11. Garbage Disposal"Was it really necessary to leave the country to solve that shopkeeper's problem?"

  Agamennone was quite annoyed as he walked the street behind the indigo-haired girl.

  "I promised him, and i always try to keep my promises. The train station never received any shipment of pots. That means that the shipment never arrived there. The checkpoint also never registered any shipment of pottery, and that means the shipment never got here too."

  Vionte was also not in a good mood.

  "Then why you wanted my company?"

  "Because together we could have had more fun."

  "Well, we could have had fun together at home! But you decided to sell yourself for a potted pnt!"

  The girl suddenly turned towards him, grinning her teeth.

  "Stop using such expressions!"

  The boy didn't yield, replying with the same ton

  "It's the right expression to use though! It's not my fault jf you're a pervert and you always think i'm saying you're a prostitute. Maybe you are covert nymphomaniac!"

  The girl was dumbfounded.

  "I... You... Have a point... But i'm not a nymphomaniac!"

  Agamennone smirked as he won the argument. Vionte lowered her head, only raising it again after some seconds. She grinned.

  "Let's change topic, shall we? Do you know about someone who forgot his documents despite being told three times to take them causing us to lose time? Luckily they already had the infos about you, so we didn't lost much time. You were uncomfortable though."

  Agamennone rolled his eyes.

  "I didn't have a border near my home and i always left my house without documents. I barely needed them! I also never met officers asking for documents... I rarely left home, actually..."

  "I guessed that already. You barely leave home here too. You only leave to do the bare minimum..."

  The couple continued walking.

  "Ah... I also haven't sold myself for a potted pnt. I'm keeping a tab for our expenses and if the pnt doesn't cover them i'll ask for more. And i also wanted to give a part of the sum for you. 60:40 since you always compin."

  Agamennone gred at her.

  "What am i supposed to do with the 40% of a potted pnt?"

  "Are you saying that you waive your right of the 40% of the share?"

  "Yes, since it's literally zero."

  The girl took a little notebook and a pen out of one of her pockets and started writing something

  "I've registered it, so you can't retract from what you've said."

  Agamennone puffed as the girl put the notebook and the pen back. The couple wandered for some time until they managed to reach the pottery shop. The boy was quite frustrated.

  "What are we going to do now? I can't speak other nguages, and you are not good with them!"

  Vionte blushed, caressing the back of her head.

  "I admit i've forgotten about this detail. But i'm sure i can at least understand the others and can make myself understandable to others."

  Agamennone smirked, annoying his companion.

  "You'll see. Come with me and keep me company."

  The duo entered the shop, being welcomed by an old man.

  "Welcome to my shop, how can i help you?"

  The duo blinked twice, failing to understand the man, who switched talking in the lingua franca.

  "Welcome to my shop, how can i help you?"

  "Well... I'd like... To... Ask you... About... A shipping of pots... Sold to mr. Dettori... That was supposed to arrive... This morning. Talk clearly please."

  The girl was feeling quite uneasy, while Agamennone yawned. The old man was instead shocked.

  "That shipment, right? We had a major problem and all my shipment have been blocked for now... "

  "So... Tell us more."

  The shopkeeper showed reluctance, a small frown appearing on his face.

  "It's complicated, miss... I'd rather not talk about it."

  The half-succubus became pensive, while Agamennone was slightly annoyed, turning towards the girl.

  "What were you saying?"

  "He's reluctant to speak for some reason."

  The boy became upset.

  "I've come here when i could have done something else entirely, so if he won't speak i'll make him!"

  The boy angrily turned toward the shopkeeper, tracing his thumb over his own neck, tilting his head and stuck out his tongue. The shopkeeper was intimidated by the sudden outburst. As soon as Agamennone ended his gesture, he was pinched on the cheek by Vionte.

  "Threatening scared people is as tactless as it's pointless. Especially when you have no idea of how much of threat you and your rival are to the person."

  The girl sighed, before turning again the shopkeeper.

  "Ignore him... He's... Harmless despite... his attitude. I'd really like to... know what happened... To the shipment though..."

  The man was trembling slightly.

  "It's... A difficult matter... I'd like to keep you out of this, for your own safety."

  The half-succubus scratched her chin. Near her, Agamennone was continuously watching her face, showing signs of impatience.

  "Can you... Tell us more?"

  The girl's tone was a calm and slightly soothing one. The shopkeeper relented.

  "Ok. The thing is... That that pottery shipment, and some others, have been destroyed by our own ruler for her own amusement. Said ruler is actually an usurper, probably a puppet ruler given her ck of intelligence. She's, however, ruthless, quick to anger, and really violent. I'll make it sure that your employer will have another batch of pots as soon as possible."

  Vionte's eyes blinked.

  "I... Am grateful for your... Infos. Thank you."

  The girl decided to leave the shop, signaling Agamennone to follow her.

  "So, what happened?"

  He yawned as he asked that question in a dispassionate manner. The girl was deep in thoughts. That annoyed him.

  "Do you hear me?!"

  The girl blushed slightly.

  "Sorry, i was thinking. He said that the shipment was destroyed by the ruler of these nds for mere fun... Honestly... She seems to come from a cartoon... Do people like her exist in real life too?"

  "Yes, they do. And are way more than you think. I once heard of a guy that tried to kill a spider with a fmethrower, with no success and even less home. Another one shot an armadillo with a gun, which reflected the bullet at him"

  Agamennone smirked while Vionte started ughing,

  "Such idiots..."

