Prelude: I am Erasiel Nathan Darkar, I'm a wanderer who gets around, I've traveled the multi-verse on many journeys, I have my share of stories, and I've had my share of traveling companions, though one constant one who follows me around is Linzi: a Halfling, one of my lovely Wives and a bard of no small renown from her own world and in my home dimension. Another Journey has led me to another world, one that is no stranger to war and one where life could end rather abruptly and in a brutal fashion. As such I found myself and Linzi wandering and hearing tales of a great war, one that destroyed an Empire that had ruled this world for millennia, but had over time become stagnant, corrupt and twisted; where bedlam and lies were the norm and where the worst monsters in a world that has many monsters were people: Monsters in Human skin. Humans are the most numerous of races I've seen in the multiverse, apparently, the deities who make their universes are fond of this particular race not that I'm one to talk as I often take that form and it is the form my race takes generally, but one thing about Humans that has remained constant regardless of the universe is that their capacity for good or evil is as limitless as space itself and that their ability to come up with ways to be either is equally as limitless.

But I'm rambling, our Story begins as it always does with a hero, one of many heroes but these heroes this hero is the most famous of them, the stories Linzi and I heard about him are numerous some so fantastical you wouldn't believe, in fact, he had too many stories told about that Linzi and I were unlikely to sift between what was truth or lies. So we did what we do best when the tale is muddled by many voices, find the one person who will be able to give a full account, the best of these are usually the heroes themselves, thus we set off from the sight of our arrival to find that hero, fortunately, we didn't have to go far before we found someone who knew where he lived; a retired soldier who fought alongside the hero in the final battle in which the Empire was overthrown and replaced by a new government one with a just and wise ruler, he told me that he lived in the Capital a city named Melitine now, his old village now safe from any who would do it harm, with his large family and his friends, a place that had promised fame and fortune and a place that had been plagued by some of the most evil people I've heard of, and that is saying something considering how long I have been around.

The road to the Capital was a dangerous one but the threats were nothing that Linzi and I couldn't handle with ease, to the shock of the passerby, overall though it was a safe journey and we arrived at the capital a week from our arrival in this world. The City was in a state of reconstruction, but also in a state of general order, along the road however there had been no shortage of graveyards, which were vast and undoubtedly from the war, but there was a degree of optimism that from passerby told me wouldn't have been in existence 2 and half years ago. Within a half-hour of our arrival we were directed by a man with Green hair and goggles who owned a local shop, he told me that his name was Lubbock and that he had been one of those heroes, but he had opted for a quiet life away from the hassle with his wife a lovely young woman named Yami and his children, a 1-year-old boy, a 3-month-old baby girl and another child on the way. After a discussion, he told me that his friend, the hero we were looking for lived in a large mansion that had belonged to the former Prime minister who had died in the war and who had been a truly evil person of the sort that even the Devil would have been surprised by the sheer evil that this former minister had done. Said hero had been rewarded with wealth beyond his wildest imagination, a harem of dazzling beauties who had fallen for him over his journey, and power beyond imagination by the average person; overall he was now noble and powerful.

Within an hour we arrived at the Mansion which was actually part of a large estate which in turn was part of a large complex of many structures, part of which was occupied by a monument to those who had fallen. The guards at the gate allowed us entry after we explained who we were, and we entered the manor and were greeted by a young woman, she had long blonde hair, a blue gown and was noticeably pregnant, about three months pregnant, after a bit of explanation she told us she was the lady of the house or one of them and that she had played no small part in the story. Afterward, she led us to a large study in which the hero sat in a large chair reading a book which he looked up from his book to greet us, after some introductions we told him that we were historians who wanted to make a thorough account of his life such as it had been up to this point and that we had come to him personally because too many stories were told about him that we had no idea of knowing which were true. After this explanation he led us to a large table which was made for the purpose of writing and that a typewriter was ready for our use. Linzi and I got ourselves comfortable and as soon as we were ready, we let him tell his tale and this is how the story began

Chapter 1: A World of Blood and Lies

"We're going to get rich in the Capital" Ieyasu had remarked, before the attack by bandits, one which proved easy to repel but one that left the group split. Tatsumi was now on his own, Sayo and Ieyasu had taken different path one that he had no idea where it would take them, especially given that Ieyasu was not good with directions or maps. Granted Tatsumi still had his, and he had a decent amount of money, amassed from taking bounties on Danger Beasts, the deadly creatures that would kill anyone or anything in their path, Tatsumi was a formidable fighter, being able to kill a Class A danger beast with ease, in fact, earlier in the day he had killed one an Earth-Dragon. Tatsumi continued along the road, within an hour he met two other travelers. "You heading to the Capital?" One of them asked, the two of them were soldiers, former ones at that.

"Yeah, I'm going to join the Army and make a name for myself so that I can get the taxes lowered on my village" Tatsumi replied.

"Good Luck then" the Soldier replied, and his fellow turned to regard Tatsumi.

"Be careful the Capital is a dangerous place with its own monsters" The other Soldier warned.

"Have Danger Beasts invaded the capital too?" Tatsumi replied confused.

"No, there are worse monsters, ones that look like normal people but beneath their skin they are monsters in human flesh" The soldier replied.

"Well I'll be careful, I don't have another option though, I need the money and I need to do something for my village" Tatsumi replied.

"I guess there's no way to convince you otherwise: Good Luck you'll need it" the Soldier replied, and he and his companion went their way. Tatsumi looked at the road ahead, his green eyes focused on a hill up ahead and looking from side to side for any ambushes laid in wait by monsters, man and beast alike, he was a handsome man with medium length brown hair which was unruly with a decently pronounced cowlick that moved about as he did his features had girls always looking at him with interest. The words troubled him though and he kept a hand on his sword thru all waking hours of the day, the straight blade was keen and decently made but wasn't anything impressive but it was priceless to him as it had been made by someone he was close to who had left the village in search of adventure, Tatsumi's attire was that of a normal person with a yellow sweater, blue pants and brown leather shoes and gloves, it offered minimal protection from any real attack, the only oddity was a gold bracelet intricately crafted and studded with emeralds and peridots, it had been given to him by the Elder of their village before he left for good luck and a last resort for money, but Tatsumi was averse to doing that unless he had no other option.

