Fina a serious stare.
"I am sorry."
"And you are forgiven."
With a nod, the two continued walking forward.
It was then that they turned a corner, to see two people on the ground after having taken a significant beating, and two who stood above them, still kicking the bodies as if they were beating a dead horse.
"Hahaha!!! You aren't so hot now, are you!? What are you gonna do!? Call that bitchy demon here!?"