Flesh is Weak

Dens of shadows and Magic's thralls.

The sound of heavy rain was the first thing I heard as Ravel, Murayama, and I stepped out of a portal that Ravel had made. The rain was hammering the wood roof above our heads, drowning out other noise. We had portaled to the backyard patio of this farmhouse where weeds and vines were climbing up the side of the bricks. We weren't alone as Carlos stood by the back door to the house. The Spaniard quickly put a hand to where his chainsword was but relaxed, seeing that it was us. The man opened the back door, letting us inside. As we entered, Carlos came behind us, shutting the back door.

"Apologies for that. We have been on tight watch."

I gave him a slight grin, saying it was all right. Carlos led us toward the kitchen, and it was there that we found Jeanne, her second ranger and a new face. A young man our age with medium-length white hair and grey eyes who had his back to a wall. Jeanne had her cogitator open on a broken tiled countertop facing her. Her blue eyes met my red ones and showed relief.

"Glad you're here, boss. I'd show you French hospitality, but it's raining, and I'm out of wine."

That got a wide smile from Ravel and Murayama before I teased back.

"You might be out of wine, but I'm not. We still have a case of it at base left over from the party we had two weeks ago. What do you have for me?"

That made Jeanne grin, and she started turning her cogitator to me. However, the young man behind her grew ready for a fight. He scrunched his face, and soon, a small green flame hovered in front of him. It then flicked out of existence, with the

guy panting and leaning against a countertop while Jeanne chuckled.

"That was a better flame than last time, Abe."

The cogitator was now in full view, and what I saw on it made me frown, as did Ravel and Murayama. This Abe hissed out while pointing his finger at us.

"They are devils, Jeanne!"

My eyes were on the cogitator screen, and my frown grew deeper and deeper as I saw everything on the screen. Jeanne looked at Abe.

"He and they are not bad, Abe, and are not the devils that chased you two days ago."

I kept watching the screen before saying something.

"The devils who chased you are from a group called the Old Satan Faction. They are the absolute worst of devil kind."

That stopped Abe from starting a rant as I kept looking at the screen with Ravel. A banner was displayed on a wall in an old gunport where the skull was floating nearby. It was the symbol of the old Asmodeus. We finally found a major OSF base, and what was on the screen showed that it would be suicide to attack it currently. Ravel watched the screen in planning mode, and I knew better than to disturb her. My eyes turned from the screen to Jeanne, but before I could ask Jeanne some questions, Abe barked at me.

"What makes any of you different from them!"

My face turned to him, unamused.

"Many reasons. You think they hate humans badly I'm lower on their pole of

undesirables than you are. According to them, I'm a 'filthy' halfbreed that

should have been strangled in my crib seconds after I was born while my human

mother is murdered and then pinned to a wall headless."

Abe gapped while Carlos and the female ranger looked sick. Jeanne was going to try to say something to Abe, but Murayama cut in.

"I am a reincarnated devil, and according to them, I should be either outright murdered or worked to death in chains. The OSF hates anything that isn't a pureblood devil."

Abe looked at Murayama with horror and Ravel briefly broke from her planning mode and struck again.

"The fact I and the vast majority of other pureblood devils rebelled against them that wanted to throw us into pointless charges that would lead to the extinction of

our species. Welcome to the club of undesirables. May I take your order?"

 That snark was good, and Abe looked down at the floor while Ravel returned to her planning state. Jeanne put her hand on Abe's shoulder.

"They are good people, Abe. The boss has gear like us, and Murayama is a Gundam fan. The world is more complicated than just bad devils and good humans."

Despite that information, Abe was silently looking at the floor. Carlos and the female ranger were also silently thinking about this. The room was still other than

the hum of the cogitator, so I sighed before asking Jeanne.

How many have you seen here?"

Jeanne sighed, too.

"Two hundred at most a hundred fifty at least plus three hundred animals of some kind along with three things that seem inanimate but give off life signs. They have

rebuilt most of this section of the Atlantic Wall and fortified it further with

wards, rune traps, and other things we can only guess about now. It won't be

easy to break."

That made this worse for me. Ravel heard that and continued planning before I asked my next question.

"You got scans of the ward scheme and a look at a stone?"

 Jeanne frowned.

"Yes, but it was tough to do. They do regular patrols every hour and are on extremely tight watch. This place must be very important to the OSF for them to be this on guard."

My frown grew, and my worry built as I saw something on the screen. My eyes fell on Abe, and something felt off about him. Seeing my look, Jeanne explained.

"He was being chased by a trio of devils in the nearby town. We

saw that and moved to help him."

Carlos's first emotion, other than frustration, showed on his face as he smiled slightly, as did the female ranger. The Spaniard looked at where his and the woman's guns were leaning against the old oven.

"Your guns are effective as a single shot put them down. I still can't believe it's a

laser. How did you make them anyway?"

I watched the screen and answered as my frown grew deeper.

"Ask your sister about it when you see her again. You three are being recalled. Jeanne, the big guy, can't find your objective again for a bit. I'm sorry for wasting

all three of your time here in Europe other than your guest. Upload the ward

scans to our excess skulls when you return and enjoy some downtime."

The information made Carlos and the female ranger look at me curiously. They looked to Jeanne, who nodded her head.

"It's alright, boss. It wasn't a waste. It was nice to be back here in France for a bit, and we saw a few places that might be good to set up bases in. I'm just glad we

found this place, and we didn't get into Germany and the Black Forest. Carlos told

me it's infested with dozens of werewolf packs that are nasty to fight when

they swarm. Everyone pack up gear. I'll treat the team to a few rounds of drinks at base tomorrow for a somewhat good first mission."