But that wouldn't be happening any time soon Tatsumi had enough money to last him about a month if he was smart about how he spent it also there was the option to make more when he got to the Capital. The road to the Capital from then on proved to be most hazardous, mainly do that about a day after meeting those two travelers he was met by more people who had the same idea as he did, that being to head to the Capital, he didn't see any signs of his friends but that didn't mean anything as he figured that Ieyasu could have easily gotten him and Sayo lost, they were good fighters so there wasn't much to worry about there so if he met up with them they would likely be at the Capital because eventually Sayo would take the map from Ieyasu and drag him the right direction by his ear.

Within three days of having met the two soldiers he arrived at the Capital, which defied his expectations, not that he had any, it was large, a massive metropolis with large tall stone walls and open gates which travelers came and went thru. After entering he asked about for anyone who knew where the army was recruiting and eventually found himself at the recruiting office. "I'm looking to join the army" Tatsumi explained.

"You and everyone else, but well you seem like a good sort, here you'll start out as a recruit and be assigned to the nearest army unit" the Recruiter explained Tatsumi frowned.

"Really, I'm starting as a recruit, I can kill Class A danger Beasts with ease and that isn't enough for officer's status" Tatsumi replied the recruiter glared at him.

"It's either that or nothing; look I don't have time for wise-ass punks who think they're better than anyone else; there is a depression going on right now and a lot of people are joining the army: I'm not giving out jobs to people who think they are better than other people because of their skills nope you have to earn it now take it or leave it" The Recruiter replied.

Tatsumi shrugged. "Are you kidding me?! I had to carve my way thru about 24 Class A danger beasts on the way here: I killed an Earth Dragon in seconds and that isn't enough?!" Tatsumi replied indignantly.

"Yeah it isn't and I'll take that as no: now get out or I'll have you thrown out" The Recruiter replied, Tatsumi glared and banged the desk, three brawny guards came and flung him out of the building unceremoniously, leaving Tatsumi to steam

"I'll remember you assholes! Just you wait when I make it big you'll all be footnotes all of you" Tatsumi shouted at the guards then flipped them the birds before walking off muttering curses under his breath.

Naturally this left Tatsumi annoyed and drawing a blank on figuring out his next move, he could try another recruiter but that wasn't a guarantee no what he needed was someone to explain how everything worked in the capital. His thoughts on a solution were disrupted by a Beautiful young woman of about the same age as himself or at he thought she was she might have been a couple of years older, she was a young, curvaceous woman. She had short blonde hair with two long tufts that frame the sides of her head and golden eyes. She wore a revealing outfit with a black tube top, detachable sleeves, pants, boots, and a scarf around her neck. Her figure was strong and brawny as if she had seen her share of fights

"Having a bad day" the Blonde asked.

"So far yes, I just got rejected for joining the army; apparently the fact I can kill a class A Danger Beast isn't enough to get me an officer's rank, nope, in fact, bragging about it only gives you the boot, now I've got to think of another line of work or prove myself worthy of entry, or I don't know" Tatsumi replied.

"That's bad, but I think I can help you kid, my name's Leone, I know people around here and know that it's about connections" the Blonde now identified as Leone replied.

"That's nice but I don't know, I heard some things about the Capital, and not good things" Tatsumi replied.

"Don't worry I'm not one of those types, trust me I can help you, come with me lets discuss this over a drink, I know a good place to get one not far from here and we can talk more there interested?" Leone responded with a smile.

Tatsumi paused, it wasn't every day a girl offered to go with him on a date, well date may have been a strong word, to go out to eat, granted he had spent most of if not all his life and village miles from the capital and there wasn't time for that stuff.

Shortly they found themselves in a local Bar, and much quicker Leone had gotten a drink that Tatsumi had bought her, one drink lead to another and another, and before she could get fully drunk Tatsumi stopped her. "Now wait you said you know how to get me into the army, how do I go about that?" Tatsumi asked.

Leone paused from taking another drink. "Well it's all about connections, I know some people that would be able to help you out, for the right price of course, you'll need some grease for the wheels as it goes" Leone replied.

"Will this do?" Tatsumi asked bringing out a large sack of gold, practically all of the gold he had.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? How did you come by this much money?" Leone asked her eyes eyeing the money greedily. "This is almost too easy, I feel sorry for him, but he's got to learn the way the world works one way or another" Leone thought to herself.

"I got it from Danger Beast bounties along the road, so is this enough?" Tatsumi replied.

"Yes, it is you should make Captain at least with this, now I'll be taking this, I'll talk to my contacts and get back to you in a few hours" Leone replied, she then finished her drink and took the sack of gold and left leaving Tatsumi to wait he also had to pay what money he had left for her drinks leaving him completely bankrupt.

And so, he waited, and waited, and waited eventually night fell and Tatsumi was the only left in the pub bar the owner. "What is taking her so long?" Tatsumi said to himself.

"Kid, let me be honest with you, she isn't coming back, you got conned" The Barkeep replied, leaving Tatsumi shocked and angry.

"That, that, swindler! Damn it I can't believe I was fooled so easily" Tatsumi remarked. "And that was all my money too" Tatsumi thought.

"Well that's just the way the world works, welcome to the Capital" The Barkeep commented sweeping. "Now get out of here, I'm closing for the day" he added, Tatsumi left, albeit reluctantly and so it was he found himself on the streets, at night in early winter.

"Great, just great" Tatsumi muttered to himself then eyed the bracelet. "I can always sell this, but any person I'd sell it to is probably asleep by now, guess I'll have to sleep out here on the streets for tonight, tomorrow I'll find a fence of some kind and sell the bracelet, some luck charm it turned out to be" Tatsumi thought to himself. He then went off to find a nearby park where he found a bench and he lied down on it after noting the cobblestone roads were clear he slept hoping that he'd have a better day tomorrow.

