The Big Party

Here we are! I thought as the Black Dragon landed in the Land of the Seas, Intoner's Five territory. We landed on an empty beach, but I saw a coastal town with a harbor in the distance.

"Enjoy your little party human." The black dragon walked along the beach.

"Won't you stay?"

"No, I don't like parties, too much noise for my taste, I prefer silence. I also believe the humans in the city just ahead would not be happy with my appearance."

"Don't worry Edric, it is just a grumpy old dragon, too old to party since its youth is long gone." Eupherbia mocked, landing on my shoulder.

"I want you to know that I'm not that old, I'm only twenty thousand years old!" The Black Dragon replied.

"Wow, he is old!" We both shouted surprised as the dragon grunted and walked away.

"Young people these days… They don't respect their elders."

-XXXXXX-

Eupherbia and I headed towards the city, changing my armor set on the way. I equipped Yurt's set since no one saw me wearing this one before.

It was a merchant city, with ships constantly arriving and departing, bringing and taking goods as the streets bustled with merchants and sailors working on their vessels.

People looked at me curiously, probably due to the armor, and the fairy accompanying me. Speaking of the fairy…

"What do you think of the city, Eupherbia?"

"It stinks of fish." She grimaced, holding her nose.

"HA! You'll get used to it; there are worse smells after all."

"Serious? Like what?"

"Dead bodies."

"Where the hell did you come from, Edric?"

"Hm... Boletaria was not in a good situation."

"I hope I never see a place like this."

"I pray you never see one. But enough about bad places, why don't we explore a little before completing my quest?"

"Then what are we doing here? Come on!" She flew around me before darting through the streets.

Sighing, I ran after Eupherbia, thinking about a certain paper given to me before this mission.

-FLASHBACK-

"Listen here, Edric! You have no idea how important this quest is to the guild!" Reha said to me.

"I understand."

"Accomplishing a quest requested by an Intoner is one of the highest honors one can earn in Midgard!"

"I understand."

"Therefore I beg you! Act normally, please! No cutting off heads or covering yourself in the blood of your enemies!"

"I understand."

"Pay attention to what I am saying! This is a financing and satisfaction contract. If we can get Lady Five to sign this contract, not only will it be understood that she is satisfied with our work, but she will also finance us directly!" Reha handed me the contract.

"I beg you again, please behave yourself, do your best, and make sure Lady Five signs this contract." She said with teary eyes.

"Fine." I replied uncomfortably, I don't agree with that, but I'll do it for the good of the guild.

"Thanks!" Reha hugged me.

Maybe I can get Five to sign it before she has a terrible accident right after.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"Listen here you flying pest, why don't you go bother someone else?!" A familiar voice spoke.

"As if you were anyone worth my attention, you bald idiot!" Eupherbia replied.

I accelerated my pace and saw Eupherbia arguing with a bald man I knew very well.

"Patches."

"Oh! Hello, my friend, what a coincidence finding you here, no?" Patches smiled from his crouched position.

"Coincidence? I don't believe it, since you kicked me out of the Nexus."

"That's in the past, it was just a slip, I swear on my mother's honor!" He placed a hand above his heart.

"Go straight to the point Patches! Why are you here?"

"Well, the Nexus stopped being interesting after you left, so I explored the outside a little, ending up in this city. I believe it is a good place to set my shop."

"You mean your stolen goods store?"

"Who do you think I am? Stolen is a strong word, I prefer that they were acquired after their owners passed for the better."

"There is no use arguing with you, just show me your wares."

"With pleasure my friend." Patches smiled.

-XXXXXX-

In the end, I bought some grass and spices, but Patches caught my attention before I left.

"Hey, did you hear? There will be a big party tonight at the mansion of a woman called Five; I'm told she's an Intoner, whatever that means. But that doesn't matter, what matters is that several nobles who have more money than what to do with it will be in the same place. I think this is a good opportunity to expand my store's material if you know what I mean."