  She then scratched her cheek.

  "What are your bullets made of, lead? I'm sure you can't have magical bullets."

  "They're mostly of a tin-lead alloy. I'm not sure though. They're also pointy."

  "Well, it makes sense for them to be pointy, isn't it? Despite our reliance on magic normal gun are still circuting because you can take a mage by surprise with them. You start shooting someone with a magical gun, they'll start neutralizing your magic and then they shoot you with a normal gun. The mage triest to neutralize a spell that doesn't exist and is hit by the bullet. This kind of tactic is becoming common though, so people has started to study guns more."

  The boy nodded while the girl turned again towards the shopkeeper.

  "Thanks again... Goodbye."

  "Goodbye, young dy."

  The shopkeeper waved at Vionte, who waved back at him. As her and Agamennone, following her, were leaving the pottery shop, the guy stumbled on the step in front of the entrance, falling down in the ground and scratching his hands as he protected his face with them. Vionte suddenly turned towards him, full of apprehension.

  "Are you alright? Have you injuried yourself?"

  The half succubus squatted near to him, extending a hand towards him to help him stand up again. Agamennone was slow to move. He kneeled, then he took the girl's hand and used her to rise. The girl was strong enough to counterbance his pull.

  "My hands stings. My arms too."

  "Let's find a pharmacy... and a bathroom too!"

  The girl started took the boy's shirt at the arms level and started to walk swiftly, forcing the man to follow her.

  "Slow down!"

  "S-sorry!"

  The half-succubus slowed down. She then started blushing.

  "S-should i carry you?"

  Agamennone gred at her.

  "Like a princess or a baby? i have a dignity!"

  "S-sorry again... It's just that i want to disinfect those wounds as soon as possible. Tetanus is not a joke."

  "I'm vaccinated! I should not contract tetanus that easily! Calm down!"

  The indigo-haired woman took a deep breath.

  "I'm calm now. I lost my composure... Thank you for calming me down."

  The couple continue walking. As soon as they met other passersby, Vionte started talking to them.

  "Excuse me... Do you happen to know... Where the nearest... pharmacy is? And where the nearest... Public bathroom is instead?"

  The passerby, a man with a child with him, observed her with a curious expression. He also took his time to observe her curves.

  "If you continue traveling this street and then turn right at the second intersection you find the public bathroom. The pharmacy is on the same road further ahead."

  He smirked as he started walking again.

  "Thank you."

  Vionte smiled, waving at the passerby, who reciprocated. The couple then continued to walk towards their target.

  The demon lord and his companion were in front of the public bathroom, a small wooden building with a step in front of the open entrances.

  "These are the bathrooms?"

  Agamennone gred at Vionte, his eyes half closed.

  "Apparently so. I'll wait for you here while you wash yourself. I don't think i'm necessary to accompany you in here. Especially since the bathrooms should be separated by gender."

  "I'm not a child! Stop treating me like i'm one!"

  The annoyed young man approached the entrances of the public bathrooms observing them. He then turned towards the girl behind him, yelling at her.

  "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT'S THE MALE'S BATHROOM!?"

  The half-succubus sighed, slowly closing the distance with him.

  "Usually there are signs near the entrances..."

  She then pointed at a stylized figure on a square wooden sign near each one of the entrances. On one of them there was a bck stylized male figure, while on the other there a bck stylized female figure. There was also a word under the figures.

  "... Like these... Are you sure you don't need my help to wash your hands?"

  The girl smirked as she gave her companion some space, leaving the building to wait for him on the other side of the street. He hissed, then he entered the male's bathroom. He went to the sink, washing his hands with a soap bar.

  "They still sting... Drat! I should have rolled up my sleeves before wetting my hands!"

  The demon lord clumsily tried to roll up his sleeves, wetting his sleeves as he uncovered his forearms. He made quite the mess, even if he managed to accomplish his intent. He then washed his forearms. The sting still bothered him. Suddenly, the door of one of the bathroom stall flung open, detaching from the doorpost. A brutish woman with pixie-cut hair emerged from it. She was wearing a precious dress with heavy sign of soiling and damage. Agamennone watched the scene with confusion.

  'Wasn't this the men's bathroom?'

  The woman scanned her surroundings as she remained in the stall, licking her lips.

  "Ohh... My shit sure stinks today."

  Agamennone rolled his eyes.

  'This woman is completely insane.'

  The woman then ughed heartily, but then her expression darkened as she noticed Agamennone.

  "You fucking piece of shit of a poor fucking excuse of a fucking man! How dare you fucking enter my fucking sigth! Kill your fucking self! NOW! Or i'll fuck you and then kill you"

  The boy, confused at first, realized the woman was talking about him. His eyes widened, his breath became fast and his body started trembling as she was taking a giant sword from her back in her hands. He then ran away.

  "HEEEEELP!"

  The woman with the orange pixie-cut, seeing that her shouts were ineffective, charged toward the sink where the man stood up before fleeing the exit, smashing the sink. A stream of water then hit her due to the damage she caused to the hydraulic impnt.

  "YOU FUCKING COWARD! FIGHT ME LIKE A FUCKING REAL MAN! YOU FUCKING SHIT!"