That got a whoop from the female ranger and a grin from Carlos. The two went off to pack as Jeanne seemed to consider something. Abe looked up and had wide eyes, hearing werewolves. He looked at the Rangers leave before he returned his eyes to Jeanne and us. Jeanne turned to him.

"We will get you to your Aunt's house in Paris fast. You have my email, and you are always welcome to message me if you need help with your gear. You could also join us if you want. I know you said you are curious about this side of the world."

Abe frowned and looked troubled so I give him a second option.

"Catholic or Protestant?"

That made Abe jump slightly before he looked my way.

"Why does that matter!"

I looked at this person I used to be.

"You want to protect the world now that you know. Our organization does that, but so do others on the supernatural side. The Churches of Christianity fight evil, too,

like us, and you could rise fast in the ranks of the exorcists with your gear. It's

another option for you. I didn't have someone to help me learn this side until

later. You will have more choices than I had at the beginning. Catholic or

Protestant?"

Abe looked at me and was silent. His blue eyes met mine, and before he looked at Jeanne.

"Protestant yet that doesn't matter because I want to help Jeanne and the others. Despite being a stranger, they didn't hesitate to help me, and I'm not a hard believer. I'm sorry I judged you all to be like them."

My face took on a smile, as did Murayama's, while Ravel looked at the cogitator. I shrugged while looking at Abe.

"It's alright. Believe it or not, the majority of our organization are regular

humans. Yes, there are devils, angels, and even a kitsune in our ranks, but at

the end of the day, we all desire the destruction of evil like the OSF. We here

all lift together for that goal despite our natures."

That made Abe feel better, and Jeanne gave him a big smile.

"I'll help you out with your gear, Abe, at our main base. You should also message your aunt and tell her you're all right. It will be nice to have another person with

whom I can gush about Gundam. You will also be shocked at what the Legio will

be able to do eventually. We move in ten minutes, so please be ready by then."

Abe smiled at Jeanne and then moved off. As soon as he was gone, Jeanne showed how worried she actually was.

"His mother was murdered by the devils who chased him. They set his house on fire, and he had to rush past her body to escape the flames."

I returned to looking at the cogitator.

"That doesn't paint a good picture. Especially with how there are ten gear users in that stronghold. Have Carlos and the other seen that?"

Jeanne shook her head.

"No, I am the only one who knows that. I kept it from them because they would have charged the base and then gotten killed. It would have also made them go on higher alert."

The four of us looked at the cogitator, and there on the screen were those gear users in the lowest part of the fortress, huddled together in one area. That worry grew again for Murayama, Jeanne, and me as more dots entered that area from a portal, with two more gear users. We each eyed each other while Ravel stayed in

planning mode. Murayama went to help Jeanne pack while Ravel and I plotted.

The rangers stepped out of a portal outside the command center in our training base, quickly followed by Jeanne, a bewildered Abe, Murayama, Ravel, and me. The six of us moved into the command center while Carlos and the woman I learned was named Marie quickly moved to meet with their new group of recruits.

Our journey inside the building past several Skitarii ended as we hit the mess hall. In there, we met Conner and Paula, who were talking about something near the

cafeteria counter. Our appearance made them look our way. Conner saw Jeanne with Abe and got a grin.

"Well, look who has grown two more inches since I last saw her. And it looks like you found a boyfriend."

Jeanne blew a raspberry at Conner while Abe blushed, and Paula huffed in amusement. That happy moment stopped when Paula saw my face.

"Orders, sir?"

My eyes closed and then opened again.

"Start getting our people ready for a big operation after the peace conference. Has Albert shared his report about what we experienced with the OSF?"

My Alpha prime nods.

"He has, and I have already shared it with Renaud. I'll share it with Lady Mirana when she gets to Olympus Amon's tomorrow."

 I nodded thanks, and Paula left the room. Conner was silent for a second before he looked at me.

"I found something at last yesterday, thanks to Lavinia. She showed me to several

Internet forums that magicians from the major guilds use, and on them, I found multiple subforums that are recruiting pages for Nilrem. I'll start following them, but one of the newest posts mentioned that if you were in the Far East and interested in joining, then come to the port of Ishigaki on Okinawa."

I sighed.

"I have a lead on the OSF thanks to a prisoner we captured today. The interrogation conversation is in our data banks, and you're welcome to review it. I

also want you to form a new team to investigate disappearances across the world that might be linked to gear users."

Conner nodded before he left the room, leaving Jeanne and Abe with us. I give my final orders.

"Jeanne, can you and Abe scout for this Nilrem base tomorrow morning? After that I want you here training new rangers for your division until we can find the objective again. Choose someplace here on base for your people."

Jeanne smiled slightly before pulling a beyond-bewildered Abe out of the cafeteria. I broke my mask when the door closed and leaned against the counter. My frustration and desire now showed how much I, too, wanted to charge into that base and save the gear users. Murayama pulled me close, and I leaned on her shoulder. Ravel broke from planning mode and saw the pain, too.

"It's going to be hard hitting that base with what we have now, Greg. The hellhounds will buy them plenty of time to get reinforcements and or move the gear users. I am also pretty sure I know what the unknown things are. Those are most likely war golems."

Hearing that from her hurt made me close my eyes.

"I know Vel. Thank you for being honest."