"Hm... I won't stop you, but don't expect me to save you if you get caught."

"Don't worry, I know my way around. You're too serious, you should have some fun."

"I will enjoy myself when I finish my affairs in Midgard and return to Boletaria."

"HAHAHA! You have no idea where you are, do you? You're further from home than you think, I wish you good luck. Show up again, maybe I will have something of interest next time."

I got tired of listening to Patches' litanies, so I headed towards Five's mansion.

"I don't like him." Eupherbia said beside me.

"Neither do I, but he sells useful items, so I tolerate him."

-XXXXXX-

We arrived at the mansion, a guarded three-story building surrounded by a stone wall and with a metal gate in front.

"Stop, identify yourself!" One of the guards said as I approached the gate.

"My name is Yurt; I'm here on a mission requested by Lady Five." I handed him the quest paper and showed him my plate as he gulped and sweated nervously.

"O-of course! You can enter, but what about the fairy?" The guard opened the gate.

"She is with me." I walked through the gate while Eupherbia showed her tongue out at the guard. We walked through the mansion's courtyard until a butler appeared to escort us.

"Follow me, please. Lady Five awaits you." The butler bowed.

I saw several employees running through the corridors upon entering the mansion. They carried decorations and food, scrubbed the floor, and removed the dust from the furniture.

Eventually, we stopped in front of a large double door.

"Lady Five; there is someone here who wishes to see you." The butler knocked on the door.

"Let him in." A female voice answered and the butler opened the double doors, allowing us to pass, and closed them right after, leaving us alone.

I was in a large room with a large bed between two large windows, a table with a mirror, several bottles of perfume and makeup, and a large opened closet displaying several dresses and other clothing.

Intoner Five stood in front of this closet.

"What do we have here? You must be the adventurer who will serve as my bodyguard." Five asked as she approached, smiling curiously.

"Yes, Lady Five. My name is Yurt." I replied seriously, bowing politely.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal; we will spend some time together after all." Five walked around me, looking me up and down while licking her lips.

"I believe it would be unprofessional to refer to you otherwise."

"A professional at his job, I like that. You are under my service, so I hope you accompany me at all times…"

Five then walked over to me, crossed her arms just below her breasts, making them look bigger, and pressed them into my chest plate as she looked up towards my helmet.

"… And I mean all times. I will reward you if you do a good job." Five said with less than pure intentions in her voice. I shuddered in disgust inside my armor.

Step away from me, harlot!

"I understand."

"Fine, but how about you show me your face? I would like to know what my dear bodyguard looks like." Five brought her hands closer to my helmet, but I stepped out of reach for her surprise.

"I don't believe this is a good idea, my appearance is not pleasing to the eye."

That wasn't a lie, absorbing so many Demons' souls caused serious changes in my appearance. The Edric who entered Boletaria and the one who left are completely different persons.

"Come on, it can't be that bad? I don't judge, after all, looks don't matter, but how good you are at pleasing me." Desire shone in her eyes and she tried to remove my helmet again, but once again, I stepped out of the way.

"I'm sorry Lady Five, but I have to decline."

She looked at me with fake sadness, pouted, clasped her hands just below her chin, and rocked left and right.

"Don't be so mean! Couldn't you do this for me? I bet the face of a strong, handsome man is beneath your helmet. Don't you feel uncomfortable wearing armor all the time? Wouldn't you like to change into something more comfortable?"

"I feel comfortable when I am protected from most physical harm."

She broke her pose and gave me a disappointed look.

"You're playing hard to get. I like that, I like a good challenge, it makes the reward more delicious, and I always get what I want. I'll see you out of that armor one way or another." She licked her lips again.

She then looked aside, specifically at the fairy floating above my shoulder.

"And who would you be?"

"My name is Eupherbia Miss Whor… AH!"

I flicked her head back before she finished. Eupherbia glared at me and I glared back.

