Lynn directed her frozen gaze at the Commander, who was on the ground with his legs shot after a futile attempt at escape. "You're no leader," she muttered. "You're only a pathetic coward who has no problem sacrificing others to save your worthless life. Turns out everything doesn't go as expected now, does it?"
"How dare you say such slander?!" the man barked. He slammed his fist on the ground in rage despite being unable to even lift his rear off the ground.
"Demanding one's respect gains you nothing, it is given freely to those who earned it." Lynn responded. She drew her sidearm and aimed at his head. "Death doesn't take sides and even someone like you can die just as easily as the rest of us. So spill out what you know, or else."
The Commander leaned up to spit in her face with a defiant grin. "Is that what you want, bitch? Serves you right. I'll never speak a word to the likes of you."
Lynn wiped the spit from her face. "I believe you." She pulled the trigger and fired. The commander had no time to register his own death as blood spurted out and drowned his face in the thick, crimson, liquid.
Grimacing slightly at the gruesome sight, she holstered her weapon and made eye-contact with her superior outside as she left the room. "Did he talk?" he asked her.
Lynn shook her head. "No, he didn't. But his silence was informative enough."
The man nodded half-heartedly, "can't believe he would order his men into a suicidal assault just so he could run away like a coward." he jerked a thumb back at the room she just left . "I heard a gunshot. That was you, right?"
A small grin appeared on her lips. "Yes, that was me. Their thoughts are a bit scattered right now so I would leave them be if I were you."
***
Lynn hazily opened her eyes and was greeted by a bright blue sky above. She shut her eyes at the brightness and instead focused on the soft feeling of grass beneath. The wind carried the aroma of Awela's tsubaki flowers that were planted in her backyard. Somebody shook her and helped her sit up.
"Are you okay? Hey, Lynn!" Her sister worriedly repeated her name. A hand checked her pulse, then helped her stand up.
She groaned, and blinked to gain her bearings. "... Aika? Wh…What…?" She weakly mumbled, unable to finish the question.
"It's okay. You're alright. The effect was much stronger than I had anticipated." Aika's guilty voice blended with the faint ringing sound inside her ear. "Don't worry. Let me help you get inside."
Her temples throbbed from the unbearable pain, and this time there was no blackout to cover the agony.
All Lynn could do was moan and grit her teeth hard while clutching her head, completely unaware of how Aika had brought her to a guest bedroom on the ground floor. Awela, used to the familiar sight of Lynn being in pain from the experiments, quickly followed behind them, bringing water and painkillers into the room.
Lynn sat down on the bed. She gulped the whole cup of fresh water and downed the pills.
"How is she?" Awela asked in sincere concern.
There was no reply from Aika, though, or if there was, Lynn had failed to pick up.
The water helped soothe her dry throat and she hoarsely coughed. "Damn--Damn you, Aika."
"Oh," Awela chuckled teasingly. "I guess you're fine, sweetie."
"Hell," Lynn grumbled. " I feel like a pile of shit. Damn it. How long have I been unconscious?"
"Well, only a few seconds back there in the garden," Aika said. She was standing beside Lynn and studying her reactions carefully with a nervous laugh. "I really didn't see this coming, sis. I'm so sorry. But apart from this, the experiment was a success, don't you agree?"
"Bravo." Lynn had wanted to congratulate her sister's achievement; however, she was in a very bad mood and every word that leaked out from her mouth sounded sarcastic. "Argh, shit. This is worse than any time before. I don't know why I agreed to do your bidding in the first place."
"Because you're gullible?" Aika cheekily replied. "You should lie down and take your rest. Would you mind if Lynn stayed in this room for a while, Awela?"
"Nah, I've already labeled this one 'O'Hara's' anyway since every damn time you two carry out an experiment, Lynn ends up needing the nearest room to recover." Awela lightly pet Lynn's shoulder, while her trademark smirk adorned her face. "Rest well. I'll be leaving for now."
As the older woman took her leave, Aika called after her, "Thanks, Awela."
"No worries, but for the trouble of taking this room up, I expect a trinket or something from your next expedition," Awela answered. She quietly shut the door, giving the O'Hara sisters their privacy.