  She then started following him, smashing through the wooden wall of the bathroom just near the entrance. She saw the fancy dressed young man running toward a indigo-haired woman while yelling.

  "WE SHOULD LEAVE! A MADWOMAN WANTS TO KILL ME!"

  The girl, with a worried expression, was preparing for her and her companion's flight, sprouting her wings from her back and starting to fp them and extending her arms, ready to embrace his companion.

  "Got it!"

  "FUCKING FAKE MAN! COWERING AND ASKING FOR HELP IN A FIGHT FROM A FUCKING SLUT. YOU FUCKING SHIT AND WHORE COUPLE!"

  However, hearing herself being insulted, Vionte instinctively gred at the madwoman. She moved her left hand, pointing it towards her. Soon, The madwoman was paralyzed. At the same moment, Agamennone reached his companion, stopping to run and hiding behind her as he was panting heavily.

  "FUCKING COWARDLY SLUT! MAGIC IS FOR FUCKING COWARDS, YOU SHIT!"

  The half succubus kept her distance, with Agamennone a couple of metres behind her. The other woman struggled, without effect.

  "So you know about magic, but you don't seem capable to use it well... Or at all..."

  "REAL MAN DON'T NEED FUCKING MAGIC! MAGIC IS FOR FUCKING SISSIES!"

  Vionte started approaching her. In her hand electric sparks were forming, while also glowing ominously with a purple light. She started ughing evilly as she approached the madwoman.

  "Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

  The struggling, defenseless woman was grabbed by the half-succubus, being electrocuted by her, while also losing her energy at a fast pace. She yelled in pain.

  "FUCK! YOU'LL FUCKING PAY... FOR IT... YOU... SLUT! ...SHIT! shit..."

  The madwoman lost her consciousness while still paralyzed. Vionte decided to give her a kick on her belly, letting her paralyzed body fall backwards. The madwoman's head was in a position in which it couldn't have hit the ground directly. The girl walked backwards, before turning towards Agamennone. She bent her head forwards.

  "I'm sorry. I should have fled... She got me by calling me... Promiscuous..."

  The demon lord gnced at her with a mischievous expression.

  'She said another word, though...'

  "All's well what ends well though, right? You neutralized her."

  The boy approached the paralyzed woman. He started kicking her unconscious body. He was smirking. The half-succubus was not amused.

  "That's a cssy move..."

  "She wanted to sexually abuse me and then kill me. I think me attacking her while she's unconscious is justified."

  Vionte rolled her eyes.

  "That's too much even for me. I only engage active threats from whom i cannot escape. Or people who really annoy me. But that's not what i wanted to tell you. I instinctively attacked her because she insulted me. That's a horrible move. What if she could use magic? What if she was stronger than us? I could have endangered ourselves over trivial reasons. I'm ashamed of myself."

  Agamennone remained still, with his mouth slightly open. He stopped kicking the unconscious body.

  "Good point, actually. Let's enjoy our... Retive luck, then. But.. don't overthink this... You saved me. "

  The boy then started cleaning his shoes on her dress. Meanwhile the half-succubus was blushing.

  "So, what should we do with her body?"

  "Don't call her a 'body'! She's still alive! But to address our problem, i was thinking about telling our misadventure to the authorities, however... That dress seems expensive."

  Agamennone turned his head towards her.

  "You sure? It looks like a rag to me. But i was never interested in clothes, so i can't tell a precious dress from a normal one."

  Vionte spread her hands.

  "I'm no expert too. But the important thing is that a precious dress is usually worn by rich people, and if she's rich she may have some influence over the local authorities... There's also the problem of carrying her, possibly without being seen... And the fact that paralyzing spells, even when not countered, wear off in around 1-2 hours. I'd like to solve this problem most advantageous to us."

  "I don't think is feasible, but i'd have liked to give her to a pack of hyenas. It would have been better if she was still conscious though. "

  Vionte sighed.

  "Indeed it's not feasible. You're a sadist, let me tell you."

  While the two were arguing, a small bunch of people approached the duo and the body. They started whispering to each other.

  "Hey, that's the baroness on the ground."

  "That criminal has been neutralized!"

  "I hope she's dead."

  The group watched each other in the eyes, then they nodded. One of them then approached the duo.

  "If i wouldn't faint, we could dismember her."

  "She's still alive! I don't have the knowledge to dismember a body effectively and we are in a public space!"

  "Sorry to bother you. But... I, with my fellow townspeople, thank you for neutralizing the infamous baroness."

  Both Vionte and Agamennone blinked. The tter also stumbled on her body as he moved, almost falling again on the ground.

  "She's the baroness?!"

  "She's the baroness?!"

  The townsperson nodded.

  "Indeed. She recently became the ruler with a coup d'état, killing our previous ruler. We soon understood that she was just a puppet ruler for someone smarter pying in the shadows, but she was extremely petty, vindictive, unhinged and violent, so we became terrified of her. We also didn't know how valuable was she for her allies. Still, can we know your names? Today you have instilled in us a little spark of hope, especially after some member of the army left suddenly."

  "W-well... My name's Vionte, while his is Agamennone."

  Agamennone was in his own world, bnkingly staring at a random building.

  'Millipedes almost never have 1000 legs. Centipedes can have more than 100 legs. Centipeds are the better animal though, in my opinion.'

  He turned towards the girl as he heard his name. He was quite agitated.

