"Mono/Dialogue"

  'Inner thoughts'

  Narration

  [Message/communication apparatus]

  Date: Early October 1089

  Location: Wastend around Sette Colli, Siracusa.

  POV: Narrator

  [We’ll be approaching Sette Colli’s borders in 30 minutes.] Nyx’s VTOL cuts through the stormy sky, completely unhindered even when a lightning bolt strikes. Her A.I. has been updating their journey, Conrad had advised about the incoming storm but she urged the transport to push on through the shortest route.

  “…” That same dy is sitting on her bike in utter silence. Her knuckles have long since gone white, and her mouth has been tasting iron ever since she was alone with her companion. Conrad approached with the spare exosuit, he put his hand on her and that woke her up.

  “… What is it?” She tried her best to smile, but all the A.I. could see was none other than confusion and sadness. Nyx has been very quiet after boarding up the ramp, her vigor was scattered to who knows where.

  [You’re distracted.]

  “… Heh… Yeah, but don’t worry… it’s just… new…” A morose smile with her eyes squinted. Nyx shakes her head before carefully bringing her ride forth, stopping just close enough near the cargo door. Her other exosuits are crowding over, pcing and rigging the bike with necessary equipment while the one Conrad is controlling is still staring at her. It is one of the more mentable situations for the A.I., if only he could show her how worried he is.

  “Change of pn, drop me off now.”

  [Pardon?]

  “I want to cool off a little… please, just… let me have this.”

  […Affirmative, descent initiated.]

  “Thanks, pal… It won’t take long, I promise. It is also not the first time I couldn’t bounce back in a jiffy… Who knows?”

  ‘I do… I deserve it… after everything. It might also be for the best considering my reputation.’ The cargo bay was opened, and she revved her bike alive, not once did she look back. Nyx sped through the rainy weather and straight to the border. Her smile is still etched and the drizzles prove to be a nice temporary companion.

  -

  -

  -

  -

  Location: Sette Colli, Siracusa.

  4th Convoy finds themselves in deep trouble. It all started 3 days ago, and now everything is hell. The Cordelian branch in the city has been turned into a makeshift fortress, dozens if not hundreds of dead bodies y all around it. While not an open warfare yet, the occasional shooting and violence terrorized the locals.

  [Team 2, how is your side?]

  [We are doing fine, we caught sight of them duking it out on the street a few times, but no one dared get too close to us.]

  [Roger that, make sure to keep your ammunition stocked up and prioritize rest in between shifts.]

  [Wilco, Captain.]

  An explosion erupted near the western part of the compound, stirring some PMCs that had already gone too fed up with being woken up from their nap. Those who stand on guard can only watch when the innocent ends up as colteral.

  At first, they tried to save anyone they could, but after several attempts at infiltrations and how explicit order from Adenaver, they stayed put. It is not exactly smart to meddle with civil unrest either, they could end up being dragged into the conflict and promptly worsen everyone’s situation.

  [Team 3, give me a sitrep.]

  [3 is doing A-OK, but we really need that wall patched up. We see folks watching us from the alleyways. I reckon they’re there to keep an eye on us and we saw what appears to be runners entering and leaving from there on out.]

  [Affirm… anything you might need from the logistics crew?]

  [Eh… let’s see…. We need more rations, and a couple of cigs would be nice.]

  [I’ll see what I can do, good luck on the watch.]

  PMCs patrols witnessed open cshes between famiglia happening not too far outside, with cars smming at each other before their occupants disembarked to continue this madness without caring about injuries. The civilians had made themselves scarce, those who own a basement have it easier but not easy. This chaos would make one think that the city is paralyzed, but several unfortunate souls are obliged to come to work because they’re indispensable.

  Engineers and workers doing their duty for the primary mobile generators to ensure the mobile city doesn’t freeze in its tracks. Catastrophe Messengers must dodge the conflict and help the government in traversing the wastend just outside their walls. Farmers must tend and protect the already scarce farmnd along with Grey Hall personnel with thievery being rampant outside its confine. Even the regur folks who must purchase groceries, do undry, and even go to work in civilian sectors painted a surreal picture of this mess.

  “Look at that one.” A female Vulpo PMC ft told her colleague to look towards a mafiosi throwing a firebomb at a diner. She winced hearing screams coming out from the inside and her fist clenched so tight it crumpled the padding of her combat glove. Her colleague looked over with an almost bored expression with a smattering amount of pity.

