Chapter Twenty-five: The swamp darkness

The nighttime was steady and beautiful for a nice couple, a boy and a girl was walking through an alleyway in their village. Having a nice evening in the land.

Instantly, the moment changes when the girl incidentally disappeared into the darkness, leaving nothing but one of her shoes and her bag.

And the boy was thoroughly confused.

In the morning before, Keith didn't particularly like or dislike being next to Lance, after reluctantly to agreed to travel to a village in the Northwest,  another home of boats and fishing.

"Are you sure, this is the way to your contact" Keith demanded? Wanting to get away from this place as soon as possible, especially far away from Lance.

"I told you I have a contact in a village nearby, so if we could going this way, I'm sure we'll be able to find him, sounds fair" Lance explained to Keith, Shiro and Stats.

"Okay let's go" Lance shouted as the group started their journey ahead with the village.

Upon heading over there, the interior of the village here was comfortable and warm, almost it was a safe haven for those who have fallen into war. However that was not the case, as Shiro strode through the village, his boots sinking into the ground, sword slung on his hip.

The little creature that he discovered earlier when he was in Balto, Stats, float by his side.

While Keith had picked up the energy around them, it was unpredictable and almost filled with horror. If it wasn't so obvious before.

But luckily, Keith manages to make it work especially with Lance who had another moment in mind. But Keith had no option to say in the matter. Especially with Shiro who wanted them to work together.

That was the worst part, about this new method of being together, especially gathering new allies, Keith would often work alone but with Zarkon and his armies, they were already on another level, so it's best to gather new allies in the fight against Zarkon was the best option.

"Is there something on your mind?" Shiro asks Keith, breaking the silence in his mind.

"There's something I - will make up with Lance, I can feel like he's hiding something"

"I don't know, he seems legit!"

"legit is one word for it" Keith explain as he, in a way didn't really make sense. It just made enough sense, for him.

At some point in their trek, Shiro, Keith, Lance, and Stats, dozed into a comfortable lull by the easy-going pace, stumble upon a rest house.

It was nothing good, it was a small and simple one, almost decides to a two-story house. A good place to rest up and pick up yesterday's tomorrow's as night time falls.  

Later during the night time, Lance puts a sutra on a pillar in the corridor of the mansion. The lord who owns the house follows behind him.

"That should do it. Now the ominous black clouds that hover over this mansion will disappear for good, I think".

"Thank you so much, my goodness! When you came suddenly and informed me that there was evil overhead, I was so afraid of what might happen!"

"Well I'm glad to hear it," Lance said, heaves a sigh of relief. "Now that I exorcised this place, you can put those fears to rest".

"Me too, exactly what was been going around here"

"I don't understand what do you mean"

"This town has been played by the disappearance of young girls in the night, it's very creepy."

"I see, thanks for telling me about the warning". Lance said, politely. Returning to the room where Shiro, Keith, and Stats started eating dinner.

"I'm so glad we're not sleeping in the forest! We get to eat a hot meal and sleep under a roof!" Shiro said, putting a mouthful of green beans in his mouth.

"Well, excuse me for making you sleep in the wild so often!" Keith said, sulking in a corner of the dinner table. Eating a couple of steaks.

"Keith, you take offense so easily these days". Lance grinned at him.

"Well, you're awfully keeping secrets," Keith said.

"It's just part of my duty as a monk". Lance said.

"Stats"

With that in mind, Keith felt unsure of Lance and what he's doing. After dinner on the table. Everybody went into the rooms that got the owner gave to them.

In Shiro's room, It had a moment of moonlight that covered the bed in unholy light, the fireplace in the lobby has warmed up the building, heat risen through the walls, Shiro rushes about the room, lighting a few candles to illuminate the corners in a yellow glow.

Shiro lay in bed, removing his sword from his hip and turning over, Stats dangled down from the roof.

"Stats" Stats asked, saying what you're doing? Then he gracefully slid into Shiro's bunk and sat cross-legged, watching his friend.

"Just thinking about Keith and Lance" Shiro replied. "Do you want me to  sense the tension between them"

Stats frowned thoughtfully. Giving up what do you mean look.

"Well sometimes, get to know them better, just like I wanted to get to know the world better, all the people I met, but also the planet itself".