  "What has he asked?"

  The indigo-haired girl observed him, surprised by his sudden reaction.

  "He told us about the woman, who is the infamous baroness, and he asked about our names"

  The young man grabbed the girl from her sleeves and started shaking her

  "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."

  The girl freed herself swiftly

  "You always exaggerate."

  Vionte blushed slightly as the townspeople were smirking seeing the scene, trying to suppress it as she noticed them.

  "Hm-hm... Are you an adventurer? Or a mage?"

  "I'm a mage... More... Or less..."

  "Thank you foreign mage. We'll take care of the baroness. We'll imprison her. Her allies will probably retaliate, but now that she's gone, the army will surely join our cause. I think we can see the light."

  Vionte smiled awkwardly. Agamennone was still thinking about trivialities.

  'The next patch of "Conquer the world" should be out soon... I wanted to py it... Stupid other world.'

  The townspeople, lead by the man who acted as their spokeperson, took the unconscious, paralyzed body of the baroness and started carrying it away, while smiling at the couple. The baroness was carried by only two people, each one taking the woman by the ankle and dragged her behind them, not caring about her body touching the ground and whatever obstacle could be on it.

  "Thank you again."

  "It's... Nothing..."

  The half-succubus sighed. She then grabbed Agamennone's sleeve. It was enough to make him focus on her.

  "She has more dangerous allies that could retaliate against us should they find out our role on the baroness' imprisonment. We should flee from here as soon as possible."

  "I agree."

  Vionte turned towards the city.

  "However... I feel bad in leaving them alone for something we have caused..."

  "C'est vie. It's their problem now."

  Agamennone's voice was cold and apathetic. Vionte gred at him. She took her phone out of her trousers' pocket and started to search something. The young man was confused.

  "How are you going to call for help? Phones needs a network to work!"

  "I know. But i'm quite sure there should be some residual signal from the nearest antenna, which is near the border."

  The girl saw the screen. There was signal, but it's intensity was low. She smiled, then she started a call.

  "Violetta! What do you need from mommy?"

  The voice, Valentina's, was both sweet and excited.

  "Mom... I caused a diplomatic incident."

  Agamennone was angered by such words.

  "It is not!"

  "What? Where are you, my sweet star? How did you cause a diplomatic incident? Aren't you at home?"

  "Well... I may have accepted a little commission to get a particur pnt for free..."

  "Another one? You're becoming addicted. I should burn them..."

  Vionte snapped. Agamennone was ughing.

  "MOM NO! OR I'LL-"

  "Calm down dear, i'd never do such thing. Still, where are you now?"

  Vionte scratched her chin. Then she turned towards Agamennone.

  "Hold the phone."

  She picked out a map, opening it.

  "It's one of those cities of the kingdom of Deuteroanoigma near the borders, I'm not sure what exactly, but it's the capital of it's province, since it has a local ruler, a baroness."

  The voice was surprised.

  "I'm also here."

  The girl's eyes opened wide.

  "YOU'RE HERE?!"

  "Are you alright? You're usually faster at catching on things."

  "How i was supposed to know you were here? We have more than one neighbouring kingdoms, you know, the answer wasn't as obvious as you make it. I never liked geography, but i'm kinda sure the neighbouring kingdoms are at least three. I called you thinking you were wandering in our kingdom..."

  "Well, i thought you were at home instead. Then you call me and tell me that you managed to cause a diplomatic incident."

  The two demonic women were arguing intensively, but they gradually calmed down. Vionte also started to close the map to then put it in her pocket.

  "Tell me about the incident... Wait... First tell me where you are. I want to see my precious youngest child."

  "We are near the public bathrooms."

  "We?"

  "We. Agamennone is also here. He's the cause of the incident."

  The young man exploded.

  "DON'T SAY SUCH THINGS OR SHE'LL THINK I DID SOMETHING STUPID!"

  The voice on the phone was ughing.

  "Our lord's right. I was already thinking he did something stupid. And remember that he's our ruler. You seem to always forget such information."

  Agamennone's expression was one of great annoyance. Vionte ughed.

  "He's indeed the cause. Sort of... It's not his fault though. The baroness assaulted him. And i neutralized her. But we know she has some powerful allies and we are scared. And i know he's our supposed ruler, even if i treat him as my equal. I know and you know that he doesn't like pointless reverence."

  Valentina's voice was warm.

  "I know, right. I like to annoy him though. Still, returning to the matter at hand.. You actually helped me. And don't warry about her allies. My... Companions of mission are taking care of them at the moment. And i'll help them should everything go wrong. You should return home. Kisses."

  The succubus hung up. Vionte sighed, before putting her phone in her pocket.

  "I'm not the cause of anything, you pnt weirdo!"

  "I know. I could have used better words..."

  The half-succubus put her hands on her hips. Agamennone was still frustrated.

  "You could have told your mother that i was assaulted without telling her i was the cause. I'm sure it was a deliberate move on your part."

  "Maybe..."

  The girl's tone was a mischievous one. She was smirking. Agamennone stared at her.

  "Let's return home and get your twintailed pnt."

  "We should wait for mum first. She wanted to see us and i like to please her. And then we still have to treat your wounds."

  Agamennone was slightly annoyed.

  "Fine..."

  He then suddenly felt weakness in his body

  "...I may have other pressing matters though."

