The Red Hand

"Shiroe, please be safe..." Princess Feline cupped her hand in prayer as she knelt before a small shrine in her room. It was late at night, and for whatever reason she felt like asking the Gods to keep her friend safe. Ever since the Heroes had gone off on their journey to finish the Spirits off for good, she'd had a horrible feeling in her gut, and a few days prior, that feeling had been confirmed when she'd discussed the situation with Kanato.

{You were left behind... Oh, Shiroe... I'm sorry... I'm sorry that I asked you to do this...} (Feline)

"I've done nothing but cause her pain... I'm a horrible friend..." Feline knelt in front of her shrine for a while until a voice came from behind her, causing her to jump.

"You can't be the worst friend if she asked us to leave you alone." Merkyul said as he leaned against the wall next to Feline's door, with the rest of Black Company taking up various positions in the room.

"Oh, damn. So this is a Princesses' bed?" Elna flopped onto the fluffy sheets. "Oh, hell yeah! This is great! Think we can get these back at the barracks?" She asked Sabia, who just rolled her eyes.

{Oh come on, they're fluffy as fuck!} (Elna)

"W-Who are you?!?" Feline was about to scream for her guards, but Roxlex slipped behind her and put a knife to her throat.

"I'd advise against raising your voice, your Highness. Lest we skip the negotiation part of our mission and jump straight to destruction." Roxlex cautioned her against doing anything stupid, pushing his knife a bit closer.

Seeing no way out of the situation, Feline nodded. "Who are you, and what do you want?" She figured that they were either assassins or a group sent on behalf of a powerful faction within either the Alliance or the Confederacy.

{If they want to negotiate, then I doubt they're part of the Empire. Those bastards tend to be the kill first, ask questions never kind of people.} (Feline)

"Please allow me to introduce myself, Princess. My name is Merkyul, and I'm the leader of this illustrious band of Misfits that our merciful Lord has given the name of Black Company." Merkyul introduced himself with a formal tone and a polite bow, which caused Sabia to roll her eyes. "And as for why we're here? Well, you have your little Samurai friend to thank for that." She smirked.

"Shiroe?!?" Felnie yelled. "Where is she? What have you done with her?!?"

"I'd love to tell you that she's safe and sound, but that would be a massive life." Sabia chuckled. "But don't worry, Shiroe Amakusa has taken well to her newfound role as our master's pet.”

"Know that the Gods nor I will tolerate even a single hair on her head being harmed!" Feline growled. “So you'd best release her now while you still can.”

"Cute, she still thinks the Gods of this world give a fuck about the pet." Hitamaguchi laughed as she riffled through some of the drawers in Feline's desk, taking a liking to a ruby broach and snatching it away into her inventory.

"Now, Now. Don't go laughing at her like that. It's not like the Princess has any way to know that those Gods are a bunch of lying scumbags." Merkyul shrugged. "But getting back to Shiroe, our master has taken her prisoner, and she is currently with her at the moment, and Shiroe's been an incredibly useful source of information on your world." He said.

"Shiroe would never betray us." Feline glared at him. "No matter our differences she'd never sell us out. I can guarantee that!" Her words made her sound as if she was completely sure of herself, but deep inside she thought that if Amakusa was given the chance to find Alm, that she'd probably stab everyone in the back in a heartbeat.

"Well, it doesn't really matter what you think anyway." Merkyul said as he slowly walked over to her, motioning to Roxlex to release her. "All that you need to care about right now is that our master has sent us here with a demand. One that I'd advise you comply with."

"A demand?" Feline repeated his words back at him slowly, taking a moment to allow what he was saying to set in before laughing on reflex. "Hah! If you're here to request a ransom for Shiroe, then I'm afraid that you've come to the wrong Royal. My brother is Heir to the throne, and despite my recently increased status I'm still rather powerless when it comes to political decisions." She held a great deal of soft power and influence, but if Amakusa really was being held captive, then she doubted that the Kingdom would do much to help her.

{Brother and Father have little interest in her now that the war is done, and the fact that our relationship with her is already poor means that I doubt they'd be willing to make any real concessions to recover her.} (Feline)

"I'd say that you're wrong to say that you're the wrong person to speak to here." Merkyul grinned. "In fact, it was Shiroe herself who recommended that we go over the other Royalty's heads and speak to you directly."

"Shiroe did?" Feline was now even more confused, not understanding why Shiroe would have them go to her. "I suppose that was because she was hoping our friendship would be of some use, but I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. I'm just a figurehead Princess with a bit of influence. At best, I might be able to act as a negotiator between your master and my Father, but that's it."

{There is a faction of Nobles who want me to succeed to the throne in Albert's place, but I've no interest in starting a dispute like that. It would do nothing but leave us vulnerable to the Empire at a time when war with them is looking ever increasingly likely.} (Feline)

"Actually, we're not here to negotiate a ransom for your little friend." Merkyul replied, confusing Feline even further. "Shiroe Amakusa is being held by our master for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is because that idiot is a criminal and will eventually be judged for her actions."

"Criminal? What nonsense are you talking about?" Feline was now completely lost.

{What could she have done? Or is this just some pretext for attacks?} (Feline)

"The massacre of the Spirits." Sabia answered from across the room.

"I see... So I take it that you and your master are part of one of those underground organizations that seeks revenge for their destruction?" Feline had heard of such groups before but had never seen them herself.

"No." Merkyul shook his head. "Think about it, Shiroe Amakusa was captured after the Hero's little invasion of our homeworld. So how could any organization from this world have gotten ahold of her?"

