It's done.

And there's a weird part.

Don't judge me.

I made a new cover art. Sorry.

FUCKING BEGIN ALREADY.

Unholy Alliance Arc

The Anti-Jaeger Pact

A group of three scouts of the Revolution were talking around a campfire, deep into enemy territory.

Although the Revolution had pretty much the unofficial control of the south, there were random pockets of rebels all around the Empire. There had been an order for all these pockets to dismantle and gather in the south, a sign that the Empire was reaching its melting point

Normally, making it to the south would be easy, considering the sheer size of the Empire, sneaking around is easy. However, the Capital had somehow taken notice of this, and had been trying to hunt them one by one.

"Part of me wants the Revolution to start, but the thought of facing off teigu users is terrifying." One of the soldiers, a rookie, said.

"I wouldn't worry about that." A second one, the leader, answered. "I heard Night Raid got one or two of them already."

"Two? I heard only one. Whatever, good thing they're on our side. They're doing god's work with those Imperial dogs." The rookie sighed, mixed with happiness and fear.

"Please, we're not worthy of being targeted by the Jaegers. I would worry more about the… what was the name? You know, the groups of... Wolfpacks or something like that." The last scout spoke, looking at the dance of the fire.

"The what?" The rookie quickly lost interest in the teigus, and focused on his partner.

"The ones that are hunting isolated groups like ourselves. They appeared some weeks ago, but they have already taken out several groups... That's why we're scouting up ahead. Unless we suddenly cross by the most dangerous groups, we should be fine." The leader said, seeing the confusion on the trainee.

"I heard about it too. The incompetent ones are like sledgehammers, but I heard there's one that is like a surgical knife."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, imagine a melon. You grab the sledgehammer and break it in one go. Effective, but it's slow and you can dodge it. But the dangerous one cuts it into pieces, and then eats it. Try to escape while your arm is three meters behind you alongside your ears." The leader quickly explained.

"Damn dude. Then how do we distinguish it? I mean, I know it's metaphorical, but maybe there's a visible difference." The rookie seemed to have lost his fear, and was way more eager to ask questions.

"Well, I don't know. There's only rumors...But I heard about this spy on the capital, who survived an encounter with them. She was attacked by her leader or something I believe, way before the wolfpacks started. I heard that he's a soldier in white clothing."

"Isn't that a book? The winter soldier, no?"

"Who? No, that's completely unrelated. Like a white jacket or coat. In any case, it's not like you'll be able to see it. All you see is a white blur. Like, when snow falls from the rooftop and hits your head. And the soldiers under him aren't something to laugh at either."

"Wait, wait. Wasn't the one in charge of the Cloud district someone like that? White clothing, strong and fast." The third one suddenly interjected.

"No, no. I heard he's from the revolution or something… like that. The girl told me that she was there and she said it was the nicest district ever thanks to that guy. Must be his e-vil twin."

The group's laughter suddenly came to a stop, as a strange breeze extinguished the fire in front of the group.

"Huh… Captain? Doesn't it smell… kinda...we..ird…?" Immediately, the three scouts tried to flee to a hiding place, but they were unable to move for some reason, and fell to the ground. They all looked at each other, motionless, before they heard a twig snap. If it wasn't for the dryness of the air, the sound would have been lost in the forest.

"I'm freezing...! For aught I know, he must be trying to torture me on some way...!"A blond girl mumbled while slowly walking through the forest. It seemed that her clothing had a strange light green tinge, as if to merge with the environment. However, all her limbs were covered in white and reddish bandages, contradicting whatever purpose her dress had.

"Oh, wow. It worked! Completely immobile." She said while letting out a goofy laugh. "Ohohoho! Who said that alchemy's only purpose was to transmute gold!?"

The three scouts looked horrified at each other, trying to move their limbs. It looked like they had suddenly lost all energy.

"Wait a second, my fellow dummies! I can't see a thing without that campfire." The strange girl, shivering, started to draw a circle on top of the ashes, adding some strange lines and symbols before stopping.

"Was this one for making fire? How could I have forgotten such simple alchemy? I've just made miasma so easily and… Ah, right! I need more objects. Do you guys have a compass? And chalk? And… you really can't move anything." She looked once again at the ashes before giving up.

"I'm being very nice to you three. I could run away, but look, this arm is broken. You know how many times I've broken a bone? Two times! I don't know if it's going to heal without my teigu. I mean, if I drank enough blood perhaps, but it's such a hassle without it. Maybe I should get a transplant for my eye and maybe I could make another arm… Hm..."

She sat down on the ground, in the middle of the three motionless scouts. She played with her hair, like it was helping her concentrate on whatever she was thinking. After a few minutes,she started smiling like a child about to do mischiefs.

"We'll have to wait a bit until that guy comes here. So meanwhile… You three have brown eyes." She casually mentioned as she touched her eyepatch. "They're all pretty ugly, but beautiful eyes like mine are very I can't mess up if I want a transplant so… Who wants to be a volunteer? But not you two. You're too old." She said while pointing at the two older men.

"But you're still a youngster, just like me. What are you doing here, throwing your life away?" She crawled over the rookie, caressing his face. "Let's see… Just make sure you don't blink!"

She forcefully opened his eye, as the boy panicked with a silent scream. With only her left hand, her fingers slowly buried into the rubbery sclera, ripping the small and weak blood vessels of the eye.

"Oops! I wanted the left eye, silly me." She stopped and licked the blood on her hand. "It tastes like oil. I guess we won't be compatible. You're all a disappointment." She got up from the ground and looked around the forest.

"Ahh… I'll get my dress dirty with blood. Well, good thing I have bandages, like Nefertiti." She slowly removed her dress, which was quite hard to do since she had a broken arm. But she couldn't just stain her only clothes!

"Whatever, now you two! I bet your blood is much better!"

I had been walking through this forest with Dorothea, mostly trying to find some Revolution guys. She's not a good partner, I'll tell you that. Not to mention that yesterday she tried to stab me with a damn branch. It's very awkward to talk with someone who just tried to murder you. Again.

Ten days ago, Esdese told me that I should know what to do, so I asked her if I could leave the town a bit later than the Jaegers, two days, to prepare for a mission with my men. Obviously, it had to be near Kyoroch, the place they'll be at, to get Esdese's approval.

Like my unit is still bounded to the Capital, this means that we've been detached from the chain of command. Which means, 'technically', that nobody is controlling me.

So after almost leaving Dorothea blind, don't ask for details, she willing asked me to come. I mean, she told me I wasn't menacing, so… I didn't know what else to do. It's not like I was actually going to rip her eye out.

It's been a week since that, and the Jaegers are more than likely already in that small town. We should reach it tomorrow, but I decided to take a small "stroll" with Dorothea, just in case. I'm sure she only agreed to come because she had something in mind to do, so it's better if I keep her close.

But that brings me a new did that girl go? I swear, if she tries to kill me again, I'm going to break her only useful arm. If she has been nice and actually followed the mission, I will take back my words.

"Yeah! And then we go down on her!"

Yeah!

Wait, what?

I kept walking, trying to think about rabbits, until I heard that weird alchemist laughing like an idiot. She was doing something bad.

I took a few shorts sprints until I reached a small clearing, ignoring the foul smell of the air, where I spotted a few figures on the dark. It didn't take me much to realize who was one of them.

"Dorothea, what are you doing? A-... Where is your dress? You're covered in blo- Is that an eye on your hand?" I said as I scanned her previously green and now red clothes.

I spotted her dress nicely folded near to a birch tree. Probably because most of the bandages and rags she was wearing were covered in blood, from head to toes. Looking at her, it didn't seem she had too much fun. Or she's just hating me. Both.

"Uh… No." She quickly got up and tossed aside the bloody organ nonchalantly. "I was trying to drink blood, but it's very hard without my teigu. Um… I might have killed two."

"You just keep finding ways to disappoint me. How did you get them so close?" I approached her warily, trying to make sense of this scene.

"Oh, you know, it's not like I'm an alchemist or anything." She said while licking her fingers like a cat.

"As long as you haven't killed the last one… You could have done something more humane, did you pluck the eyes of this one?" The face of one of them was poorly disfigured, apart from missing two eyes.

"No. I was practising medicine. He was going to die anyways! And his blood was pretty bad, so I thought that one would be better. But the blood just sprayed over me when I sliced his jugular. I broke two nails because of that… I want my teigu back! Everything was much smooth and tasty and easy and…!"

"Yeah, your face was smoother too." She scowled at me, obviously mad that I dismissed his 'beauty'.

I walked over to her, to check that the last one was still alive. We were supposed to follow the scouts, as we have done before. I allowed her to go ahead, because I needed to go to the bathroom of the forest.

In any case, I don't want to step on this blood. It's all messy and what is this circle? It has some weird markings and... Oh well, it's on my way.