My Grand Planner came to my right and held my other hand. 

"We will help them somehow, Greg. I just need more time to devise a good plan."

Her reassurance made me lose a tiny bit of stress that came with knowing that the

conference was soon. Murayama and Ravel eyed each other briefly, having a silent conversation before the two broke it, and Ravel sighed.

"We plan to have a girl's day tomorrow to discuss potential issues with Hana. Do you know when she will be here?"

I shrug.

"Around ten in the morning at our topside manor was what i was told by Serafall."

Ravel andMurayama eyed the clock on the wall, and it was close to midnight now before Murayama got a slight frown.

 "Xenovia told me that I would gain something big with Hana and had a big grin on her face while she said that. You're right, Greg psykers are weird."

I barely held in a chuckle, seeing the frustration on her face.

"Precogs tend to be, but at least Xenovia isn't a pyromancy psyker. I'd rather not be cooked alive if she sneezes the wrong way, and the flame specialist, I know, is fun."

That got a tiny laugh from Ravel before she let out a massive, cute yawn. I stopped leaning against the counter and looped my arms with theirs. The two leaned against me before we left the cafeteria for a good night's rest. Despite the better mood, I still saw the gear users' dots as I closed my eyes.

The sight before me was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen, and they were right. Revenge is a dish best served cold. There laying on the floor of our classroom, groaning in agony, was the bitch teacher who had caused eight years of misery for me. My classmates were being backed into a corner of the room by a massive giant while three more stood over my teacher with weapons at the ready. Then one of the giants turned towards me, and their shadow covered my form and desk.

They looked down on me and then asked what I wanted for my deed. My smirk was massive as I told him what I wanted. The giant nodded before a finger gestured for me to follow them. I got up, and just as I was leaving the classroom, multiple noises broke out behind me, including a very loud plea for help.

That shouts for help made me shoot out of bed into the air before hitting the floor hard. The shouts for help came again, and though dazed from the fall, I shot up and ran towards the noise source.

The one screaming for help was Shirone, who was on the carpet having her face attacked with licks from Barkspawn. The little Cerberus kept licking Shirone's face while yipping in glee as the rest of the queens watched on with amusement, along with someone else. That person was a very well-rested Ingvild who had her clockwork bird on her right shoulder while dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. Senjutsu is amazing, as, despite a century of atrophy, Ingvild was standing with only a tiny wobble every so often. My look at the purpleett was interrupted by Shirone calling out for help again as Barkspawn continued her assault.

"Evil dog, help nya!"

That got chuckles from everyone as Barkspawn kept licking Shirone's face. I rolled my tired eyes and approached the two before picking Barkspawn up. The puppy yipped in glee at being in my arms before starting her licking assault again, waking me up entirely. Shirone quickly shot up from the ground and ran to hide

behind Kuroka with the hair on her white tail fluffed out to the max.

Once behind Kuroka, she popped her head around her sister and got a mix of flames and heart-shaped pupils looking at me and Barkspawn.

"My Heroic Iron Prince nya!"

That got more snickers from the others and a yip from Bark before I sighed, petting the Cerberus.

"Only sometimes. Bark."

Barkspawn stopped wagging her little tail as her brown eyes looked up at me seriously.

"No more licking, Shirone."

That got a whine of sadness from Barkspawn while getting a look of triumph from Shirone. Barkspawn whined again, turning towards Shirone, and my princess hissed at the Cerberus. The puppy grew sadder before Ingvild's voice came from her bird.

"I would be happy to take licks from such a good girl for her. Especially for yesterday."

That immediately brightened up Barkspawn as her tail wagged again, looking at

Ingvild with a puppy grin. That got giggles from everyone save Shirone before Ingvild blushed slightly, seeing something as I set Barkspawn down next to me. When I looked up again, Ingvild blushed beet red and looked everywhere but at me. I was confused by that before I looked down and remembered I was shirtless with my six-pack and muscles out. The queens, especially Raynare, enjoyed their eye candy before Kuroka got a wide grin as Bark sat down next to me.

"It's almost ten, Greg, or are you going to try to seduce another poor innocent maiden with those muscles, nya~"

I rolled my eyes at the tease but took the hint, returning to our room, followed by Barkspawn. The Cerberus tried to follow me into the room before I shook my head.

"Wait out here, Bark."

Barkspawn whined and gave me cute, pleading puppy eyes before I knelt and petted her head.

"You and I can go for a walk later today with Ingvild, ok."

That appeased the Cerberus who yipped cutely and got giggles from the queens save Shirone. Ingvild grew happier hearing that before her arms were looped by Raynare and Kuroka, who started helping lead Ingvild down the stairs to the kitchen. I pet Bark again before I get up and head inside for my shower and dressing.

When I returned, Barkspawn was still sitting in the same place and quickly fell into step with me, doggy grinning. As we reached the stairs, I picked her up and petted her as we descended.

"Bark, please leave Shiro alone for a bit. I know she would be a good cuddle buddy for you, but she has a massive fear of dogs for some reason that isn't the normal cat vs dog thing."

Barkspawn grew sad and yipped softly in my arms. She yipped again, and I got her question.

"You will probably have to spend an extra day or two in the bathroom. Prove to Shiro that you are a good girl so she will let you into the room quicker."