Suddenly he found himself being awoken from a light sleep by hooves of horses and the wheels of a carriage. "Again, my lady?" A man stated.

"You know I can't help it, it's in my nature, remember our family motto" A young woman's voice replied.

"Yes, those who do good for others receive good in return" the man responded. Tatsumi's eyes awoken now focused on the speakers, an armored and well-armed guard was the man, as for the young woman she was coming his way, she stepped up to him and leaned down on his level.

"Hi, you're not from around here aren't you" the Girl stated, she had short blonde hair in which wore a curious headband with a blue ball on one side, she was beautiful and had lovely blue eyes, her figure was decently endowed and graceful, she wore a white long-sleeved shirt, with a light blue ribbon on her neck above her shirt, she wore a sleeveless light blue dress, with a black bodice, and white frills and white boots, she was about the same age as him give or take a couple of weeks.

"No, I'm from the countryside, from a village that's about two weeks away from here and you've probably never heard of, I came here to join the army and got booted out by some asshole who thought I wasn't good enough for it and at the moment I'm currently out of my money because some blonde conned me out of all my money apart from some gold and as a result left me out here on the streets and on top of that she saddled me with her bar tab so the bartender took what money I had left and threw me out that guys a heartless ass, he's on my list of footnoted assholes that will be forgotten in history and I'll get even with somehow someday, but I swear I'm going to get my money back from that blonde" Tatsumi replied half-ranting.

"I think I know who he's talking about" the Girl thought. "Well I can't just leave you out here on your own, there are a lot of dangerous people about there are also a lot of unsavory types, you'd be lucky to survive the night here on the streets, come with me you can stay at my place, my parents don't mind" the Girl replied.

"Miss, I don't have any money" Tatsumi replied.

"I know that, you already told me, also you wouldn't be here in the first place if you did, don't worry about repaying me I've got more money then I could ever spend even with my spending habits, it's in my nature and my family's to help those in need, besides we've got cookies my mother makes them herself though they are peanut butter cookies" The girl explained.

"Alright I guess I'll take your offer I like peanut butter cookies my mother made me some once and they were wonderful, besides I don't have any other options except sleeping on the streets and hoping not to run into one of those unsavory types miss-" Tatsumi accepted.

"Aria, Aria Grundel, don't worry you'll be fine" Aria replied.

Tatsumi got up and followed Aria and got into the carriage with her. "So, your guard said I'm not the first person you've brought in I'm looking for my friends too though I haven't seen hide or hair of those two" Tatsumi commented.

"Yes, you aren't I've been helping my share of folks in need, some are just people in the capital who are down on their luck and others are just and if you will pardon my bluntness 'Country bumpkins' who fell for the same trap as you did one way or another, though I'm sure you'll find your friends I've got a good intuition for these things and we'll try and help you where we can" Aria explained.

"That's nice to know, I'm glad I got picked up by someone who's actually kind, I've heard stories about the Capital, and not good ones" Tatsumi stated, Aria frowned.

"Sadly, most of them are true, there is no shortage of bad people in this city, the Empire is corrupt, the worst people are usually in plain sight and there isn't much the average person can do about them" Aria replied. "Lucky for you that you were found by one of those very rare people who actually care for people in your situation" Aria added, then smiled again.

"I guess" Tatsumi replied unsure about Aria, she had been honest with him so far, but he had no way of knowing for certain that she wasn't one of those people who hide their evil in plain sight. As if to reassure him she held his hand and huddled next to him.

"Don't worry I'll keep you safe from the monsters Tatsumi: I won't hurt you and I'll try and help you as best as I can" Aria reassured looking him straight in the eyes as she said this. "I consider it my duty to keep people like you safe from them" she added and smiled.

Within a few minutes they arrived at Aria's home, it was a large mansion on a good-sized estate, it had some additional buildings, some of which were obviously guest houses and barracks for the guards as well as a training field for them, but there was nothing even remotely out of the ordinary, the architecture was uniform, some statuary was about the place and there were some gardens and large fountains, but nothing even remotely out of the ordinary for a place of its type. The place was well guarded which was not surprising given the owners were nobility and very important ones at that. The carriage was allowed through the gates without issue, along with the guards who broke off to head to their barracks.

Aria and Tatsumi left the carriage and proceeded to head inside. "Now I hope you don't mind company, I brought in a couple of people about two days ago, they were down on their luck too" Aria explained. They entered the house and were greeted by a number of servants; maids and butlers in attire typical to their profession.

"Welcome home Lady Aria" the Servants all said at the same time.

"Good to be home, now have my parents had dinner without me?" Aria stated.

"No, they insisted on waiting until you returned home" one of the maids stated. "They're waiting for you in the den along with your other guests" she added.

Tatsumi followed Aria, they entered a large hallway that was thru a large archway, then turned right leading them to a large room that was the den, where four people were sat down, two in chairs and the other two on a couch and lounge chair, well sitting on the couch was a wrong word as the person on it was napping, there was another couch but this one was empty. The seats were centered around a good-sized coffee table in the center which sat a plate of peanut butter cookies along with a Picher of milk and a number of empty glasses. Tatsumi was shocked though as he recognized two of the people: they were his friends Sayo and Ieyasu the former being wide awake and the latter sleeping like a rock.

Sayo was sitting in the lounge chair, looking as lovely as ever; she had long black hair in which she had a white butterfly hair clip, grey eyes, and a goddess's figure her attire was not the clothes Tatsumi saw her in, she wore a red dress similar to Aria's, most likely one she loaned to her, she was currently reading a book. Ieyasu was sleeping on the couch, he too was wearing different clothing, but it wasn't too different from his ordinary attire save for the fact it was clearly made of a fine fabric and was clearly refined, he did however still wear his headband, a white strip of cloth which kept his spiky mop of black hair from spilling over; he was handsome much like Tatsumi. The other two people were clearly Aria's parents, a man in a business suit with greying hair and beard who was in his mid-forties, and a younger woman who was in her near mid-thirties, she looked a lot like Aria and was beautiful, she had long flowing blonde hair and wore a purple gown, she was currently writing in a book of her own. "Sayo!" Tatsumi shouted in happiness.