I unconsciously stepped on it, which lead to Dorothea click her tongue in disappointment.

"What?" I asked without actually caring for an answer.

"I worked very hard on drawing that circle." She said, as she touched the broken drawing. "It was almost perfect." She faked a wail as if she cared about anything.

"You 'agreed' to come with me, so I thought that maybe you'd be useful." I said, looking over to the only living scout.

"Give me my teigu and I'll be happy." I really didn't want to hear her, so I ignored her.

I avoided the corpses around and crouched down to the last living scout. He was unconscious, but there was a pulse.

"It's been around five minutes, so the effect should start to wear off." Dorothea said, although I didn't understand what she meant.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but he's still alive." I smacked him a few times to wake him up. "Are you still here? Up to some nice discussion?"

The soldier looked confused for a moment and noticed his dead comrades nearby. His shocked face quickly turned serious and closed his eyes. If he tried to move, my sword was enough to keep him in place.

"I won't say anything." I sighed as soon as he said that.

"Yes, yes, I know. You guys could use some new phrases. I've heard that one a lot. How about 'Imperial scum,my lips are sealed!' or something like that?" I mean, it's only the third time we've done this, but normally after the second one things stop being coincidence.

"I always liked 'Have at thee coward!'." Dorothea said somewhat cheery.

"...Right, when did you hear that?" I doubt people talk like that nowadays.

"Last civil war. Get back my teigu!" I didn't hear a 'please' with that sentence.

Didn't last civil war happened like 300 years ago. Teigus got lost and I don't know who won. Anyways, I'm supposed to interrogate this man.

"So, friend, we've been following this trail for quite some time. Since the Revolution is all scattered along the Empire, we can't keep track of them. However, you guys are starting to gather on the south, correct? We… I need to know how you're moving the heavy equipment. All the guns you'll be using to siege the Capital. And since we've been finding packs of people like you, I thought the passage might be near here."

If I succeed I have a promotion guaranteed. My superiors want me out of the capital, as apparently I'm a bad influence. But they'll see I'm much more dangerous outside of it. They'll be forced to promote me if they don't want Esdese to have a talk with them.

"..." After my small explanation, it looked like he didn't want to answer.

Then I'll have to get serious and actually be an ass.

"Damn, you're the worst at this." Dorothea said while approaching the downed scout. "I'll do it in less than two minutes, Captain Special."

Part of me thought that she was helping, but I quickly dismissed that thought. She just wants to go back, get a new dress and sleep tight. Although seeing her only covered by some bandages and covered in blood was kind of exciting in a wrong way.

"Don't do anything stupid." I warned her before she did something harsh, like killing the prisoner.

She only glared at me before I started to sense her killing intent. Oh goodie…

By previous experiences, I can't say that Dorothea is scary or terrifying with her cute face, but she knows how to intimidate someone. That someone being me, but I have already mastered the art of not letting her near my private parts, so she has no effect around me.

However, the same can't be said for the soldier right here, as Dorothea was about to finish this up very quickly.

"Listen up! I don't want to be here half-naked while you keep being a whiny little bitch, so you better start talking!" That was unexpected.

The scout didn't seem fazed at all. In fact, he was even more determined to stay silent. That courage was probably the end for him, sadly.

And that courage was definitely mashed up as Dorothea glided her foot around his crotch and inevitably crushed the future of the poor guy. I visually flinched as I could only imagine the pain that caused to him. His unyielding scream quickly gave away to a soulless whimper that was only softened when Dorothea moved her foot.

Only watching is already hurting me. Ouch.

"Come on, answer. I'll crush the other one next." It was only one?! Damn.

I don't know if the guy didn't answer from the amount of pain he was suffering, or because he still had some kind of unimaginable mental strength. But I don't think that really mattered to Dorothea.

Out of fear that the shock would kill the guy, and because I pitied him as a man, I stopped Dorothea before she could do anything else.

"Really, I appreciate your support, but we're not Greek with the whole castration. You're going to kill him before he spills out the beans." I pulled some of her bandages to make her back away, much to her indignation.

"You'd stand here talking to this guy for hours while I froze to death!" JUST DRESS ALREADY!

She might not be able to control me anymore, but it's not like I can either. At first I could kind of control her with her wounds, but it's just temporary. She's also getting stronger everyday. And though she's not a threat yet, she's very annoying.

"Go drink blood or something. Let me talk to the poor bastard a-"

"But they're already cold! What do you think I am, a leech?!" She's complaining like a professional whiner.

But you know what? Yes! Because you're sucking my life out!

"So, are you still there? Scout?" I continued to ignore every girl in the vicinity, and kneeled down besides the prisoner.

It looked like his pain hadn't diminished in the slightest. I don't think he even noticed I was next to him.

"Good one Doro. Now he can't even talk." I wasn't exactly mad, but this was very annoying. Where will Commandant Tatsumi be at now?

"He'll start talking once I break his manhood!" I'm beginning to think she has more issues than I had imagined.

"I-I'll talk! Oh god! I'll talk!" He managed to speak up before the seventh circle of hell descended upon his bleak future.

I rolled my eyes as I saw that egomaniac smirk, which reminded me of some dark memories.

"Nice boy. Come on, speak loudly so he can hear you." Dorothea was probably gushing from gaining dominance once again.

And I must say, it feels nice when people actually work for you. Even if she's getting sadistic… no, narcissist tendencies.

He pretty much explained partially where the possible route would be at. It seems that the scouts don't know much more than a regular soldier. If I really want good info, I'd need to get an officer or something. But that'd get unwanted eyes from the Revolution.

This is better than anything at the very least. I'm going to get that artillery no matter what.

"Thank you very much. There's a small problem though. If we let you live, you'll tell them to change the route. And if we kill you they'll change the route because it's dangerous. So Dorothea, do your alchemy thingy." I said while walking away from the scout.

"Don't order me around. You're the one who needs me, not the other way around." The alchemist suddenly said.

I stopped and looked back at managed to glare at me for five whole seconds before she pouted in resignation.

"You know, alchemy doesn't work at remote control." Dorothea said as she crouched down to grab something from her dress. "So when I draw a symbol on the ground or in this case, a person, it's just a silly symbol until it can be activated."

The girl had some small piece of paper on her hand, which she quickly put on the forehead of the downed soldier.

"As stupid as it sounds, without an alchemist there isn't any alchemy. And you're going to feel a bit warm on your head."

There was a small glimmer and whatever Dorothea had on her hand disappeared. The soldier didn't look any different either.

"So it's pretty simple. If you ever try to tell someone that you were attacked, you'll simply be paralyzed forever. Just a bit of sweat, and bye bye your body below your neck."

She twirled her hair around for a moment, gazing the trembling soldier with a contained smirk.

Was everything she said a lie? Probably not, but even if it's not true the guy will be scared shitless of saying anything.

"Okay, let's go Dory. Can you stop holding down the guy?" I said as I try to make sure of what direction we would head next.

"Yes, yes. But like… I want some blood… and… just a bit won't kill him! AND THE GUY IS STILL RESISTING!" Thanks to these days with her, I could see that she had a fuse so short that the capital would have exploded several times already.

She was having trouble to pin the soldier, who was struggling to get out of her grasp.

"Bite him or something." I quickly gave an answer.

"You already saw what happened with the others, help me a little bit." She was putting quite some effort in restraining him, probably because her wounds still hurt her.

"You still have teeth, you dolt!"

"But I'll get dirty again! He might even die I bet!" Dorothea tried to use her weight to make him stop, but she barely weighed more than her bandages.

"I want to sleep, and I'm not leaving without you. So either bite him or leave him be." I said as I kept feeling from my handgun, just in case.

"Then give me your gun and let me shoot him."

"Oh, great idea. What'll you do after you shoot me?" I said as I approached their small fight.

"Come on! I'm a very nice girl… AH! What are you doing?!" She started protesting right as I separated her from the poor guy and lifted her up like a sack of rice.

She squirmed around, trying to free herself from me, all while saying very beautiful opinions about my mother. It was very annoying, but I got her to stop being such a damn damsel.

"I hate you so much!" I was already walking away, trying to reach our rendezvous point, but she kept trying to fight my grasp, although relying less on those heavy insults.

Her insufferable wailing was annoying but after a few more punches and kicks, her speed slowed down to the point of stopping. Barely ten seconds she lasted.

"Since, since you're being so unreasonable, I guess I'll stop." She said between some breaths.

Yeah, she only got tired. I've seen her sleep, but hell, has she ever eaten in front of me? Does she have a complex or it's just that she doesn't eat? I don't know, but the energy she wakes up with is astonishing. I honestly believe that she takes some hardcore drugs or something similar.

… Why is she touching my hip?