That made Barkspawn get a determined puppy face as she wagged her tail as we hit the bottom of the stairs and turned towards the kitchen. Inside, Neri was serving a plate of oatmeal to Ingvild, who was sitting at the island while the queens were talking over at the kitchen table. The seven of them were discussing something in whispers while Ingvild was picking at her oatmeal, looking around the kitchen in awe at the appliances. I noticed that there were now two big bowls

of water and dog food on a mat by the fridge and set Barkspawn down near them.

The Cerberus sniffed the food before she began chowing down with gusto, and I sat next to Ingvild. The young woman broke from her gaze on the appliances and blushed slightly when she saw me.

"Morning, Ingvild."

The blush grew again, and then, with a rough, unused voice, Ingvild spoke without her bird.

"Bonjour Gregor."

Despite how rough it sounded, Ingvild's voice was beautiful, and she blushed again. Kuroka flicked her right ear when she heard this and looked smug before she said loudly to us.

"One or two more sessions, and she won't need the bird anymore nya. Then you can destroy that abomination."

I won't let her win this round, Kuroka said, turning back to the group. Ingvild blushed again before her bird warbled.

"I like the bird and would like to keep it. I also probably won't be very fast on a

walk despite being able to stand now."

She sounded both excited and ashamed before I shrugged.

"The drone is yours to keep Ingvild, and we can go as fast or slow as you want. I'm sure Bark won't mind."

Ingvild got a small smile that bloomed into a big one when Barkspawn stopped eating to yip twice before returning to chowing down food. The young woman then asked with that big smile.

"What time?"

I hum.

"Maybe in the late afternoon, as I think I might have something big coming up soon today. What about you all how long is your girls's day going to be?"'

The queens fell silent before Ravel spoke with a shrug.

"We plan to be gone most of the day and into the evening so Hana and we can sort through everything. We also would like to run an idea by her regarding something we would like to do near the end of the summer."

I wasn't sure what they were planning. Still, the fact that Murayama, Xenovia, Shirone, and Ravel all started feeding their sins simultaneously, along with the seductive smiles from Kuroka and Rias, made me suspicious. Raynare looked at them curiously before Kuroka whispered something in my Angel's ears that made her blush red. Their faces made Ingvild blush before she looked a little down about something. Raynare saw that and whispered something to the others, and they started whispering again, so I tried to cheer Ingvild up.

"Have you tried your Kindle out yet, Ingvild?"

That made her look up and get a smile smile.

"I have used and was stumped by how many books there are. I don't know where to start."

I remember the first time I saw that, too.

"What did you read when you were with your mother?"

Ingvild got a melancholic face.

"Mama and I would read stories of smart detectives in Paris."

I get a slight grin.

"I can recommend several series that are based on that genre, including one called Poirot."

Ingvild lost most of the melancholy there as she and I discussed detective books. That conversation lasted for the next fifteen minutes while the others whispered to each other before a loud knock was heard from the front door.

Everyone looked that way before I got up and gave an apologetic look to Ingvild.

 "It seems our big guest has arrived."

Ingvild looked understandingly before her bird warbled at me.

"It's okay. Today, I planned to practice going upstairs and downstairs to help me

remember how to walk again. I want to do that every day this week."

 Having overheard this, Neri spoke up from the other side of the kitchen.

"I can spare some time to help you with that, miss, when I'm not training the three new maids who are starting tomorrow."

Ingvild got a big smile and began making a schedule with Neri while the queens and I moved toward the front door. When we got to the door, the queens were a bit back from it, and I saw Rias still had a tiny bit of bitterness on her face. Then Xenovia whispered something to her that made the bitterness leave Rias, leaving only a small frown remaining as I opened the door.

On the porch was an ultra-nervous Hana dressed in a conservative light gold-red sundress that went well with her hair. She had a large suitcase next to her, and the

illusion for her glasses was up, though her tails were out. Upon seeing my face,

the kitsune got her dreamy smile before she saw the others looking at her in

curiosity. Hana grew bashful, lowering her head slightly before I put on a half

smile.

"Hello, Hana-san. Would you like help with your luggage?"

Hana looked up again and got her dreamy smile again before her tails flicked about cutely.

"I would."

 I stepped aside to let her in and moved to pick up the suitcase. When I turned around, I saw Hana and the queens looking cautiously

at each other. I set the suitcase down and closed the door, making Hana look at me again with her dreamy smile before she grew nervous again. The tension was thick before Ravel tried something.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you. I'm Ravel Phenex."

Hana looked at Ravel for a moment before she got a nervous smile.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Hana."

Hana wagged her tails nervously during this, and I caught something funny on Murayama's face. She was watching the nine tails almost as fanatical as she did Kuroka's and Shirone's. She was the next to introduce herself before the others did the same. Hana listened to everyone carefully before the final person in Xenovia spoke.

"I'm Xenovia Quarta. Don't worry too much; my lines show you have a good chance with Beloved and us."

That made Hana look up and blink in confusion while the others

rolled their eyes at Xenovia fondly. Ravel let her smile grow for a moment.

"Don't mind Xenovia. She is mostly harmless."

Xenovia grinned and Hana didn't know what to say there getting a nervous smile before Ravel grew serious.

"Hana-san, have you had breakfast yet?"

Hana shook her head as she blushed.

"I haven't Ravel-san."

Ravel nodded before a teasing smile crossed her face.

"Perhaps you would like to join me and the others for brunch and a massive shopping trip."

Hana looked surprised and intimidated by the idea before her eyes fell on me. Her gold eyes narrowed as she grew determined.

"I would love to join you all."

Ravel gave Hana a nod before Kuroka flicked her tails and got her teasing face.