  The man defted, surely to fall to the ground if not for Vionte managing to catch him.

  "Are you alright?!"

  "I... Don't know."

  The half-succubus kindly embraced her companion, caressing his head.

  "I have an idea why. It's nothing serious, don't worry."

  Around ten minutes ter, Valentina, graciously flying in the sky, recognized her daughter on the ground. She descended slowly. Vionte and Agamennone, who managed to recover, were talking.

  "So, these tyres, which i tell you again were made of some sort of hard rubber and full of air, were exploding at a determined turn, the 13th. Now those tyres should have survived for 73 ps, but they coul barely withstand 10 ps. The organization refuse to change the rule for that race due to this problem and so 7 teams out of 10 refused to race due this safety reason and only 6 car out of 20 raced, which had another brand of tyres. The audience was not happy with such outcome and littered the track while booing. That's just to preserve the rules."

  Agamennone smiled.

  "They shouldn't have thought too much about loopholes and should have focused to make the race possible. Still... these car races sound fun to watch. Funnier than the horse races"

  "I think. I've never watched horse races. Do you bet on them?"

  "I don't. Mom an dad do it sporadically though."

  At that moment a pair of arms hugged Vionte from behind. She was surprised, but was petrified from fear.

  "Caught you off guard dear daughter..."

  The taller woman rexed, slight traces of annoyance on her face.

  "Mama, you scared me!"

  The redhead smiled.

  "Don't compin. You always liked to do the same to me. Also our majesty could have easily saw me descending behind you. Oh... Good day, your majesty."

  "I wansn't paying attention. And stop calling me your majesty! It's annoying"

  Vionte puffed while Valentina smiled mischievously towards the boy.

  "You were talking to me. Since you never watch people in the eyes when you speak can i ask you what were you watching?"

  "Nothing specific. I was observing the surroundings."

  The succubus morphed into her human form as she stepped back from her daughter and joined her in conversation.

  "Daughter. I'll promise you to take some days off after this task. I'm kinda tired honestly. I want to rex and pass some time with my family. However, i still have something to do back home. I have to find the one who sold the colrs in the first pce."

  "Mama... We can ask the baroness' allies if your helpers manage to capture them."

  Valentina smiled awkwardly.

  "True. I should have told my employees that."

  Her eyes then opened wide.

  "I can tell them!"

  The woman took her walkie talkie from her garterbelt.

  "The mistress here. I wanted to tell you to keep, if possible, some of our friends alive. They may know who sold them the colrs. Oh, and the baroness has been captured after making one too many enemy."

  The instrument replied back. It was a male voice.

  "Personally we don't believe in summary executions. We may kill them while fighting them though. And the other one is a great news."

  "Ok."

  She put the walkie talkie back.

  "Problem solved. I still have to control that things don't go south here. I'll return tonight. Have a nice trip. And make sure that our lord behaves!"

  Vionte smiled, while Agamennone rolled his eyes.

  "Ok mama."

  "Thanks..."

  The redhead sprouted her wings from below her shoulders and flew away. Her appearence returned her demonic one. Vionte and Agamennone watched her as she departed.

  "Goodbye mama."

  The boy said nothing. Vionte watched him with a disappointed expression.

  "Try not to be petty for everything..."

  The demon lord frowned.

  "Can we go home now?"

  The girl smiled at him.

  "Yes. We can and we should, otherwise we're going to sleep at dawn... That won't change anything for you, but while i don't mind staying awake te, i'd prefer keep my current sleep schedule because it fits my arrangements better."

  Vionte started walking away, making a sign with her hand to the young man to follow her.

  "So, most of the guards have already been dispatched due to the sves fleeing, do you think it's necessary to add the sedative to their food too? Wouldn't it alert the guards dispatched once they return to eat?

  "I'm quite sure, Fr?nze, that they won't return to eat, or they'll be punished by the higher ups."

  Oktavian, Fr?nze and Heinz were hiding behind a small house in front of a quite big two-storey building.

  "Is it worthy the effort though? are there enough guards here for us to add narcotics to the food?"

  Heinz sighed.

  "We should scout the interior first to assess the necessity of adding narcotics in the food supply. But we'll probably attract their attention if we are loud."

  Fr?nze scratched her cheek.

  "We also don't know where the kitchen are."

  Heinz caressed his own bald head.

  "True. The map of the building are in the castle, where the baroness may have been. She has been captured only recently by chance, and we may lose our chance if we start searching for it now. However, if you observe the building, you can see a couple of chimneys. We could start scouting the rooms where the chimneys are."

  The other two members of the group nodded.

  "Fr?nze, you go left. Oktavian, you go right. We have ten minutes before dinnertime. The narcotics are rapid-actions."

  "What about the cooks?"

  "We have to deal with them. Swiftly. Now go."

  Fr?nze and Oktavian left Heinz behind as they started scouting the building. On the left side, Fr?nze observed the building.

  'The chimney is on the first floor, i doubt it's the kitchen, but i can't confirm my hypothesis.'

  Meanwhile Oktavian observed the right side, he reached the chimney before observing from the nearest windows.

  'The window on the left side overlooks another room, but the one on the right side of the chimney overlooks the kitchen. There are two cooks inside though.'

  Oktavian tried not to be seen as he spied the kitchen's staff. He then left without attracting attention. Once both him and Fr?nze returned to where Heinz was hiding.