"Dorothea, if you're trying to steal the pistol, it's on the right holster. That thing you're touching is the hilt of the sword." She was definitely trying to grab the handgun because she was lying forwards to have more reach.

"You didn't let me touch your sword. Are you gay or something?"

There she goes.

"Very funny, but I was talking about the actual sword. Second off I'm giving you a piggyback ride. Complain once again and I'll drop you off." Every time she moves around, her chest caresses me more. Which I'm not enjoying.

"Pfft, please Tatsumi. You're just a very b- NO, STOP IT! THE GROUND IS COLD! AHHH!" She wrapped around her legs and arms around me as I let go of her.

"Get off. You're screaming into my ear!" I was trying to remove her legs, but she was making me lose my balance.

"NO, NO! Come on, I'll give you a massage?!" Either she was very lazy, or she didn't want to walk. I was betting on both.

"So you can backstab me?"

"I'll make you food, whatever you want!"

"The poison will make it great."

"Agh! What the hell do you want? You don't want pleasure, you don't want food, don't you want to enjoy life?!" She was holding onto me like her life depended on it, and me struggling wouldn't make it better.

However, this was different from before. She was actually the one proposing things to give me, not the other way around.

"Hm… Then do everything I want from now on." Between 100% and 120% of the times, please.

"...Get my teigu and I'll cons- NOOO! THERE ARE BUGS!" I can't get her off me! AHHH!

OH MY GOD! You know what?! Screw being nice with her!

"Fine, I'll bring you over. But first, let me do something to you. Let's say they are lessons on this companionship." I tried to hide my embarrassment as I only knew what it meant.

Like that voice in my head said, if I save a drowning person, he'll be grateful. If he isn't, then I'll let him drown once again. With Dorothea is the same. Right now I pulled her out of the 'water' by having Esdese not kill her, but she's not being very grateful. I'll let her 'sink' once again, and then after suffocating for quite a bit, I'll rescue her again. Obviously I'm not going to drown her literally, it's all a metaphor.

I've been thinking of ways to do that, but I couldn't think of any that didn't involve being a horrible human besides one. Except this one. There's no way she'll refuse, because it's such a trivial thing that she'll probably think I'm retarded.

But this is not only to have her at my mercy.

"You're into some kinky stuff, but you'll bring me like this all the way, right?" I don't know why she was so obsessed with this. Maybe I'm being fooled? No matter.

"Sure, why not. You'll have to get off me though." I pushed her off, as she reluctantly touched the ground and faced me.

Okay, how to make the most of this…

Oh, I know! This is a perfect plan. I've been thinking about it for a whole thirty seconds.

"First, bite my finger." I'd use my sword for this, but it's covered in blood and I don't want an infection.

She gave me a weird look, before taking my extended hand and nibbling my index finger. This is weird, don't look at me like I'm...

"No, like, hard. Make me bleed." Good thing I know the context of this.

"W-Wait, hold on. I don't want your blood. I get really out of hand…" Oh, oh, now she feels guilty about it. I'm actually surprised she didn't insult me.

"Then have fun with your wrinkles." I said, trying to force a positive answer.

This time she really bit my finger, very hard. I'm sure she almost snapped it off. I pulled it out before she could do anything else.

Maybe I didn't think that one out very brightly.

She looked at me with disgust before softening up a bit. Yes, so much for 'I don't want your blood' but you didn't spit it.

"Next time I'll punch you. Okay, next off..."

"Asshole. You're awful with women." She rolled her eyes before looking at me again. They didn't have that hunter glare from before. "Can't you make me feel good without giving me your blood?"

"You talk too much."

I think she's misunderstood what I'm about to so.

I should tie her arms though. Well, the one she can use. She can gouge my eyes out if I don't. Good thing I have a belt, or then all of this would go to waste.

"Gee, why are you removing your belt so soon? I need foreplay too!"

She really thinks that I… If she thought about it for one second, she'd realize what I'm really going to do.

"You're really misunderstanding what's happening here." She didn't move at all as I used my belt to tie her hands up.

"...?" She looked at me with some dreamy eyes, before feeling somewhat ashamed for some reason.

She willingly let me tie her hands. It wasn't because she wanted me to do anything, but because she just didn't feel threatened at all. She knows I don't torture people… at least with pain.

I had her tied, and for the legs… well, I'm going to be on top them.

Now I just need to lay her down on the ground and…

"Now I'm going to tickle you."

I grabbed a small green leaf, soft and smooth, from one of the nearby bushes and held my breath.

"Are… Are you serious?" She wanted to laugh but couldn't. Maybe because she thought it was too stupid.

"Yep. I don't know where your wounds are at and I don't want you to get hurt, so we'll just remove some bandages later."

It seemed that my blood had made her stupider too, as she just realized what I was going to do.

"H-Hey now... Are you really going to torture me like...?"

I don't want blood in my jacket. Besides, I'm not that much of a maniac to actually cut your fingers. Making someone laugh when they don't want to is the worst kind of torture I'll ever do. Unless I lose that last screw I have around.

"Kids tickle each other all the time. I heard from Esdese that nobles get tortured like this, so that they don't show any signs afterwards." I simply shrugged. "I'm treating you like some high-ranking girl, feel proud of it."

"Hm, whatever. If you want to be stupid, I'll let you be." Even if she was restrained, she kept her aggressive attitude towards me and provoked me as always.

"Fine then. You'll change of opinion afterwards." I said while messing around with the leaf.

I was really hesitant about this. But that voice in my head is right. I have to dominate her… to make her drown completely. There's no other way to control her.

I sighed heavily and started teasing her cheek as a test. She seemed to like it, but this was just the beginning.

"Maybe you've always wanted this? You don't want to be on the bottom anymore, eh?" Her words passed through me like air.

"I don't know where you're getting this."

"Please, you're just a child. It's so easy to see right through you." I tried to surprise her by tickling her ear with the leaf, right as she was saying those words.

She shut her mouth tight just as I did, trying to prevent her laughter.

Only now I realized that I was quite close to her. But unlike those other times, there wasn't a feeling of distress inside me. It felt kinda weird, like there was this pressure going around my body.

"Y-You're really doing this...Mh...! Don't blow into my ear!" She really loves to talk.

Her neck slightly jolted as I blew into her ear. She let out a soft breath afterwards, meaning that her ears must be kind of sensitive. They're probably the only thing that Esdese left alone, so it makes sense.

Right around this time I realized that I was really going through with this and mentally insulted myself several times..

I just have to imagine that I'm like much younger, I'm not holding someone against her will and this girl is totally my friend.

I continued tickling her ear slowly, watching how her breath became more rapid.

This is just retribution, right? She manipulated me and Mein like toys, so I guess if I make her feel the same, she'll become more bearable.

"Mmfh... What art thou…!" She held back her laugh, knowing that doing so would mean that I win.

I didn't know she used archaism. Ah, must be because she's trying hard to fit in on these modern times.

"What was that?" Something about her helplessness just gave me a rush. It was like finally karma was happening. Again.

"N-Nothing!" She desperately squirmed around, trying to flee from my movements.

She's handling herself very well, but I'm not done yet.

"You know, there are other places you can use that lonely leaf. But… Oh my, they're covered in bandages! Guess what you'll have to do?"

Fine, fine! I'll do it. If I somehow managed to maintain my chastity around Esdese, it's not like I won't see anything new. Besides, she doesn't have much chest and that other part is… well, I'm not sure if it tickles down there. I guess it would…?

I won't know if I don't try.

I started thinking about butterflies and sunshine, and proceed to slowly remove some bandages from her neck and chest. It was difficult, seeing how she was flipping around, but it'd be much harder if I hadn't tied her up.

"C-Come on now... Are you going to rape me now? Please?"

"Not really. But I think you mean, 'art thou going to…'" I removed more and more bandages until...

"Al... Fh... Ah...! Don't remove that... Hahh... It's ugly...!"

A mix of relief and stress invaded me as there wasn't that many wounds on her torso. I would have started wondering why she covered herself in bandages, but I was too distraught by my own actions that I didn't even bother.

Also, she was flat.

"Honestly it's better if you give up."

"Ffhhh... Fuck you... This is... nothing..."

I knew she was bluffing. Her face was bright red as she tried to contain her laughter, twisting her lips as she tried to escape from reality.

Basing on my experience while I was a kid, I knew another ticklish spot was the belly button. The navel is somewhat like that place that you don't think you have until you look at it, so it's extra sensitive.

But would that be enough to finally make her laugh? Because even after she breaks out laughing, I'll have to keep going for at least twenty minutes. I don't want to desensitize her too quickly.

I moved the leaf around almost without touching her, slowly heading towards her navel. And then I started moving it in circular motions, causing her to quiver. It seemed that I had her completely under my thumb, because as much as she tried to twist around, I didn't let her.