"Behave yourself or no sweets for you." I whispered and the faerie's eyes widened as she gave a more appropriate response.

"My name is Eupherbia, Lady Five." She bowed.

"How cute, you're adorable, you know? I think I have some doll dresses that will fit you." Five grabbed Eupherbia and carried her toward the closet as she gave me a desperate look, but I ignored it. Let us see if she behaves better after that.

"It must be here somewhere." Five removed dresses from the closet and tossed them in a pile close by.

Suddenly, the pile moved and a boy came out from under it, looking around and noticing me.

"What's up?" The boy waved.

"Greetings." I replied.

"My name is Dito."

"Yurt."

Then we stared at each other silently as clothes landed on top of Dito.

"Are you the bodyguard?"

"It seems so."

The silence returned.

"Could you get me out of here? I'm kind of stuck."

"Surely." I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him, removing him from the pile.

"Oh, Dito! So that's where you hid! This is Yurt, my bodyguard for today. You better get acquainted with each other, the four of us will have some fun after the party if all goes well." Five paused momentarily her search.

"The four of us?!" Eupherbia screamed and Five brought her closer to her face before smiling widely.

"Yes, the four of us." She then returned to her search.

"Can you put me down?" Ditto asked me.

"Oh, pardon me!" I put Ditto on the ground.

"Well, Yurt, I think you'd better sit down because we will stay here for a while." Ditto sat down on the floor.

"Why do you say that?"

"Five is looking for a dress; she wastes more time choosing an outfit than ruling her lands."

"You seem to know her pretty well."

"Of course, I am her disciple after all, unfortunately." Dito grimaced with disgust.

"A disciple, so does that mean you're Five's apprentice?"

"More like a servant, I help control her power and fulfill her desires."

"By desires you mean…"

"Yes, all the time. What I wouldn't give to switch from Intoner." Ditto sighed tiredly.

"You have my condolences."

"Thanks..."

Time passed and we talked. I can't say we became friends, but we reached a level of understanding between us.

-XXXXXX-

It was night and the party had started exactly as I imagined.

Golden chandeliers illuminated a large ballroom with a pleasant light, musicians played on top of a stage, and a large table full of food and drinks stood near the large sliding glass doors to balconies overlooking the mansion's gardens.

Five talked to some guests while she held a glass of wine. I couldn't hear the talk, but she said something and everyone laughed.

"I can't move in this clown outfit!" Ditto said beside me, wearing a yellow noble outfit with frills on the sleeves and neck, white pants that hugged his legs black shoes, combed back hair, and makeup.

"I understand you; I look like a spoiled noblewoman's doll." Eupherbia said as she sat on my shoulder, wearing a pink dress, curled hair, red lipstick, accentuated eyelashes, and slightly pink cheeks.

The three of us were in the farthest corner of the party, but with a full view of the entire hall. I know that a bodyguard must stay close to who he's supposed to protect, but according to Five, my armor scared the guests.

I still plan to do my job, a throwing knife to the neck should be enough if anyone tries anything. I thought, crossing my arms but secretly twirling a throwing knife through my fingers.

When the party's over and Five and I are alone, Makoto will do its work.

"Wine?" One of the butlers holding a tray offered.

"Yes please, I need to get drunk to survive through this party." Ditto didn't wait, picked two glasses of wine, and drank.

"Hey, Edric, get me one." Eupherbia said.

"Are you sure? That might be too much for someone your size."

"HA! Who do you think I am? Of course, I can handle a little drink." Eupherbia puffed out her chest.

"If you insist." I shrugged, took one of the glasses, and lifted it until it faced the fairy. She leaned forward and drank some, immediately coughing and pounding her chest soon after.

"COUGH! COUGH! This one is strong!"

"I warned you."

Suddenly, the party went silent, the doors of the hall opened and two people entered, Octa and Intoner Three.