  "What have you found?"

  "The kitchen is on the right side of the building. There are two cooks inside."

  Fr?nze frowned, also showing signs of nervousness. Heinz's expression softened.

  "You're the captain of the guards. Oktavian is a former rank C adventurer. And i'm a tactician. I think we can handle two cooks and some thugs."

  "I hope you're right Heinz."

  The bald man left his position, making a sign to tell the other two to follow him. The trio sneaked towards the kitchen's window, which was closed. Heinz chortled seeing this.

  "You two remain hidden."

  Heinz crawled below the window. He took a knife out of his handbag, then he knocked on the window. One of the cooks was attracted by the sound. Meanwhile his two companions hid behind the corner of the building.

  "I've heard something, haven't you?"

  The other observed him with a confused expression.

  "I haven't."

  The first cook went to the window, opening it to observe the surroundings. He, however, forgot to observe right below him. As he left, the window was left open.

  "I'm sure i've heard something."

  "That must have been the wind."

  "The wind doesn't make that kind of sound."

  The second cook sighed.

  "Then you have imagined it."

  Heinz signaled his two colleagues to come over, then he stealthily entered from the window after controlling that the cooks couldn't see him. He took an empty pot from a sink with one hand and then he hit one of the cooks in the head, knocking him out. The other cook was armed by the sound but he soon found a knife near his neck with the arm around it..

  "Shout and you'll die."

  The terrified cook nodded. Heinz put the pot on the counter, then he took of the fsk of narcotic, he put it on the counter, he opened it carefully with one hand and he added half of it on the various foods that were being cooked. He then closed the fsk with one hand and put it back in his handbag.

  "You'll serve the food to the men. I'll watch you. One faux pas and i'll stab you."

  The chef did what he was told to do. When the food finished cooking, the cook put the pot on a little cart and left the kitchen, going towards the canteen. As the cook moved, Heinz turned his head towards the window, signaling his companions hidden behind the window to enter the kitchen. The bald man then followed the cook. Since Heinz lost some time to communicate with his friends, the cook gained some margin on him. The man observed his surrounding, feeling a ck of pressure, trying to observe where his assaint was.

  'I don't see him, he may have remained in the kitchen.'

  The cook, seeing no one, left the cart and attempted to run towards the stairs, only for him to be stopped by a flying dagger passing near his shoulder. The cook's eyes were wide open, and he felt his legs suddenly weak.

  "Don't think i'm stupid enough to trust you."

  Heinz emerged from the kitchen door, approaching the cart.

  "Come here, or the next time i'll aim at you."

  The cook, shocked, obeyed. As they reached the canteen they could se only a bunch of people, around 10, there, ready to eat. They were sitting on benches around cheap rectangur tables. Heinz hid behind the door.

  "Serve them. And then serve yourself. Be natural and don't try to get their help."

  The cook obeyed at his request. He tried to act naturally, trying not to alert the others. He managed to do that, serving the drugged food to them and then to himself. Soon, all the people started eating. Heinz observed for some moments, then he retreated, joining his companions that were now hiding behind the kitchen's door. Fr?nze was feeling tense, trembling slightly while Oktavian was determined.

  "Now we are going to wait here for around ten minutes, then we'll start searching the boss' location. We won't split up. There may be more men, like his two lieutenants."

  "Ok."

  "Understood Heinz."

  The trio left the kitchen when the ten minutes passed, starting to inspect the building. They inspected the whole ground floor first, finding the sleeping guards that have been drugged and the two cooks. So they went to explore the first floor. The search on the first floor continued until they heard some noise coming from a room. Heinz approached the door, signaling his companions to stay alert and to not join him. He then put his ear on the door.

  "A-are you sure you'll free my husband and my child if i have sex with you?"

  The female voice was preoccupied.

  "Sure, I'll promise you that."

  The male voice replied offhandedly.

  'I have absolutely no fucking idea where her husband have disappeared once my cousin and i sent him to search for the captain, while the child has escaped with all the other sves.'

  He rubbed his hands together.

  "Now, undress and be ready to have the best experience of your life."

  "It's him, Let's face him.'

  Heinz opened the door, Fr?nze and Oktavian behind him. The baroness' cousin was shocked, not as much as the dy, who hid under the bed.

  "What a nice surprise... My cousin's pything and her two maids have returned by their own volition. That's actually great, since she will calm down a bit. Now... Any st word?

  The bald man rolled his eyes, while the other two simply gave him a weird look.

  "You're not in the position to do such statements."

  The baroness' cousin smiled smugly.

  "Well then. GUARDS! INTRUDERS!"

  Despite the shout, no one arrived.

  "How do you think we got here? Obviously by thinning your defenses."

  Heinz smirked. In that moment, however, the wardrobe opened, revealing a man and a woman falling onto the ground. They swiftly stood up, approaching the sver with dumb, apologetic expressions. The sver was annoyed.

  "Patricia! René! What the fuck were you doing in the wardrobe?"

  "We wanted to have sex while watching you having sex, boss."

  Patricia's tone was nonchant. Her boss did not reply, a slightly disgusted expression on his face. He then turned towards his guests.

  "We are 3 vs 3 now, enough to crush you. Unless you want to surrender."

  "NEVER!"

  Oktavian cracked his knuckles, trying to infervorate himself.