Shiro held the candle up to Stats, imagining it was Altea, "like how we got here and stuff", he shook his head. It sounded weird now that he'd said it out loud.

"I know how we through the miracle of Life" Keith replied, arriving at the room. "Nobody wants nobody, so they dumped everybody into a big hole".

"That's not what I meant," Shiro said. He sighed. "I can't wait for tomorrow, where you finally stop acting like a jerk"

"A jerk, me" Keith said, "no way, why you think that, oh, it's because of Lance isn't it"

"Look, I don't know anything about Lance neither, but I do want to get a chance to know him, instead of acting like an untrustworthy jerk"

Keith grinned at the statement, "seriously, anyone is an untrusted jerk is Lance, I meant he may have looked like fools"

"Well fools or not, Lance seems trustworthy, in his own unique way"

Keith shook his head and said, "if only that were true" Keith swept out of the room, blowing out the candles and Shiro and Stats quickly climbed into bed, slid under the covers, and let himself asleep.

Keith back to his room and try to get some sleep and let the memory of the day's events. He was just about asleep when Lance's head popped up next to his pillow.

"So you think I'm untrustworthy, huh" Lance whispered, chilling at him with a serious look.

"Yeah, so what"

"Oh nothing except I don't get nothing in return, what does because I'm not the ideal priest to you, doesn't doesn't mean I'm not a bad guy" Lance protested, but the boys remembering that Lance try stole the quintessence Crystal for himself. Keith knew this, he knew Lance was up to something, so he has to keep his guard up or something else might be able to happen.

"Whatever" Keith said, he grinned, "you may not need to rest for whatever is you have planned but you do need some beauty sleep!"

"Very funny", Lance replied, he tossed a pillow at Keith before departure back to his own room.

Keith settled into his bed and stared at the ceiling, now he couldn't sleep. He wonders about what Shiro said, about Lance is not a bad guy. After he failed to get the quintessence Crystal, he wasn't doing anything wrong except traveling with the group, he's gotten so used to having Shiro and Stats with him, he didn't care about anything else, the only thing that matters to him is Shiro and his safety above all else.

"Shiro can stick up to anyone," Keith thought. "But he's been nice to me when nobody else was before, what would I do without him?" Keith drifted off to sleep, listening to Shiro and Lance's breaths beneath him.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

In the next good morning, Shiro had set his alarm to go off before dawn. Just as soon as the fabric shifted around his arms around and had gently peeled off the rest of his body, destroying the morning of the day.

But that didn't matter to him as he was rushing over for breakfast, but he soon overhears the oddest conversation of all time.

"Didn't you hear what happened last night?" a man said, talking to the landlord.

"No I didn't, why"

"Another girl was taken"

"Another one again, why does this keep happening"

"I don't know but some rumors suggested that the Galra empire went behind it"

"Oh dear, more I think about the war effort, I fear the worst," the landlord said, leave Shiro confused and wondering, why the empire going after girls, doesn't make any sense.

Stats floated happily by Shiro and Keith's side as the journey continues and the sun slid below the horizon, burning orange and red, Shiro's stomach rumbled and about what he was planning to eat for a day.

However, that wasn't the case, again as always as Keith and Lance are silent with one another, obviously eating their food of eggs and Ham with biscuits.

"So did everybody sleep well yesterday," Shiro said, trying to break down the ice, literally.

"Great" Keith grimed, still thinking about Lance and Shiro.

"Sure," Lance said, grudgingly.

"Okay, so Lance you said something about finding information". Shiro said, sitting in the middle of the dinner table. With Stats devours his food.

"Well I don't know information on the samurai but I do know someone on the quintessence Crystal"

"Oh really, I have been dying to wonder about this, I know the Galra empire is after it but I never knew why"

"Well that's an answer for another time as in right now, we need to stop these kidnappings"

"Kidnappings," Keith said, wondering about what they were talking about.

"According to the landlord, girls have been disappearing all over the village at night!"

Upon hearing that, Keith didn't want to think too much about that. If he did, he'd end up crazy especially Shiro before he even set foot in anywhere. Born into another world, Shiro never known any home but those the Garrison and hoverbikes, his whole life was there and Keith knew that but he did know that Shiro wasn't a weakling. After all, he is the samurai.