"Tatsumi!" Sayo stated and got up and hugged him.

"I was so worried about you two" Tatsumi said.

"And we were concerned about you Tatsumi; good to see you alive and with all your limbs intact" Sayo replied.

"I could say the same about you and Ieyasu, speaking of do you want to wake him up and give him the good news or should I do the honors" Tatsumi replied.

"You do it, I want to see how he reacts when you wake him up" Sayo replied.

Tatsumi stepped over to the couch where Ieyasu was snoring, then pinched his nose which woke him up. "Ieyasu wake up!" Tatsumi yelled into his ear.

"Agh!" Ieyasu yelled opening his grey eyes and getting up but stopped when he realized who woke him up. "Tatsumi?! It's so good to see you again, Sayo was so worried when you got separated from us by those bandits that she cried" Ieyasu remarked.

"Please Ieyasu, we both know it was you who freaked out and broke down into tears for about an hour on the road until we ran into that group of Chakhounds and had to fight them off" Sayo replied.

"Alright you're right Sayo, I'm just so glad to see Tatsumi is ok" Ieyasu remarked and then blushed.

"We'll take more about this over dinner for now it's best we you meet our hosts, they've been so kind to us" Sayo replied.

"Right come here Tatsumi these are my parents, I'll let them introduce themselves" Aria added.

"Take a seat please" the man stated and Tatsumi did so. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Constantine Grundel; this is my lovely wife Angela, welcome to Grundewick Manor, I'm glad to meet you" the man replied.

"It is nice to meet you as well" Angela added looking up from her book.

"I'm glad to meet you two" Tatsumi stated.

"Now that our introductions are out of the way tell us more about yourself Tatsumi, I trust you are familiar with our other two guests and have the same goals in mind?' Angela inquired.

"Well yes, we came here to Capital to join the army and help get the means to lower the high taxes on our village" Tatsumi stated.

"I see, that's a noble goal, you are aware though that the Empire is at war with three other nations you could easily end up on the front lines" Constantine replied.

"I'm aware of the risk, I wouldn't have come if I didn't" Tatsumi replied.

"I see, well I've arranged for a meeting with an associate of mine to help in that regard with for your friends, it will take me some time to get in touch with them but don't worry when I do, you'll be glad you did" Constantine explained.

"But for now, Aria will show you around, our chefs are making dinner we'll call send for you when its time" Angela added.

"OOH YUMMY!" Ieyasu commented.

Aria lead Tatsumi out of the room followed by Sayo who was not in the mood to put up Ieyasu once food was mentioned as he could be quite obnoxious. Aria showed Tatsumi around showing him the various rooms of the house, each was grandiose in design and had a number of features, one of the big surprises was indoor plumbing something which was not present in his village, also notable was a library which had a numerous books something Tatsumi could read, the fact that he Sayo and Ieyasu were literate was one of the chief reasons they were sent. Overall, he noted a view out the grand window to see backyard, which had more cloches of trees, a greenhouse with a large garden which was not in bloom during the winter. There was one oddity and that was a large statue of a knight on a horse, under which was a small shrine, when he asked Aria about it, she said it was a shrine to a revered ancestor known only as the first Grundel and that the shrine was where they paid respects to him and their other ancestors, there was also a decent sized shed that Aria explained was a secondary armory for her family's security forces and held the best equipment.

Overall the tour proved to be enjoyable, Aria showed him the room where he would be staying so Tatsumi put his remaining possessions in there, she then showed him her room which was lavishly decorated and had a number of things which were of expensive prices, her bed was large and had an ornate frame made of Redwood complete with gold painted wood and had curtains to allow her some privacy, also notable was a large heart-shaped mirror atop her vanity that faced the door, on it was her jewelry box, but also noticeable was another box which was black and had a lock on it.

Soon it came time for dinner and it was by far the best meal Tatsumi had had in his whole life. The dinner was elaborate and consisted of many things, fine cooked venison and pork, large baskets of fruit, fine wine, a number of pastries, and the centerpiece a grand cooked bird of a large size, most likely a massive turkey that had been hunted and brought there, after the initial courses came two more, and followed by that a desert of a fine chocolate cake and sherbet ice cream. Eventually all good things have to come to an end; such it was with the dinner and the time had come for the guests to go and sleep leaving Aria with her parents.

"So, what do you think about him?" Aria asked.

"To be honest he is far too innocent about how the world works, it's a good thing you found him when you did, I would hate to think what would have happened to him or his friends if you didn't find them" Constantine replied.

"Yes, the capital and world has grown darker than before, good people are few and far between, even more so with that vile creature Honest, how he got to be the Prime Minister in place of old Chouri is beyond me" Angela remarked.

"Yes, and good people need to do the things that will save them, also if anything Leone is to blame for me finding him, I'm going to have a strong talk with her the next time we meet" Aria commented.

"Speaking of do you think he'd make the cut" Angela stated.

"Don't look at me, it's Najenda who makes the calls over who gets into Night Raid and who doesn't I make recommendations and so do you two, but I don't decide who gets on the team in the end" Aria replied shrugging.

"Speaking of I noted the wanted posters, Honest has increased the price on their heads by another 20,000 per member" Constantine commented.

"Great my net worth just went up again; good thing Najenda decided to have us lay low for now but I'm glad to see that our efforts to clean our fair city of monsters are getting noted; wonder how much of that is from my handiwork" Aria replied her parents laughed.