Lynn laid back on the bed and clutched the side of her head tightly. Aika bit her lower lip and helped Lynn lay down. "I'll work on reducing this side effect. This won't happen next time."
"What? There's a-argh, fuck!" Lynn heaved out a yelp in slight horror. "There's a next time?"
"Well yeah, I mean, putting aside this headache, the experiment did work as intended, or even better than expected. You definitely moved faster than your normal speed, which is already as fast as a professional athlete, and you caught my arrow! Lynn, do you know what this means!? We made history today, your reaction time was faster than anything humanly possible."
"Hmm, I dunno about the fastest reaction time, but it did feel as if the world slowed down significantly."
Aika thought to herself for a moment. "Maybe, and this is just a thought, perhaps your headache is due to the overwork your brain had to experience? Kind of like pushing it past the normal speed it processes at? Then it suffered and collapsed for a second, knocking you unconscious, and leaving you with a serious headache."
With closed eyes, Lynn agreed with her sister and did not forget to put in some sarcasm. "Yes, sounds reassuring. Next time, please make sure that part gets left out. My head's killing me right now."
She briefly opened her eyes to see a smarmy smile grow on Aika's face, one that was tinged with a bit of nervousness. "Well, I'll do my best. But let's look on the bright side, I was able to get you the hangover headache which would have happened if I bought you a round, but without spending money."
Lynn turned to her sister with narrowed eyes, pursing her lips as she cursed. "Jävla helvete…"
Aika sheepishly rubbed the back of her head and gave a nervous laugh.
***
Lynn was peacefully reading a book as her sister entered her room with two cups of tea, only to have the silence broken when the sound of breaking glass made her lower the book and curiously looked over the top of it to see Aika crouched down down carefully picking up the broken shards on the floor.
"Sorry, wasn't my intention to divert your attention from reading."
"It's alright. I needed a break" Lynn replied. She used her left hand to brush off a few sweaty hair strands that stuck to her cheeks. Her muscles were still a bit strained, and there was a slowness in her movements from oversleeping. Her thin eyebrows furrowed in annoyance for a brief second. She turned her attention to Aika, who was grumbling as she dumped all the broken glass into a trash bin beside her.
" I just wanted a cup of warm tea. Guess I have to make another cup now, how is your headache?" Aika turned back towards Lynn.
"Much better, it's basically gone at this point." Lynn slowly dropped her legs to the side of the bed, ready to try to stand up. "It could have easily kept me out cold if it wasn't for the painkillers."
"I was so worried," Aika said.. "The effect wasn't supposed to knock you out for 20 hours. That was outside my calculations, I should've researched a bit more thoroughly."
Lynn sighed, she certainly did not enjoy seeing her sister act like this. Sorrow did not suit her lovely features at all. "Aika, I'm better now, 'kay? Don't be sorry. Work on refining the mixture and it may be one of your best inventions, you know?"
Aika smiled a little. "Of course it will be one of the best inventions." She looked as if she had something more to say but decided to walk to the door instead. "Wait a little, I'll bring back tea and breakfast."
Lynn nodded to the statement and started to stretch her body. A few simple morning exercises always helped with the soreness. She could feel her numb fingers and toes again, and the discomfort nibbling her limbs and torso seemed to fade away.
Despite it probably taking even more time for her physique to return to its normal state, she was bewildered by and appreciated the questionable colored liquid that she had taken yesterday. She had experienced the reaction boost, and exhilarating was not enough to describe the empowering feeling.
Minutes later, Aika came back with a tray of a tea set and some meat pies that had a savory and delicious aroma. She put the tray on the wooden table and settled herself on a chair while signaling for Lynn to take the opposite seat.
Aika began to pour steaming tea into two small porcelain cups.
"I've been working on the formula of the Celeritas dose, the one you took yesterday, for the intended boost to your awareness as well as reaction." Aika gently pushed the dish with Lynn's cup of tea closer to her.
"Celeritas," Lynn repeated the name. It sounded fancy, and unpleasantly familiar, as it reminded her recruiter's name Seltzer. How long had it been since she had been in the Academy? Ten years, she reminisced, time sure was ruthless as it made memories hazy.