  “Are these people idiots? Don’t they know that without the civilian they’re finished?” She spat hatefully, her family used to own a small diner themselves. Then fate screwed them by sending a piece of Originium ore mailed to their door. Her parents got infected and chased out by the locals, leaving her alone to manage a diner then being forced out herself after a noble liaison conveniently offered her an offer she couldn’t refuse or face a fate worse than death.

  “I think they do, but the folks here are too scared to do anything. Decades of habits do wonders…” Her colleague is a Lupo man with a scar running down his right eye. He doesn’t seem all that disturbed while lighting a cigarette. She eyes him but doesn’t extend the same hostility toward his attitude.

  “Nobles or commoners, infected or not, rich or not, all of them are potential SoBs…”

  “You know that includes us both, right?”

  “Hmph…”

  “What happens happens, after all? I used to be a Mafiosi myself and that had taught me lessons.”

  “Yeah?”

  “First, you can’t touch the Famiglie in its truest sense, the judges are useless; the written ws are mere lip service. Second, commoners must pay attention to the power shift, being under a bigger Famiglia protection won’t guarantee invulnerability and instead make you a bigger target for rival Famiglie if your contribution is too low. Third, there are rules about killing civilians, but shadow wars happen all the time with them being colteral. Lastly, once you’re in the Famiglia, you stay in the Famiglia.”

  “How come you’re out then?”

  “Heh, I killed them. Small Famiglie is dimes a dozen, if anything, my old Famiglia’s rival popped a few bottles in my name.”

  “I thought loyalty is a common ground?”

  “Can you call it loyalty when they took your kid behind your back, gave him a bomb, and told him to jog to a guy in a park minding his own business?”

  “… Point taken, sorry…” The Vulpo felt a bit bad for poking at a personal matter. The Lupo man chuckled sadly but he didn’t seem to mind, or not anymore at least.

  “Don’t bother, Signorina (Young Lady), it is all in the past.”

  [Team 4, how is your side?] His walkie-talkie transmitted their Captain’s voice. He takes one more puff before answering.

  “Just the usual, we even saw them throwing a firebomb at the diner we went to 5 days ago.”

  [… Don’t do anything stupid, Mr. Aden had confirmed that our reinforcement should arrive in an hour or so. Remember, this is their war.]

  “Team 4 copy, hopefully, we can leave this mess unscathed.” Cutting off the communication, they watch as mayhem rages on.

  “Didn’t you just fg us?”

  “… What fg?”

  -

  -

  -

  “Signorina Cellinia, the Don has sent you a message.” A Lupo Mafiosi handed over a letter to a bck-haired Lupo woman who looked to be approaching her twenties. She wore a red shirt underneath her leather jacket that is complemented with a boy shorts. The woman looks bored, while munching her chocote stick, seeing all this mayhem but unable to do more than watch over their territory. She currently reclined on her sofa while other Mafiosi are awaiting her directions. For personal protection, she has a twin sword hanging on her hips with a noticeable glint shining through their scabbard.

  “Grazie (Thanks), I fear that the Saluzzo will make their py soon. We are outnumbered and I couldn’t protect each and every one of you. Hah… this sort of chaos makes me miss home…”

  “What about the Bellone?”

  “Don Bellone would make his py, but Nonno (Grandfather) strictly forbid us from engaging them.” Tilting her head sideways while chewing on her chocote, she thought out loud.

  “I sometimes wonder what does Madrina (Godmother) Sicilia thinks of this debacle.”

  “She might have a good reason to stay her hands for now.” So it seems, but Cellinia thinks otherwise.

  ‘Rumors have been noisy about how she is on her way to purge her own Famiglia.’

  “Regardless, do not try to agitate the Cordelian, they are less of PMCs and more like soldiers without a country. You heard the rumors, don’t you?”

  “Si, lo so bene. (Yes, I’m well aware.)”

  “They say that Il Serpente Grigio (The Grey Serpent) had turned them from mere second-chancers into real fighters. I think I agree because that Vouivre man we met 2 weeks ago was not ordinary. Sure, I could take him, but not without some nasty scars and I’m not in the mood to be hearing Father’s incessant ramblings.” She takes another chocote stick before continuing.

  “Get back to your post and notify me immediately when a serious problem occurs, capisce (understood)?” She rips the envelope with a single swipe and reaches out for its content.

  “Capisco. (Understood.)” The man steps back and heads out of the room.