Aria was a member of Night Raid: she was their medic and one of the group's many Teigu or Imperial Arm users, her hairband was the Arm in question, it was named Shadow's cloak: Noctis Wave and it allowed her to render herself completely invisible. In combat she had three types of weapons, her ranged weapons consisted of shurikens and throwing knives, her main weapons were a pair of Kukri daggers and a flamberge rapier which she used in prolonged fights and interrogation; as the group would employ torture if absolutely necessary to get information, something which Aria took pleasure in if asked because it was satisfying to see the scum they hunted to get a taste of their own medicine. Speaking of medicine she was their healer but also their dedicated poisoner and poison expert, to a point of using it on her weapons, her main weapons had a compartment for poison in the handles, her expertise in both fields came from her Mother who was a doctor who made numerous medical breakthroughs in her day job, the most effective thing was that she was close to figuring out how to cure Robula's disease which she also used as a potent natural poison when needing to make the death look as much like an accident as possible. Aria also had a number of syringes filled with toxins as reserve weapons including that deadly disease which actually required ingestion to contract, it don't contract from touch.

"Considering the work you and your team have done recently it's you and your team deserve the rest, even if it's just a few days" Angela replied. "Anyway, you should get some rest" Angela added.

"Yes mom, I've got some important business I'm going shopping for more stuff to use for our special project" Aria stated. "Also, for the time being, I'll keep Tatsumi on as my bodyguard like I do with his friends, besides the extra help is needed, as for Night Raid, well I'll see about putting in a word with Leone or Chelsea if I see them" Aria added, then left the room.

However, she didn't immediately go to her room she went to Tatsumi's room to see how he was doing, she found him passed out, the day had done a number on him it seemed, and it was good for him to get a good night's sleep. "He's so cute like that" Aria thought to herself, she was actually having some chemistry with him, unlike some others, there was genuine interest. She soon went to her room and changed into her nightgown and went to sleep. The night was long, and the moons were near full or rather two were full and one was near full enough.

The streets however were not safe, as there were numerous gangs afoot, as well as unsavory characters who trafficked in slaves and other goods that were frowned highly upon by most people, the Clock Tower rang. Usually, the night would be dangerous for most people; not for officer Seryu Ubiquitous of the Capital police force, a soldier for Justice and her living Imperial arm Heketonchires or Koro as she called him, she considered herself one of the few honest cops in the city and because of this she was always looking out for signs of corruption. This night was no different she had been following a merchant by the name of Gamul, a local Oil merchant and an unsavory sort who could drive a good bargain and end up with more than the worth of something he sold, recently however he had been raising his prices that wouldn't have been unusual if not for that fact a number of his competitors had been arrested and executed on crimes that seemed out of character for them, on top of this their families disappeared afterward as well, her superior Captain Ogre had tasked her with other matters which she carried out without issue but she kept working on this independent investigation in her spare time and didn't tell him about this, she looked up to him as a father figure, however, she wanted to impress him on how well he had taught her in the art of tracking down and eliminating criminals.

Seryu followed Gamul for few blocks shadowing him and not having to worry about losing him due to Koro's tracking skills, he looked like an ordinary dog, but he was anything but, he was a living superweapon capable of growing to massive size and devouring enemies whole, also he had keen senses and insane regeneration. The route Gamul took was designed to throw off pursuers if he had any but Seryu had been watching him for weeks and her instincts said to keep following him and figure out what he was planning, she wondered though why he was going to all this effort, he hadn't been a target of an investigation by the police at any point in her time on the force and she had been on it for four years; also his name only came up because he was a consistent informant and that he had been responsible for putting several of his competitors out of business which would have been normal were it not for the fact the people put out of business by being arrested and later executed, also there was the financial aspect. That financial aspect was what made her even more suspicious to the point that she was now actively tailing him, the aspect in question was that Gamul was the person who purchased the businesses of his competitors after the fact, also he was getting money that was suspicious and from a source of unknown origin, most likely black-market activity the kind Seryu liked breaking up as it shook things up and Ogre did allow her to take a share of any confiscated money much like the rest of her fellow officers.

Seryu's pursuit led her to an abandoned warehouse where she spotted Gamul, but he was talking with someone she wasn't expecting to see here, in fact someone she knew well and was like a father to her: Captain Ogre 'the Demon' called so because of his fighting skills and fiery temper. "Here is your cut from our most recent acquisition" Gamul stated to Ogre and handed him a large sack of coins which Ogre pocketed in a considerable overcoat which he was wearing over his white uniform.

"Indeed, and here's your cut from my profits, our operation is running smoothly" Ogre stated.

"Yes, money from those widows and their kids, shame to let such pretty things end up in the hands of people like Honest, but business is business, Slaves are lucrative indeed" Gamul replied, taking the money he was offered.

"I need a bit more, Night Raid is getting bolder of late and I am in need of more security, it would be a shame if someone was to let them know about your little operation" Ogre replied, Gamul handed him another large sack of money. Seryu ducked behind a corner and ran off, ran three blocks, and ducked into a back alley. She couldn't believe what she had seen, some of the most blatant corruption she had ever seen and the most blatant at that; she was right to trust her gut, and even more so her instincts; but she found herself both angry and sad, angry that someone who she considered a surrogate father could be so corrupt and had stooped low to frame innocent men, have them executed then sell their families into slavery on the black market and then intimidate his partner into giving him bribes to keep his silence, and she was sad considering the fact this man was her mentor, the person who had taught her all she knew; who made her the officer she was she wanted to kill them for their crimes to have Koro devour them but because of Ogre's relationship with her just couldn't do it and not just that this was something that had shaken her convictions to the core, in fact, she began to wonder how many people over the years she had unknowingly sent to their deaths from the corruption of these two men.

"I can't continue not in good conscious, no I can't not anymore, the day after tomorrow I'm turning in my resignation, Aria was right, the Empire is full of scum I just didn't understand that the corruption struck this close to home: I've just been blind to it the whole time Koro in fact how long was Ogre like this how many had died because of him I-" Seryu said to her Teigu who looked at her with sympathy as she teared up. "Koro, I don't know what to do next, what do you think?" Seryu asked. Koro let out a sympathetic woof, and cuddled her leg, Seryu picked him up. "You're right I should head home and tomorrow talk to Aria about it, maybe she'll know what to do she always does besides if you can't trust family who else would you trust" Seryu said to him and took off running.