"Lynn? Is anything wrong?" Aika asked when she noticed how her sister's gaze was fixated on her own reflection on the surface of brown liquid.
"No, sorry." Upon returning to reality, Lynn pointed out to herself that it was a mere coincidence, and she gave Aika a warm smile. "Please go on, have you made any progress with that Celeritas mixture?"
"I'm working on that, geez!" Biting a piece of meat pie, Aika leaned back in her chair. "I think the combination isn't right just yet. A small excess amount of Kirin powder extracted from a Kirin plant might be the cause of the unexpected prolonged pain. And despite being important to dissolve mana crystals, Kirin plus all those chemical substances probably diluted the effect of the crystals, leading to its inefficiency. But I did learn to make a more temporary mental boost for your brain to train itself regularly so it can handle future doses of Celeritas better. So I took out the Kirin and lowered the Ostrum which might have added to the problem," Aika explained.
"What you're saying is the formula needs a correction and you invented another mixture in one night?" Lynn asked. She raised an eyebrow at her sister.
"Uh, not actually 'invented'. Just an idea, you know how it goes."
Before Lynn could respond, the room's door creaked open to reveal Awela with a little monkey perched on her right shoulder. It curled its tail around its master's neck while balancing on its hind feet to sniff the air.
"Knock knock," Awela announced her appearance with the usual confident half-smile drawn on her painted lips. "Forgive my intrusion, young ladies. How is your breakfast?"
"Delicious as always, Awela."
"Glad to hear it." Awela crossed her arms and leaned her shoulder on the door frame. The monkey jumped off of its perch to grab the doorknob with one hand and fling itself into the air and land on Lynn's head.
"Hey!" Lynn exclaimed. It started to toy with her hair. She grabbed the monkey to pull it away from her head and hold it up at eye-level. "Hi there, little guy. Can you not do this every single time we meet?"
The monkey snickered, wiggling its tail to the others' entertainment.
"That's how Moki shows his affection. He just likes you so much. You should appreciate that," Aika commented.
"Of course I do, but damn, he pulls hard on my hair and one day, it'll be ripped out mercilessly. You should let him play with your beautiful hair once, Aika. Then you can judge."
Aika reached up to her pink locks. "Too bad, Moki prefers you and your hair. As for me, he prefers to snuggle." At the sound of her voice, Moki wriggled away from Lynn and jumped onto Aika's lap. She pulled him in for a tight hug. Her sister's charms and animal-alluring sweetness was something even Lynn got jealous of time and again. "Good for you."
"I'm no scientist but, Aika seeing how tea benefits the brain, maybe you could add that effect to the concoction you made the other day? Perhaps it could help lessen the headache the dumbass over here took." She jerked a telling thumb towards Lynn.
"That 'dumbass' is sitting right here and heard that."
Aika grinned. "Well, I'll consider it. But you know, she's just so gullible it's always reassuring to know I can easily trick--I mean persuade--her into being a guinea pig for my experiments."
"'Gullible guinea pig' over here also heard that," Lynn huffed in mock irritation.
The other two women snickered. Awela walked over and ruffled Lynn's hair. "Aw sweetie, aren't you a sulky little girl. There's not an ounce of truth in what we joked about, and you know that."
"As if," Lynn joked. Teasing was Awela's nature so she didn't count, but Aika, whenever she was around the older woman, became very sharp-tongued toward Lynn.
"Leaving the joke aside," Awela cleared her throat and clapped her hands to break the light hearted mood, "Are you ready for a mission, Lynn? 'Cause I'm here to deliver you a potential job offer."
Hearing that, Lynn gave all her attention to Awela. Aika looked up from the monkey she was playing with. Losing his partner, Moki frowned and tugged at Aika's sleeve before flopping down in her laugh with a huff., s "I'm always ready," Lynn answered. .
"Good. He's waiting outside," Awela said.
"Who?"
"Your guest. His name is Lawrence Viennier. A classic gentleman said to hail from Lapis City."
"Isn't that in the Western Region?" Aika asked. "Why would he bother coming here? If he's looking for Freelancers, it doesn't make sense why he would travel all the way from Lapis to Atlas to ask for them."