"What am I doing," Keith thought "I have no intention of teaming up with Lance!"

Leaving the dinner table on exposed, Keith kept on telling himself that he doesn't need anyone especially people like Lance. So he climbed onto his back all loner type. Shiro, Lance, and Stats were startled at the sight of Keith, turning his back on them but before they could protest, Keith barreled down the hallway and into the street.

The street was swarming with people with Daemons, but Keith barely noticed, he was too distracted by last night. Girls disappearing that's very weird to him, could the Galra empire truly be behind it.

Just in a male, no other than 18 years old was just terrible. Well, terrible is a long word rather than it was just so sad. Heartbroken in fact. As if his entire spirit had been crushed. What matters worse than that he had bruises on his face indicating that he was in a fight.

"Oh, look, there's Kazumi. Poor thing. He looks so haggard". A female local said.

"Because he was with Satoko

when she was taken." A female friend said back to her.

"Night after night... It's so dreadful! When night falls yet another young girl will be abducted!" A male local said.

Lance was the last person Keith expected to see when he saw Kazumi. While Keith had closed what little distance there was between him and the man, and once they were immediately next to him. Answering this question.

"Mr. Kazumi!" Lance demanded, calling out to him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear your story" leaving both Keith and the Man known as Kazumi in confusion.

Across town, in front of the marketplace, Shiro was busy engaging in his least favorite part of his job: shopping. With limited money, he had left and Keith and Lance regarded each other with skepticism and annoyance. But he wasn't alone he had Stats with him, so this wasn't a bad thing.

"I'm telling you something is up!" A man said.

"But you don't know that" a woman asking the man.

"Look we don't know what happened to Sakoko, our daughter, this is the only way"

Shiro look at them and thought of it sent a shiver down his spine. he could see it all over again in his mind's eye: the way girls are disappearing all around The village, taken to who knows where, It had nearly happened days once, where people in Alderaan that were being taken by the Galra empire and with using the queen to do it. 

"I'm going to find Kazumi and ask him where was our daughter"

Shiro head next to the man. Not wanting another incident like that again. "Hey, Is that all right? I would like to join you". The man couldn't refuse upon looking at him.

"This is where Satoko vanished." Kazumi explains, returning to the alleyway in the village with Keith and Lance, "You two may not believe me".

"But I do believe in you, that's why I'm here to help!" Lance says to Kazumi.

"Now let's see," Lance said, heading towards the ground, leaving Keith in confuse "what are you doing," Keith asked Lance.

"Do you sense it"

"Sense what"

"The energy, there's a lot of it"

Getting down to his level, Keith could finally see the energy. "You're right, but is uneven, something must be off"

"Who are they, anyway," Kazumi thought, remembering his time at Sakoko's home where he got the feeling from her father, blaming him for his daughter's disappearance. The thought of it brings him to shame. As his life would never be the same after that.

But besides that, being in Distressed as he was, he still followed Keith and Lance as they trace the energy, Throughout the town, over time the area was calm, There were fewer people everywhere they go but the area was notably quieter as night time started to fall.

Elsewhere, Shiro follows the man who was known Sakoko's father, the man that was so desperate to look for his daughter, even means confronting the unknown or attacking the man once more that he felt responsible for his daughter's disappearance.

But Shiro had another thing in mind, he was more focused on the positive side of things, like finding out if the Galra empire were behind this, it wasn't positive but he was dying to answer what the Galra have in planning.

"Excuse me, do you know anything" Shiro's voice cut through the static of silence. "Listen I know we just met, but do you know everything"

Sakiko's father hadn't made abundantly clear to answer his question, he was more focused on finding his daughter. No matter what the consequences might fall behind him.

"Look, I can't explain it right now, but all I need to know is that my daughter needs to be safe"

"All right, but what was the last time what happened to your daughter"

"She was with Kazumi at the time," the man said, crushing his fists in anger. "She ended up being vanished".

Upon listening to that, Shiro could help but feel sorry for him. This man has been through so much. But that's why he was here so he can put a stop to this.

Then suddenly, there was an odd sense of energy, something that Shiro could not identify, the energy around him how could he even explain it but it could be Familiar? No, not quite, it's native, almost it like a forest, or how the kneeling of a rainstorm resembles that of a frothing river, they were things that were intimately related, but at the same time, independent components of a larger force of nature.

