Treason Ignited

The dog was exhausted. Tenma, or Shinma as the members of his guild knew him, lay sprawled in the adjacent room. He watched the scene in astonishment, partly unwilling to intervene.

But that call brought out an impulse in him.

"Shinma!"

"Woof!"

Leaping into action, Shinma ran out and bit Doris's leg. She jumped in fright, trying to shake off the puppy. However, he bit down with all his might, refusing to let go.

Melman approached Eva to tie her arms. Then, between him and Gorgon, they pinned her to the ground. The swordsman knelt to grab the girl's chin, but she spat at him.

"Disgusting! It got in my mouth!"

Tenma saw his owner fall to the ground, moaning in pain. It was a strange feeling, but he didn't want her to die.

"Get out of here, Shinma," Doris told him, grabbing him by the scruff and lifting him. "You don't need to see all this. Just go, and we'll come back for you later."

Tenma whined a little, disheartened by his weakness against someone who wasn't even using a weapon on him.

"Woof!"

"Shinma... you're going to make me kill you if you keep insisting—"

Suddenly, Melman drove his sword through Doris's back, leaving everyone stunned.

"You... what do you think you're doing?" Doris demanded, releasing Shinma to cover her mouth, ending up spitting blood. "Melman..."

Melman still held the sword firmly, seemingly unwilling to retract his attack.

Hysterical, Doris looked to Gorgon.

"Gorgon, stop Melman!"

Gorgon kicked his boss hard to prevent her from getting up, heading toward Melman.

But he changed direction and aimed his fist at Doris, punching her square in the face.

Doris, in pain, looked at her two comrades going against her. She began to stutter and tremble, not understanding a thing that was happening.

"The government... won't leave me alone, huh?"

Getting up carefully, Eva stood, adjusting the tie of her suit. Her face was bloody, and her suit dirty, but she kept the strength to look firmly at Doris.

"What's happening...? What is this?"

Eva picked up the knife Gorgon had left on the ground. Melman stepped back, drawing his sword, and Gorgon kept the girl held by the neck.

"How did you find me? Were all our adventures... fake?" the leader asked, pointing the knife at the girl.

In a desperate attempt, Doris raised her gun and shot at Eva, but she deflected it with her sword, causing it to ricochet and hit Melman. He fell to the floor.

"Answer. Was everything fake?!"

Doris began to cry, anguished by the pain and the betrayal of her comrades who were not responding to her calls. When she looked again at Eva, she exclaimed:

"We're just... bounty hunters. No one would join you. You are... the threat the government seeks to eliminate," the girl replied, spitting blood. "The assassin we sent to kill you... didn't do his job... and we paid him in advance. Why couldn't you die there?"

Eva stared at the traitor. She took the gun from her hands and pulled out the explosive material, throwing it to the ground.

Doris was stunned, trying to call out to her comrades to stop her. She screamed in alarm.

Tenma watched everything, scared. He was picked up by Eva and carried to the bar's exit.

"Melman! Gorgon! Why aren't you responding?!"

But both remained still. Doris tried to escape from the explosive material, getting up as best she could, leaving blood in her wake.

But Eva was already at the exit, with an explosive berry in her hand.

"Explosion... goodbye, friends."

With a flick of her thumb, she threw the berry at high speed, making it land on the explosive material.

Causing a massive explosion in the place, with the three guild members inside.

"Woof....! Woof..."

"Shinma...."

Eva hugged her pet in her arms, trying to calm him.

"Forget... everything you saw today. Okay?"

"Woof...!"

...

Eva kept walking, stroking her dog's head until dawn.

Leaving town before anyone could discover she was responsible for the disastrous fire.