"Beats me," Awela said. She shrugged. "He demanded to speak to Lynn O'Hara no matter what. Maybe it is some serious matter only our country's heroine can handle? Even some Westerners do appreciate and admire you, Lynn."
"Oh, please, that's not the truth," Lynn rebuked. She took one more gulp of tea.
Awela hummed in thought. "It's also possible he could have come here because his request needs a bit of discretion perhaps?"
Lynn stood up, and walked to the desk at the back of the room where her sister had laid out her weapons for her. "Well, let's just meet him and find out."
She un-holstered two self-designed hand cannons with a sharp blade attached underneath for close combat and found them to be in perfect condition. Holstering the guns, she briefly tweaked her pouches of ammunition and medical supplies.
Satisfied, she fastened on her favorite cloak that was hanging on a clothes rack nearby and slipped her feet into freshly polished boots. Ready to go, she beamed with the glorious vibe of an experienced warrior.
"I'll come with you," Aika said. She picked Moki up and placed him on the table. The little monkey grumbled before hoping back to its master. Lynn and Aika made their way to meet the mystery client.
He waited for them in a room of the inn, bowing upon their entrance. His smile was polite, but it quivered as if covering a desperation. He looked to be in his forties with shoulder-length curly blonde hair poking out of a big hood. His eyes were gray covered in a layer of opaque with the onset of blindness setting in. Judging by his frail frame, he looked like he had been unwell for quite some time. "Greetings, my name is Lawrence Viennier."
"Hello, my name is Lynn and this is my younger sister Aika." They each shook his hand before Lynn motioned for him to sit down. She folded her hands on top of her lap and studied the man.
"So Mr. Viennier, what business would you like to discuss with us?"
"Yes, of course. I want to hire you to investigate a case of cold-blooded murders."
"Sir, if a murder has been committed then you should go to the police with this information." Lynn answered coolly.
Viennier shook his head. "I already told the authorities what I have seen, but they do not believe me. For the person I saw commit the murders was none other than Lord Venorir's son."
"And how did you witness these murders?"
"Because the people murdered were my wife and my two daughters." He clenched his fists as rage flared in his eyes.
"That monster does not deserve to live." he expressed. "Even if he is a Shapeshifter he would never be anywhere near what a human is supposed to be."
"Wait, are you saying Venorir Junior is a Shapeshifter? How do you know?" Lynn leaned forward with piqued interest.
"I am certain as my eyes are a witness. He…" Lawrence stopped, struggling with his emotions and whatever words stuck in his throat. He gritted in great pain. "We were visited by him and we let him inside our home. He immediately attacked me and threw me across the room, I landed with such force, I was knocked out. I do not know how long I was out but when I came to my house it was on fire and my family was dead before me. They had been ripped apart. His set of nasty clothes fouled my home before all turned into ash."
"What do you mean?" Aika, for a moment, could not catch up with his story. She was too affected by his endless grief and agony to stay sharp. Empathy was her weakness. Luckily for her in most cases, there was Lynn.
"I can see where your assumption comes from," The older of the sisters followed. After years battling a variety of enemies, she had earned herself the title of an expert on most races on this planet, including monsters.
Shapeshifters loved intestines, and they excoriated occasionally to maintain their desired appearance. "But that doesn't sound convincing just yet. If you're asking me to potentially kill a person, you have to give me a good reason to do so."
"The deaths of innocent people are not good enough for you?"
"I can't know if you saw the truth."
"Then investigate it!" Bellowed Lawrence in a harsh tone slamming his fist onto the table as he momentarily startled Aika, she did not expect this strong reaction from the weak, skinny, and gentle man. Lynn on the other hand only gave him a firm stare back. Quickly realizing his mistake, Lawrence retreated his hand and tried pulling his hood down in an attempt to cover his expression.
"Such ill manners of mine, I sincerely apologize. You are not wrong, there was no concrete evidence to prove what I have said." He cleared his rough throat, regained his composure, and directed his heavy gaze first to Lynn, and then Aika. "May I ask for a refill of water, please?"
In response to his request, Aika retrieved a prepared pot of water on a side table and brought it over to Lawrence. She put the pot on the table and sat back down. "I'm sorry too,"
"So, anything else you can tell us?" Lynn asked.