  Cellinia's eyes read each line with rapt attention, each one made her eyebrows knit even tighter than before. Her subordinates notice her changing expression, and despite being the de facto Prima Donna Princess of Texas Famiglia, she is closer to her grandfather in terms of sheer ferocity and will in combat. Standing up from her seat, she throws the letter into the firepce and turns her head back outside.

  Rains start falling onto the earth, and even then the mayhem has yet to cease. It appears that the season of wars will not be halted and only escates as each second passes them by. She reaches out on her next chocote but she bites into them and the next with a scowl.

  ‘Great, this is just exhausting and that dolt father of mine is getting more and more irate… Dios Mio (Dear God), just how miserable could it get?’ Cellinia’s thoughts then arrived on two people she could consider close but in a different sense. One is an Efia Mafiosi Princess from Columbia, the other is the heir of Saluzzo Famiglia who has more shortcomings than one could count.

  ‘I wonder… what are the differences between here and back home…?’ That’s the thought filling the Columbian Mafia Princess head. She is ironically regarded as The Perfect Siracusan despite coming from the other end of Terra.

  -

  -

  -

  In comparison with how the Texas Famiglia’s Princess has the respect and obedience of her cohorts simply because she is, the Saluzzos’ are the same but through the opposite end of the spectrum. A white-haired Lupo woman could be seen grinning from eye to eye at the Cordelian PMCs making up the perimeters and patrolling their compound. She wore a bck and white dress with a rather short skirt and leather boots. She dressed stylishly and quite the gorgeous dy if one takes crazed smile as their cup of tea.

  She is fascinated by how they don’t appear to be disturbed seeing dead bodies being left in the open or hanged on the nearest mppost; amongst many other artworks littering the historical capital of Siracusa. While she is admiring the scenery, a Mafiosi from her Famiglia could be seen approaching her with fearful steps while his colleagues look the other way but his direction.

  “S-Signorina Lappnd…”

  “Hmm~?” Lappnd gaze’s snapped towards the man, he could see her eyes boring holes into him.

  “T-the Don-”

  “Ah! Mio Padre (My Father)! Oh, how I, really~, been waiting for him to do something~. I mean look there! Those are fine pymates I rarely ever have. Oh dios mio (my god), I couldn’t wait… hehehehe~…” She has a genuine smile forming on her lips, yet his eyes aren’t on her gorgeous visage, but instead on her hands clutching her swords tight. He sees how it has a barely restrained tremble.

  “So out with it, I don’t have all day.” That’s when her smile vanishes, she tilts her head with a ft expression adorning her. One of her hands had brushed past his neck to cw on his necktie; pulling him closer to her face. This is the face he only sees when someone is smack dab in the middle of the scales between life and death when dealing with Lappnd.

  “T-The Don had ordered you to stand down.”

  “Ha???” Half his heart gave out, but stopping and failing to deliver the message also meant certain death. Like it or not, he could only sigh in defeat inside his mind.

  “W-We had received information from the Grey Hall’s official that Cordelia would be pulling out entirely.”

  “Entirely?”

  “Y-Y-Yes! While the exact contents of their negotiation have yet to be announced, we had theorized that tacit understandings have been achieved.”

  “Hmph, no fun… and her I thought anything reeks of Leithanien would have a hard time… oh well~.”

  “Supposedly, a team is coming to retrieve them. The Don’s order is for you to stay put an-”

  “Oh sure, sure, tell Padre I’ll be an obedient girl and wait on the sideline~. Tell him that I eagerly awaited further order, now chop-chop little pup.” The man bolted away from her grasp while she watched on. Once he is out of sight, her eyes turn bloodshot with her swords unsheathed, and she starts sshing away at the nearby wall.

  “CAZZO! (Fuck!) Couldn’t he see this?! Is he telling me to just watch and do jack squat?! Don’t make me ugh! That damn old fossil! He always yells and tells me to wait for this, do that, and think some more. Now that I put more thought into it, he told me to abandon it?! What the fuck?!”

  “S-Signorina, you sh-”

  “Woopsie-daisy~” A trail of blood glistens on her bde then falls onto the earth. For a second, her crazed smile returned before her expression worsened once more.

  “Hi?!” The man could feel his neck bleed just enough to not kill him. He stares in horror at his superior. Lappnd’s breathing is very erratic and her arms couldn’t stop trembling from her raging impatience. Then as if the storm had passed, she smiled and patted off specks of dust clinging on her clothes. She even got the man she just harmed back up and patted his shoulder while he bled.

