Michael and Illya walked into the adventurer's guild's Chevalia Branch. It styled itself like a prestigious casino's sportsbook area with all the bells and whistles.
One would think a building managing the group of people regularly forsaking the comfort of civilization would be an aged bar with only the minimum in accommodations. They would be wrong.
In the center was a large bar with a massive chandelier art piece hanging above reflecting a spectrum of lights. Below the chandelier, a plethora of TVs showed various sports for the patrons to watch. People gathered to drink, chat, and relax at this decorated spot.
Around the large auditorium were smaller sitting areas with red velvet-like curtains guarding their entrances. While they looked like normal fabric, the moment it closed, none could see inside, even if the outside observer had the illusion they could. Some used it; others didn't. Realistically, true privacy demanded a base of operations outside of a public place like this, so any real secrets weren't discussed here anyways.
These sitting areas all had multiple TVs hanging off nearby walls and even one embedded in their central tables. These were terminals used to access and display adventurer's guild data to the group(s) renting the space.
At the back of the building was the massive array of TVs, each listing different types of missions, public intel, announcements, etc. Below them, was a line of employees behind a long white wooden counter extending the entire wall. It could easily be compared to the check-in station at luxury hotels.
The two took a moment to examine the room. It was far more populated than normal. The people weren't just scattered either, but in large groups. There even a few people making demonstrations in the centers of large circles.
"…I guess that confirms it, doesn't it?" Michael asked, dumbfounded at the scale of everything.
Illya was equally impressed. "Yes. This will be our first one, won't it, Mike?"
He shrugged. "If we're involved."
A smirk rose to her face. "Oh, we're involved. If three witches are involved, then so are we."
Suddenly, a suave voice called out from the side. "It's been too long, Illya. I'm surprised it took you this long to visit, especially with all that's going on."
When she sees the newcomer, a bright smile blooms on Illya's face. "Faust! How've you been."
The two happily embraced each other, while Michael smiled from the side.
Faust was a very handsome man just a little shorter than himself. Unlike Illya, who's appearance had been influenced by the experiments, he was a prime example of the Dracul lineage. His skin and hair were a shade paler than Illya's with his eyes being a ruby red, completely unlike Illya's Amethyst. The man was the definition of a stoic noble, whether it be his stone face, his pristine white button-up under a crimson vest, or his tall posture exuding noble pride.
"You know, for a big brother, you're awfully absent. You should call more." Illya playfully chided.
The man's face was composed but sported a small smile. "I've been busy."
He released the hug, gesturing to the bustling crowds with his eyes. "As you can see, her majesty's hunt has dominated all my time."
Michael walked up to the two, seeing as how the sibling pleasantries had mostly finished. "If I remember Faust, shouldn't you have been assigned to the Order of the Malefic Dragon? What's a prestigious prison guard like yourself doing here?"
Faust's smile fell as he explained, "It was actually us that commissioned this hunt in the first place."
Illya's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me? What would the guardians of Tartarus need in the Dripweb Forest? Are we dealing with a Tartarus escapee?"
He gave a grave nod. "It's not quite that simple. I'm afraid the situation's complicated. While this is a public expedition, only we have been briefed of the true mission. The rest are hunting a powerful Brood Mother that's recently evolved in there. If all goes well, we can do our part during the event with none being the wiser."
Illya crossed her arms as she thought on his words.
"… You will tell us these details, won't you?" She slowly asked, not liking where this answer was going.
"I'm afraid I can't. All I ask is that you do your duty as Jupiter and support the Grand Hunt. By your ignorance, I can tell that you haven't been mobilized for this, odd as it is. I know little of her majesty's larger ambitions, but we cannot break our protocols without authorization."
"You can't be serious." Her voice raised, but ultimately kept from becoming a shout. Her intonation sharpened as well. "Three witches have been invited. Three. How can we properly achieve the queen's will if we don't know what her desired outcome is. We NEED to know the details of your presence."
He just shook his head somberly. "I apologize Illya, but I can't do that."
They stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity.
Michael had withdrawn into his own thoughts as well, deeply considering Faust's words. Occasionally, he'd glance around and notice a few glancing their way. They were conspicuous so it wasn't that notable, but there was an important key detail he did notice. Most of them had featureless black masks, the symbol of the Malefic Dragon, Faust's people.
'This must be big… there're too many of them for a small-time mission. What's going on in that forest?' He thought, shocked at such a force being mobilized. Combined with Faust's insistence of secrecy and he really wasn't liking the potential causes.
Finally, Faust broke the silence with his solemn expression unchanged. "Anyways, it's been great seeing you again little sister, but I need to go."
"Sigh~" She let out a sigh, realizing she wasn't going to move him, nor did she have the authority to do so. "Fine. I'll find out my own way." She declared with unflinching determination.