Lawrence swallowed the water in his mouth. Rolling the empty cup hand, he contemplated. "Investigations," he started. "I have been investigating Venorir Junior in secret since that fateful day."
"And?"
"Miss O'Hara, I am certain you are aware of a serial killer that has been leaving unsolved, bizarre cases in Terranet and Arisstocrail during last year. They died the same way; their abdomens were ripped open and inside was empty. No intestines. So the murderer must be a sick creature, whatever his race is; or he is a Shapeshifter. There's also a possibility that there may be not one, but a herd of Shapeshifters are behind these deaths."
Right, the case that had been a hot topic in this entire country. Quite a number of rumors - hypotheses, guesses - had been quickly spreading among Terranians and Arisstocranese, to the point that even outsiders from other regions of Midgard also heard of and knew every detail of the story.
"I agree,"Lynn stated. "If that's the case, then why didn't you report to the Governor of Arisstocrail? Why do you need to go?" Aika asked. Lynn curtly hushed her.
"So, you think there is a connection?" Lynn asked.
Lawrence knitted his fingers. "I do not think so. A valid truth, it is. As for your question, Miss Aika O'Hara, the Governor, is very unwise to trust them. The name Venorir is part of the Government itself, an extremely influential political name. At least in the southeast regions."
Suddenly, Lynn stood up, her chair creaking as it slid backward. She walked over to Lawrence and held out her hand to shake his hand firmly before his widening eyes.
"I'll do it," Lynn said, signifying the beginning of yet another dangerous mission.
***
Later that day, Lynn and Aika arrived at the Terranet Forest via motorcycle just as the sun began to sneak away behind the grand summits serving as the border between the countries, Midgard and Jutland.
What was left of the sun shone through open spaces between peaks of mountains, casting a layer of orange down onto the lush and overgrown vegetation that stretched from the foot of the massive alps further out to the seemingly infinite dense forest. Hazy mist slowly filled the air as the temperature dropped. The night was coming, and entering the forest at this time of the day was not the brightest of ideas.
"I think we should head to the nearby town for the night." Aika's whisper broke the silence that had dominated for the last half hour. The more she gazed into the pitch black darkness lurking in between those big trunks, thick canopies and bushes, the more she had the feeling of being watched. She shuddered at the thought.
"Lynn?"
Lynn sighed to herself. This place, so formidable and full of dangers, was even worse under the veil of darkness. Not wanting to put themselves into a hairy position she took the road bordering the ominous forest. Personally she liked to avoid the forest whenever possible, and she believed every sane person wanted to do the same thing.
"Yeah, let's keep moving. We should be able to reach Halley Town before the night fully sets in."
Aika was quick to agree as she cast another glance at the towering alps that were covered in dull clouds and the darkening forest that projected nothing but intimidation. Occupying the back seat, Aika put her hands on her sister's hips, bracing herself for an abrupt, fast-paced journey about to resume through the winding road ahead. In fact, she had never been this happy to experience Lynn's recklessly skillful driving ability.
Lynn tightened her grip around the handlebar of the borrowed motorcycle and revved the engine. The bike belonged to none other than her lovely landlord. It grumbled loudly as it sped up carrying its passengers away at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
The cold wind bore a unique flavor of wilderness and humidity, sharply slapping both the women on their exposed skin, whirling their coats, and Aika's mid-length braid back. In contrast to Lynn's little to no concern, Aika actually struggled to keep her balance with all the winds and the weighty hindrance. She had to hide behind her sister's back to prevent herself from falling off of the bike.
Finally arriving in Halley, they made their way to the only inn in Halley, a small and quiet lumber town. The people who did see them quietly closed their curtains and scurried away on the dirt streets adjacent to them.
The sky had already darkened and was sprinkled with various stars and beautiful galaxies. Without the usual lights in big cities outshining astronomical objects, the view upward was so clear and mesmerizing. Lynn could even spot the blurry shadow of a space wreckage that loosely made a ring across the horizon. According to her parents, these were relics from a previous civilization in the Ancient Age.