The guests moved out of the way, looking admiringly at Three, who wore a beautiful golden dress and walked with confidence, stopping in front of Five, who greeted her with a hug and smile, while Octa remained serious and distant.

"Three, I'm so glad you came! I did not expect you to respond to my invitation!"

"Thank you Five, I'm not a party person, but I thought it would be nice to spend some time with my dear sister." Three returned the hug.

"You don't know how happy this makes me."

I noticed Three's gaze toward me, and then she smiled. She doesn't know, or does she? No one saw me wearing this armor before; I even introduced myself under a different name.

"There are so many things I'd like to talk with you about. You can leave Octa with Dito and Yurt over there." Five pointed at us.

"I hope you don't mind if I spend some time with the Yurt afterward." Three stared at me with a gleam in her eyes.

"We will have some fun after the party ends, you can join if you want."

"I considered spending some time alone with him; there are so many things I would like to experience with him."

"It just makes me more excited. I hope you don't mind showing me later."

"Of course, it will be an experience you will feel in your soul."

"I cannot wait."

Three then ordered Octa to stay with us, which he did without saying a single word, and watched the party in silence. The Intoners walked away, but I heard a snippet of their conversation.

"By the way, I love your dress." Five said.

"Thank you. You could say fate brought it to me." Three replied.

Great, why is Three so interested in me?

"HIC!" Someone sobbed beside me.

Looking over my shoulder, saw a red-faced Eupherbia still drinking from the glass I held.

"Eupherbia, feeling well?"

"I'm fine *HIC!* Why wouldn't I be? *HIC!*" Eupherbia smiled while I sighed.

"No more wine for you." I moved the glass away as she stretched her arms, trying to hold it, which made her fall into the wine.

SPLASH!

Bubbles formed until Eupherbia emerged with a whoosh of air.

"I am in heaven!" Eupherbia leaned her back against the cup and rested her elbows on its rim, as if in a bathtub.

Forget it! I put the glass on a window sill, crossed my arms, and watched the party again.

"So Octa, how are you and your Intoner doing?" Ditto asked Octa, but he didn't answer and just stared straight ahead.

"Because it's hell for me. Why do I have to stay stuck with that bitch?" Ditto continued, but there was no response.

"She only thinks about sex. Sex this, sex that, it wouldn't be that bad if that was the only problem." He then rested one of his arms on Octa's shoulder, who looked at him, strangely making the sound of wood, and looked straight ahead again.

"Five treats me like a toy, always doing what she wants but never what I want. Not only that, I also hate this land, the sound of the waves when I try to sleep, and the salt sticking to my skin, annoy me. Why can't we switch Intoners? Yours doesn't seem like much, and knowing you, well, you and Five were made for each other. Not to mention, of course, that Five doesn't share my tastes, let's just say I can be a little rough, and the people I like are a little cold and tense…"

Dito couldn't finish as the music changed to a waltz, couples formed and danced in the middle of the hall. Suddenly, Five and Three came towards us.

"Dito, come dance with me!" Five grabbed Ditto's arm and dragged him towards the middle of the hall as he grimaced.

"Would you like to dance?" Three asked, offering her hand to me.

"Unfortunately, I will have to decline. As Lady Five's bodyguard, I must stay alert for anything that might threaten her."

"Are you sure? Because the guests are looking." Three smiled.

I saw that everyone was watching us, waiting for my answer. I think that due to how loved the Intoners are. They asking someone to dance must be a big thing, and my armor doesn't help.

"Fine, I'll do it." I sighed, holding Three's hand, who grabbed my arm and led me toward the center of the ballroom where we danced.

"Funny meeting you here Edric."

"So you knew?"

"Of course, it's impossible to forget those who captured my interest."

"Would you mind telling me why you are so interested in me?"

"Of course not."

I lifted my arm, grabbed Three's hand, and spun her around in front of me.