Faust gave a curt nod before turning around to walk back deeper into the guild. Before he got too far though, he paused and turned to regard her a final time. "One warning. The Queen seems to be trying to blow this event up as much as possible. We approached her with a discrete operation into the forest. It was her who decided to do all of this. It became obvious when she invited those three that whatever she wants has NOTHING to do with either the hunt or our own goals. Think hard on why you weren't officially brought in. Be very careful."
And with that, he walked away, leaving the two contemplating her words.
Michael broke the silence. "Well, it was great to see him again, don't you think?"
It didn't calm her down though. Illya's face was still scrunched up in thought. "If only it'd been under better circumstances. He may be right…" Breaking out of her thoughts, she turned to look back at him. "I think we need to approach this situation a little differently."
Michael raised an questioning eyebrow. "…How so?"
Crossing her arms, Illya leaned back in contemplation. He did the same, before his face lit up.
"Actually…" Michael suggestively started, breaking her out of her. "…If the queen's playing some sort of game with this…" His eyes focus on hers with a pondering gaze. "… maybe it'd be best to follow the lead she already gave us, right?"
Illya could only look blankly, staring unfocused in his general direction. Unconsciously, a deep breath summoned itself from the depths of her diaphragm.
*Smack!* Her hand smacked her forehead with the force of a giant.
(With Leon)
Leon shot up from the ground to a seated position, breathing heavy as the wave of panic left his chest. He was disoriented at first, unsure of where he was. Then, as his breathing once again came under his dominion, memories of recent events surfaced in his disoriented mind.
"Arg!" He held his head to stave off the pounding headache assaulting it.
It was hazy, the memory of what'd just happened. He recalled a strong gripping sensation, then… nothing. He was gone. He felt like he should remember, like a terrible event happened and he was now none-the-wiser.
Then, something caught his eye. His eyes glanced skeptically at his hands. Wait, hands?
"What the!?" He jumped to his feet in surprise, too focused on the in-tact hand in front of him to realize the absurdity of his action.
"My hands!" His eyes studied them both, marveling at their ease of movement.
"Wait…" Something was different. While it wasn't super obvious to the naked eye, when he studied his wrist and fingers closer, he saw the truth. They were mechanical. Not fully, of course, but close enough. They weren't his hands.
"…this is the puppet body." He realized.
Finally, his eyes wandered beyond his digits, down to the rest of his body and the first thing he noticed…
"I'm standing! I can move again!" He cried out with unbridled glee. His smile was so wide, the small rational part of him worried it would fall off. "I can move! Yes! Hahahaha!!"
"Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" A shrill voice cried out from a nearby room, breaking him out of his reverie.
Most would shrink back at being called out, especially by someone so loud. For him though, he felt his blood rushing to his head as the events that led up to this flashed through his mind. From a moment of extreme joy, a familiar rage he hadn't been capable of expressing for a long time surged to the surface.
"No! YOU SHUT UP!!!!" He shouted back. "I'm trying to be happy here!"
Shuffling and loud thumping could be heard through the walls. 'Footsteps' he realized. It was behavior he was intimately familiar with. So much so that his legs carried him to the small wooden door without pause. He hadn't even had time to figure out where he was, but that didn't matter.
This man was getting his ass whooped!
BANG! BANG! BANG! Loud bangs rattled his door.
"Get the fuck out here! I'm about to have your ass!"
And he obliged, opening the door to find a behemoth of a man twice his size. He could practically hear the man's muscles rippling. His sharp brown eyes gazed down imperiously, daring him to make the first move.
He froze, unable to reconcile that shrill voice that had to belong to a pretentious punk with the mountain that stood before him. He was sure he knew how to pick his battles. So, what happened here? Why the fuck was he standing in front of the soap man from the state prison!?
The beast sported an ugly smile as it regarded him as the worm it knew he was. "What's wrong?" His voice much lower and far gravellier than it'd been earlier. "You were on that good shit a second ago."
He was being called out. That infuriating grin took pleasure from the stark contrast between assumption and reality. He'd assumed this man was an angry twig; he'd forgotten he wasn't in Kansas anymore. He'd made an ass out of himself.
He involuntarily swallowed, trying to find his words, "H-hey man. You know I was only kidding, right? It was all in good fun."
"I bet you were." The beast leaned in, getting face to face. Leon had to restrain his retch at rancid gases being inconsiderately breathed in his direction. "but I wasn't."
He didn't even see the blow, nor did he realize when he'd blacked out. It wasn't until he hit the wall that he woke up to realize the mess he'd gotten himself in.
The mountain walked toward him slowly and methodically, proudly declaring his victory. "Ya know. I just got word that my wife cheated on me with some rich asshole, and I'm feeling some kind of way. My therapist suggested I get a stress ball; said it'd help." The man stood over him imperiously. "He was right. It helps. So, thank you. I'm going to have a lot of fun breaking your dumb ass in."