"What is that?" Shiro thought as he all knew that it made the hair on his neck stand on end, an unpleasant twinge creeping over his nerves, like hands or claws ready to pounce.

He didn't like it. 

He didn't like it at all

"You're gonna keep going?" Said Kazumi.

"Yes, we are" Keith explain to him. "What else are we going to do"

"But it's getting late, I'm flattered

that you're so concerned for me, but shouldn't you pick up again tomorrow and get some rest?" he answered, still trailing after them as Keith and Lance marched purposefully down the darkest outer paths of the village with their starting point.

"According to the locals, they're only active by night, so there's no time for rest" Lance explains, "got something, I've detected new energy in this area, It's gotta be somewhere nearby".

"Are you sure" Keith ask Lance, "are you sure it's nearby by"

"I'm positive, it's definitely here"

"You know I'm sticking out my neck for you, and for what"

"I wish I knew how to repay you. Or if you wanted to, I can stay within your group."

"Yeah don't push it"

In a House nearby the village, where a middle-aged woman and a daughter lived in. "How terrifying, I want you to stay indoors, for the time being, were you be safe"

"Okay, mother I will, Now then, good night". She could tell her mother was worried about and who could blame her. Several girls have been disappearing Non-Stop.

"Wow she is worried," her daemon said, taking on the form of a rabbit.

"Well it must be serious, I hope the girls are alright," she said, telling her daemon as she was preparing for bed, unknowingly to her, a black puddle started to follow her, it was very creepy.

And soon, the puddle started to form around her, covering close to her bed but it was not the only surprising thing, hands develop around her as she was preparing to sleep and whoosh! The arms instantly grab her, covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. She tried to escape the graphs of this monster being but it was no use, the person dragged her underwater, into the dark puddle.

Shiro, Keith, and Lance gasped and started to run off. Away from Kazumi and Sakoko's father in their certain locations, so fast "the energy got stronger, the daemon is active" Lance shouted

"You're positive" Keith winced and ran a little faster, close to him.

"Yeah, we just gotta make it" Lance explain, they just had to make it to the daemon, which it was a dark alleyway, both of them can sense it's energy, rising high into the hazy but darkened area.

"This is it, there's definitely a bunch of energy, one from the daemon, one from a human girl and her daemon" Lance explained, stopping at the location in attack mode alongside Keith.

He hated to admit it but Lance was right, Keith has already been wrong before about character, with the faint, yet thick, waves of energy popping was what managed to tip him off, disturbing the otherwise peaceful night, and it was coming from—below! 

"The spot where the energy is strongest...is right here!"

Hit, Keith had excessively stabbed his enemy just below the ground as a gooey pool of black opened up beneath him, repealing the victim in the water and had excessively grabbed her from her captive.

Jumping back, its contents thick as tar and twice as dark at the same moment a pair of hands shot out, meaning to grab.

A torso and arms appeared immediately after, revealing an unsightly Galra. Their hair was long, unkempt, and violet hair as it hung around its face in greasy curtains, paired with eyes the color of yellow obelisks that harbored no emotion whatsoever. Pronounced veins ran over the daemon's forehead in an overlapping, sickening pattern, feeding into a set of two bat-like ears.

"It's a Galra, it's all they're doing" Keith drew his dagger, the blade's pale surface gleaming slightly beneath the steady light of the moon.

"Where are those girls you kidnapped? That is the only thing I need to know"

But the daemon understood him, it gave no indication, instead of grinding its teeth with such violence that the sound swelled over the village walls, a rising din like a whetstone whittling bones. Muscles tensing, Keith and Lance were relieved when the unnerving sound stopped almost as suddenly as it began. The black pool released another gurgling and silence fell as the daemon vanished into its depths again.

Tightening his dagger's grip, Keith tried to prepare himself for anything, with Lance in tow, "who what's that" Kazumi appeared, having to finally catch up to Keith and Lance.

"Kazumi, I need you to hold her, If you're inside my range of attack, we can protect you!"

With both of their weapons tightly, Keith and Lance marched down, waiting for the daemon to strike. From the ground or this wall... They wonder as it can probably emerge from anywhere. But there's also the chance

that it could show up out of thin air.