"How's that? You're starting to sweat a bit. Wasn't this night cold for you?" I asked, while trying to focus on my mental tasks of cute animals and dead people.

"...Kh…" She wasn't answering at all. All her willpower was concentrated on not laughing.

This must be it. Now for the final strike! If there's a spot where most people are ticklish, it's the feet! But it'll be hard to do so, since I'm on top of her legs in order to keep her in place.

Assuming an awkward position, I spent some time running the leaf along her legs before finally reaching her sole.

Her body convulsed from the maddening sensation, but somehow, she still managed to not laugh. At this moment, instead of getting frustrated, I only got more determined.

The more she holds on, the stronger it will be the breakdown.

"Just for holding out so far, I'll bandage your left arm after this!" I said as I prepared my double assault.

I've been using only one hand. With this left hand of mine, I'll show you how you're not any different from us!

Her face stiffened up as she saw my free hand slowly caress her leg until I reached her feet.

"W-Wait! I'll be good, I swear!"

But those words were like wind to me, and finally I decided to end this.

Just as my hand made contact with ticklish foot, she exploded in a wave of laughter that had been bottled up from the beginning. But it wasn't a happy laugh at all, it was in a swift and lovely agony. Pleasure, pain and laughter, all in one!

So laugh, laugh! Let your laughter make you insane!

Because we have an hour to pass by, and you won't stop laughing at all!

Some hours later…

…

…

…

Uh… I might have gone a bit overboard on that one… I guess the human body has some weird spots. I think I've studied enough female anatomy for today.

That's something I thought I'd never say.

We are going to repress this memory. One… two… REPRESSED!

In any case, I was already reaching the rendezvous point where I would reunite with my soldiers. Esdese never said that I had to come alone and besides, doing these missions alone wouldn't help much. I don't know how the garrison of Kyoroch will react though.

I looked around and saw that the moral wasn't as low as I imagined. We had to separate into groups of three platoons to make the... Wolfpacks? I think that's how everyone calls them. I was told to find the route the Revolution uses and exploit it as much as we can before they realize.

In any case, the town will be filled with Jaegers and Night Raiders, so I don't think it'll take much for the Revolution to use another route.

Night Raid may not have arrived yet, since they must have been taking secondary roads. Obviously Esdese and co. will already be there.

It's like I have a terrible weight on my shoulders.

"Horrible… so horrible…" Dorothea muttered as I carried her back to the camp.

Ah, that. Honestly I don't feel bad at all. It was weird, very weird, but I had to do something. Although if she could just try to not fall backwards, that'd be great.

I continued forward until I noticed someone approaching me. Ah, right, the only guy whose name I remember, Egu.

"Gee, Captain, what were you doing with that girl?" My right hand man said right as he saw me.

"Don't ask. We haven't brought any clothes, right?" I made sure that Dorothea was indeed alive, and sighed exhausted.

"Well, we don't usually bring dresses around... Why… is she half naked? I thought she had more bandages than that?" He asked, half serious.

"She asked for it. Well, Dorothea, I upheld my part of the deal. You can get off." She basically plummeted to the ground, making a very strange poof.

"You can bring her an uniform and… Wait, no. She's way too tired to do that much exercise. You can just cover her with a blanket. And by clothes I meant spare clothes for me? I got kinda… drenched." I looked away at the damn irony of the situation.

Maybe she laughed a bit too much, and maybe something kinda leaked out. Basically, she pissed on me and now part of my shirt and pants are all wet. It's pretty disgusting.

I remember clearly that a month ago she wanted me to have a golden shower. I hate irony.

"But this forest is dr- Oh… Can I ask what happened?"

"No." I really didn't want to explain that. "Just go get a blanket."

"Yes, sir." He dashed off as soon as he said.

Dorothea hadn't really moved from the spot I dropped her at, so maybe I overdid it a tiny bit. But, those were only a few laughs, nothing she won't recover from. Just like the laughs I'll be having when she finally dies.

Anyhow, I don't really have much to do besides waiting for Egu. I'm not stupid enough to leave Dorothea alone and I don't know why, but she isn't the best chatting partner.

Ah, she can't even stand up. The ground is cold… and… eh, are you breathing?

I got slightly worried that she might have had a heart attack, so I kneeled down and tried to put pressure on the jugular, because as you know, that's a very important vein. However, as soon as I tried to touch her, she quickly backed off in fear.

...Maybe I was wrong in doing this. But there's no other way. She's drowning in despair and now I'll have to pull her out of the water, hopefully for the last time.

"Tomorrow we'll reach Kyoroch. And well, you've tried to kill me less than five times. I was thinking of actually giving you something nice." I looked behind me, since we hadn't reached the camp yet.

"I guess I haven't carried you all the way, right? Hop on my back. We're almost there." I turned around and pointed at my back.

Although I wasn't staring at her, I could tell that she was very hesitant about it, but she finally gave in after a few seconds of thinking.

It felt wrong to be silent after everything, so I actually went against my common sense and spoke up.

"So… I honestly thought you didn't eat. I mean, vampires don't really…"

"I'm not a vampire." She actually answered, leaving me a bit dumbfounded.

"Well, you don't have fangs anymore, but you do have a very pale skin, and you look kind of dead." I don't know why I was trying to strike up a conversation with her. I do feel kinda like an asshole, but it was completely justified.

She didn't answer at all, but I didn't have anything else to do besides talking to her.

"Next time you try to do something, I will not be as good as tonight. Besides, it was just a few good laughs, and then it was maybe a bit of pain and then you kinda leaked, but hey, that wasn't so bad after all."

"I-It… w-was… no-nothing." She weakly said, clearly lying.

Poor girl can't let down that pride of hers. It's amazing she's keeping up with it. She's endured both Esdese and me without breaking.

"Oh. Do you want me to tickle you again?"

"NO!" She yelled into my ear, leaving me almost deaf.

Apart from my mixed reaction, I reckon the experiment has gone great. She now knows that I will make her feel horrible, but only if she does something against me. Will this actually change her? I doubt it, until I keep doing it some more.

I reached the quickly assembled camp, and greeted some of the soldiers that came to me, probably seeing that Dorothea was.. Uh, injured. I brushed it off as exhaustion and they nicely backed away.

Of course, they didn't know why she was actually with me. It's not like I have to tell them everything. I think I don't have to. It's not like I cheated to enter the army.

"Captain,I had put together a small tent! And here's the blanket!" Egu dashed over to me, covering Dorothea with the blanket.

"T-There was no need for that. I could have done it." I kind of want to feel useful too, but he didn't see it like it.

"It was no problem!" He proudly said, trying to get my approval.

"Thanks then. Dorothea, I guess you want to sleep. Come on, enter."

...What? I'm not going to let her sleep where I can't see her. She'll run away. If she at least sleeps beside me, I'll notice before she does something harsh.

I let her down on the floor, and she slowly crawled away before entering the tent. It was kind of depressing seeing her grasping that blanket like her life depended on it.

Right after she entered, I walked away to eat something. And to clean my hands.

"Captain, eh, may I ask a question?" Egu accompanied me, as he should, and continued talking.

"As long as it isn't about my clothes, ask away."

"Why is that woman with us? Isn't she... the one we tried to kill?" He wasn't suspicious, more like confused.

"Well, yes."

That seems like neat answer.

"... Is that it?" Come on, what does he want? The bible?

"Alright, how about this. After our attempted murder, we saw that she was actually innocent. Then, to make it up to us, she has decided to willingly come with us."

"But, Captain, shouldn't we be the ones who..."

"Ahaha... No. See it like this, she's our health delivery girl." I think that's how some soldiers referred to nurses, right? It must be some military slang I don't know about.

"Oh. Like a prostitute?"

"No! A nurse, a nurse! That's not what it means!"

"I'm pretty sure it does, sir."

Shit, what the hell. Obviously it should mean doctor or something that goes to houses. Not prostitute! It's not important, calm down.

"Whatever, call her a prostitute for all I care, it's not like it matters to her." It's not like she's listening right now.

"O-Oh.." He nodded, trying to digest that answer.

"What is it?" I asked, seeing how Egu was concerned about something, but I couldn't tell what.

"Well, you seem kind of… You look very off when she's around. I'm not complaining or anything though, sir!" He stopped as he bowed several times, trying to get me to forgive him.

"It's necessary, think about it as a kind of etiquette… I can't act normally with her, like with Seryu. We just need that alchemist. She wants to do something too, and we can't let her go rampant knowing that, can we?" I looked away, trying to think of a more meaningful answer.

"I see..." He nodded as if reminiscing some distant memory. "But is it really necessary? She doesn't look like she could hurt a fly. She looks like a porcelain doll."

"You know, you're lucky I know you or you'd end up punched. If you really think that, I have a new mission for you. After we reach Kyoroch, I won't be able to be… No, I don't want to be with Dorothea, so I need you to keep an eye on her." I looked him dead on the eye, making sure he saw it was serious.