  "You two, capsize the bed and take the woma-"

  The dog man punched the man in the face, making him stumble backwards, falling to the ground, motionless. His eyes, however, were not still. They were observing the the events.

  "BOSS!"

  "BOSS!"

  Meanwhile Fr?nze and Heinz approached the distracted Patricia and René, the first attacking the man with her sword, while the second did the same to the other woman using a knife. They had good enough reflexes to avoid the hit. Patricia dodged in the direction of the door, creating an opening for herself.

  "Thank you..."

  She smirked as she left the room.

  "I'll follow her!"

  Heinz quickly run after the woman.

  'Shit, i should have done the same as her!'

  René, meanwhile, eyes wide open, realized that he missed an opportunity. Fr?nze was still between him and the door.

  "Let me pass, you slut!"

  "Don't you think that angering me is enough to let you create an opening."

  "Hit me, you cowardly slut!"

  The red-head was getting angrier.

  "Stop it!"

  "Slut slut slut slut slut slut slut slut."

  Fr?nze lost her patience. She went after him, attacking him with a vertical ssh.

  "Hahaha, You talk well but you still fell for it."

  René dodged the attack from the opposite side of the attack. The girl noticed it, extending her leg. The man tripped on the floor.

  "OUCH!"

  The captain of the guards turned towards him, swinging her sword towards the ground, aiming at his leg. The man rolled away, barely dodging the attack.

  "AAH!"

  He was now closer to the door than his opponent, but his position was not advantageous to him. He started to roll away, trying to flee but he suddenly stopped when a sword flew over him, blocking his path piercing the floor and sticking to it, swiftly followed by a kick on his gut so hard that sent him flying into the wall, running over the stuck sword in the process.

  "TAKE THIS!"

  "Ugh..."

  Luckily for him the endges of the bde weren't in the trajectory. Fr?nze's leg was glowing slightly due to magic usage. Oktavian, seeing that his friend dispatched the enemy, took a rope he was keeping on his leather pants and threw it at the captain of the guards, who proceeded to tie an aching yet still conscious René.

  "Tie him thightly."

  "I know. I'll tie him like a sami"

  The dog-man then went towards the boss, unaware that the sver's eyes were following him. As he approached him, taking another rope from his pants, the boss let out a smirk. Oktavian had only the time to open his eyes wide in shock as he was shot with a magical bullet with fire property, burning him.

  "OUGH!"

  Oktavian was sent flying for a metre before falling to the floor, still conscious but aching. The front of his shirt and the hem of the pants were gone.

  "OKTAVIAN!"

  The captain of the guard turned her head towards her companion. Her expression changed, her eyes full of rage and her teeth visible. Only for her face to show shock as the boss shot his companion again. Oktavian rolled away until he hit a piece of furniture. He was now unconscious and his pants became shorts. The boss then slowly got up, ready to aim his gun at the girl, who was struggling seeing her friend being hit badly. He had a satisfied and cocky expression.

  "Hehehehehehehem... Now, captain. Are you ready to submit to me?"

  The girl was angry, grinning her teeth. Her eyes almost red from the blood.

  "I took my sweet time..."

  Fr?nze stopped talking as she saw that the baroness' cousin was almost firing. She extended an arm towards him.

  "FLASH!"

  The room was suddenly filled with bright white light.

  "Argh... I know how your kind thinks!"

  An enraged sver immediately shot twice in front of him, smirking.

  "Gotcha!"

  As the light's intensity decayed, the sver was shocked to see that he only hit the wall with his shots.

  "WHAT? I ass-"

  The man was hit with a punch on his head thrown from his left side. He fell on the floor again, the gun sliding away from his hand.

  "Uhhh..."

  The redhead approached his ying body. She then put her armored foot on the man's crotch.

  "I won't make the same mistake my friend did."

  She then stomped his crotch hardly. Her foot glowed slightly from the usage of magic.

  "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

  The sver screamed before loosing consciousness. His body was ying on the floor. His short blonde hair and his unkept beard framing his terrified expression. The girl never left her gaze from the opponent's body as she went towards his friend's unconscious body.

  "I'll take care of you once i've made sure that guy can't take another cheap shot."

  The girl's tone was a sad one with a hint of anger. She explored Oktavian's body, searching for the rope.

  'I hope it wasn't burnt by the shots.'

  She searched the body. The rope was still there.

  'It's slightly burnt but it's still usable.'

  Fr?nze took the rope, then she went towards the sver, tying him.

  "You'll face the consequences. My only regret is not to have intervened sooner."

  Fr?nze sighed as she finished tying the man. Meanwhile, the woman who hid under the bed was crawling out of it. Her expression showing her fear. Her eyes were shiny from the unshed tears.

  "Has... Everything... Ended?"

  The captain of the guard slowly approached the sve. She extended her arm, helping the other woman to stand up.

  "Almost... My friend is taking care of some other things. We've already captured the usurper, the man behind her and one of his lieutenant. We are capturing the other. Once we've done it, we'll contact the guards who will take care of their men."

  The woman nodded, before suddenly colpsing. The captain of the guards caught her as she was falling, lifting her and putting her on the bed. She also uncsped the colr on her neck. After doing that, she returned to her friend.

  "I'm all yours now."

  Her tone was soft. She searched the man's body again, finding nothing interesting. She then left him again, approaching the other men. While she found nothing on René, she managed to find a couple of healing potions on the boss' body.