"He is dreamy so I can understand the looks. He's especially amazing to look at when he lifts weights nya~"

That made Hana blush beet red while Murayama and Rias grinned wide as Shirone and Xenovia grew keen to see that, along with Raynare. I rolled my eyes at them all fondly.

"You all have fun at brunch and after. If you need anything, text me."

That got nods from everyone before they crowded around a still-blushing Hana, and the group began walking out the front door. As soon as it closed, I picked up Hana's suitcase and turned to see Neri helping Ingvild from the kitchen into the front hall, with Barkspawn cutely following behind them.

I went over to Ingvild's free side and let her lean on me before picking up Barkspawn with my free hand. The four of us went up the stairs slowly. At the top of them, I gave Neri the suitcase with instructions to place it in a spare bedroom and show Hana the room when she got back.

My maid walks off down the hallway to a room close to mine with it, promising Ingvild she will be back in five minutes. Ingvild leaned on me before Barkspawn yipped at me, and I petted her. Ingvild got a smile and moved her free hand to join in. Soon, Barkspawn's tail wagged rapidly, and Ingvild's face smiled.

"She is a good girl."

I chuckle as Barkspawn wags her tail even faster and looks up at me.

"She is a very good girl."

Barkspawn panted in glee as Ingvild, and I petted her before Ingvild looked nervous about something.

"Is it all right if she spends more nights with me?"

I get a soft smile.

"It is. Bark likes you and would be happy too, wouldn't you, girl."

Barkspawn yipped in agreement, and Ingvild grew happier hearing the confirmation. She continued petting the Cerberus with me until my phone beeped, and I sighed when I heard Jeanne's notification sound.

I took my phone out of my pocket while Ingvild watched with fascination. Barkspawn whined, feeling through the bond of my emotions as her tail stopped wagging before I looked at Ingvild.

"Can you watch Bark for a little bit?"

Ingvild saw how serious I was.

"I can."

I set Barkspawn on the ground, and she whined, wanting to come along. I pet her shaking my head getting another whine before she trotted over to Ingvild and a now returned Neri. I give them all a wave before heading down the stairs and out

towards the teleporter.

The first thing I saw in the briefing room in the command center at Olympus Mons was Jeanne, Abe, Issari, and all of Kill Team Cerberus standing around an opened cogitator. I noticed that Jeanne and an also armored Issari were standing close together and would occasionally glance at each other with mini lustful grins. Meanwhile, Abe was staring at the robot in shocked awe. When I got to the group, I saw that all ten skitarii and the robot now had a Cerberus painted on their armor

shoulder pads or, in the robot's case, his chest piece. Albert looked over his

shoulder before he greeted me.

"Herr."

His voice made Issari and Jeanne stop making goo-goo eyes at each other, and the kill team acknowledged me before I stopped in front of the cogitator and looked at the screen.

Across the street from a grove of trees was a well-worn brown warehouse behind several thick steel fence layers. The warehouse was big, yet there were only thirty life signs, showing this wasn't a big base. Jeanne, however, grew serious, looking

at the screen.

"This warehouse has decent wards far better than anything I have seen from Grigori."

I gave her a nod before looking at the screen again.

"I will enjoy a challenge. Did you see anything strange about this place or the people inside it?"

Jeanne shook her head.

"I didn't see anything strange about the place, nor did Abe."

 Issari grew grim.

"I'm coming too. I won't let them continue to ruin the name of magic by their misdeeds! My pride as a magician is at stake!"

Her knucklehead declaration made Jeanne chuckle while Abe finally broke from

looking at the robot to look at Issari.

"You know magic?"

Issari beamed wide.

"I do, yet I'm also good with a sword and a gun."

Abe blinked at that while I chuckled.

"I'll take the help Gecko. Then afterward, we can go see the scientist about your other request."

Issari grinned as I turned back to the screen, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw

her turn and look at Jeanne.

"Date tomorrow, maybe?"

Jeanne got a grin.

"Possibly if you can beat me in a gun and sword contest later."

Issari narrows her eyes in lust hearing that.

"You're on."

Jeanne flipped her hair at that, and Abe looked at them with a mini sweat drop before he asked in a quiet voice.

"Could you perhaps teach me how to use magic? I want to help in other ways."

Issari looked from Jeanne towards Abe.

"I'd be happy to teach you what I know. If you want more magic training, you could also talk with Ravel-chan or Lavinia-chan, who run the magician guild called the

Promethean Order, which is attached to the Legio."

Abe smiled at the offer as I kept inspecting the screen. That fence looked extra thick, and we would likely need more saws than mine to get through. I turn a red eye to the kill team.

"Please form a line, everyone. I'll be making new equipment for you all to help with this and future missions."

The kill team was momentarily confused before they began forming the line as I pulled out the anvil. I picked up the hammer and made an MIU, then a mechadendrite pack that was the completed version of what I had planned for the Skitarii. Albert comes forward before I apply the MIU to him.

When all the Skitarii had their packs, the ten began playing with the mechanical arms to get used to them while Abe and Jeanne listened to Issari describe several spells that she was thinking up for her personal spell book. After handing Issari her pistol, she broke from her conversation and walked to a corner of the briefing room. She gathered magic in her armored right hand before making a portal with an over-exaggerated flick of her hand. She then did a cool guy pose that had Jeanne grin slightly lustfully at Issari while Abe was amazed.