The following Morning saw Tatsumi wake up to warm sheets, he was glad to see last night's experience was not a dream but reality which smoothed into place, he found a set of fine clothing set out for him, his ordinary attire having been picked up overnight and taken to be washed bar his gloves and boots, which put on, he strapped his sword to his back, then stretched a bit to wake himself up. As he was doing this Sayo came by, Tatsumi noted her change of attire and the fact that she had her bow and quiver slung over her back. "Hey Tatsumi, Aria's going shopping and she's asked us to come along as bodyguards" Sayo explained.

"I'll come too, it's the least I can do for the kindness she's shown" Tatsumi stated and got read, he arrived in the dining room where breakfast was ready, it was large and had many dishes of eggs, large amounts of bacon, large plates of toast, and other dishes, Tatsumi plated up a bunch scrambled eggs, several strips of bacon, a few loves of toast, and some pork sausages, with a side of orange juice. At the table Ieyasu was already there stuffing his mouth showing no sign of stopping while Aria's parents sat nearby, Constantine reading a newspaper and Angela drinking hot cocoa, Sayo sat down and likewise filled her plate and Tatsumi noted Aria's absence.

Aria was elsewhere in the house, specifically in her study talking with her friend and stepsister Seryu Ubiquitous who had come home to her house not feeling her usual self, and Aria knew it immediately due to years of living with her. Seryu was a tall young woman about the same age as Aria, she had long copper brown hair which she kept in a ponytail, her eyes were brown, her attire consisted of a black uniform covered by steel plates, she was beautiful. Koro sat in Seryu's lap. "You don't look so good Seryu, now what is you wanted to talk to me about" Aria asked.

"To be honest I came to you Aria because you're the only person I know I can trust you're family and you've always been there for me since you parents took me in, you insisted on having me taken in; last night I discovered something horrible, you know Captain Ogre?" Seryu replied.

"Yes, I do, he's a decent man for his position anyway what's wrong?" Aria replied.

"He was like a father to me as much of one as yours and my birth-father, he taught me everything I know, but last night he changed my view about him, I found out that his kindness is a façade, a mask, a lie, he's not a good man, he's a criminal, and worst kind and I've no idea for how long he's been one, he's been taking bribes from a Merchant named Gamul who he's partnered with in twisted racket of bribes, murder and slavery, his scheme was simple, Gamul would target his competitors and frame them for crimes they didn't commit, then have me and the other officers arrest them, Ogre would have the brought in and executed, then Ogre would find their families and sell them into slavery, a lot of the widows were purchased by- (she shivered) Prime Minister Honest, and then Ogre would get his cut from Gamul's business after he bought out his competitors' assets, you were right, the Capital is full of corruption, the city is corrupt no the Empire is corrupt and full of criminals that need to be brought to justice, but I can't do a thing, I'm quitting, leaving the force, I refuse to work for a man who's carrying out the most vile crimes possible on top associating with Honest of all people" Seryu explained.

"That's horrifying, Seryu I know exactly what to do for it, there is a way he can be brought to justice, but I'll need your help don't quit if anything his corruption shows the need for straight arrows like yourself" Aria stated.

"What is that" Seryu asked.

"Sometimes justice needs to be carried out by less than savory means, I have friends that deal with people like Gamul and Ogre, I will get in touch with them, but I need you to keep a secret" Aria stated.

"Ok" Seryu stated worried that she may have backed herself into a corner which only Aria knew the way out of but she trusted Aria with her life on a level that even Ogre didn't come close to.

"You have been my friend for years now Seryu not just that my stepsister to me you're family and that matters dearly, I trust you deeply, now I'm going to let you know my greatest secret, my parents and I support the Revolutionary Army, more specifically Night Raid, my parents use their connections to identify targets for the group to kill, I'm on their team as their dedicated medic and poison expert, I've killed my fair share of the worst the Empire has to offer, I've kept my identity secret, you want justice Seryu, Night Raid can bring it, in fact there probably the best source of justice in the Empire, we remove the worst criminals and save a lot of innocents, each mission a great success, we are a band of brothers and sisters, we've not failed a mission yet, I'll talk to Najenda but I want your approval, just say the word and Gamul and Ogre will be marked for death" Aria replied, Seryu was shocked, she had known Aria for 10 years and never thought she had supported the revolution, were this anyone else she would arrest them, but this was her best friend who was pretty much her sister in all but blood also she had seen irrefutable evidence of the Empire's corruption, something which she couldn't overlook, the Empire had lost all trust from her and were no longer able to enforce justice, something which she held dear.

"Then consider them marked, kill them and I will join Night Raid Aria-nii" Seryu replied then smirked at the thought of their death. "One thing though, make Ogre's death quick, he may be a horrible man but he was like a father to me and I insist he die quickly as a mercy" Seryu added because despite all the things Ogre had done she didn't want him to die slowly because he had once been a good person and if anything its what she would have done if she had been brave enough.

"Alright consider it done, I'll see to it personally, now I've got to go, I'm going shopping for our special project" Aria replied.

"I'm coming with you, I'll be your bodyguard" Seryu stated.

"Well I really shouldn't keep you from your duties" Aria replied.

"Not really I don't have anything to do I took a leave of absence in the meantime I'll be your bodyguard, I'm sure your parents won't mind having me around you know they certainly don't" Seryu remarked.

"I see, well I'll go let my parents know the good news and the bad, don't worry we'll do something about it" Aria replied and then left. "One more thing we're having breakfast so if you're hungry go get some" Aria added, Seryu blushed and forgot about her troubles due to hunger. Seryu followed her out, Koro at her side as her faithful companion.

"I'm glad you agree with my decision Koro" Seryu said to her companion who merely woofed at it. "Who's a good boy? Aria can you get something for him" Seryu asked.

"Of course, we have bacon" Aria answered.

Shortly the two arrived at the table, Seryu sat next to Tatsumi who she didn't know while Koro was taken aside and given a bowl of bacon by Aria which he proceeded to gobble up. "So, who are you?" Seryu asked Tatsumi.