  She pointed him to get medical attention using her eyebrows, the man almost cried for her mercy and left for the Famiglia surgeon. The Lupo woman then frowned seeing that she was still a tad dirty for her liking along with a few strands of her locks being disheveled.

  “Aww… I got them messy, ugh… Padre would yell at me, this sucks. Meh…” She yanked a hand mirror from one of her subordinates to tidy up her hair. She carefully takes care of her locks made up of pure white. She is undoubtedly a gorgeous woman, she would have been perfect without her nasty streaks. She returned the hand mirror with a grace that befits her station and picturesque smile worthy of painting.

  “Grazie, amici (friend)~.”

  “S-Si…” The woman then stands where she is. Her eyes drag themselves so slowly from one Mafiosi to the next. She then snapped her vision towards a poor Feline who shrinks under her gaze. She licked her lips like finding a new toy to chew…

  “Hey, you there.”

  “M-me?”

  “Yeah, you, dum-dum, go order something, I’m hungry. Oh oh oh, almost forgot! If you find anyone not following Siracusan authentic recipe for their dish, beat them up. Capisce~?” Fortunately, fate is being kind.

  “C-Capisco, Signorina!” After telling whomever that thug was to do something useful, Lappnd returned her attention to the Cordelian inside the compound. She has been told to stand down and that made her a tad angry, but her instinct has been howling non-stop that something big is heading her way… so she waits patiently.

  The Saluzzo’s heir then starts humming a local pizzeria song. She quite liked its simplicity and how catchy it sounded, then again this song was supposedly popurized in Columbia despite everything. Her thoughts then wandered back to her best pymate, the Texas Princess, even when things didn’t go as pnned, she could pester her.

  While Lappnd is lost in her world, her people can finally release their breath. She is famous for not being the most pleasant person to work with, and that was made worse by how her skill is the real deal. They wonder why Alberto Saluzzo still expects this madwoman.

  POV: Cellinia Texas

  “You know… this whole thing is just a waste. Come on… the sun had packed up ages ago…” I mean, it is not all that different in Columbia… there will always be a part of the city that never sleeps.

  “I agree, Signorina, but it is what it is, there is always blood somewhere in Siracusa.”

  “Sometimes I just wanna go back to Columbia… At least I could find some modicum of amusement watching someone trying to go big only to be thrown outside the casino.”

  “Surely you jest, a Texas of your caliber is overkill to intimidate those spineless Columbian. Then again, your Grandfather returned to the fold with such a precious technology, he is a hero.”

  “A hero, huh?” Yeah right… Nonno rarely if ever cared about that. It is Padre who shows problems in the family, their fight st week gave me a real headache. He couldn’t shut up trying to find a gullible schmuck for me… good luck with that…

  “Indeed! I daresay that even Il Capo dei Capi (The Boss of Bosses) herself owes our Famiglia a great deal because of that. Just imagine it, with the mobile city construction technology, we could expand Siracusa under her guidance and our influence.”

  “Uh huh… hey, any news about their relief team?”

  “Cordelian?”

  “Yeah, ETA?”

  “Wait, I’ll go downstairs and check back on the comms personnel.” The Perro dutifully goes about his duty while I was suddenly struck by a sense of déjà vu. My mind could only stare pointedly at the compound, then I spotted a single bike cutting through the carcasses clogging up the highway.

  ‘Is that their relief team? Can’t be it, especially since the streets have been turned into hell.’ I decide to just watch and then the rider stops. They looked around before finding the right building, and the Cordelian waving at them.

  ‘I don’t know what in the world Cordelian’s CEO was smoking, but a single person on a bike? Really?’

  They stepped off from it and unlocked their helmet. Locks of Grey cascading down gently like serpents…

  ‘O mio Dio, non puoi dire sul serio… (Oh my God, you can’t be serious…’

  “N-NYX?!” Everyone was surprised that she was on the relief team. I mean… that is not a team… Cordelia just sent an army into Siracusa’s historical city if the rumors were to be believed. My eyes followed her steps, and she gnced back from the corner of her eyes to no one else but me.

  My breath caught up in my throat while I froze in my chair. Torrential waves of the rawest dread and frigid touch of mortality invaded the tiniest crevices of my mind. All my senses were pushed into an overdrive and with hairs stood on ends… a mere gnce did that?

  ‘It is worse.’

