Lands of Fennis

"Erm... that was unexpected."

Mina wrapped the blanket around her body, her slender shoulders peeking out. Kat had her head in Mina's lap, smiling up at her.

"You enjoyed it though."

Mina blushed, pulling Kat's hair a little as she plopped some of it onto her face.

"Shut it. Y-you were louder!"

Kat's mouth went agape, yet she didn't deny it. Her face a bit red, but she smiled up at her love.

"Well, you may want to go back soon. You've got plans, right? Your friends need their powerhouse beauty. Hehe."

Mina smiled, covering Kat's eyes with her hands.

"I love you."

She leaned in, kissing Kat softly from above. Her body faded out, leaving a wildly blushing Kat alone in her room.

"Holy... she's not so innocent."

Her toes curled a little as she remembered every last detail.

-

Mina peeked around from within her Sword Body, surprised that no one was near her. Appearing beside the blade, she lifted it and allowed the blade to settle within her Astral Body.

"Where is everyone-"

A loud crash from below had Mina dashing through the doorway, jumping from the staircase and landing beside a rather large group.

Chisana and Suriza were settled back and away, hiding, while Asahi was perched on the railing. They were all sheltered behind the pair of beast women, Inferna and Fubuki. Mai had a pair of daggers in her hands, guarding Lily beside Xander. Rin and Melody were outside the wide open door, a pair of men either unconscious or dead sitting inside.

"What the hell happened?"

Xander came forward, a halberd resting in his hand.

"They attacked, thinking Melody was harboring monsters. She is, but this is just too much! The town is pretty big, but some of us can't really show our faces."

He looked back and then towards the stairs.

"Help the two of them, I'll keep everyone in here safe."

Mina may not trust Xander, but she gave him a brief nod before she threw her blade out of the doorway. The two men in the doorway had been obviously dealt with, blood dripping from his halberd.

As her blade came out of the doorway, Mina appeared beside it and tossed the blade again. She appeared between Rin and Melody, somewhat surrounded by the townsmen. Every last one was screaming, the uproar making Mina's ears ring. Many had fallen, but a rough estimate told Mina that the entire town was here. At least sixty men brandished dirty and rusted weapons.

"Care to explain, Lady Melody?"

The obvious leader was a tall man, a scepter in his hand. He had a nasty smirk as he stared the three girls down.

"This newcomer, she's quite the beauty. I'm glad I came from the capital to spread the word of the Guardian of Fire. These men weren't blessed with his might!"

Mina glanced around, noticing a heavy wound on Melody's shoulder. A similar wound was on Rin's stomach.

"Who are you? Why did you attack these women?"

The man glared at Mina, yet ignored her. His eyes were on Melody.

"Lady Mina, that man is a priest from the capital. Having given up on their God's, they worship the Guardian instead. He's come for no reason besides haunting Melody."

Mina sighed, her blades gleaming brightly in her hands.

"Hey, buddy. I just had the best night of my life, so you being here is really unwanted."

In an instant, Mina shifted forward. She reached the man in a moment, releasing her silver blade as she swung down. The blade fell to the ground, vanishing back to her inventory as her hand slammed into his face. The priest collapsed, pinned to the ground by Mina.

"Submit."

The look in her eyes was strong, almost alarmingly so. The man weakened under her hand, his lips actually curving into a smile. He seemed to have calmed down.

"My lady, what is your wish?"

[Slaves: 3/10]

"Good. You'll be my escort inside Fennis, especially to the Guardian. These bastards, they can imprisoned for striking a noble."

Mina began to flash around, her legs and arms striking out at the men that had them surrounded. Rin and Melody watched in awe as she knocked every last one unconscious.

"Damn. Way to ruin my day, bastards. Hey priest! Help put these idiots in cells."

"Of course, my lady."

Before long, the mass of men were removed from the town square, the priest and Xander doing the majority of the work.

"Melody, message their people if things get rough here. They attacked you enmasse. If it comes down to it, I'll deal with their employers myself."

Mina was obviously upset as she continued to instruct the group until the area was fully cleaned up and they were ready to finally set out.

Melody came forward, her arms crossed.

"Master, why did you make him a slave? Lent isn't the strongest or the smartest."

"He's a priest. Good way to get closer to the Guardian. Don't worry, he's under you. I actually like you."

Melody turned a little pink, her smile poorly hidden behind her hand.

"Return soon. I'll look after everything here, especially your friends."

Mina nodded, turning away from Melody. Her eyes landed on their group. Xander was staying near the priest, his distrust on display. Suriza was already attempting to make use of her stealth skills as Asahi perched on Chisana's head. Chisana tightened her blindfold, the sunlight obviously still painful. Mai was off to the side, seeming out of place. She had returned to her original look, covering her face behind her mask.

"The group is a bit big, but we can do this. Let's save a race!"

Mina instantly burst into laughter, the crowd looking a little more at ease.

--

Thank you,

JScott, croix and Tech!