"We Intoners are the strongest in Midgard, humans and monsters don't stand a chance against us, and that's boring, humans are smart but don't have power, monsters are powerful but don't have intelligence. I wondered if there was any way to combine the two, and I did, but I still didn't find what I looked for, that is, until you appeared out of nowhere, a person with unknown magic power and strong enough to rival an Intoner."

I stopped spinning Three and she pressed her head against my chest plate.

"May I know what you are looking for?"

"I look for two things, a person who can answer my questions."

"What questions would those be?"

"They vary, for example, I would like to know where your strength comes from and how your bag works. Other questions are more philosophical, where did we come from? Where do we go after death? Why do people live? Why do people die? But no one can give the answer I'm looking for, or they respond with 'What the hell are you talking about?' My disciple doesn't help either, always thinking with his lower head."

"I won't lie, I've also had many questions in the past, but I regret finding the answer to some of them."

"Oh! Could you tell me what you discovered?"

"Did you know that God and the Devil are the same being?"

Three lifted her head and widened her eyes.

"I honestly didn't expect this, but it explains a lot. No wonder this world is the way it is."

Then we danced with the other couples, like a sea of colorful clothes.

"Three?"

"Yes."

"What is the second thing you are looking for?"

Three went silent for a few seconds, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered in my ear.

"What I looking for, Edric, is how to create the perfect doll."

I felt a tingle run through my body the moment Three finished speaking. Someone had invaded this world.

I looked around, searching for the invader. Several couples passed by us until I saw Five and Dito dancing.

A couple passed between them, blocking my view, and when they left, I saw a slightly transparent red being appear beside Five and Ditto, with a short sword raised, but they hadn't noticed him yet.

I pushed Three away, removed a throwing knife from my bag, pulled my arm back, and threw it forward, throwing the knife. The blade flew at great speed, passing between Five and Dito's faces and hitting the invader in the center of his forehead, taking him down.

"AAAHHH!"

The guests screamed when the invader hit the floor, they moved away; opening space in the hall.

"Yurt, what is that?" Five asked.

"An invader, a Black Phantom."

The invader rose, his hand gripping the hilt of the knife and yanking it out, throwing it aside.

I felt more tingling in my body, several red circles appeared on the floor, and an invader appeared from each one. I equipped my Sharp Uchigatana in my right hand and my Fatal Secret Dagger in my left hand.

"You weren't invited, so remove yourself from my party, now!" Five screamed, tearing her dress apart, revealing her usual scandalous outfit, and pulled her spear from some mysterious place.

"This party sucked, killing something will improve my mood!" Dito pulled a spear out of nowhere and prepared to fight.

I saw that Three and Octa had disappeared, but Eupherbia stood in her wineglass.

Suddenly, the invaders raised their weapons and advanced towards us.

-A few minutes before the invasion-

Report Number 3: Edric is currently undercover at Five's mansion, determined to eliminate the Intoners. According to his conversations with the Black Dragon, he can sense the power of the flower within the Intoners and feel some kind of duty in finishing them off with a cursed sword that might kill them.

If this is true, then serious changes will happen to this branch, as if they haven't already been made. But I can't interfere, just record. The golden clothes Three wears remain a mystery, but it has something to do with Octa's strange behavior.

This branch would have remained normal if not for Edric's arrival, but I still can't determine where he comes from. Perhaps I should investigate where he spawned in Cathedral City.

A girl with a big suitcase wrote the report in a book full of drawings and lines representing different branches until it suddenly shook.

"What is that?!" The girl looked closer at the book.

Several red lines appeared, converging towards the line representing the current branch. The pages turned red and several messages appeared.

Black Phantom Killer Enrique has invaded this world.

Black Phantom Gerian Eagle Eyes have invaded this world.

Black Phantom Alissa the Ruthless has invaded this world.

Black Phantom xxBigDick42069xx has invaded this world.

Black Phantom…

Black Phantom…

Black Phantom…

Black Phantom…

"Black Phantom? What is that? I need to contact the other Recorders." She tried to run but found herself surrounded by transparent red beings.