But this Galra daemon...Even when it's submerged, it can't erase its energy!

Keith, midair, drew his arm in to prepare for a thrusting laceration rather than a directional slice with his dagger but soon three sets of arms reached out to grab at him.

"What the..." Keith said.

"There's more than one? Three? Did they split up? Are they allies? What do they look like?" Lance shouted.

"It doesn't matter I got this" Gritting his teeth, Lance took in a sharp inhale and breeze the ground with his right hand, mobilizing them and allowing Keith to get the right shot.

Combining moves had curbed the strength of the attack, and it rendered Keith unable to cut through all of the wrists, only the first four. While a wicked smile appeared on the third demon as their head emerged, next to Lance, their clawed hands launching forward to pull the girl under.

But Lance escapes from the Galra with a shot of a blaster. Shooting the daemon in the eye. Lance just barely managed to graze past their voracious hand. But it never about that, Normally monks like him can never hold blasters. With a war going on, one cannot be too careful. If it's between him and the daemon, chose daemons.

"I missed the shot! Always aim at the right "

Crawling back to his feet, Keith readopted his stance and prepared for the next attack, but he fixed his gaze on the spot where Lance shot the daemon.

"Hey, All three of them have the exact same energy," Keith told Lance.

"You're right, usually daemons don't work together, meaning that this one split to three, we got to take them all out while protecting these two"

"Don't lose your nerve, Keith, remember that"

Crawling back to her feet, Keith readopted his defensive stance and prepared for the next attack for the daemon, As the demon slid down the wall, Keith summon up the energy into his entire body, felt his senses sharpen and render the world with increasing clarity as his blood vessels expanded.

"Daemon blood art, iron reaper"

Twirling back and then forward again, Keith's body curled in and then out in quick succession, the shape of his movements resembling that of claws of a wolf before thrusting all his strength into a single swing, arms steady as she aimed for the monster's neck.

Except, it was already sinking into the ground again and his dagger missed its mark, he effectively scalped the daemon and took off one of its ears, but he missed the critical point of its neck. 

"I miss the vulnerable part, I can't chase him too far, and neither can Lance, none of us can to create a full blast"

"You bastard" The middle one opened its mouth, shouting words for the first time in an unsettling voice. "Back off for crying out loud!, She's going stale with magic, the girl is 16 already I have to deliver her to the Galra empire".

Keith and the others glanced to the left when one of the others weighed in.

"Take a breath, other me, calm down, There are gonna be nights like this",  they said, almost condescendingly. "I've already hunted down of 16-year-old girls in this town, east of them having their own daemons settling in, their magic is probably right for the taking, I'm satisfied".

"Well I'm not satisfying at all, other me! I want to capture all of them for the glory of the empire".

A wave of repulsion spurred Keith's muscles to tense, disgusted and incensed by the crass with which they spoke about the other girls that had fallen victim to these monsters.

"You monster, Return Satoko to me" Kazumi demanded, even if he is terrified of these things, "the girl you took from the other night"

The calmer one smiled coyly, and the third one, who had not yet spoken, started that horrible teeth-grinding noise again.

"Satoko? Which one was that, if her hairpins in this collection and I'm afraid she's no longer with us"

To explain this, the demon pulled open its dark robes to reveal a hidden assortment of colorful pins, silk ribbons, intricate side combs, and patterned barrettes all crowded together. While the display was too far away for Kazumi to properly count, it had to be at least a dozen hairpieces, maybe more, and the sight made his stomach drop, and tears fell from his eyes.

And make Keith and Lance, angrier than before. Seeing these pins almost like trophies, unnecessary ones for the girls who got their lives stolen by the Galra, especially those.

How could they, do they know how many lives are going to be missed. Because that's how they feel, frustrated kindling burn like a spark lit inside a candle in their chest in response to her unforgiving fury. It sent Keith's pulse aflame.

No holding back now, especially for the daemon who was its first attack came from behind him, and he answered the oncoming claws with a quick rebuke, a downward thrust with his dagger toward their neck with precision.

Indeed, his aim was perfect, but the demon's reactions were faster than he predicted and it managed to raise an army to take the brunt of the damage, stopping his blade from being able to reach its mark.