"I have to babysit her?" He was pretty confused.

"Yes. I don't want to end my days watching over her, so tell me any developments. Whatever she does, and about her wounds and her mental state. More importantly, don't let her seduce you. Don't let her near you. Those are the two important steps with her. Then you'll see how much of a nice girl she is." I quickly explained, as I was starving.

"Captain, I don't know. Is she really that dangerous? She just looks like an orphan who has been influenced by some bad choices and people..." He willingly said, as he's very likely to speak his mind.

"That doesn't justify anything. She is what she is. This is very important, and you can't refuse."

He was hesitant, but he nonetheless knew what an order was.

"Now… I'm hungry."

After that, I ate some half-decent stew and talked with some of the soldiers there. Just trying to look like an actual officer. But after that, I felt exhausted so I entered my tent, checked that Dorothea was indeed alive and sleeping.

Even then, I wanted to make sure she wasn't faking it, so I tried to stay awake. But I was way too tired for that...

Ow… I fell asleep. There's already a bit of light… Morning already? No... I don't want to open my eyes...

I still feel tired. I haven't slept like a normal person in ages. I would be sleeping great with Esdese if she had more clothes. And more space.

My back is hurting like hell though. I was sitting down before I fell asleep, so I guess that's why. But I don't understand why my shoulders feels so stiff. It may the responsibility… HA!

I slowly opened my eyes and stretched out my arms, without caring about all my bones protesting. After I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I noticed that Dorothea was much closer to me than what I expected. She was probably cold and just approached me unconsciously.

However, watching her sleep so innocently, like she was a completely human being, stirred my insides in a strange way. I could only see the shape of her body through the white blanket, but I couldn't forget what laid below it.

Wounds covered in someone else's blood that I should have cleaned and treated yesterday but forgot because I was tired.

"Oh crap, I forgot to change her bandages." I slapped myself a few times to wake up completely and left the tent.

After everything I've done, it'd be awful if she dies.

It took me just a bit to gather everything I needed, since the activity on the camp was starting to rise along with the sun. I greeted some soldiers I didn't know, and lost a fair amount of time, but Dorothea shouldn't have woken up yet.

Let's see if I have everything. Lots of different bandages, another bunch of gauzes, some antibiotic ointment… we just have a bit left, because the herbs needed aren't really growing on this season. Vodka, because we don't have any disinfectant and this is the closest I'll get. And a pair of tweezers and scissors because why not? Maybe a bloatfly has laid eggs on her. It would be absolutely disgusting and horrendous, but it happens.

I entered the tent once again, and left everything I was carrying beside her sleeping body.

I expected her to wake up as I made too much noise, but she was still in the same position since I left. Did she die?

Although I saw her chest moving up and down, I sat down next to her and searched for a pulse on her neck. She usually wakes up way before me so it's my first time telling her to get up. Well, I didn't know if she really slept, but we can confirm it now.

I wasn't really sure on how to wake her up, so I started poking her cheek for a few moments. She didn't exactly react, which prompted me to continue to caress her nose until I reached her lips.

I panicked for a second as she rolled around and threw her left hand on my lap with a loud thud. Luckily, she was still completely out of service.

Thank god for that. She's not very lady-like if she's drooling like that, but at least she doesn't snore or anything.

Fine, I'll clean your face and your drool and then...

"...!" I pulled my hand back, realizing what I was doing. She looks five years younger than yesterday, so my mind must have gone out of touch for a moment.

Ehem… I guess that her fake beauty is pretty good. She's very soft and tender now, probably because she drank blood, even if not much. Her lips have a good pink color too, not the that pale tone they had a few days ago… And her hair is clean and silky, even if I haven't...

Stupid male senses!

I have to act like a damn monk around every girl around me, and it's driving me crazy! This is not much better than sleeping besides Esdese. And least she treats me nicely, unlike Dorothea. Shouldn't that give my body a clear signal that this would be much worse?

"Hey." After I felt my clothes get a bit tighter, I decided to get rougher and pinched her cheeks.

She sluggishly tried to fight me off before hugging my hips. That's not good. The best thing is to not acknowledge anything.

"I'll give you five seconds before I start tickling you." I pulled myself back and pushed her off as I said those words.

It didn't take much before Dorothea started rolling around, panicking. She got up at the same time as me, but she looked way more sleepy. This was different than usual, as every morning she's always with much more energy.

"What the hell…? You're awful…" She babbled like a baby, really tired.

"Good morning to you too. When was the last time you changed your bandages?" I said as I made her sit down on front of me, grabbing her only healthy arm.

"Huh…? I don't think I've ever changed them." She said as she tried to rub her eyes.

"Yeah, very funny. You would have died of infection several weeks ago if that was true. Oh well, stop rubbing your eyes." I took her left arm once again as lightly as possible, and looked at her hand.

"I'm going to remove the bandages of your left hand, okay?" I couldn't find where the bandages began, so I grabbed the pair of scissors from the pile and made my own way.

"I don't need your help! I can…" She tried to say something, but it seemed whatever fighting spirit she had was very mild. "Don't touch neither my eye or my right arm."

I don't know why she's so opposed to me healing her, but I suppose it's just pride. Or she doesn't want to show weakness or some shit.

"Right." I removed most of the bandages from her hand, and focused on her wounds. "So, there aren't any nails. But it looks like they're beginning to grow again. Your pinky finger is fine though. And turn it around... Your palm looks like it's burnt."

All the burnt skin will peel off, but for such a small wound it should have happened already. This must have happened not too long ago, so she should have been out of Esdese's grasp by then. Besides, it looks too mild to be torture.

Anyways, not much I can do besides her pinky finger.

"You can leave this hand uncovered. It looks like it's mostly healed." I continued to remove the bandages, this time from her wrist.

"No. It looks ugly, it's better off covered like before." The way she said it, meant that I couldn't bargain around that.

I removed more and more bandages, until her whole left arm was uncovered.

"Huh… there's not much here." From her elbow to her shoulder, it had healed almost completely, to the point of being an almost normal arm.

"Blood helps me heal. If I suffer too many wounds without blood, I'd start to get a bit… older." She explained, without anyone asking for it.

"Who did you drink after Esdese tortured you? Wait a second, something pierced you here."

She had small scabs from her elbow to her shoulder, but they were too small to be made with a normal weapon. Even then, I managed to discover the culprit of this act! There was a small spike going across her arm, as sharp as a needle. I couldn't gather what or why Esdese would do this, but I only gathered that a really angry porcupine had decided to relieve some stress in here.

"Okay, not too bad. Although… wait a second…" I grabbed the tweezers I carried here and focused on her arm again. "It won't hurt that much!"

"What do yo- AH! That hurt!" She yelped in pain before shaking me off, as blood started to drip down her left arm.

I looked at the needle I had removed, and besides the red from blood, there was a strange greenish sticky substance on the end. Whatever it was, I didn't want to touch it.

I laid down the needle and tweezers in a white cloth, to make sure I didn't have a nasty surprise.

"Don't be a baby. I'll treat your arm first before heading for your back."

Dorothea didn't do anything as I grabbed the bottle of vodka, with at least 50% alcohol, and started to unscrew the cork. It's just to rinse and clean, nothing else.

It helps to disinfect, although it really isn't as effective. And apparently, it hurts much more than normal disinfectant.

She didn't know that until I poured it around her wounds, and yelled like a crow until I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Come on, it isn't that bad. It can't be that bad… Are you crying?" I felt slightly awkward and removed my hand from her mouth.

"It stings like a damn lemon on steroids! How am I supposed not to cry?!" She escaped my grip and wiped her tears from her dready eyes. "You just want to use me, don't you?! Why are you torturing me and not Stylish?! You're the one who's with Night Raid, and I'm not a Jaeger you know?! I have done noth- I don't deserve it!" Somehow the little stinging made an unexpected outburst of emotion.

Oh, right. I didn't really explain why I was with Night Raid back with Stylish.

"No, no, I'm not from Night Raid. They tried to kill me before entering the lab, but you know, a friend I knew let me cooperate on their mission. Besides, never heard the story of the soldier who defeated Zank? Until Night Raid came, that is." I said, as I pulled her arm once again.

I held back any more comments and covered her wounds in the herbal ointment.

"I'm not sure if I should believe that… But you're different from the Revolution, so I'll think about it. Wait… then why were you there? In the lab, I mean. Because you're lucky I gathered what I wanted from Stylish before you ended him." I was sure Dorothea was trying to pull my leg, but it looked like she was genuinely curious.

"You see, I wanted to kill Stylish because… Well, I didn't want to blame myself for Seryu's death, so I pinned it down on him. The one who killed her was from Night Raid, you know? It's not the first time I fight alongside someone I don't like." I said as our gazes met.