"Hi, would you be the Black Phantom?" She smiled, adjusting her glasses, but all the phantoms drew their weapons.

"I see, I would love to stay and talk, but I have to report what happened here." She then removed a large cell phone from her pocket and pressed a button, but nothing happened.

"What?" The girl screamed, pressing the button repeatedly as the invaders approached.

"Well, the hard way then."She opened her bag and removed a sword, preparing to fight.

-XXXXXX-

The black dragon rested at a secluded beach, the sound of the waves calming its being, but its sleep ended with footsteps. Opening one of its eyes, the dragon saw several glowing red people approaching.

"Go away before you do something you will regret." It said, but the red beings advanced while drawing their weapons.

"Well, then don't say I didn't warn you." The dragon rose and roared, echoing through the night.

-XXXXXX-

"ZERO! ZERO!" A young white dragon screamed in front of a dilapidated cabin.

"What?! I'm trying to sleep here!" A white-haired, one-armed, pink-eyed girl yelled, opening the cabin's door.

"Ghosts are attacking us!"

"The fuck are you talking about?! Ghosts don't exist!"

Suddenly, red circles appeared on the ground and the invaders appeared.

"See, they are ghosts!"

"Holy shit!" She drew a sword with her remaining hand as the ghosts surrounded her home.

-Back to the mansion-

"Everyone, run, now!" Five shouted to the guests and they all fled through the hall doors.

Then the invaders attacked and the one bearing a short sword ran towards Edric, who blocked the blow with his blade and stabbed the invader's stomach with his Secret Dagger, easily piercing the leather armor.

The invader retreated, allowing Edric to swing his Uchigatana toward his neck, despite the cut, no blood came from the wound. Even so, the invader fell while holding his neck and soon vanished into red particles.

But there was no time to rest as two more invaders appeared, one wearing plate armor, a large wooden shield, and a spear, and the other wearing shaman clothes, a scimitar, and a leather shield.

Edric blocked a swing from the one holding a scimitar, but that left him open to a strike from the one who held the spear. He jumped away from the weapon, receiving a wound to his hip's right side.

-XXXXXX-

A dart shot towards Five's head, who tilted it aside, losing a few strands of golden hair as the projectile passed. She stared at the invader who had fired with hatred in her eyes.

He wore black clothes, similar to a nobleman, a light crossbow in one hand and a rapier in the other.

The Intoner rushed toward him, spear pointed at his heart. Quickly, the invader reloaded his crossbow, but there was no time to shoot, he would die, or that's what would have happened.

An invader wearing heavy armor, a large iron shield, and a Zweihander stepped in the way and blocked the blow with his shield.

The impact created a metallic echo as the invader raised his Zweihander, bringing it down toward her head, trying to cleave her in two, but Five jumped back, allowing the sword to hit the ground.

The invader stepped aside, giving the other a clear view to fire at an unprotected Five. The dart approached her head, but Dito jumped in front of Five, begrudgingly protecting her with his spear.

The Intoner blew a kiss to her Disciple, who received it with a disgusted face, which she didn't notice.

"This fight is making something pump through my body, and it's not my blood." Five rubbed her thighs together.

"Is that all you think about?" Ditto asked.

"You know me so well Dito." She replied, not noticing the sarcasm in his voice.

The invader with the Zweihander swung his sword from right to left, trying to cut his enemies in half.

Dito ducked, letting the blow pass over his head while Five jumped, aiming her spear at the invader's head as she fell. He raised his shield, blocking the attack, but stood exposed to Dito, who pierced his stomach.

"So, what do you think of it?" Dito mocked and the invader responded by grabbing his spear, removing it from his stomach, and throwing the Disciple away.

Dito saw the invader standing with a hole in his stomach, but no blood came from it.

"No blood? I don't like this… AH!" He prepared to fight again, but a dart pierced his shoulder, surprising him. He grabbed it with a pained face, yanking it out.