By now, he was halfway to his feet, shakily keeping his footing. He knew he had to act now. The logical choice was to run. He was always confident in his speed. He'd been on the track team for years so it had to be worth something. It helped that this guy didn't look fast at all. Surely, he was all muscle, right?
He moved to implement his plan, to take this opportunity to escape. But, contrary to his reasoning, his body did something else. His boiling blood DEMANDED it do something else.
In what was probably the stupidest move he could pull he lunged at the mountain and threw the hardest fist he could into the man's gut.
He wasn't sure if it was the man's ego letting him throw it, or if he himself had gotten faster but it connected right in his solar plexus. His mind, having reconnected mid-swing expected it to do nothing, to fail horribly.
"ARG!!" The man cried out in pain, bending over to clutch the area. *Cough* *Cough*
*Crash* The mountain had fallen, crumbled to his knees gasping for whatever air he could swallow.
Leon's blow didn't fail. No, it worked almost too well. Better than it should've. He froze, looking to his small, puppet-like fist incredulously.
"S-stupid little s-shit!" The man cried out angrily, breaking him out of his shock.
Leon felt a swell of confidence rush overpower his earlier fear. A rush of delicious dopamine hit him all at once, washing away any doubt.
'I can do this!' He inwardly realized.
He was just about to call out when another voice called out from the door.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." It was sweet, like that of the girl next door. "That new body of yours is nice, but you still don't know how to use it, and-" Her tone lowered, gaining a dangerous edge to it. "-he won't be careless a second time. Trust me."
He turned to the door to see a casually dressed sakura-haired girl leaning against the frame. From her causal lean, her relaxed body language, and the knowing look she was giving him, it was like she was watching a show. She couldn't be too much older than he was, maybe three or four years at most.
All at once, the world that'd gone red returned to its normal hue as his rational mind seized control from his emotional one. It didn't have much opposition with his emotions warring with his tingling second head. Even if it wasn't a dominating feeling of infatuation, it was more than enough to pull him out of his rage-induced stupor.
The shuffling of clothes pulled his attention back to the very real threat once again looming over him. In the seconds (mostly definitely longer) that he spent looking at the beauty that'd just entered the room, the mountain had risen again, now angrier than ever.
Leon stumbled back from the audibly breathing threat.
The mountain walked toward him, closing the distance with a few steps. "Oh, no. Walk your ass back here! You don't get to throw hands and walk off!"
"Hey Man, why don't we tal-" He was interrupted as his feet were knocked under him by a causal swipe of the big man's feet.
He hit the ground and, either by luck or instinct, rolled to the side, dodging a punch that shook the floor.
"Oh shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" He stammered as he tried his best to escape the onslaught.
"Stop moving! Take your beating like a man!" The big man shouted.
Leon didn't get a chance to celebrate dodging as a low kick slammed into his head, knocking him across the room and slamming into another wall. Again, his consciousness slipped only to return a second later.
Disoriented, he wasn't able to react when the mountain stalked forward in pursuit.
"Why don't we call it here, yeah? I stopped the kid from getting another lucky shot in and~ let you get a lick back. Don't push it." He heard through the haze that clouded his consciousness.
He didn't know if this new body was that much more durable than his human one or if he'd gotten really lucky, but a kick like that should've taken him out. He wasn't a professional fighter by any means, having a little street fighting experience at most, but the way that kick felt… and right to the head… He shouldn't be alive.
"You this punk's girlfriend or something?" He hazily heard the man say.
He looked up to see the girl standing between him and the man towering over them. He wanted to get up, to prevent her from being savaged by the beast, but he simply couldn't. His body wouldn't respond to his commands.
"Not at all. I'm into men not boys and he is most definitely a boy." She said without a care.
A pain far worse than any that man had inflicted stabbed his heart. 'A boy~!?' He remembered watching lots of anime where similar lines were said. It was only now that he truly understood the impact those words had, especially when they were said about you after the humiliating farce of a fight.
Was this even a fight? He wasn't confident that it could even be considered as such.
"And it's because of that, that I'm going to save his bacon." She confidently added. "Well, that and my good friend asked me to be his babysitter. Got to do my part and all."
The mountain looked between the two, deeply contemplating whether he wanted to push the issue. Finally, he gave an annoyed sigh. "Whatever… I don't hit girls." and walked past them out of the room.
"You better thank your sitter kid." Were his last words before slamming the door closed behind him.
The girl, not paying attention to him, squatted down to the downed Leon. "Hmm… yeah, you'll be fine. The body model you got was based on us after all. Our brains aren't nearly as fragile as humans. You'll be rattled for a bit, but you'll recover. I'd wait for that to happen, but…" A brilliant smile bloomed. "I don't wanna." She grabbed the down boy and threw him over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes. I'm taking you outta here."
Leon could only cry that, even now, he was still at the mercy of the others.
He could only console himself in his thoughts to ease his anguish. 'Well… if it's between going home with the mountain and a pretty girl, the choice is obvious, right? Maybe things are looking up?'