Something clicked on her as I finished my explanation. It looked like some of the tension was dissolved at that instant, as she muttered something along the lines of; "Ah, I understand."

"Seryu? That name rings a bell… Oh, she was the idio- I mean, the experiment. I told you I had my reasons."

I didn't answer, and grabbed some gauzes and putting some pressure on the wounds. I don't know if that hurt her, but she continued talking.

"You know, I made the same mistake! Caring for someone. It's a pretty horrible feeling… losing someone. Last time that happened I was pretty young like I am now. So you should do like me. If everyone cares for you and you don't care for them, then you have a very long and fun live in front of you. Have you never heard; it's good to trust others but not to do so is much better? You should follow those words too." She could be lying, but there was something weird in her voice that made me trust her.

"Is that why you want beauty, so everybody just looks at you and they kneel down before you?" I asked her while starting to bandage her arm with new, white bandages.

"No." Her answer was instant. I thought I had her figured out. "So, you just shouldn't have cared about that sniper girl. Sure, I mean, I didn't really want to finger her, but we could have had some fun times together."

"Because, what did you say? Ah, that it was my fault because you drank my blood." I hid my anger behind a wall of sarcasm.

"Which would have never happened if you had never cared about anyone! See? If you could just do that, everything would have gone much better." She's pissing me off.

"Oh, but I've been doing that this whole time. Haven't you noticed? I don't care about you." I finished patching her arm right as I said those lasts words.

"I think I noticed when you left me to die when that Night Raider attacked. And then after I escaped, you tried to kill me. In front of the palace. With Budou and Esdese inside. You're not really bright, are you?" For the first time, I didn't know if she was saying it out of spite, or she was just teasing me.

"I make that up with my good looks. You on the other hand… I don't think you've shown any bright moves either." I said while looking at the pile of bandages, and checking if I'd have enough for her torso.

"That just means that I'm good looking too."

What do you mean 'too'? I meant it as a joke!

"Meh, if I had to rank you, I'd say seven or eight."

"Huh? What do you mean, seven or eight? Am I not beautiful? I must be at least an eleven! No, a hundred! Tell me!" She outright demanded so suddenly.

Didn't Esdese question me about this too?!

"Ehh, beauty is cuteness plus attractiveness, right? So, you're pretty cute, but it's not like I'm attracted to you… well, not enough. I think that has to do with all that horrible stuff you've done."

I didn't even mean to say it as an insult, so I would have laughed at her shocked face, as if it was something that it had really hurt her. Because, honest to god, after calling her so many names I doubted she'd care about such a simple thing.

But she just stood there dumbfounded. Maybe she really believed the world turned around her, or that everyone was just something to be used.

"...But, you are… healing me." She said, like a machine trying to start up once again.

It looked like I really had hit her somewhere awful. And right now I didn't need her to sink to the ocean anymore. I have to fix this.

"What does that have to do with anything? I'm helping you because it helps me too. Besides, beauty is just subjective. I'm sure other people find you beautiful, but I could care less. I told you to come because you're useful." She could help me with Seryu and to knock out the Empire, aside from killing teigu users.

"Then... what do you want me for?" She wanted an answer, more than likely because she didn't understand what I meant.

"You're an alchemist, right? I've never heard of one, so I assume your alchemy would be nice. And if I do manage to get back your teigu, I'd be glad to give it to you. But I know how you are. You probably just want to go back with your pals, and try to murder me then, right? Lure me into a false web of security or something." It was half and half.

"Hm, you sure think of yourself highly. You're just a nuisance, but…" Dorothea pondered for a second, before glaring at me once again. "Since you think so much of yourself, I hate to tell you that it wasn't entirely your fault. So I'm not thinking about killing you yet." She suddenly said.

"What?"

"It is your fault that you got me all horny with your blood. But, it's not your fault that Esdese got me and tortured me. That was her fault...maybe...a bit of mine... but I was a bit reckless, I admit it. And that damn Syura knew it too, and the fucker didn't even try to get me out of that hellhole. He just laughed at my face for being tortured and told me that it was my fault. Fucking asshole is right, and that makes me even more mad!" I saw that hot blooded nature of hers rise to the surface, which somehow felt as if I had reached a new point.

A bit 'reckless' she says.

"Besides, I simply know that you couldn't have chosen her over me, because then you wouldn't have tried to 'protect' me, right? 'Please, just torture her' that's what you said. If that's protecting for you, why the hell is tickling someone torture?! It doesn't correlate at all, does it?! And… I know you like small chests like mine, so Esdese is out of the question."

I don't know if she meant to say 'Like Mein' or 'like mine'. Either way, I'VE NEVER SAID THAT!

"There can't be anyone who really likes that woman. You probably don't like either, am I wrong? I've heard how she kidnapped you, didn't she? Don't you want to kill her too? Don't you? I know how you hate being used, so I must be right." She leaned against me, getting so close to me that I could feel her breath. I had never seen this revengeful side of her.

Sorry, but no, I don't hate Esdese. Even if the way we've met is unusual, I've seen how vulnerable and innocent, or how determined and bold she can be. I hope she can also join me in my crusade against the Empire because, I've grown fond of her. Although I don't love her like she loves me… I'm sure she can understand that. Or I hope.

"Esdese is like a really late objective. What I can say is that I'm focusing more on the Jaegers, because they're in the way for… my plans." I said, trying to maintain my composure with her body so close.

"And why does the anarchist want to get rid of the Jaegers? You said you weren't from the Revolution. Maybe-maybe, you're powerhungry? Although you don't seem like someone who has a motive to do anything. Weirdo." She disclosed without any fear.

"Hm, I won't say anything else besides they're in the way. But my motivations aren't really important. And I suppose you want to kill her. You can't beat Esdese you know? Even if I got back your teigu."

"And you can't either. You're like someone who has big plans for the future but can't make them happen... so why don't you just help me then. You'll have to face Esdese sooner or later." Dorothea said once again, but this time giving my personal space back.

She looked at her newly bandaged arm, and smiled happily. That was a bribe, not a present.

"As if. You help me first." I said while she stretched herself and looked for her dress. "Sorry, I wasn't clear. You will help me. Unless you actually want an actual torture this time." I finished.

There was a moment of doubt, that made her actually think about my actions. She didn't exactly fear me, but she was getting wary of what I could really do to her if I actually wanted, because something as childish as some tickles made her feel horrible. And I'm sure she wouldn't want another Esdese-like torture. Those negative feelings were enough to give a satisfactory answer.

"Why don't you use that energy in doing something useful." Dorothea said while grabbing her dress and trying to put it on, before realizing that her broken arm wasn't going to be kind enough to slide in its proper way. "Maybe then you'd be actually making progress."

"Right, because you're any better." I said as she groaned while rolling around the ground, trying to fit in the dress properly. "You should really put a cast on that arm. Why did you remove it anyways?"

"Shut up!"

Right, her damn pride and short fuse. I could just make her submit again, but the outcome could variate a lot. If she willingly accepts, she'll think that she's in control.

I got close to her fight with the dress, and removed it from her body with a quick snatch. She just looked more pissed off than anything else, but what's surprising about that?

"Come on, your arm first." I held the dress up, enough so she could put her arms first. "We have common enemies, so it's only common sense to team up, right?"

"...You must be really desperate to seek out my help. You do know I'm not a fighter. I was planning to kill Esdese… somehow. I didn't really think how." She answered with a bitter laugh.

She's softening, or maybe giving up. The former is more likely.

"There are a lot of ways to fight. For someone like you, sticks and stones are just a sideshow."

Our gazes met once again, but this time I wasn't the one who looked away. She sighed heavily, and flicked her hair.

"Now you're telling me pretty things? Fine, I may consider giving you a hand. But I want to recover my brainchild."

I really wanted to say no. By brainchild, she probably meant Seryu. But I can't be picky about this. Next time, she'll help me without any conditions.

"If I do, you'll help me face the Jaegers?" I can't get Night Raid on this deal, but I'll convince her later on.

"Sure, but if you really want me to fight all of them, I have to completely heal. And to do that I want a place… a laboratory. And material." She demanded, as I helped her dress up.

"Let me have someone looking after you and I'll let you have anything you want. No wait, let me rephrase that. I'll let you have anything that I find feasible."

"Give me a pen and a paper and I'll tell you what I need. Also, I need to kill a lot of people. At least five. I want someone with blue eyes. But not too bright. Or shallow. You know what, I'll do it myself." I finally managed to dress her up, and she quickly gained some distance from me.

"So? Deal?" I extended my hand in order to seal the deal, like in the books.

"This will only help me, and it's not like I'm actually blind. I know when things are convenient, I teamed up with Syura for Stylish, and now I don't need him anymore. This will be the same, but if things go south, you'll be on your own."