  The chocote in my mouth tastes like ash… no…

  ‘What was that?!’ I got back on my feet immediately, breaking into a cold sweat. I looked down at my palms to see that they were trembling non-stop. I never quite felt like this anymore… the st time I did was when I was ordered to wipe out my first hideout of dissidents… but back then I could still perceive a modicum of excitement… now? It’s cold. Dead, dead, cold…

  My subordinates were alerted but I could not care less when my instinct screamed in unadulterated terror. My heart is beating loud and I don’t know how a single gnce could rattled me so deeply. That is when I catch a glimpse of that messy white hair… I could see her grinning madly despite every single pore of her body being electrocuted the same way I did.

  ‘Oh no…’ My eyes shot toward the alleyway where she was. Lappnd would no doubt be the first to notice and that’s rarely going to be a good thing. I was already running downstairs, surprising all I had passed.

  “S-Signorina!?”

  “Stay put!”

  “Where are you going?!”

  “Do not follow me if you value your life and tell everyone else to scatter! You there, contact the Don and tell him that we might need reinforcement!”

  “S-Si, Signorina!”

  “Someone get a runner to Don Saluzzo, his daughter is about to do something stupid, on the double now!”

  “Capisco!”

  A loud sound of steel cshing with something erupted through the door. Adrenaline invades my system and pumps out the much-needed chemical to ease the pounding in my chest. I had yet to reach combat but the echoes of combat are enough to remind me of how troubles keep brewing.

  ‘Damn it all…’ Bracing myself, I pushed the door open, my bdes unsheathed and heart hardened… Oh, Dios mio…

  ‘You owe me this, Lappnd…’

  POV: Narrator

  Lappnd unched herself from the shadow, despite the protest of everything except for instinct and lust for battle. The Saluzzo heir strikes while her adversary has her back turned. Normally she would be opposed to such a method, but circumstances changed… so did the rules.

  She swung her bde downward, intending to at least put a ceration on Nyx’s back… sadly, it took more than that to catch the Grey Serpent off-guard. She pivoted sideways on her sole, turning her body simultaneously, and injured Lappnd’s wrist using a hook of her fist.

  “Nghh!” The White-haired woman gritted her teeth, pain, fright, and joy mixed into one messed cocktail of endorphin and adrenaline. She does not mind her injury and presses on. With 2 bdes in her hands, she swings them in succession while the Grey Serpent watches impassively, not even a single eyebrow raised while the Lupo strikes without pause.

  Their feet glide under the rain and on the paved cobblestones that had witnessed the rise of Siracusa. Lappnd shows her worth as a genius in her own right. She never shies away from trying every trick in the book such, nothing is off the table when pretty much her entire being had been screaming in dread.

  Each time she arched her arms, flexing them outward to bait a reaction, Nyx just observed and deflected what needed to be done. Otherwise, her swings are wild and unfocused, no different than stabbing in the dark. Diagonal sshes and transforms into diagonal counter-ssh to maximize the energy gathered and recycled into a renewed offensive.

  “Ease up, kid… I’m not in the mood to fight.” Nyx is lightly armed, only her bde and Originium pistol can be seen hanging on her hips and chest pte respectively. Her ride is almost bereft of weaponry, and even then most only carried munitions.

  “But I am, ma’am!” Lappnd expression is that of excitement, she found another pymate that doesn’t lose out to Cellinia. She tried mixing and mimicking their styles to create something new; an exciting offshoot.

  “Hah… suit yourself…” Her enthusiasm was answered with bsé acceptance at best. Nyx has yet to lift her hands, she is only focused on dodging and deflecting hits. This is when Lappnd noticed something that irks her to no end…

  The Grey Serpent’s eyes are straight, looking at her, but paradoxically it is lost to a distant nd. Her hands have been moving and intercepting her swords as needed, but there is not even an ounce of vigor from it. It is mechanical and stiff, and yet that’s all she needs.

  It would have been better if Nyx looked down on her… but she is not even registering her presence. That is the cause of anger bubbling inside her, she is fighting an opponent that couldn’t care less and instead being distracted by something else. It is not the first time someone trying to humiliate her, but this is the first time for someone she meet to not even deem her something worth thinking about.

  Irritation, disbelief, and shame were smashed into one, her thoughts and swings were halted when familiar footsteps echoed through the rain. She dodged to the side and a bde struck the ground she once was upon.