  'Good enough.'

  Fr?nze returned to Oktavian. She opened one of the bottles and forced the unconscious dog-man to drink it. She then repeated the process with the second bottle.

  'They should take care of the burn marks and should also stabilize his conditions, promoting his recovery, but he should get proper treatment. Medical skills aren't my strong points... I can only defend him until he recover, hoping his conditions don't worsen.'

  Fr?nze remained at the side of his companion, her face showing all her apprehension for her companion.

  More or less at the same time.

  Heinz was chasing down Patricia, throwing a couple of daggers at her. She managed to dodge them with some efforts. The brown haired woman ran until she reached her chamber, entering in it and closing the door. She went to her desk, taking a whip from the drawer. Heinz arrived shortly after, just ter enough for the woman to take the whip in her hands.

  "Too te. You'll now understand why i'm one of the right hand men of the boss Adelbert Gef?ngnis. You'll taste the power of my magical whip."

  Heinz was quite apathetic, yet interested.

  "I'm curious. That's why i let you talk instead of attacking a monologuing idiot."

  The woman smirked.

  "Let's commence then."

  Patricia swiftly waved the whip, which created wind bdes whenever she waved it with enough force. Heinz managed to dodge both this bdes and the whip itself. He used his peripherical vision to observe the consequences of the attack he just avoided.

  'Those wind bdes don't seem much poweful, they were barely able to scratch the paint. Better not to get it though. I'd like not to be proven wrong.'

  While dodging, Heinz was slowly approaching the opponent. She noticed it, and so she started to move. The whip she used was quite long, so she ended up knocking things over and hitting them.

  'There's too much junk in here!'

  The girl let out a smirk.

  'I'm sure i'll be able to corner it using the the room's size at my advantage.'

  Patricia started to attack alternating horizontal and vertical whipshes.

  'He'll crouch to dodge horizontal flicks and then i'll strike with vertical ones. I'm a genius.'

  Heinz did exactly what she predicted. He was however faster to dodge the hits than the girl's attacks. He also continued to get closer to her, using dodges at his advantage. Soon, the girl was getting scared.

  'Drat! He's getting closer!'

  Once she deemed him too close to her position, she stopped the attacks, running away. As she did that, however, she felt a hand on her ankle. She tripped.

  "OUCH!"

  The bald man kept his hold on the woman's ankle as she started shaking it vehemently. The man took out a dagger from its sheath, then he did the same with the bottle of narcotic. While still holding on her, he opened the fsk and poured the narcotic on the dagger.

  'I hope it also works intravenously.'

  The woman, unable to shake the hand from the ankle, tried to get up. As she did that, she was stabbed on the leg.

  "FUCK YOU!"

  The girl kneeled from the pain. Heinz released his hold on her ankle, standing up making sure not to stab himself in the process. He then put the dagger in the sheath. Patricia soon got up too. She was raging.

  "YOU DARE TO STAB A WOMAN!"

  The bald man nodded, before straghtening his moustaches. The girl composed herself before starting using her whip again, this time only thinking about hitting her opponent.

  "UUUAAAAAGH!"

  The man managed to avoid most of the hits, which were both faster and more unpredictable. The few hits he received, however, were quite painful, leaving bruises and damage clothes behind.

  "Ouch!"

  This barrage of attack gradually became slower and weaker, until it stopped, the girl falling to the floor; asleep. The man approached the body, before he lifted it, carrying it on his shoulders.

  'That weapon of hers was quite weird. Those windbdes didn't seem to add too much to it.'

  He, carrying the woman, left the room and returned where his friends were. He put the woman on the floor before seeing that Oktavian was unconscious. His expression softened.

  "Is he alright?"

  The redhead extended her arms outwards while also sighing.

  "I can't really say. I gave him two healing potions i found but i can't assess how much they were useful."

  The bald man scratched his chin.

  "We've beaten them. Let's tell the mistress about it."

  Heinz took out the walkie talkie from his pocket.

  "Mistress, we've disposed of the usurpers. They're alive. We still need to neutralize their men who went searching for the runaway sves. Tell the guards at the castle."

  "Don't worry about that. I already told them about the sver's men pursuing runaway sves. I also told them to wait for my return before starting to catch them to avoid them returning to their base. They'll start the hunt as soon as they'll see myh beautiful face approaching them."

  "Ok."

  Heinz put the walkie talkie back. Then he noticed the sleeping former sve.

  "Is she injuried?"

  "No, she's just had a traumatic moment. It's just the adrenaline diminishing in her body, mostly. She doesn't seem in top shape though. She may be malnourished, sleep deprived or something else. I didn't really put attention to her, other than giving her aid."

  Fr?nze made an awkward smile.

  "Since she's sleeping, maybe she was sleep deprived."

  The bald man scratched his chin. He then observed his surroundings, mainly Patricia.

  "Do we have more ropes?"

  Fr?nze shook her head.

  "We only had two. We should have brought more."

  "So... Are we going to get Oktavian and the dy out?"

  The girl's face became pensive.

  "The dy should be fine to carry outside, but, as i said, i don't know the extent of our friend's injuries. I'll take the dy, you protect our comrade."

  "Got it."

  The captain of the guards approached the sleeping dy, lifting her body and carrying her on her shoulders. She then left the room with the other dy on her shoulders.

  HyperbolicTangent