There was something cold and horrendous about her hand that made the handshake… comfortable. We both knew that this was a mere truce between each other so we could focus on a bigger threat. However, this would have never happened two weeks ago. All thanks to Esdese, and Tatsumi's Tickle Torture©.

"So, we're partners in crime from now on. We both agree that the Jaegers are in the way, so we'll need some kind of plan to pick them off… We'll meet in some weeks to think about it. You'll be as free as a bird meanwhile." I said as she gazed over me eeryly.

"You just don't want to see me anymore." She caught on relatively quickly.

"And are you sad because of that? Do you want more of my blood?" I hope she noticed the sarcasm.

"...You're a sick bastard!" She suddenly said.

"What?"

"You're trying to get me hooked on your blood!" Wow, I actually didn't think of that.

"Huh… Yeah, that would have been much easier. Want some?"

The stupid girl actually tried to bite me.

A strange sensation of joy and awkwardness dominated my body as I left the tent, feeling as if fate had finally gave me a pat in the back and said "This is karma."

And now finally, the moment I was waiting for had arrived! I can be very far away from Dorothea! YES! IT'S BEEN LIKE AGES! I DON'T NEED TO SEE HER FACE ANYMORE! During a small period of time. BUT NO MORE!

I looked around for a moment, trying to hide my happiness, and spotted my lieutenant nearby. He'll have to deal with all the bullshit Dorothea puts him through, but I'm sure he can handle it.

"Egu! Didn't you say I was a bitter person?! Feel my good spirits!" I said as I dragged Dorothea along, as she'd try to slope off.

"G-Great, captain! T-Then do I have to safeguard, eh… Your name was?" It took me a moment to realize that his agitated state was more than likely due to Dorothea's cute and youthful stance and face.

Doesn't he even remember when we fought against her, and he slashed Dorothea's back when I went down? Nevertheless, she shouldn't know who was the person who did it, so it's not a problem.

"It's Dorothea for you." She said with a cheeky smile. Somehow, she had gained a lot of energy in a few moments.

"See, you two are best friends already. Egu, remember what I told you yesterday." He frantically nodded as he tensed up even more. "And… Nobody knows you're coming with me, Dorothea. So maybe we should have nicknames or aliases, just in case Egu has to talk with either of us and there are dangerous people around."

My lieutenant nodded, and got silent for a moment. I tried to do the same, but Dorothea apparently doesn't like silence.

"A nickname? I obviously need a cute name, for example, Cleopatra!" She was suddenly too interested in this.

"Alright, you'll be called Nutcracker. You, Egu, will be… You don't really need one, to be honest. And I can be…" While I was thinking of a name, Dorothea quickly protested.

"Nutcracker?! That's a stupid name!" She complained, with her usual tone.

"It isn't. You crack nuts. It actually hurts to think about it."

I saw my lieutenant squirming around, before speaking up.

"Maybe a historical name! Maybe… what was the name of that general of the civil war 300 years ago…? Right! How about White Baron? It's so obvious that nobody will think it's you." I thought about it, before agreeing with him.

I guess because of my clothes.

"Yeah, besides Dorothea, nobody will think that I'm that stupid." I nodded to myself.

"That's a name I haven't heard in ages." The alchemist suddenly said with a somber look. "After the civil war, they called him White Baron. But when it was still ongoing and undecided, it's name was much more ominous. White terror or… White death. Because everything froze wherever he stepped in."

Regardless how she knew that, it was obvious that the White Baron's teigu was the same as Esdese's but much less powerful.

"If you chose a stupid nickname for me, then I say that you call yourself 'White Death', to make your master a bit more happy. " She was obviously mocking me.

"Fine, I chose yours, so it's only fair. I'll be White Death and you Nutcracker." I didn't want to argue, so I quickly agreed. "Anyways, just use those nicknames just in case there's someone dangerous, like high-ranking officials or the Jaegers." I told my lieutenant.

"As you say so!" My underling said.

"Well then, it's settled. We'll arrive after midday, so after that you can do whatever, Dorothy." I said, while trying to get a sense of direction.

"Don't ever call me that, ever." The immortal girl suddenly said.

"What are you going to do? Hit me with your bandages?"

She glared at me for quite a while, before gaining a witty smirk.

"Hey, you, Lieutenant guy. Did you know both Tatsumi and I were walking down a hallway when he pushed me against a wall and then procee- Pffh!" I didn't even take a second to shut her mouth with both of hands.

"No, no, shut up! You made me do it! I mean… Shh!"

Several hours later...

Amazing... This town looks so exotic! It has some weird name like Kyo-something, but that's absolutely acceptable after seeing this. So this is where the Jaegers and Night Raid will fight.

It's like people is genuinely happy to live here! The corruption of the Empire doesn't seem to spread at a consistent pace. Or perhaps it's because this is the religious capital of the... Path of Peace, I believe.

The buildings seem well-maintained, and it doesn't smell like somebody pooped nearby! Although it's a bit too warm for me... I could take some vacations here!

"Go to the barracks and tell them we're here for clean up. If for some reason they have some questions, tell them that I will answer them." I quickly said as I headed the opposite direction.

"A-Alright, but you're not coming?" Egu said as he kept a close eye on Dorothea, probably anxious or nervous around her.

I had to go and tell the Jaegers I had arrived. But I didn't feel like it'd be a good idea to leave Dorothea alone until I could be sure the town accepted us inside. I had sent a letter, but better to be sure.

"I suppose I'd be an awful officer if I didn't present myself to the town's governor." I said, as I made sure to be far enough from the alchemist. "I'll do that thing later anyways."

Besides, I doubt Esdese will care if I'm late by a few minutes.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town...

"He should have arrived by now." Esdese said as she shifted her position on the armchair she was patiently sitting in.

The Jaegers had arrived at Kyoroch two days ago, and they had settled themselves in a building close to the cathedral. There was no need to say who had provided them with it.

After that, they had already assigned the shifts that each member would need to take, even before Night Raid arrived to the town themselves. Bols, Ran and Kurome were out from the proclaimed "meeting room" Esdese had chosen, so it was just herself and Wave on the room.

"Who should have arrived?" Wave rolled his eyes as he inspected the half-empty room.

In comparison to the counterpart on the Capital, this meeting room looked like another saloon. There was no big table dominating the room, only a desk in the end of it and some couches in the middle. Everything was made out of wood, and not the finely decorated marble of the Capital. All the bookshelves were empty, just like every room on that building.

"Tatsumi. If he is as skilled as I assume, he should have entered the room five minutes ago." The general said while playing a small flask filled with a red goo.

"He had a mission, or something like that, right? He probably went to meet with chief of the garrison, or whoever controls it. That's what I'd do anyways." Wave answered, much more casually than the first few encounters he had with his commander.

"He tends to avoid high-ranking officers. Perhaps he feels more comfortable with some nobody on a faraway town, or he really wants to work on that etiquette." She thought outloud.

"I guess… Maybe he's just avoiding you! Hahaha...ha… Y-You're not laughing." Wave's half-assed joke was met with a scornful glare from Esdese.

"There's nobody else he can love besides me. I made sure of that. And he hasn't complained, so he must be already falling for me."

"I don't know if she thinks he loves her just because he hasn't ran away yet." Wave thought as he tried to look anywhere but Esdese. "She has a very weird concept of love."

"You made sure of what? That he doesn't love anybody else or that you killed…?" Wave asked, trying to save himself from that joke.

"Killed? Sadly no. Syura's pet is already taken care of. If Budou hadn't appeared, I would have killed her."

"Syura's pet? You mean… what's her name… Dorothea. Wait, that's why she's running around like Tutankhamun? You told me she had fight with Night Raid!"

"I said that, but I never said that was the reason of her condition. She's not a problem anymore. So Tatsumi only has me." Esdese looked at the red flask she was messing around with, and put it on the side table on her right.

"But he seemed very close to Dorothea when she told us about the goo girl. That reminds me..."

"What about that? You know that girlie… Seryu. Tatsumi knew her, didn't he? How did he react to… well, you know. All that Stylish did to her." Wave asked, pushed by curiosity.

"He didn't listen to me, so I assumed she wasn't that important."

"He was too clingy to the idea of destroying it, but I don't think it was because he hated her. I think he just wants her to find peace." Wave concluded, nodding to himself.

There was a brief silence, in which Wave continued to avoid Esdese's glare. Whatever she was trying to prompt him, it wasn't working.

"I ordered you to be his friend so he could tell you thoughts he wouldn't tell me. And yet you haven't updated me ever since." The general said without any expression.

"Well, I was making some progress until you showed me that sword of his. You know, the sword with same markings as Grand Chariot? And when I asked you when you got it, you told me you hid it before he went into a mission outside the capital. Days before Stylish showed up dead." The former sailor said in concealed anger.