"What do you think is up there?" Lynn asked all of a sudden, having securely locked up Awela's motorcycle inside a shack for parking beside the inn. She walked out into the open air with Aika following. She didn't think about her question, so the moment it escaped her mouth, she felt a little dumb for asking such an obvious thing.
"There are hideous monsters who will jump down on you and kidnap you for their meal," Aika replied, faking a low-tone voice. That was among their father's lines every time they asked him about the mysterious ring. And Aika's imitation of their fathers voice was far from correct.
Amused, they looked up at the magnificent firmament a moment more. The rustic debris and forgotten technologies humanity once had were no more, unknown to their minds. It was a testament to not only how far humanity had come, but how far it had fallen.
Soon, Lynn and Aika took their eyes off the nighttime sky and made their way inside the rustic inn.
After going through the check-in procedure, they got to their room on the second floor, which was small but comfortable enough for two people. The only furnishing in the room was two beds. Their respective night stands next to them and a single sofa. They quickly got rid of their bags on the leather sofa with a hand-knitted blanket laid over it and carefully arranged their fighting gear on a bedside night stand.
"I'm beat," Lynn announced the moment she fell on the double bed. Over the bed, an open window let in the refreshing evening air. After nearly an entire day riding on rocky and winding roads, they both felt the tolls on their worn bodies. "Have I become too old to handle a motor session?"
"What are you talking about?" Aika gave her an odd look. She was pulling out a packed dinner that Awela had prepared for them, in a moment of mimicking motherly care. "You're not fully recovered, remember?"
"Yeah."
"I don't get it though," Aika mused. She busied herself opening the two packages, one for Lynn and one for herself, which was protesting right now, longing for a second meal in the day since breakfast. While Aika worked, Lynn was trailing off and her eyelids had already begun to droop.
"Why did you take on this offer? This can easily turn out to be messing around with the government of Terranet, you know? Venorir is the family of the Minister of the Terranet Region, and…"
Aika stopped talking as she noticed an unusual amount of silence. She turned around and found Lynn had been snoozing for a while.
"Hey! At least have your meal before sleeping, won't you!?" she nagged, but her sister didn't even flinch. Aika let out a sigh of defeat as she watched Lynn's peaceful sleeping face; rhythmic heaves of her chest indicating a deep slumber.
Aika walked over to where Lynn's legs were still bent over the edge of the bed. How could she sleep comfortably like that? . She bent to haul Lynn's legs fully onto the bed and into a more comfortable position before pulling a blanket over her body.
Aika ate her portion in silence, appreciating the clear view of the universe from just outside the window. Streams of stars, a partially fragmented moon, and the abandoned man-made ring, filled her vision as her mind wandered somewhere else.
As she continued observing the night sky a thought popped in her head in regard to Celeritas' perfection. If only she had her scientific appliances here. But she was on a mission, so she should focus on the task at hand. Jotting down her idea as she quickly finished eating her food, Aika got ready for bed and joined her sister to get some sleep
***
Back in Atlas, Awela was closing up the bar when the bell rang as the door leading into Stella Inn swung open with force. A woman in her late-twenties, with long magenta hair and a pair of fox ears wiggling in sync to her tail walked through the door ever so happily.
If you saw her from across the room, you would likely assume she was of a tough sort, and you would certainly be right about that as it showed in her stature. She was part of the Beastman race, and they were known for their incredible strength and defensive magic.
She wore a full set of armor, an osmiridium shield equipped on her upper left arm, and her hand rested on the hilt of a sheathed long sword. A confident smile plastered on her face showing an unspoken triumph from whatever mission she had just returned from.
Next, a woman who was the polar opposite entered the bar. She wore a customized tactical suit, with a gun strapped behind her back, and a cool gaze gracing her stoic expression. She stood out with her sapphire and teal hair, from which pointed ears poked out, revealing her mixed Myrklafarian-Oni genes. Tall and slender, her body carried the threat of strength.
Awela looked up from her boring paperwork with a smile. "You know, that door isn't cheap to repair," she said. Her greeting carried a displeased threat.
The beastwoman grinned, momentarily realizing her guilt for nearly smashing in the inn's door as was her habit with victorious entries. So maybe her strength was a bit brutal sometimes. So what. "Awela. Easy, easy! The door's still standing, so there's nothing wrong."