I wanted to roll my eyes at the two as the kill team began moving through the portal. Issari and I were the last through, and Issari winked at Jeanne before it closed. We stepped out into the clump of trees. The kill team adjusts their gear one last time before gathering in a circle. Albert put his arm out and was soon joined by the others. Upon seeing this, Issari's smug grin became a smirk, and I

snarked at her.

"That's my look, Iguana. Back off."

That didn't dissuade her. She continued smirking, getting chuckles from the team before Issari and I put our hands on the pile. There was a moment of silence before, like last time, when the Oath finished. I felt a chunk of divine energy flow into me. It settled into me, and as the ceremony ended, people began breaking apart.

People began placing helmets on, as I said to the kill team.

"Same routine as yesterday in terms of a prisoner and further leads if possible."

That got nods from everyone before three kill team members, and I moved to the front of the group, extending my arms while the others began getting guns ready. When everyone was ready, the wire cutters and I stepped out of the clump of trees and moved across the road with the rest of the kill team, Issari, and the robot behind us.

We approach the fence as I gather magic and begin extending it to the ward scheme. I followed the path it made to a wardstone that was buried next to the front gate. The magic surrounded the stone and pulled it out of the ground. I was surprised to find fewer cracks than I expected on the stone, but there were more than enough ones there. I began gathering more magic and pouring it into the cracks, and then, with a small clunk sound, the stone broke in half, and the scheme began to collapse upward.

As the scheme fell, the three wire cutters moved their mechadendrites forward and began cutting through the first layer of the fence. Their roaring saws, and the scheme breaking, made the front door of the warehouse slide open quickly as ten people came running out.

The foes coming our way were all dressed in long black robes with pale white trim on the edges of the robes and hoods. The hoods seemed to have long shadows on the inside as you could barely make out what each magician looked like. Seeing us, especially the robot, made the magicians freeze, and two kill team members extended their launcher arms before throwing a flashbang and a frag grenade over the fence. The grenades land in a group of three magicians before going off. Yelps of surprise turned to screams as all three went down missing legs. The confusion let the cutters get through the first layer of the fence and start cutting the next layer.

Issari took advantage of Nilrem's confusion and shouted two boosts as she formed a white spell circle in her right hand. She threw it into the air, and soon, a localized thunderstorm formed over the warehouse entrance and began raining down, lighting bolts onto the surviving magicians in the courtyard. The bolts struck two, and the jerky dance started. The frequency of the lightning made the unwounded magicians flee back into the building. All three of the wounded ones on the ground were also struck by lightning and jerked before dying as we made it

through the second fence unscathed. Saws moved towards the last fence, and

seeing us there, the magicians inside the building began throwing spells at us while making sure they stayed inside.

These spells flew towards us before they hit a solid object as earth walls sprang out of the ground, taking a few hits, then fell before a new one formed on the spot a microsecond later. Issari continued her masterful spellwork as we began to cut into the third fence, bragging to me over the vox.

 "Senpai, Lavinia-chan, and Meredith-chan have been teaching me more and more complex spells. Lavina-chan says that I'm an all-rounder when it comes to elements, which is rare."

Her pride was really showing there as the spell fire increased in volume, and the earth walls began to groan and creak, making Issari concentrate on her spell work. The third fence was less thick than the first two fences, and soon, the final link was cut, and we spilled out into the courtyard behind a stone wall. The robot took point, and the kill team behind it as Albert made a call out.

"Caroline, Torren, you are on melee duty, just in case."

Four chainsword arms moved from the two, and when everyone was ready, Issari dropped the earth wall. When it fell, the robot tweeted and ran across the courtyard towards the warehouse entrance with the two melee skitarii. The sight of them coming made the five magicians there sweat drop then throw spells at them. None landed as earth walls flew up and absorbed the spells before falling. The robot broke through one wall, and this sight, along with the spinning claws and roaring swords, made the magicians back up, giving the kill team a chance to open fire. Las shots fly, slamming into three magicians as two lost arms and one a leg. The wounded scream and make the two remaining magicians sweat further, then turn to run deeper into the warehouse, crying for help.

 The melee people entered the warehouse with the robot and put the wounded magicians out of their misery with several snap hisses as the rest of us reached the entrance. Then, the melee people flank the robot before our group moves into the warehouse proper.

As we moved deeper into the warehouse, we heard the faint sounds of crates being slammed against the ground, and the source of this was shown when we ran into a battle line of all the magicians left. They were behind multiple crates and earth walls, with many of them sweating bullets at the sight of us, plus the robot. Several of them get ready to run as they turned to flee. The leader of the group, who had brighter white trim on their robes saw this and called out.

"Extra magic books and artifacts for the ones who kill these foes trying to stop the advancent of magic! I will even consider sharing my personal high level tomes with the ones who do the best!"

That stiffened the magicians especially the would be runners as they returned to the line with spells forming in their hands, and I made a call out to the team.

"Target identified marking now."

A series of ayes came from the team before a loud cry went up from many of the magicians.

"Magic is Might!"

Then the battle truly began as a wall of spells flew at us. Kill team members take cover behind crates or two earth walls Issari made before trying to return fire with multiple snap hisses.

One of those shots landed as a magician loses an arm and goes down screaming. The sight makes their comrades flinch but fight on while more las shots blow apart crates or earth walls.The spells the majority of the magicians seemed to be favoring were fire and or earth spells. Yet they could only cast a few of them at a time before the exhausted magaican was pushed back by a comrade who would restart the barrage. The only magicians not doing this were the now apparent commander in the lighter white trim and four others who seemed to be their l lieutenants. They were using more advanced spell using water, ice, and electricity. The five weren't tiring either and were slowing our advance forward even with Issari's and the robot's help. The robot was currently trapped on a broken crate bottom that had a sea of electrified water around it having been immediately singled out by the five stronger magicians.