"Dito!" Five screamed, giving the invader a murderous look.

She exchanged blows with the Zweihander bearing one, slowly inflicting minor injuries due to his heavy equipment.

Dito ran towards the invader with the crossbow while the one with the Zweihander tried to stop him, but Five didn't allow it, as he had to block a spear toward his head, almost sending him back to his world.

The invader with the crossbow fired another dart at Dito, who jumped aside, dodging it. Seeing that he didn't have time to reload, the invader drew his rapier and trusted it forward as the Disciple spun his spear, blocking the weapon.

He kicked the invader away and tried to pierce his heart, but the invader rolled away and tried to pierce Dito's heart instead when standing up.

The Disciple jumped back, dodging the blow and advancing soon after, aiming at the invader's head, who waited for Dito's approach and parried the blow with his rapier.

Dito lost his balance, having his guard open while the invader reloaded his crossbow and aimed at the Disciple's head.

His eyes widened and he threw himself to the ground, dodging the dart and tripping the invader's legs, knocking him to the ground.

Without giving him time to recover, Ditto plunged his spear into the invader's heart repeatedly while smiling sadistically. He tried to fight back, but it was in vain, and soon disappeared into red particles.

-XXXXXX-

Five and the Zweihander invader still exchanged blows, both breathing heavily from exhaustion. The Intoner is unable to pass her enemy's defense, and the invader trying to survive her barrage.

"It was fun while it lasted, but you ruined my party, so it's time to go." Five sang, activating her Intoner mode.

She dashed towards the invader, who raised his shield, but to his surprise, the equipment shattered, making his feet slide across the floor.

So, she charged again and he raised his Zweihander with both hands, bringing it down towards Five's head. A large dust cloud rose when the sword hit its target, revealing the weapon broken in two as Five's spear pierced his heart.

"Our time together was brief, I might have let you join me in bed if you hadn't caused trouble. Unfortunately, I don't like troublesome men." Five said as the invader disappeared.

-XXXXXX-

Edric's fight took him towards the windows, specifically the window where Eupherbia stood. He fell against the window frame, seeing red lights fighting knights and soldiers in the city streets, this attack was not just in the mansion.

The invader with the scimitar advanced, trying to cut his head, but Edric quickly ducked, dodging the blow.

"Hey Edric, who are these guys?" A drunken Eupherbia asked, swimming in her wine glass.

"They are invaders, Black Phantoms from other worlds." He stood up and tried to slash his assailant, but the invader blocked the cut with his shield.

"I have no idea what you just said! What happened, is the party over?"

"You could say so, the invaders interrupted it."

The invader with the scimitar focused on Eupherbia, trying to slash her, but Edric quickly grabbed the glass with his left hand and leaped away.

"Too bad, I liked the party, maybe we should send them away?"

"That's what I'm trying to do. How about you help me?"

"You can leave it to me!"

Edric faced the two invaders, the one with the scimitar to his right and the one with the spear to his left.

"Hey you, go away!" Eupherbia screamed, firing a magic projectile toward the spear invader, who blocked the attack.

"Keep him distracted!" Edric said, fighting the scimitar invader.

The fairy fired projectile after projectile, keeping the spear invader at bay, allowing Edric to fight, and blow after blow the invader retreated, his leather shield doing little to stop the knight's blade.

The spear invader advanced towards Edric between an opening in the magic projectiles. Seeing this, he threw the glass with the fairy upward, freeing his hand.

"AAAHHH!" Eupherbia screamed as she rose.

The knight grabbed his Secret Dagger and parried the invader's spear strike, piercing his heart soon after, sending him back to his world as gravity affected Eupherbia.

"AAAHHH!"

Edric sheathed his dagger and extended his hand. The glass landed between his fingers, then the wine, and finally Eupherbia. Now, only the scimitar invader remained.

Both combatants prepared their final attacks, the invader swung his scimitar towards Edric's neck, who raised his Uchigatana, descending it towards the invader.