"And?" Esdese's passive answer only enraged Wave more.

"It's obvious isn't it?! You're the only one who denies it. Who would casually have Incursio besides Night Raid? And, and it's obvious why Tatsumi would have a reason to kill him! That mad doctor might not have been the best partner, but he was still part of the Jaegers."

"Quiet. Don't raise your voice to me." The commander of the Jaegers got up from the armchair, assuming her normal stoic attitude. "Your assumptions don't have any evidence. And I know Tatsumi isn't like that."

"But Incursio is-!" Esdese's underling tried to press on the issue, but he was quickly shot down again by the sudden drop of temperature of the room.

"Incursio is not under Night Raid control anymore, which only makes the Empire stronger. The only thing making it weaker is your lack of confidence. If you don't start to focus on more important issues, Tatsumi will surpass you and you should know better than anyone that I don't need two keys for the same door."

She sternly adjusted her cap and caught the red flask which lingered on the side table. She checked the room with finesse, before giving her underling one last glare.

"For now, focus on defending this place. And if somebody attacks, make sure to actually kill them."

With that, Esdese slammed the door behind her, leaving Wave in a catatonic state.

"Shit… I knew the commander wouldn't listen, but to think that now I'm the bad guy because I don't trust someone shady! That's just stupid. She wants evidence? I'll expose that guy. But to do that alone… Kurome and Bols wouldn't be useful, but Ran… He's the voice of reason. I'm sure he'll help me out. We need to either make sure he's not an enemy, or that he stops breathing."

Wave looked at his hands and then at his teigu and muttered to himself.

"Next time Night Raid attacks, I'll make sure they're actually dead."

Outskirts of Kyoroch, several hours later…

Night Raid had taken quite some time to reach Kyoroch, since they travelled through inconspicuous roads and trails of the Empire, but they were getting close. There was a main feeling of relief among the group, but overall it didn't seem like it would last for long.

Even though they had advantage over the Jaegers, morally they were way below average. It looked like the group lacked some innocence which would have done wonders, but sadly, nobody was like that.

"I'm tired... Chelsea, can't you transform into a horse or something?" Lubbock complained as he grabbed his chest for air.

"It gets tiring, you know? Aside from that, it's not like I'd let you ride me." Chelsea answered with smug smirk.

"Well, there's no problem if you want it to be the other way around!"

"And that's also something impossible." She said while quickly backing off.

Lubbock started to slow down his pace, as his lungs hadn't fully recovered from his fight from Seryu, and he had to make sure that Leone's head didn't fall off while she recovered. Her neck had completely broke from the kick of Grand Chariot, and she hadn't been able to move for weeks, even after starting the trip towards Kyoroch. However, she recovered a few days ago and she was back into action.

That's why, overall, he hadn't taken a break since then.

While he slowed down, the girl with pink hair behind him started to pick up her pace, trying to engage into a conversation with him.

"What does 'supercilious' mean?" Mein asked him while reading a strange book about a white knight.

"Hmm... I'm fairly sure it means disdainful."

"Ahh, got it!" She looked pretty immersed in it too.

He didn't know where she had taken that book, but it seemed she had listened to his advice to take her mind off the world. But maybe she was a bit too disconnected.

"What's poltroon?"

"The... what? When was that book written? I think it means coward…? Have you already lost my dictionary?" Failing to actually find an answer, he decided to have an actual conversation.

"I left it on the base. It smelt weird anyways." Mein said without taking her eyes off the book.

"Books smell like that!"

"I'm pretty sure they shouldn't emanate that rancid stink from three meters away." She covered her nose, while walking faster than Lubbock. "Besides, when I looked for the definition of 'stupidity', only a picture of you appeared."

She forced out a fake laugh before leaving Lubbock behind.

"All of you are against me these days. I need some male friends. That actually talk more than three lines. Looking at you, Su!" He muttered as he tried to speed up, reaching the main group.

Not even a few minutes after, they reached the outskirts of Kyoroch, their objective. They were supposed to reach the town by the first lights of the day, but due to Leone's injuries they hadn't been able to do so. The sunset was an eerie reminder that the future was still uncertain, especially with their hard hit morale.

"We failed to wear down the Jaegers, and now we will deal with the consequences. Besides our main target, Kurome and Bols still get priority over the other Jaegers. There's no room for failure. The Revolution will either be successful or will not be at all." Najenda said, looking over the orange bathed landscape.

"On the bright side, the Jaegers are unlikely to attack us. They'll be mostly trying to protect their target. So I've decided that until we're ready, you can have some free time to explore the city. After that, I will explain our plan of action, but I'll take any suggestion." Najenda finished, and quickly relaxed. This small moment of peace was everything they needed as a reward.

"This town will be witness of our most important battle. Everything will change here." Leone said while sitting down, bathing in the last rays of the sun.

Akame unknowingly nodded, deep in thought.

"I'll finish it this time. A direct assault is unlikely… I'll lure you out and reap your life away, Kurome." She thought as she tightened the grip on Murasame.

"I don't want to do this anymore… My body feels wrong... But I didn't enter Night Raid for selfish reasons. This time I won't hesitate. I won't miss any more shots." Mein closed the book, and looked over her friends, trying to find some strength that wasn't appearing. "I won't lose control, I'm sure of it."

Chelsea, who had failed to retrieve Incursio, didn't seem to have ever lost any of her discreet optimism.

"If it wasn't for those bandits I would have gotten Incursio. And now he's become too paranoid for me to approach him like last time, which means I won't be able to kill him without being sloppy. However, there's someone excellent to regain that teigu." Chelsea smiled to herself as she glanced over at Mein, who seemed be awkwardly chanting to herself.

"If Mein isn't in any condition to be in a mission, I'll have to make sure I do double the work for her. To think that I'd feel like a big brother…! It's all because of that girl. If that alchemist is here, I'll put an end to everything." Lubbock adjusted his gloves, and cracked his fingers.

Both sides were eager to stamp out each other, but neither were aware of the true scope of the fighting. Because just as the Revolution wasn't an homogeneous group which followed their leaders, the Empire's army wasn't a machine where every gear spinned around itself.

In the Capital…

Syura walked down the corridors, avoiding every servant on the way. He had already spent enough time in the palace, and needed to go back out to 'play'.

"Do-ro-thea. We're wasting time here."

He kicked down the door to her dormitory, only to find it empty. To be fair, he hadn't checked on her in days, since she was so unhappy because of the torture.

"She left, what a surprise." He thought, not caring much about it.

The alchemist had tagged along with him to reach Stylish. With that done, there was nothing bounding her to him.

As he was about to left, a small note on top of the bed draw him closer to it. It didn't take him much to realize that the letter was made by Dorothea.

"Hello, Syura. Thank you very much for letting me find Stylish. I gathered what I could, and now I can assure you I can make you that thing which I sought. Remember what I told you? The ultimate teigu to surpass them all… That's why I have only two words to say. Fuck you.

You fucking thought letting me with a sadistic bitch was a good move, you stupid shit for brains? When your father, the prime minister, fucked that pig and you were born, did you, perhaps, fall off a cliff? By ultimate teigu I meant infinite life and beauty, unlike the husk I have now. I never intended to help you. I never needed your help.

By the time you're reading this, I'll be far gone from the Capital. And if your brain is still as big as your dick, you've probably entered my bedroom. Don't you know it's difficult to perform alchemy without a catalyst? I hope you learn that I was the catalyst and you needed me, but I didn't need you. Go back with your little group and start jerking off, because I sure as hell won't ever see you again.

Sincerely, someone who loathes you."

Between the flames of rage and madness that overflow from Syura, he had a small moment of brightness.

The son of the prime minister looked at his feet and saw the black chalk the tip of his feet were touching. Without a second thought, he opened up a portal and jumped into.

He reappeared outside the Palace, when he saw a small explosion destroy part of the lower chambers of the building of the Emperor.

"That fucking bitch…" Syura gritted his teeth as he opened up a new portal. "If she thinks she can leave happily after that…"

With a strike in the heart of the Empire, the Four Rakshasa Demons wouldn't be able to assist Bolic, as the Prime Minister wanted. Syura knew that. And he knew who would be the replacement.

"The Hunt is on, Dorothea."

Ah, Dorothea. Such a short life in the manga. You are the perfect Chaotic Neutral I needed for this story. Love you.

And you, reader, who should be very disappointed for my lack of updates... FEAR NOT! Because I'm back from my travels, with full force! We're going to end this shit!

Many important things happened on this chapter... The perfect thing for an arc oppener! I wonder, have you caught them all? I have been pretty rusty at writting, but I had most of it written. Specially that weird tickling part with Dorothea. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote it. Came out pretty great. And embarrasing.

THANK YOU ALL! Even if you probably won't read this. Thank you all, I truly mean it.