Shout out to these great folks whom I really feel like they would be my bffs in real life! SoulStar467 and Theresa_Rain . May you have greater win rates and uncountable win streaks!
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Granger furrowed his brows when the sky begins to darken in black red. A flock of birds fled from nearby woods and Granger felt the breeze getting stronger as the wind billows Guinevere's dress. Peculiar lightnings glared from a distance. Thunders roared rhythmically, unnaturally, frightening Gwyneth.
Folks of the town came out of their cottages and shops, all in panic and fear. Guinevere felt herself shivered in affright.
"Let's get inside." Granger said.
"Hold on. I'll get Gwyneth-"
"Gwyneth can stay. I just have to tell you and your Mom very quickly."
Inside the café, Jane is smiling as she watches the young couple walk to the entrance. Her smile widened once another carriage stopped beside theirs and Gloria comes out of the vehicle, leaving the baby all alone and a bait to any danger.
Guinevere grunted as Granger drags her by the wrist. His hold is tight and painful, much to her surprise. "G-Granger, you're hurting me!" She squeaked as they stepped inside the wooden structure filled of nothing more than the smell of brewed coffee and inaudible private converses.
Granger only let Guinevere go once they've arrived in front of Jane.
Guinevere glanced back and forth at her mother and her lover suspiciously. Why am I sending that something is not right? she thought. The redhead turned towards the window to their carriage. She looks closer and it doesn't take her long to realize the door of it is left wide open. Guinevere had no time to waste and ran back out.
"Guinevere!" Granger went on to stop her but his voice had altered completely into the voice of a woman.
Jane sighed loudly as she chants a spell under her breath. Granger's hair becomes pale and strangely turned long. The whole of his face and body changed into a familiar person; one of Guinevere's young handmaidens.
Guinevere felt anguished of puzzlement. So he's an imposter. "What... What are you doing, mother?"
"I'm doing something which will surely benefit our whole family, dear..." The Lady muttered. "Now sleep!"
Guinevere's body felt stung by a thousand needles after tiny strikes of lightning flew towards her from her mother's fingertips. She felt herself entering a deep slumber before she could even express her anger of their betrayal.
"Forgive me, Guinevere," Gloria said under her breath as she makes her way to the black carriage parked across the road, Gwyneth sleeping peacefully in her arms.
The driver of the carriage hopped off the front and jogged around, opening the door for the old lady.
"Where's Lady Jane?" The driver asked Gloria through the small window.
"She'll come along. She's still distracting Guinevere for us to go."
"Gloria, I don't know about this. I know how much you've become emotionally attached to the Lady so why are you doing this? Why are you betraying her?"
Gloria frowned at her husband. "Jane threatened to behead the both of us is why!" She fessed up straightforwardly, making her husband jolt in shock. "Thus, she is right. Guinevere is better off married to a Paxley rather than a hunter. What benefit would the girl receive being a wife of the Death Chanter, anyhow? Unless she marries Alucard, in who I think Jane would consider..."
"Well, what're they gonna do with the baby?"
Gloria frowned down at Gwyneth. "She will be fine. Jane loves her despite being illegitimate. Though I am afraid Guinevere will not see her anymore, much less remember she has a daughter."
"What are you think about?"
"I've only overheard, but Jane plans to erase Guinevere's memory of her lover and child with the help of that Abyssal witch."
"Jesus Christ..." The old man muttered, trying to acknowledge what his wife was saying. "What happened to our Great Lady? She used to be an exemplary aristocrat in the Empire despite once being an innocent village girl. Now, she allies with the Abyss? Has she gone mad?"
"Perhaps that's what power does to you as time goes on. You become overprotective of it. It's common in the upper class, like it or not."
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Granger gritted his teeth as he urged his hardest not to heave breath. He hides inside a closet as he let the demon who has came after him pass by. The demon looked as weak as that Granger can knock it out in a single shot, but he thinks it a fool's move for it would attract the other demon's attention.
Once it was clear, Granger creeped out of the closet and entered a close door leading to the throne room where Dyrroth was, sitting too comfortably in the king's throne. His leg hanging on the arm of the seat. His stepfather, Thamuz, stood beside him.
Suddenly Dyrroth sniffed. "He's here."
Granger pinned himself behind a large column just as the Abyssal Prince looked to his direction.
"Find him!" Dyrroth ordered to his demon pets. They are artificial clones of his stepfather, not one bit of them not having the same feature as he has.
The clones began to prowl around the throne. Granger squinted his eyes shut. He could feel his heart being scared for his life. Not much could be said for how his whole body was actually trembling, like he was going to lose his sh*t. Had it really weren't for the one beautiful person in mind keeping him calm and alive, he'd be having no choice but to come out running for the door, earning the award for the biggest nut job of the year.
"Why don't you just surrender?" Dyrroth chuckled tauntingly. "You are what they call the Death Chanter, aren't you? Interesting. Do you happen to give autographs, free of charge? Hehe. If so, can you give me one? Hmm?"