But the assault didn't stop there, the second time came from below, luckily, Lance predicted this movement and launch an Ice bolt straight down into the shoulder, which plunges straight away to the head and freezing it off.

Irritated, Keith couldn't felt but think, that fighting this Galra daemon was an underwater snake, slithering away in the swamp, making it impossible to find them except, when they come out there swampy darkness. It was an obvious disadvantage.

But Still, being stabbed in the shoulder wasn't for nothing, really. Keith can still use this opportunity to find the right moment to strike. However, Keith discovers that he can hear the squeegee sound of the bog re-opening behind him on the wall.

"Oh no! I got too close to the wall!" Keith thought as he doesn't have time to react but Just then, there was an abrupt shift in the center of gravity as a lone crack reverberated around the quiet street, casting the world into silence.

Shiro was certain his body had never run so hot before.

It manifested as pulsing veins that bulged across his Daemon arm, like never before with the anger culminated into a single inevitability through his heart and mind, because no one, no one is going to hurt his friends.

He punched the daemon in a single, swift movement, his fist meeting the underside of the threat's jaw and knocking them back with such force, their whole body flew back several steps. Their neck broke cleanly upon impact, as was obvious by the grisly way their head lolled about on their shoulders, the bones having snapped backward with a deafening snap. 

Shiro head down to the ground, "Hey, Keith, Lance". He greeted.

"Shiro," Keith said in surprise as the swamp monster rose from the ground and wonder where did Shiro come from, What's the meaning of this? Who were these two? It didn't make any sense to him.

"Looks like I made it just in the nick of time," Shiro said, putting his hand in his sword as time as Sakoko's father arrived at the group. In total out of breath and in shock of Kazumi holding the girl.

"What is going on," he said, in total anger, "is it you, you responsible for this".

"Umm, no I ain't, this is completely different"

"We'll see about that" Sakoko's father shouted, preparing to punch him in the face, with eyes closed he knows he's going to pay the price, but luckily, an unexpected hand stops the punch just in time. It was Shiro's unexpected hand.

"Hey what are you doing" Shiro asking Sakoko's father, "what's it look like I'm doing" Sakoko's father explaining his actions "this person is responsible for my daughter".

Upon hearing that, Shiro might understand this but punching it an innocent man isn't going to solve what happened here, they have a real problem here, the real one truly has been responsible, Shiro should truly tell him pointing out the real one is still out there but it wasn't the time.

The once-blurred edges of his senses burst with startling clarity, everything suddenly refined and strangely heightened. Things shifted into focus in a way they hadn't before, and his head felt clearer than it had since... maybe ever? Maybe just since Before? He felt so much that it was a little painful to take it all in.

Looking at the daemons below him, Straightening his hand to a point,  lunged forward and used his fist to drive his hand straight into the creature's face, impaling it easily as if he'd simply jammed his hits through a punching bag. 

But instead, his arm passed through the other side, he was surprised to feel a vague sensation akin to that of dunking his hand in hard Stone, making a crater on the ground

"I almost got them, how did I get so much strain in my arm," Shiro thought as has he never been strong before, but that have to wait to figure out. Over and above all of that, however, Shiro had only one particular thought that matter, ringing loud as a death knell in his ears as he looked down upon the inhuman thing that had dared raise a hand against his friends—it wasn't enough.

No, it wasn't nearly enough.

Chasing the villainous one who grins in front of him. Shiro had never thought himself a cruel person, but this one is even more cruller ever never before.

"Shiro, don't chase them" Keith shouted and said, "come to me!"

He turned away from the attacker, to see Keith and Lance with Kazumi and Sakoko's father, all wide-eyed and pale like a ghost. Did his newfound strength spook them so he trotted quickly back in the direction that they were in?

but that thing returned once again and this time, it was right in front of him, preparing to pounce.

"Shiro, look out" Keith shout out but not to worry him, Shiro simply leaped over the place successfully evading the hands that shot out to grab him. 

"Is everyone all right?" Shiro asks everybody.

"No, not at all, you just made the nick of time," Lance said, excitedly.

"This is what Coran and Romelle talking about Shiro", Keith thought, "he's the samurai, I keep forgetting that, he can handle himself, so if he's around I can focus on my attack and these three in his care" 

A dark pit opened up right beneath,  between them, luckily Keith managed to get away from the murky darkness. Looking at it an idea came from his mind, it may look crazy but it's maybe the only way.