  “Cellinia!” her grin widened seeing her best pymate who could not reciprocate with the same expression. She notices that Cellinia is drenched yes, but the smell of fear brings her mind to a halt.

  “What are you thinking?!” She sounds desperate.

  “Cellinia… what’s wrong with you?”

  “Get back now, I’ll try to talk to Don Saluzzo in your stead, so, let’s pull away.” Cellinia's eyes warily eyed Nyx who only watched their exchange silently. There is one notable point between the two, the Grey Serpent had noticed the bck-haired Lupo who only used a single ssh not aimed at her but didn’t extend the same courtesy to the white-haired one.

  Lappnd's eyes go bnk, her face is now a void of emotion, and yet her body trembles like crazy. Much of the being that had been rebelling against her was brought to heel from a fury that reached its zenith. Nyx had looked over Cellinia despite coming in second.

  That could not fly, simply as.

  She vanished from her spot and returned to their perception when her bde almost touched Nyx’s head. The Grey Serpent's gaze finally traced upon her, a small improvement from indifference. Nyx stepped backward once, and her bde only touched air. She is about to make a follow-up before her opponent’s leg swings sideways.

  Lappnd evaded just in time, aside from how the left side of her skirt was torn open. She hissed when a bruise could be seen marking itself on her thigh.

  “… Can’t you see I’m busy?” Nyx has an unlit cigarette being pyed around her fingers.

  “Oh, mi dispiace (Oh, I’m sorry) ~ I thought you were blind! Ignoring me and what-not, but hey~ I’m here!” Her eyebrows start to twitch in annoyance.

  “Listen, kid, it has been a long week and-” Nyx was interrupted, her indifferent and lost expression minutely changing into distaste.

  “Really?! All the better then, you can blow up some steam! You see, I keep hearing all there is exciting about you. They say that you’re quite the fighter and firebrand, the monster and the angel! Oh, oh, oh! I remember that one I can’t wait and keep thinking about! So-”

  Lappnd blinked, and Nyx had kicked off from the ground. Her instinct screamed a premonition of death. Lappnd’s eyes trace her foe’s hand that balled into a straight jab as that; merely a fist, but her brain interprets that it is none other than a spear lunging at subsonic speed. She twists and bends her body to withstand the incoming impact…

  [I warned you.] Nyx mouthed off her admonition, and her fist connected with a pair of crisscrossed steel. At first, it looks like the Grey Serpent’s hit was halted, but her fist proves much more potent than her flimsy, hastily formed, guard stance. The white-haired Lupo was trounced towards a wall; flying from the middle of an empty highway straight into concrete.

  Or that was what it was supposed to be.

  Cellinia had made a preemptive move once Lappnd had started provoking the Grey Serpent. She caught her using her body while her palms gripped her swords. Her swords cut open the rocks with the sizzling and burning heat of rocks contending the dampness of rain.

  Cellinia gritted her teeth, she had underpyed the force Nyx’s fist could generate. Then again…

  ‘This is… really bad…’ Despite her grim acceptance, a grin tugged on her lips. Lappnd sees it and she shows a smirk of her own.

  ‘She finally pulled her head off the gutter, aha! This is going to be fun.’

  Once they stopped, both having panted in agony and thrilled for competitive urges, their gaze tched onto the Grey Serpent. Nyx has both of her hands inside her pockets, her expression has changed again. This time she looked at them both, but her gaze was dismissive and annoyed.

  “Kids these days are always so… hah… Your fathers would be worried, go home.”

  “Hah! Mine couldn’t care less!” Lappnd excimed in euphoric joy. Cellinia said nothing but her expression told how she was also fed up with her father’s rambling. Nyx sighed before putting aside her problem.

  “Different city, different pces, and yet same shit every day… So let’s try something new, at least.” She walks towards them calmly. Cellinia and Lappnd run towards the Grey Serpent in a synchronized move with each moving on either of her fnks. Cellinia strikes first by abruptly stopping in her tracks for Arts bdes coming down from the skies. Nyx was forced to halt her advance and focus on dodging them, which was perfect for Lappnd’s turn.

  Her bdes’ are coated with purplish Arts energy and she makes double swings several times. These energies crashed towards Nyx who was momentarily busy. Lappnd made her mark, she didn’t miss and Nyx’s body was bloodied and injured, but the woman still couldn’t care less. Cellinia made her follow-up by sshing toward her neck, which was deflected soon after.