Granger cringed at the soft tone of Dyrroth's voice. Err, He sounds like my grandma, Granger grimaced, he is way over his head.
"Found you!"
The column breaks into half as though a tree in timber. Almost, Granger could have stepped out of his spot by accident and it would've been all over for him, may God forbid.
"They have arrived, my Greatnesses!" A servant demon explodes from the door, the whole left of his arm cut no longer attached to him. Granger used the opportunity to haul himself out of the room, tiptoeing almost.
"Who has arrived?" Thamus and Dyrroth said in response.
"The Lightborns!" The servant yelled in sheer terror. "And that Leonin Elf did this to me!"
Dyrroth stared without emotion at the demon's major injury. Then he snapped out of nowhere. "YOU USELESS PIECE OF... Get out of my sight!"
"Thank God. They're here." Granger said under his breath.
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Fanny lands effortlessly on the ground after going for an assassinating kill on two Abyssal demons taking guard on the gate.
"All clear, brother." She told Tigreal over the comms. Her keen eyes narrowed at the Baroque Palace. Despite the 'bad' weather and the inaudible roars of demons coming from inside, it looked more of a haunted castle straight out of a Halloween nightmare.
No less than a minute, Tigreal and Harith rendezvoused with Fanny. Tigreal looked ready for an endless battle whereas Harith's ears weakened at the thick eerie fog surrounding the whole Palace.
"I can't seem to reach Granger," Fanny said. She was adjusting her earpiece for signal. "Nor Alucard."
Tigreal sighed heavily and sheathed his blade. "Then we'll have to lay low for a while and split up to find them. We can't propose combat with just the three of us."
"S-Split up? Can I protest?" Harith asked, unsettled.
"We'll find the two of them in that way, Harith." Tigreal told him. "Fanny, in the castle. I'll go to the gardens. Harith, to the top floors."
Fanny placed a hand over the Leonin Elf's shoulder, comfortingly. Harith gave her a small smile. "Copy that. Where's the meeting point?"
"None. Once we find them, you need to inform me so that I can give you the signal to attack."
"Attack at once? What if they're heavily injured?"
"You must report to me then so I can finalize our next strategy. Now, scatter."
Tigreal divided from the group first. Once he left, Fanny and Harith went inside the castle through a window rather than the doors.
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The coat of Granger's uniform had caught fire, forcing him to abandon it without removing his eyes on his opponent in front of him, the one responsible for the damage on his coat.
Granger sighed tiredly at the grinning fire demon. "That coat... costs more than your life, you know that?" Granger asked, bluntly being sarcastic.
"You don't scare me, hunter. I've been fighting alongside Thamuz since the birth of the Twilight Orb. I am his right hand man and his heir to his throne!"
"Doesn't he have a son?"
The demon looked triggered yet he remained a delirious grin. "Dyrroth is but his fool. Thamuz can never enthrone a Moniyan born."
"Dyrroth's human?"
"He is, and he's the stolen brother of Silvanna. Now that you've heard the most forbidden secret, it's time for you to go! Hurrah!" The demon's magmatic eyes lit up. He then charged with a punch blazing in rage.
In a swift, Granger dodged the attack. Knowing his bullets were inefficacious in this fight, he focused all his strength in his foot and kicked the demon out of the window.
"YOU SON OF A..." The demon is cut off by a loud thud.
Granger peaked out of the window to sense his greater opponent buried somewhere in the thick fog.
"Granger!"
Unexpectedly, Granger turned around to be jumped by a familiar three-footer.
"Harith?" Granger smiled.
"I'm glad I'm the one who found you." The Leonin Elf pulls out of the hug. "Have you seen Alucard? We weren't able to reach him through the comms."
Granger stared back at the blue eyes smiling from ear to ear, knowing he would soon ruin it. "Harith, he's..."
"He's what?"
"H-He's..." Unable to utter the word, Granger looked away, deciding. "He's somewhere. We'll find him."
"Okay, then. I better report to Tigreal I found you. Hold on."
Granger nodded. He waited patiently for Harith to deliver his report. "Funny. He's not responding, even Fanny." Harith frowned.
Granger decided to give his comms a try, but he experienced the same anomaly. "I can't too."
"Look over there!" Harith blurted, pointing out the window.
Granger knitted his brows in confusion. "What is it?"
"Can't you see it?"
"See what? The fog?"
"Yes, the fog. I'm sensing it's done by magic and it's probably the reason we can't contact the others." Stated Harith. "Guess I'm not the only mage in this battle."
"Of course. They wouldn't declare a war without the full package."
"Hmm." Nodding in agreement, Harith scratches his chin, going deep in thought. "I'm not a strategist but best case scenario to do in this case is to concede defeat. For all we know, they know we'd come for your rescue and we've stepped into a-"