"Shiro, Lance" Keith shouted, "I'm going underground! Keep them safe for me, can you both do that".

"Of course, what are you going to do," Shiro said, wondering about his plan.

"I just told you, something crazy" Keith added as he stepped into the puddle, all calm like. Into the swamp darkness with a splash.

Upon looking at it, it really did look like a swamp, but what's even more horrifying was the bodies of their victims, captured against their will and tide in Vines. Normally they would have drowned in this murk, their daemons are still there. Indicating they are still alive.

But still, it was unforgivable, taking these girls away from their homes and what. For more power.

"Oh man, this is horrifying" Keith thought as he got further and further down to see more clothes and belongings of the people who were kidnapped?

"Getting hard to breathe, brat?" A voice that sounds too familiar. "There's hardly any air inside this swamp."

Turning around, Keith saw the daemon water, talking to him, "On top of that, the darkness coiling around your body must feel pretty heavy, You should've looked before you leaped in, you damn fool!" With that being said, the two flow towards him like a shark looking for blood.

"You underestimate me, I'm not some dumb person, Not to mention... I have moved that I never practice underwater but I'm really to try."

Looking up, he spotted the demon short way down the water, grinning wildly, their golden-emotionless eyes shining as they prepared to rush at him once again. Keith decided to save them the trouble. So he moves at angles like that inside this swamp? All he has to do is slash right when they get near enough to attack! The form that can be utilized even when there's no sure footing...

Generating a powerful vortex with a violent twist of his upper and lower body! So closing his eyes and prepare for the daemons, Keith summoned all his strength to make this move.

"There you are, the energy"

Now balance, Keith calls out his move, "Daemon nature, Whirlpool!", Slicing up the daemons in the vortex finally defeating them and leaving nothing behind except the girls and a few pieces of their fabric which Keith grabs.

"I can't breathe! Got to hurry" Keith said to himself as he tries to swim out of this murky darkness.

After the fond moment that he shared with Keith, Shiro continued to fight back, he reared back and thrust his arm straight into the daemon who was struggling to get back to the swamp but Shiro was certain this time, make sure doesn't return to the water.

"I never expected to be this powerful," The Daemon said to him as he was trying to avoid the blows Shiro was delivering him, he was surprised that Shiro doesn't seem to have mastered any attacks so far but look how strong he is anyway!

"You're not bad yourself," Shiro told him as tries to moves so fast! So he can't dive back into the swamp! Where Keith is, Shiro barely managed to get used

to these one-note attacks of his! Saying for them.

Catching their breath, "it seems that we are in an impulse" the Daemon said, "Even if you kick my head clean off...or my organs blew, I can regenerate..."

Suddenly, they cough up a sudden spurt of blood which was something unexpected, that's when he realized that Shiro punched him in the stomach. But that didn't matter with a sudden attack of their own, their claws flashing, burning an image of white in the air as they flew past.

Shiro flinched back, luckily, else he would have certainly lost his eyes, but instead, they reach to the bridge of his nose. the creature still managed to hit him.

Their nails were needle-sharp and graze him but the contact felt like four serrated knives were simultaneously being dragged over his left temple. There was a sudden rush of warm, sticky blood that smeared down to his chin, and on reflex,  reached up to cover his exposed wound, allowing the daemon to attack him.

"Shiro, watch out" Lance shouted.

"Too late, now I'm gonna drill a hole

right through your face!"

But suddenly, A soul-rending surprise choked out from the daemon's throat, muffling most of the grisly, almost wet sound of Keith cutting their arms off.

"Hands off of Shiro" Keith shouted as he burst out of the black water, all epic like.

Without a second thought, Shiro abandoned what he'd been doing and rushed to his side.

"Did I just get taken out? I just got defeated by a bunch of brats" the Daemon as he teetered back into the dirt with both arms cut.

"Keith"

"You give off a scent like rotten oil. I know where it comes from" Keith told him as he faces the writhing demon on the ground, "tell me why you need those girls".

"I don't know" snapped the demon, and Keith was surprised at how much it resists. "You would not understand, what we have been doing, So,  capturing them for their own good!"