The barrage continued before I noticed something and called to Issari over our private vox channel.

"Get ready to fly Iguana girl."

Issari gave me a nod before she started six boosts warming up her jetpack and extended her dragon wings. The roar of the jet pack defeaned the nearby area before I suddenly move my grenade and my lance cannon arms into position locking in on a trio of magicians to my left. I then throw two flashbangs towards the trio. They fly, and one hits a magician on the head, making them oof before the grenades go off. Yelps of surprise went up, and then I fired the lance. The red-light slams into a hastily made earth wall, carving a hole through it, and two of the three magicians behind before I move the arm slightly moving the beam into a group of earth walls in the center. The walls were cut in half sending earth shard shrapnel into more magicians making more yelps be heard over the sounds of spell and las fire.

The beam only ends when Issari extends her dragon wings and flies up then across the warehouse, taking multiple spells before she lands straight in the magician's ranks. Less than a second later, a chainsword roars to life, and the spell fire begins to lessen on that side as screams start.

Some of the kill team led by Albert began moving up that way while Issari was cleaning up the magicians extremely quickly. They seemed to not have a tactic for melee. The leader who had been in the center of the battle line began to back away from the fight with three other magicians who must have been their lieutenants. Albert, seeing that made a call out.

"Three frags far behind them now."

Three kill team members each throw a grenade, and the objects land well behind the backing-up magicians. They go off all at once, and the sounds along with the shrapnel make the retreat fall apart. Then, the two melee people looked at each other and nodded. They then sprint across the right side of the warehouse floor towards an earth wall. One moved their lance cannon arm and fired it blowing a hole open in the wall sending fragments into the magicians behind it before swords roar to life and a melee began for one person. The other charged towards the magician commander swords ready. At the same time, Issari flew toward them from the now-defeated left.

The commander who had been about to run again did a shit bag thing and pushed two of their lieutenants into the paths of Issari and the melee person while they and the remaining lieutenant tried to run backward again. Issari cut her foe in half while the melee person cut their foe vertically. Issari, however, at the same time cast a spell that hit the ground and made the earth tremble on the retreat path. The trembles made the last two lieutenants fall on their ass before Issari beheaded them while the leader quickly cast a spell that formed a translucent pad that levitated as they tried to fly away. They, however, made a mistake and flew over the rapidly decreasing number of their comrades as the center broke and then over us trying to get out of the warehouse. The robot moved his net launcher in a microsecond before firing it as I fired the lance cannon up into the ceiling in the magician's path.

The red beam slammed into the ceiling, making a hole there and forcing the magician to fall back right into the path of the net. It wrapped around them before the electricity happened, and they shrieked before their platform vanished and they began falling to the ground. Just before they hit the ground, they levitated again. Issari stood on a destroyed earth wall with an outstretched arm and spell circle spinning. Another wave of electricity went through the net, making the magician shriek again loudly before they went unconscious, and the battle noise began to die.

Issari gently brought the magician to the ground before Albert's voice came over the vox.

"Good job everyone. Let's begin cleaning up. Two of you come with me for a deeper search while two others check out that magical energy in the back of the building."

That got affirmatives from everyone as people began moving towards assigned tasks. Issari set the magician down and retracted her dragon wings before she followed after Albert and I sighed. The adrenaline left me before I moved to where a kill team member was starting to lift a body.

Ten minutes later, the five kill team members and I were finishing moving the last of the bodies to the place where we were going to cremate them when a man came up the hallway and asked for help from two others. When I asked why, the man from South Africa told me they found two extremely heavy crates in a back room. Soon the four returned carrying said crates that, once opened, were stuffed to the brim with magic books and artifacts that all had Kanji or other Asian laungues on them. I knew where this would need to go and gave orders to move it.This took another ten minutes when Albert and his two searchers arrived back from their search with frowns. The Bavarian made his final report as the two other searchers went toward our unconscious prisoner and robot.

"Ve found no useful information for follow ups Herr. Just tons of empty crates in ze other rooms here."

I shrug at that.

"As I expected with what we learned this place was just a bit ago. Do you know where Issari went?"

Albert shook his head.

"She went into vaht looked like a security cubicle office."

That made me sigh.

"I'll go get her quickly and be back."

Albert nodded before he and his two people went toward the others. I walked down the hallway and soon found a door with the worn words "Security" on it. It was slightly open, and I entered it to find Issari before several CCTVs and a desk putting away a book in her digital holder. The chestnut had a very pleased face, and the door creaking slightly made her look up at me with an apologetic smile.

"The others are done already?"

I nodded at her before I asked Anaka to activate her data interrogator. The skull whirled to life, and upon seeing the CCTVs, she let out a whirl of excitement before she floated over to it and began erasing the footage.

"Sorry, I found this room while looking around and smelt something burning in a trash can."

That made me frown slightly before Issari picked up something from the desk. It was a piece of paper that looked official, though burnt black and crinkled. I took it, and Issari explained.

"That was the source of it. I stopped the fire, but everything else was gone save for this page."

I looked at the paper and at the bottom of it to see that most of a sentence had been burnt

away, leaving only a small bit of readable print.

...…nanki...….