"Tatsumi, I came to that capital looking to join the army so to see if I could get the taxes on my village reduced, got conned out of my money by someone who claimed they could get me in as an officer and ended up on the streets, Aria took me in last night and I'm staying here at the moment" Tatsumi replied.

"Well it's nice to meet you Tatsumi, I'm Seryu Ubiquitous, Capital Police, I'm Aria's best friend and her newest bodyguard" Seryu explained.

"Nice to meet, you any friend of Aria's is a friend of mine" Tatsumi replied then took a drink from his orange juice.

"Good to hear" Seryu stated. "He's cute" Seryu thought to herself then realized that calling him cute was an understatement he was handsome.

Later… They had finished breakfast and had set out, Aria having brought along a large wagon, and an armed escort, she had seen to giving Tatsumi, Sayo and Ieyasu some spare armor from the armory to allow them to blend in with her other guards. "The city has grown more dangerous of late" One of the guards stated.

"And more corrupt" Seryu chimed.

"Is it really that bad?" Tatsumi asked.

"You have no idea, my superior who was like a father to me since I was 6 I found out last night was taking bribes and was arresting and killing innocent people and then selling their families in slavery, trust me Tatsumi, if you're hoping for justice you've come to the wrong place" Seryu replied grimly, Tatsumi frowned, the capital was turning out to be a completely different place then he thought it would be; any hope he had in a fair shake was slowly declining and he wondered if joining the army was such a good idea after all, especially with the information he had received about the Empire's corruption, he then realized he couldn't in good conscience support a regime that allowed such vile crimes to be committed no his conscience told him he had to do something to fix the problems, but he was only one person.

"So what's your relationship with Aria?" Tatsumi asked on a more light-headed note.

"Oh I'm her best friend and her stepsister, her parents took me in when I was 10 about four years after my parents died: since then I've lived at their place but was raised to work in the Capitol Police force, I love law and love keeping people safe" Seryu replied

"So why is your last name Ubiquitous and not Grundel?" Tatsumi asked.

"Out of respect for my parents, and because even at heart I'm still a Ubiquitous first and foremost at heart, as much as I love being part of Aria's family, but that's enough about my personal life for now let's focus on keeping Aria safe" Seryu replied.

Aria's shopping was exceedingly huge, every time she stopped to get something, she found even a passing interest she had them stop and buy it, soon the cart was filling up. "I think we should have brought more than one cart, Aria's buying a lot of things, almost anything that she likes" Tatsumi commented.

"It isn't just her, all women are like that" a guard replied.

"Really, where I come from women are usually content with what they've got in terms of clothes" Tatsumi remarked, Seryu shrugged and restrained herself from lecturing him but someone else did.

"Tatsumi you baka! Do you really think that? Trust me since I got to the Capital I've been going out shopping with Aria whenever she decided to go shopping, I wasn't content remotely with my ordinary attire I just didn't have the luxury to go shopping, not that we had anywhere to do so in the village anyway-" Sayo rebuked and continued to berate Tatsumi until she was distracted by something rather comical, several guards carrying a massive gift-wrapped present, while Aria walked ahead of them like a giddy little girl which caused her to laugh hysterically, according to Aria a new model carriage was inside the box that was meant to transport about 10 people.

The shopping spree lasted until Aria ran out of room in the cart, during that time Tatsumi noted the coming and goings of people the most interesting thing while shopping with Aria he saw was a green-haired man with goggles run by carrying some books and being chased by an angry mob of women. "That was weird" Tatsumi remarked.

"Nothing remotely out of the ordinary, I know him, he's just a guy who gets in over his head pretty often, also he has issues with behaving around woman" Aria responded.

"That's a shock" Tatsumi remarked.

"He owns a book store; my mother and I get a lot of our reading material from there" Aria replied and they continued onward, Tatsumi stopped to note wanted posters.

"Maybe I should take up bounty hunting work; I hunted Danger Beasts on the way here, tracking people shouldn't be too different" Tatsumi remarked then went over to the posters with Aria following him. "The Masked Assassin WOW! 250,000 gold pieces dead or alive: that's a fortune" Tatsumi replied looking at a poster which depicted a masked armored figure the mask was Oni-like in appearance but left a gap for the mouth of the assassin which had a terrifying grin the kind that was stuff of nightmares in terms of dementedness. "And 500,000 for Akame the Swordswoman of Death!" Tatsumi remarked noting another poster of a rather attractive woman with a grim expression.

"Tatsumi I'd advise against that" Aria commented.

"Why?" Tatsumi asked.

"Look closer at some of them, and read the job descriptions it's never a good idea to take a job without knowing what you're up against" Aria explained and Tatsumi did so, the money had distracted him from reading the descriptions which were to the side of the picture and above the name and there was a commonality with a number of these targets; Night Raid and Imperial Arms.

"What's Night Raid? And what are Imperial Arms?" Tatsumi asked.

"Well Tatsumi Night Raid is a group of assassins who focus on targeting corrupt officials and nobles along with pretty much anyone else that's got a habit of preying on the defenseless; they work for the Revolutionary Army and are unpredictable; they are called Night Raid because they only operate at night which I can say is a dead giveaway by the name, it's not too imaginative on their part but it's simple and simplicity is often the best thing when naming a group" Aria replied. "As for Imperial Arms or the Teigu as they are called, they're ancient artifacts of power, some are weapons, some are armor, some are well a number of objects but they are valuable beyond measure; only thousands of them exist in the Empire with the technology required to make them being lost over centuries of internal conflicts and of those thousands only a few hundred remain that aren't lost; also they can't be destroyed by any means that is possessed in the Empire so they're pretty much indestructible" Aria explained.

"So what makes them dangerous?" Tatsumi asked.

"Teigus are relics of a bygone era and only certain individuals can use them, but when they are used they are capable of amazing feats; a martial Teigu users is easily worth 100 men; and a group armed with them is well worth an army: trust me Tatsumi; Night Raid is dangerous because of the fact that most of the people in it are Teigu users and you aren't cut out for that kind of work no matter how many Danger Beasts you've killed" Aria explained.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, still though that is a lot of money" Tatsumi replied.