Keith quickly slashed her dagger across the daemon's mouth, carving a lopsided, jagged smile through its cheeks.

"Never mind, tell me who sent you"

The daemon's jaw snapped in total shock, remembering the person who told him that he mustn't tell anyone about her.

"Just remember, I'm always watching you?"

"I can't, I can't, I can't say"

Brow pinched, Keith kept watched the way they began to shake their head back and forth, words inelegantly scraping from their throat.

"I can't tell you, all right" The daemon shout it out blood, metaphorically speaking as their missing arm suddenly regenerating. They launched themselves at him, fangs and claws both out. 

Keith hesitated, prepared to ask if they could, at least, explain what was going on, as their fear morphed into an explosive, violent outburst, forced to react, Keith threw his blade into a horizontal position and met it halfway, the steel passing cleanly through the daemon's neck.

Their head fell to the side with an unceremonious thunk, and their body slouched lifeless in the other direction.

Keith felt that Once again, failed to get any information on Allura's killer.

"Keith, are you okay," Shiro said, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine," Keith said, abruptly, he felt the warm brush of skin against his shoulder like he was being reassured, "I'm sorry, I couldn't get any formation". Carefully, Keith turned to him and angled his head so it was pointing down, nearer to his eye-level. The dried mess of dark blood has finally stopped.

He licked his thumb and started to smear the blood off as best he could, gently shushing Shiro's nose trying to clean up the blood he best he could

"You always talk about me being the reckless one", Keith murmured, "but I feel like you're more reckless than me"

"Well, that's what you get for defeating a monster like them". Shiro said, feeling embarrassed, "so what did you find now under there".

Slightly transfixed by the said but  answer what he needs to say, "I found the girls and well"

"Sakiko, so she's alive" Kazumi appeared.

"She is, but the Daemon"

Then suddenly, Lance burst out of the swampy water, gasping for air, carrying two girls underneath his shoulders.

Without a second thought, Keith, Shiro, and Kazumi abandoned what been doing and rushed to his side to help him, "how did you" Keith jumped forward to Lance.

"Shiro told me to freeze the water" Lance explains himself as he was as swimming himself back and forth to retrieving the girls that were captured including the girl known as Sakiko.

"Sakiko" Sakoko's father, putting her on his left, "Sakoko, please you're all right".

Releasing a small sigh, Sakoko woke up again, along with the other girls they rescued. All of them alive and well.

"Sakoko" Kazumi appeared, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you"

"You don't have to apologize" Sakoko's father, putting his own hand on his shoulder, "if there's anyone to apologize, it's me, I shouldn't have blamed you right from the start, I know it wasn't your fault"

Keith smiled, even though he didn't get any answers, he was glad another woman's life from the horrors of the galra empire.

"Here, I think this belongs to you," Keith said, delivering the fabric that contains the pens, A bright red silk ribbon; a small, matching set of Claw Clips, three Hair Stick Pins, and Barrettes Pins.

These girls...  every last one of them was almost becoming slaves to the empire. Luckily Keith and the other arrived just in the nick of time.

Or else their families must have never seen them again.

"We better be going now," Shiro said,  politely as the sun started to Rose up into the atmosphere, and Keith, Shiro, and Lance continue to walk on their merry way.

"We are on my way now," Lance said, bidding farewell to Kazumi, Sakiko, and her father. "I'm leaving the young women in your hands! Make sure they return home safely"

"All right! We do that, farewell Mr." Sakoko shouted back to them.

Daytime. The gang continues to walks along a path, Keith wonder there could be others as not just him, how many people were killed, tortured, and tormented? By the hands of the empire, especially by the hands of Zarkon.

"I will make you pay for what you've done" Keith did to himself out loud.

"What you mean to make you pay"

"Oh nothing I was just thinking about the girls, I'm glad we were able to save them"

"Me too" Lance added. "So now that everything's said and done, does that mean I can join your group"

"Sure what the heck"

"I think we mean yes"

By slaying the swamp Daemon, Keith could have ended it all quickly being dead. But instead, with the help of Lance and Shiro, Keith had successfully destroyed the monster. That's right… He just doesn't realize it… Keith is quite a nice fellow. A nice person and Besides the merrier needs more people