{Wait... Shiroe and the others... Then that would mean...} (Feline)

"You're from the world that Shiroe and the others were sent to." Feline finally put things together. "Kanato told me that the four of them were defeated, but he avoided answering my questions about how."

{He seemed deadset on skipping that topic.} (Feline)

"Bingo!" Elna laughed from the bed, hugging a pillow. "It took you long enough, Princess."

"So then, that means that you four were sent by the one who defeated the Heroes, am I right?" Feline's mind raced as she tried to figure out their goals, but came up with nothing.

"Indeed." Merkyul's lips curved into a nasty smirk. "We were sent on behalf of Demon Lord Akagi Dumetor." His use of the term Demon Lord caused a jolt to shoot through Feline's body. She knew well the stories of Vikes and his destruction, and the thought that another such being was on the loose horrified her.

"D-Demon Lord..." Feline's face paled and her breathing became slightly erratic. "T-That's not..."

"Oh, I assure you that Akagi is very real." Elna gave a nervous laugh. "She basically owns our entire world already, so you can imagine how angry she was when those Gods decided to try and stick their fingers in the proverbial pie."

"Not basically, she does." Hitamaguchi corrected Elna. "Lady Akagi owns everyone and everything on Earth, including the stars above."

"Ah, that's right, sorry. I forgot that I had a barcode printed on my ass." Elna rolled her eyes.

"That would be a fitting tattoo for you." Sabia snickered.

"Go fuck yourself." Elna grumbled.

{Though now that I've said it, what happens to that phrase once Daikael completes her project?} (Elna)

"S-So if it's not a ransom that you w-want, then what does this Demon Lord A-Akagi seek from me?" Feline still couldn't wrap her head around this part. If a Demon Lord truly did have its sights set on this world, then what use could she be as the Second Princess?

"Simple." Merkyul said, pausing for dramatic effect. "Our Lord merely wants you to turn over every single Spirit within the Kingdom of Amdamell to our custody. That's all."

{I love how he makes it sound so nice and easy and simple, even though its clearly not...} (Elna)

"You... She wants the Spirits?" Feline still didn't understand what was going on. “Why would a Demon Lord-”

"They are my Lady's subjects, and she will not tolerate their enslavement any longer." Merkyul answered, cutting her off.

{SUBJECTS?!?} (Feline)

"I would heavily advise turning them over, lest this city become a smoking crater." Elna commented. "Akagi isn't usually one to take being denied well, and she's got more than enough firepower to make your life a living hell if you stand in her way."

"I... You're still talking to the wrong person!" Feline raised her voice slightly. "I do not have the authority to make such concessions! Only my Father could command their release, and I can assure you that he'd sooner die than comply with such demands!" That they were bringing these demands made no sense to her, as there was no possible way that she could make them happen, even if she wanted to.

{The Spirits were ordered destroyed and enslaved by Divine decree! There's no way that anyone is going to go against the Gods!} (Feline)

"Oh, and we're betting on that." Merkyul laughed as he pat Feline on the head. "We're just here to give you a heads up and allow you the chance to convince the higher-ups to comply. Our master fully expects that you'll resist and then, well..." He held up his hand and channeled a small dark flame. "Then we can show the rest of this world what the Stick part of the operation looks like." He gave a nasty laugh that made Feline's skin crawl.

{They... They want to make an example of us... I... What do I even do in this situation?!?} (Feline)

"We'll give youuuuu, let's say a week to figure things out." Merkyul slowly backed away as Roxlex let the Princess go. "So please do try your best to meet our master's demand, though we won't be disappointed if you fail." He winked as the five members of Black Company vanished as black shadows swallowed them up, and once they'd left the room, Feline fell to the floor, shaking.

"S-Shiroe... What... What's happening?!?" Feline sat on the floor, shaking, for the rest of the night. Her mind raced as she tried to comprehend Merkyul's words, the Princess's pounding gut telling her that the nightmare had only just begun.

<Chloe POV>

“Hrm...” Chloe stood atop a tall building within the cold and damp City of Northwind, pondering her next move. It was a rather different place than the Demon Kingdom or the Empire, and it reminded the Cat of a few of the larger cities within FWO, though with more wooden buildings than average. “Myaster told me to look into cultivating a grassroots network of informants, nya. But I have no idea where to even start...” She'd heard rumors of both a thief and assassin guild within the windy city, but had yet to find any sign of them.

{I suppose that means they're decent at the very least.} (Chloe)

“Oh well, I'll keep looking, nya.” Chloe hopped down to street level, splashing in a puddle. “Great...”

{An icky puddle in a cold city...} (Chloe)

“It might be best if I searched the sewers, that was always the place to hide in the Empire.” Chloe thought about her best path forward as she walked down the street until a young girl bumped into her.

“Sorry!” The brown haired Rabbitkin apologized before attempting to move past her.

“Wait just a minute, nya!” Chloe tied the girl up with her strings, causing her to panic. “Did you really think that you could steal from me that easily?” She laughed.

“Wahahahaha!” The rabbit-girl started crying as Chloe walked up to her. “I...I'm sorry!” She dropped the pouch that she'd snatched. “I... I just needed food...”

“Well you would've gone hungry if you tried to pay with these, nya.” Chloe bent over and picked up the bag, turning it upside down and dumping out its contents onto the ground.

*TINK* *TINK* *TINK* *TINK*

“Eh?!?” The rabbit-girl squeaked as she realized that the only thing in the pouch that she'd nabbed was rocks. “Rocks?!? Why are you carrying those on you like that?!?”

“To lure out sneaky little thieves like you.” Chloe smirked before learning in close to the girl's face. “Now, how about you tell me where the others are?”