"Indeed it is, but if you stick with me and use the connections my family has you can make way more" Aria replied, Tatsumi nodded and they continued on.

They soon returned to the mansion while the afternoon gave way to sunset, Tatsumi looked out the window at the sight averting his sight from a book that he borrowed from the library, it was about tactics when facing Danger Beasts and other powerful enemies. "It's a wonderful sight" Aria commented entering his room.

"What are you doing here Aria?" Tatsumi asked.

"The representative my parents sent for is here for you and your friends, remember now that you have a choice here, either join the group your being assigned to or stay here as my bodyguard, either way you'll be seeing me a lot" Aria explained.

"I'm confused" Tatsumi replied.

"Don't worry I'll let our guest explain it to you, just a hint though we aren't what we seem; but not in a bad way just we have our secrets; my family is willing to care for those in need of help and well not just that we will protect those people by any means necessary" Aria commented, this intrigued Tatsumi even more. He was led downstairs to the living room where a mysterious figure sat down next to the fireplace with Sayo and Ieyasu sitting on the couch, Tatsumi took a seat next to Sayo.

"Well everyone is here" Constantine remarked from his chair, in the other was Angela who was writing in her journal.

"Yes, the time has come" the mysterious figure commented and threw back her cloak, to reveal a young woman, she was clad in what looked like a schoolgirls uniform she had auburn hair which was near red, eyes which were also red, she wore headphones on her forehead and had on her side a box, she had a cherry lollipop in her hand, she was beautiful and had a similar figure to Aria's own. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Chelsea, I represent a group that is funded in part by Aria's family and which Aria is a member of, we are Night Raid; we are an elite group of soldiers fighting for the Revolutionary army, we serve as Assassins who target the worst the Empire has offer, Aria and her family usually direct recruits to the revolutionary army or bring them on as bodyguards, but sometimes rarely she finds people that have the potential to join Night Raid, so far no one has made the cut and our leader General Najenda has rerouted them to main army; you three are a special case though, tells of your deeds are abuzz along the road to the capital and Aria speaks highly of you three, as such you three have been recommended to join, now you three have two options, either join us or serve here as bodyguards to Aria's family" Chelsea explained.

Tatsumi was shocked Aria had told him about the group and said they were dangerous but considering the fact that Aria was a member she was speaking from experience which meant she was dangerous; he was now worried. He had issues with this, first off if he joined them the Empire itself would be his enemy which meant he'd be a rebel and if captured subjected to a brutal public death; however there was the fact that he had seen the abuses of the Empire first hand with its high taxes, failure to patrol and protect the internal borders of the Empire and keep the provinces clear of bandits and Danger Beasts; also there was what Aria had told him about government corruption, Aria had been honest with him so far, granted she kept the Night Raid part about her life a secret but considering the fact that secrecy was key to her survival she was justified in hiding that detail. So that left him with a decision, join Night Raid or just be a guard at Grundewick Manor and given the choice between the two it was easy to make.

"I want to join, I've heard about the corruption of the Empire and I can't in good conscience turn a blind eye to the suffering of people like me, I've seen the first hand the hard taxes the Empire puts on those it rules along with the fact it doesn't hunt down the Bandits and Danger Beasts in the provinces like it should, the only way to change it is to take action, Sayo and Ieyasu are you two with me?" Tatsumi replied.

"I'm with you, it will be a suitable chance to test my skills besides Tatsumi I swore an oath to you before we left to follow you come hell or high water" Sayo replied.

"I'll join for the fun if nothing else" Ieyasu stated, his naivety showing.

"Good then, I'll be leading you to our headquarters, when we get near it you three will be blindfolded for security purposes, only our members can know where the base is" Chelsea replied.

"Alright then I'm coming with, I have something to tell Najenda, we've well best I tell her first" Aria added.

An hour later… they had left the city as soon as night fell and had gone into the country side, when they got near to the base they were blindfolded and ropes were tied to them to guide them along, soon they arrived in the base, Aria and Chelsea gave the password and they were let in, after entering the base their blindfolds were removed, and they were led to a central room, along the way Tatsumi noted the people, there were a few but they had their backs to them so he couldn't make out most of them beyond what they wore, he had noted earlier wanted posters for some of the group's members but the lack of colors hampered his ability to tell who was who. The only person he had gotten a good look at was the guard at the door, she was a woman with long dark hair and wore a white dress and strange pendent in her hair, she was beautiful and busty. Soon they were led to a room off the beaten path, which Aria knocked on. "Come in" a woman's voice replied.

They entered and found a desk at which was seated a lovely young woman, her hair was silver and short, she was missing her right eye and wore an eye-patch to cover it, her attire was very utilitarian, she also was missing her right arm which was replaced by a large green metal prosthetic, she was smoking a cigar. "Aria what do you have here, new recruits?" Najenda commented.

"Yes General Najenda, I met these three a few days ago, they made a hard journey between the Capital and their village, battling danger beasts and bandits along the way" Aria explained.

"I see, allow me to introduce myself, General Najenda, formally of the Imperial army, now of the Revolutionary army, I am the head of Night Raid and founder of it, you have already met two of our members Aria our medic and assassination specialist and Chelsea our recruiter and infiltrator, our mission is simple we are to find out the locations of the Capital's worst criminals and corrupt officials and silence them, our targets vary and usually come from our chief informants the Grundel Family; various targets have come up" Najenda stated.

"So, are we allowed in?" Ieyasu asked.

"That depends, you will be tested, pass the test and you're in, in the meantime you are to be ready; Night raid is only for the truly best, those who don't make the cut either end up in three ways, a soldier in the Revolutionary army, a guard at Grundewick manor or dead; the only way to leave Night Raid is death" Najenda explained.

"So how will be tested?" Sayo asked.

"You'll see soon, first off though you will have to wait" Najenda stated.