  She is shocked witnessing her bde just glide harmlessly along her arms and break her posture, this is where she notices a steel gauntlet underneath Nyx’s jacket. She braced herself for a counter, which never came. The Texas’ Princess was puzzled and a tad insulted seeing her nonchance.

  Her displeasure remained unspoken when her crazed partner continued her assault. Ssh and cuts were sent, but their opponent has yet to retaliate. Cellinia aimed for her torso while Lappnd went for the knees, none had connected and their bde had intersected. The countermass of opposing strikes only resulted in them staggering one another.

  Nyx watches their failed attempt in amusement. Her subtle smirk seems to grind the Lupos’ gear. This fruitless exchange was less of combat, and more about coordination training for either of them. The Mafiosi and Cordelian who watches on the sideline are dumbfounded seeing Nyx who sports none of her usual aggression.

  “What the hell is with that woman? She has yet to retaliate?”

  “I guess she doesn’t want a problem with the Famiglie?”

  “Hey Jane, had Instructor ever been holding back that much with us?”

  “Nope, something is wrong with her… what in the world had happened in Kazdel?”

  “Shouldn’t we help them?”

  “We just got a reply from Don Saluzzo, he only told us to observe.”

  “So… does he care about his daughter or not?”

  “Hey, we got Signor (Sir) Giuseppe on the line.”

  Their chatters were cut short when Nyx appeared to have made a mistake. She neglected one of her counters, allowing Cellinia to stab her torso around the ribs. Lappnd did the same, her sword was aimed towards where the Grey Serpent’s heart was supposed to be. Their surrounding was shocked seeing how Nyx doesn’t even try to entertain to try anything and only get herself killed like an idiot.

  Which was untrue.

  “You guys done yet?” Her arms gripped both of their palms on the handles, pulling the swords out of her body leisurely despite their best effort to keep them embedded. Cellinia used her other free hand to block an incoming knee strike, the result? Her bde was snapped in two. The Texas’s Lupo tried to pull away, but her palm could not free itself from Nyx’s death grip.

  Lappnd tried to abandon defense altogether and swing her bde sideways. Her sharp steel cut through the wind… only to have it be held in pce by the Grey Serpent’s tail. The coiling tail starts tightening, and the crunching sound of steel being wrung and folded can be heard clearly. Her sword was snapped not long after. Her tail only received a shallow wound, but it healed quickly.

  The Lupos could only stare with pale faces seeing just how easily she could have killed them. Nyx had both of their bdes pulled out of her body. Her tail caressed their faces, and she spoke in a chiding manner no different than a teacher who was disappointed.

  “First, choosing your battle when possible is not cowardly. Second, if your opponent is dangerous, keep it simple. Third, do not overextend, pacing yourself in combat is necessary. Fourth, don’t bring a back-up weapon into a warzone unless you know what you’re doing. Fifth, Cellinia Texas, you have your mobility and reaction speed so use them, and Lappnd Saluzzo, your unconventional strength and equally unconventional fighting style should be honed further. Sixth…”

  Nyx balled fist crumpled through their swords, crushing and shattering them in less than 2 seconds.

  “You can learn about bded-part handling technique, provided you have the strength or finesses to recover from a botched attempt. Just remember to position your palm on the ft side then wrap the sword with your fingers, that way you can avoid an injury. It is commonly used for half-swording but I made it work for something else.” Nyx shows off her palm, and they see that her gloved hands have no visible sword mark anywhere. The Lupos could only stare half dazed and half amazed.

  “Seventh, either bring secondary armaments or use martial arts. Sometimes, killing people is much easier with an arm-lock compared to cerations.” Nyx walked away with her back turned. Halfway to her destination, she reached out into her pocket and then lit a cigarette before looking at the still-dazed pair.

  “Lastly, the both of you are still green… Come back and face me after a decade.” Finishing her impromptu lecture, she then enters the Cordelian compound. Everyone could only watch sck-jawed.

  Cellinia huffed before letting out a small ugh. Lappnd meanwhile, her hands are messing up her hair in irritation. The heirs promptly left the scene to their respective famiglia, neither seems all that bothered about this impromptu lecture. One couldn’t help with her chuckles while the other stomped on the ground with a pout.

  [END OF CHAPTER]

  Author’s Note:

  Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the author who is having mental depression.

  No biggie tho. :)

  She won’t be in Siracusa for long despite the official timeline seems to be indicating that the occupation and Mafiosi chaos happened for a whole year round.

  Update as usual.

  Ciao.