It was impossible to know who would win until a drunken Eupherbia interfered.

"*HIC!*" She accidentally fired a projectile toward the invader's face, blinding him, allowing Edric to finish his attack, slicing the invader from neck to groin. Then, the last invader had disappeared.

-XXXXXX-

I headed towards Dito and Five, looks like they finished their fights.

"Yurt, dear, could you tell me what were these things?" Five asked seriously.

"Invaders, Black Phantoms, call it what you will. Some are people, others are vengeful spirits. They invade other worlds to kill people, absorb their souls, and grow stronger."

"Spirits? That explains the lack of blood. And other worlds? What do you mean by that?" Ditto asked confused.

"I could explain, but we would stay here overnight."

Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the corridors and we prepared to fight more invaders.

"Lady Five!" A group of knights screamed as they broke down the hall doors.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. What is the situation out there?" Five asked.

"Red beings suddenly appeared everywhere, catching us by surprise! We lost many men, but we resolved the situation!" One of the knights answered.

"Good job, remind me to reward you all later." Five smiled at the knights who shuddered slightly, whether in anticipation or disgust, I couldn't tell.

Meanwhile, I realized that Ditto had been injured during the fight, so I handed him a piece of grass.

"What is that?".

"Healing grass, just eat it to heal your wounds."

Ditto shrugged and ate it, immediately healing his wounds.

"Thanks, now if you'll excuse me, I'll see how things are out there, I hope to find a lot of corpses… I'll help bury them… Of course." Ditto then left the hall while Five approached me.

"In the end, you did your job as a bodyguard, I can't imagine what would have happened if I didn't have a strong and brave man like you by my side. I hope you don't mind if I request your services again. Is there any way to reward you?" Five pressed herself into my chest and looked at me lustfully.

"Sign these papers, please." I handed the papers Reha gave me.

"What?!" Five asked surprised.

"Sign your initials here, here, and your name here and here." I showed her where to sign.

"What?!" Five asked again.

"Here is the quill." I removed a quill and an ink pot from my bag.

"WHAT?!" Five screamed.

-XXXXXX-

I left the mansion and headed towards the city with a sleeping Eupherbia in my hands, hugging my thumb.

"Quite a party, isn't it?"

Looking aside, down an alley, I saw Patches.

"You can say so."

"Well, at least it was a profitable night, for me, of course." Patches smiled as several bags and wooden boxes full of jewelry, rings, necklaces, earrings, expensive dresses, and perfumes stood beside him.

"Where did you get these things?"

"AAAAAHHHH! SOMEONE ROBBED ME!" Five's screams echoed through the night.

"Forget it, I know now."

"Well, my friend, I wish you a good night! It's getting late and I'd like to get my beauty sleep to welcome my clients with a smile tomorrow until we meet again!" Patches then walked further down the alley, but I heard him say something.

"A word of advice, you better be careful, today's invasion was not normal. Too many invaders in the same place, someone called them here." So Patches disappeared into the back alleys with his stolen wares.

Were they called? This only complicates my objective, I need to investigate! I returned to the beach and found the black dragon.

"Hello human, I encountered peculiar creatures tonight. Do you know what these things are?"

"Yes, I'll explain to you on the way."

The dragon nodded, grabbed me with one of its paws, and flew away from the Land of Seas.

-XXXXXX-

"Today's experiment was extremely productive, the nature of these beings known as invaders interests me. Spirits of the dead seeking revenge, perhaps this will reveal more about the power of souls." Three walked through a clearing away from Five's mansion with Octa beside her.

Suddenly, she stopped.

"Yes?" Three asked as if someone had spoken to her, but there was no one there.

"I understand."

It might have been the wind, but it looked like the gold dress Three wore moved.

"Octa! I propose we return to the Land of Forests, we have much to do."

Without saying a single word, Octa accompanied Three.

END OF CHAPTER