"I'll make you pay the bills and do the repair work yourself if you dare to break any of my doors again, my Claudia dear."
"Aw come on, ease up their love." The referred woman, Claudia, raised her hands above her head mockingly. "Hey, Serah, are you going to just stand there and look pretty?"
Serah gave her an emotionless stare back as a response. Claudia could be quite the tease if she so desired. She briefly recalled when Claudia used to tease her relentlessly and how annoyingly unbearable it was in the beginning, but she learned after a while to just tune her out at the right time. Which was why, in the present, she decided not to reply but instead shrugged in an unconcerned manner and left for the staircase that led to their shared room upstairs.
Awela leaned her chin on the palm of her hand while watching the back of Serah quietly ascending the stairs. "Lemme guess, you stole her prey."
"Bingo! But it was only one and she had already been going on a bit of a crazed elf-lady rampage."
"Isn't she like that all the time?"
"Well, I know not to get in her way during a fight as she gets rather scary," Claudia snorted humorlessly.
Before Claudia could continue that train of thought, a light swoosh tingled her sensitive ears. Claudia threw up her hand just in time to bat away a dagger that was flying through the air. It narrowly missed her head. The wayward blade fell to bury itself in the wood floor at her feet. She glanced downwards and examined the sunken blade. "Woah, that was too close for comfort!"
The bar owner, on the other hand, couldn't contain her grimace. "Serah!" Awela roared to the occupant who was calmly twirling another knife from where she stood on the stairs. There was no reply. "No goddamn knife throwing in my inn, remember?! And you too," she turned to Claudia. "Don't try to piss her off more, will you?"
"Huh? Why not? It's fun, and I won't die so easily. If I had missed, that blade would have just bounced off of my Aegis."
"You know as well as I do that your Aegis is not a reliable way to stop melee weapons,."
"Pssh, so what if an Aegis can only stop fast stuff, I'll be fine." The beastwoman waved off the info and with a playful wink, as she headed for the stairs. "I hear a steaming hot bath calling my name! Smell ya later!"
Awela decided to let the matter slip away. It was too much energy to waste anyway, she couldn't believe these two along with Lynn and Aika were part of the notorious Blixtjarta - a freelance fireteam of formidable ex-soldiers and experienced Freelancers. It was an oddity that these four women gathered together; and although it was more like a gut feeling, Awela had always worried for the fate of them, as they had a habit of getting into trouble.
"Earth to Awela!" Claudia's snickering voice came from around the corner. She peeked back into the room, waggling her ears. "Spacing out is sooo unlike you! Feelin' okay?"
"Shut it Claudia," Awela grumbled in return, "Go to your bath already."
"Just making sure my beloved landlord is A-okay."
"I'm good," the older woman said with a sigh, "There's no need to worry."
Claudia's eyebrows arched up in a questioning look. "Well, if you say so."
Awela waved a hand to shoo Claudia away, and after she actually left, she forced herself to concentrate on the massive pile of paperwork on her desk. The end of the month was near, and she had lots of bills and numbers to calculate.
Meanwhile, in the room upstairs, Serah shook off her gear and threw herself onto a couch in the common space where the four of them had rented the suite out. She scanned the room a little, took note of Aika's scientific mess that had been perfunctorily cleaned, which meant the O'Hara sisters were away on a mission.
Taking note of their absence, she pulled out her weapon that had malfunctioned when she was attempting to shoot her latest target which also was the reason why she had lost her prey to Claudia. She needed to fix that.
After a few moments of cleaning the debris out of her weapon she reached over and grabbed a face mask that lay in the corner of the room. It was an imitation of a Draugr baring its teeth with its terrifying flesh jaw; it was a souvenir from when she had served in the military.
A rare smile graced her lips as she reminisced about serving alongside Lynn and how the journey led to both of them now working together again as Freelancers. For some they may want more in life, but she was content with how things had turned out.
As she leaned over to set the mask down, she noticed an object lying on the floor and got up to get it. Upon getting closer she recognized the replacement battery for Aika's communications devices. Her pupils dilated.