That made me frown, and as I tried to think of what that might mean, I kept drawing blanks before Issari cut in.

"I think that this nanki thing is an object or place that is either here in Japan or Asia."

That would make sense with the everything else.

"Maybe you should ask Reya about it when you see her next or message Suzaku before your contest later. I'll hand this to Conner."

Issari nodded before I threw the paper into a pocket spell, and the two of us waited for Anaka to finish her work.

Five minutes later, a portal opened in the Olympus Mons briefing room before the kill team began moving out and off to relaxation or in our, and four others case moving the two crates of magic stuff towards our main base with the prisoner. Issari was levitating the unconscious magician while she had a mostly happy grin on her face learning about the crate's contents.

When we stepped off the teleporter, our groups split into two different directions. As Issari and I made our way through the school in comfortable silence, I was already making a list of questions that I wanted to ask our new prisoner and more for the OSF one. That list was nearly done when we turned the hallway to prison black to see a strange sight.

It was Conner talking with Saiyo in front of the one way window of the cell. Before I could ask anything the celll door opened and two skitarii exited it with a stretcher carrying a body covered by white cloth. That made Issari and I stop dead in our tracks as the stretcher was carried down the hallway and out of sight. My eyes followed it before they turned back to Saiyo, who gave Conner a few last words before she followed after the stretcher. Conner looked troubled before he looked our way and saw our new prisoner. Finally, I found my voice.

"What happened while we were gone?"

A portal opened near the edge of the property, and two figures stepped out of it. The woman of the two was in an extremely good mood and looked ready to start

skipping. The sight made the other male person chuckle as the portal closed.

"I'm glad to have made your day Killian."

The woman was now letting loose a grin that was almost manic.

"You have made not just mine but also his Aj. We have been searching for this artifact for a very long time."

Aj shrugged as his own grin grew, and his Australian accent became apparent.

"Oh, I know I have. I almost didn't believe it when my person here poked me with a phone picture of it last night. Now that we finally have it, I can hopefully have him

end this shit assignment of mine here. Nilrem is full of idiots who took the

same backstabbing and knowledge-hoarding shit from the other Guilds and jacked it up times ten. It's a fucking miracle they get even a quarter of their

operations done sometimes with the infighting and sadly too many of the new recruits here fall for their shit. Some of them however are starting to realize this and the fact they can't return to their old guilds."

Killian was obviously too busy being happy to care, so Aj said something that would get her to pay attention.

 "Should I start talking to them about the better option before I am hopeful recalled?"

It seems that Killian heard him this time as she turned to him as they continued moving toward one of the warehouse's side entrances before Killian's eyes flashed blue three times. Aj, unlike many people, wasn't put off by that, as he was used to Killian and her strange gift. When they had almost reached the side door Killian gave an answer.

"Start talking to them. I will start doing the same with my group."

Aj could barely give a nod before Killian burst into a sing-song voice.

"We are so close to the goal, Aj I can practically taste it!"

The excitement in her voice was palpable as she skipped to the door, and the sight made Aj grin wide seeing the European so happy. She was usually a massive bitch to nearly everyone save him though he guessed he was lucky to have that happen only a third of the time. He put his hand on the side door and opened it as the two stepped in with their faces on each other.

"Will do Now, let's get the artifact."

Killian grinned wider before she and Aj turned their heads and got ready to move. Only to freeze when they saw a strange sight. There was a hole in the roof over the center of the warehouse floor that had sunlight coming through it. That made

the two go on guard as that hole wasn't natural, so they continued cautiously

onto the warehouse floor. They looked up at the hole, and it was then that Killian froze and sniffed twice. Her eyes widened, and that made Aj sniff before he smelt something very faint, yet something he had smelt before.

 It was the smell of burning human meat. The two rushed into the back parts of the building before the two found the source of the smell. Inside the men's bathroom, they found several places where multiple bodies had been stacked. There was a hint of whose bodies they had been, as next to one of the piles was a burnt white robe trim piece from a Nilrem magician.

The two stared at the pile before Killian angrily closed her hands while Aj was utterly shocked. Then the blood ran out of both of their faces as they realized what had likely happened. The two looked at each other and then bolted out of the bathroom and up the hall.

A door burst open as the two ran inside the backmost room of the building and saw an empty room where two crates should have been. The sight made Aj go completely still for a moment with Killian as they looked at the room. Then, all of a sudden, Killian let out an ultra-loud head-splitting scream that echoed throughout the building, making Aj clasp his ears in horrible pain. Killian continued this scream for a few more seconds until it became a roar of rage. Then without warning, she summoned her sacred gear and began throwing ghostly swords into the walls of the room, absolutely pissed.

She began snarling a stream of curses in her native Bosnian for a few moments before snarling in English.

"Who, who, who!"

Killian screamed this repeatedly even as her eyes flashed blue rapidly as she threw the swords. Soon the walls were a pincushion of ghost swords before Aj, in a very pissed voice growled.

"I'll look at the security cams and find out who did this."

Killian didn't hear that before she then suddenly made another ghost sword and spun around to throw the sword at Aj. The magician quickly dodged to the right from the sword and got ready to bark pissed at her before another sword came at him. That made him sweat drop before he ran out of the room, barely closing the door in time to avoid getting impaled.

He backed up and then sweat dropped. Seeing the sword sticking through the door, the man backed away further from the door when three more swords joined the first. He looked at those for a few seconds before he moved with all haste to the CCTV room just as another ear-rupturing scream could be heard throughout the warehouse.