Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"Where is she going? Don't tell me she noticed us...is she trying to lure us or something?" Frowned Lexia, as Junne looked around cautiously before heading into a dark, narrow alley.

"No, I don't think she's onto us, that's not the impression I'm getting. But she is being strangely wary, like she's making sure no one's around to see her," Responded Colt quietly, as the pair made their way across the rooftops to the top of one of the buildings by the alley and peered down.

"Oh...unbelievable, you have got to be kidding me," Sighed Lexia disdainfully, as Junne took out a bottle and poured out a drop onto a balled-up tissue.

She then looked around again before she formed a small barrier around herself as she lit a match and set the tissue ablaze, a dark smoke billowing out from the spot where she'd dripped the liquid onto.

She then inhaled the fumes, letting out a relaxed sigh as the smoke filled the barrier, taking slow, deep breaths. Her eyes glazed over as a smile spread out across her lips, the tension leaving her body.

"That's probably the same drug she used on me to escape last time," Recalled Colt with a grimace.

"I'm surprised, I figured you'd be more excited than you are and try to get dosed with it again or something," Replied Lexia dryly.

"Hey, give me some credit...I enjoy getting messed up, sure, but toxic narcotics like that don't appeal to me in the slightest," He huffed indignantly.

"He says that like it's obvious, but how was I supposed to know that? Seriously, I don't get him at all. Well, whatever," Lexia sighed internally, before declaring as she extended a bone dagger in her right hand, "Let's move in, she was kind enough to drug herself up for us, we shouldn't let that go to waste."

"Right, let's do this. Careful not to inhale any of the smoke," Responded Colt, as Lexia swiftly dropped down from the top of the building, silently swooping down towards Junne before driving her bone dagger down as she closed in.

The dagger struck the top of the barrier and shattered it, Lexia held her breath as the smoke trapped within burst out, the tip of her dagger plunging down towards the top of Junne's head, who stiffened and turned her gaze up as soon as her barrier shattered, her eyes widening in alarm.

She shakily sprang back, her vision blurring as she narrowly evaded a fatal blow, the tip of the dagger nicking her forehead and dragging down her face, inflicting a long, vertical cut as she backed away, trickles of blood running down her face from the cut.

She then brought out her whip from her Storage Ring before turning the dial on the ring, her hands shaking clumsily before she quickly sprang off to her left as Colt dropped down towards her.

She cried out in pain as he drove his dagger down towards her, the blade slashing across the side of her right arm, blood pouring out and seeping into the fabric of her sleeve.

She stumbled across as she activated her Storage Ring again, bringing out a Spell Card and running her Mana through it, the glazed look in her eyes disappearing as a sense of lucidity returned to her expression...

"You again...!" She growled as she narrowed her eyes at Colt.

"Hm, looks like she's sober now...I get it, that must have been an Antidote Spell Card. It probably nullified the poison from my dagger too. On the bright side, it doesn't look like she has a Healing Spell Card, and more importantly, a Teleport Spell Card...which means, she has no means of escape," Colt thought to himself, before addressing her, "Hey, long time no see! I see your drug addiction is still going strong, you seem to have gotten a bit skinnier since our last encounter!"

"You Commoner bastard...," She responded icily.

"Hey, now, don't ignore me...I should probably tell you, I killed your brother in Amber Village about a month and a half ago, so if you've been wanting to avenge that piece of shit, I'm your girl!" Called out Lexia tauntingly.

"It...it was you!? H-how...how dare you!? You damned, lowborn Commoner whore! I-I'll...I'll kill you!" She snarled, before cracking her whip towards Lexia.

Lexia swiftly swung her arm across and fired out a rapidly spinning bone projectile, which struck the tip of the whip and canceled out its momentum, before Junne quickly pulled the whip back and put up a barrier wall as Colt fired out several blood projectiles at her, which splattered across the barrier as she managed to block them right in the nick of time.

She then formed another barrier wall to her left as Lexia unleashed several bone arrows towards her, which pinged off the barrier upon impact, a few small cracks spreading out as Junne took down the barrier wall in front of her and swung her whip at Colt, who swiftly extended out a blood tendril from his right palm and whipped it across, the tendril striking the incoming whip and knocking it back.

Junne then rapidly sprinted out of the alley, forming several invisible barrier walls with sharp edges behind her, in the hopes that Colt and Lexia would run right into them and get sliced.

Colt unleashed his Blood Mist Spell, which burst forth and coated the razor-edged barrier slates that Junne had created, making them visible before he and Lexia chased after her, avoiding her barriers and racing out of the alley.

As they fired their Spells out at her, she spun around and surrounded herself with a dome-shaped barrier, narrowly blocking the incoming attacks.

"Huh, your instincts aren't half bad for a drug-addled junkie," Mused Lexia, as they circled her on either side.

"Seems she's been training hard since I last fought her, her Spellcasting has gotten faster," Noticed Colt as he eyed Junne with a sadistic smirk...

Meanwhile, just outside the Garnet City church...

"Hm...I'm not picking up my sister's scent here, or the scents of any of the other Inquisitors who attacked our old hideout," Frowned Raven, feeling a bit disheartened.

"Hey, look on the bright side...with every church we take out, we'll gradually narrow down the list of where she might be, one by one," Pointed out Celia as she patted his back, before adding as she cracked her knuckles and stepped forward, "Now, then, let's get started...it's only polite that we knock before entering, so...knock, knock!"

"Huh? What're you-...?" Began Raven, before trialing off in bemusement as Celia fired off an Explosion Spell at the doors, a deafening explosion bursting out as the Spell struck the doors and sent them flying into the church as the force of the explosion ripped them off the hinges, cries of alarm ringing out as the pair shot towards the entrance and entered the building.

Several Inquisitors dropped down from the rafters above and surrounded them, the nuns in the church shrinking back fearfully, before a set of footsteps echoed out, a man approaching them.

He was in his mid-sixties, with long, slicked-back grey hair, a short, thick grey beard, dull black eyes, a dark complexion, and was of an average height and build.

"Please, there's no need to get violent, we're just humble servants of the church who-...," He began in a soft tone.

"You can drop the act, Cardinal Bain Garnet...I know you like to put on a righteous front, but we know that you've been working with your older sister, the Viscountess Stagra Garnet, to make life more difficult for the Commoners in the city. We're here to execute you," Celia interrupted him with a cold glare.

"Tch, you blasted Commoners...I did not rise to the rank of Cardinal just to die in a manner like this!" He snapped, before turning to one of the Inquisitors and adding, "You, get me out of here! The rest of you, kill them!"

"Understood," Nodded the Inquisitor, before grabbing the Cardinal and fleeing towards a door in the back.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Exclaimed Celia, firing a rapid explosive sphere towards the section of the wall above the door, the sphere erupting fiercely as it collided with the wall, deep cracks spreading out before it broke apart, chunks of rubble plummeting down and crashing in a heap, blocking the exit.

"Alright, then...let's get started," Declared Raven, cracking his neck with a tilt of his head as he fully tranformed...