If there was one sad thing about the current state of affairs within Bosco, then it was likely the fact that the succession conflict was causing a lot of complication for the common people. Perhaps it was for that reason Esperia was traveling through the capital city of Bosco to observe the conflict and see who would try to protect the common people and how they would go on about it.

At first, it all seemed to go fairly well: Despite the inner turmoil within the city, the various factions tried their best to protect the rich and working class, but once she arrived at the slums of the capital the story changed drastically.

Esperia has been perched on a rooftop of a small house, her crimson eyes gazing quietly at the surrounding area when her attention was drawn to the sight of conflict.

Two men were lying on the ground, writhing in pain as a group of tough-looking men was kicking against their bodies. Judging from the words spoken it seemed the harrasers were thugs that were extracting revenge on a pair of brothers who refused, or possibly couldn't pay the tax the harrasers had imposed onto their territory.

Esperia spotted further down the street a guard patrol briefly turning to look at the spectacle, hesitate and then walk in the opposite direction. Esperia was flabbergasted. Were those people not going to get helped simply because of their poverty? It was outragous.

For a moment she couldn't help but find Erebus his words surfacing in her mind again.

"You're a hypocrite! Preaching about heroism while you're comfortable sitting in your tower. Were you to actually experience the hardships my people go through, then you would be torn apart!"

She didn't like to admit it, but he was right. Despite her efforts to help people, she had been blind to the true nature of this world, of how savage and twisted reality truly could be. Gritting her teeth in anger the vampire hopped into the air, her cape spreading like a pair of wings as she descended toward the confrontation.

Without a sound Esperia swooped down onto the back of one of the thugs, her prosthetic arm jabbing sideways into the ribcage of the thug with enough force to send him reeling sideways onto the ground. Of course, the other thugs were not going to take the arrival of this intruder without any retaliation. One of the nearby thugs raised his fist into the air, a gauntlet wrapped around it when he swung it toward her!

The punch came quickly, but Esperia had been aware of it, preparing to use her phasing magic when--- she recalled her curse had robbed her of her magic. The fist collided harshly against her cheek, twisting her head slightly to the side and leaving it a bloodied mess when one of the thugs exclaimed.

"That's right! Show that bitch there is no room for wanna-be heroes here!"

But then it happened. To the thugs their surprise their partner who had just punched Esperia in the face started coughing up blood violently, and looking down to his stomach he could see Esperia had literally impaled her hand into his bowls. Slowly turning around her head as the blood seemed to vaporize away, any traces of her past injury faded away, and to her own surprise, she could feel her lips curved up into a smile, even as she ripped out the thug's bowls, making him collapse lifeless on the ground.

It was odd, feeling the warm texture in her hand, the fact she had just murdered a thug leaving her feeling... weird in a way. "Ah... right, I am no longer a mage." Esperia muttered absently as she turned her head slowly back into place, her crimson eyes glowing faintly as she gazed at the remaining thugs.

"A-Ah-ah.... It's a monster!"

One of the thugs screamed as he ran away from the confrontation, while the remaining thugs were preparing to attack.

The thug who seemed to be the coward of the group would turn, his eyes in awe and fear of Esperia, though, he ran straight into a cloaked man, a metal helmet with a heart embedded into the center stood there, one hand on his side; the other held a dagger in icepick. He seemed to be viewing everything that happened and as usual, was absolutely unheard of in his entry. Though, recently Erebus felt his ninja abilities slipping, something new was going on. He wondered if Esperia has a part to play.

Erebus watched the man collide and fall back on his butt, to which the Rogue, in one fell swoop, threw his dagger out three feet toward the ground the man lay on. The dagger would send a clean shot through the body and pin-tac the man to the ground. He coughed blood and cried in agony, though Erebus seemed unphased. His attention drew back to the Vampyress.

“What are you doing here? Isn’t this a little bit out of your pay grade Dragon Slayer?” Erebus jested. Still holding a resentment for a being more powerful than him, that had the audacity to question his reckoning. Then again she was doing his job for him, he had to applaud her for at least showing these men some help.

Esperia couldn't help but find her attention drawn toward the arrival of the man, leading her gaze to shift away from the bowl in her hand toward Erebus as she whispered softly. "Er...ebus?" A light shake of her head followed as she found herself slipped out of her daze, the organs in her hand slowly sliding onto the ground as she replied, her tone showing that despite her effort to sound cheery, there was a gloom behind it. "I'm afraid your information is outdated, I lost my ability to cast magic after a recent incident."

However, the two remaining thugs were clearly not the type to sit back and enjoy the casual back and forth bantering between the duo.

One of them suddenly lunged at Esperia, withdrawing what appeared to be a concealed blade from the sleeve of his arm and all of a sudden thrust it into the vampire's throat!

Esperia's eyes widened in surprise, the sudden point-blank attack hitting her cleanly as the blade dug through skin, muscle and bone. The thug glared sharply at her as he shouted! "That teaches you to mess with affairs not your own, bitch!"

The other thug turned toward Erebus, cracking his knuckles lightly as he tried to intimidate the man. "Nothing to see here pal, or do you want to get the same thing done to you?"

However, for Erebus whose attention had been focused on Esperia he would likely see a disturbing sight. The concealed blade was seemingly enhanced to carry more force behind its blow, and with a firm tug, the head of the vampire went sliding backwards off her neck.

And then it happened. All of a sudden the blood that would have normally come from such a wound instead seemed to coagulate into the form of a large tendril that sought out the head that started to roll off its body, and as it connected to the blood around Esperia's neck it attached itself to it, pulling back her head and attaching it back on top of her body, and with the injury seemingly welded close as the blood evaporated Esperia muttered softly.

"Damd... that hurt... kinda"

The thug quickly regained his composure from the shock, raising his arm a second time but suddenly lunging at the man's back Esperia's hand trailed along the unguarded stomach of the man, fingers digging into his flesh and as her lunge stopped beside the man she could be seen having impaled the man in a similar fashion as her previous victim, the motion clearly invigorating her for the sign of her earlier injury was clearly fading away.

With the thug collapsing onto his knees, he looked in bewilderment at his bloodied stomach and slowly turned sideways as he collapsed, looking in terror as he watched the vampire casually licking off the blood from her fingertips.

"Kinda reminds me of how ketchup used to taste, sorta has a sweet sugary flavor to it~"

With the last thug hesitatingly stepping away from the confrontation, it appeared Erebus could have an easy target, but afterward, Esperia merely smiled at the two horrified victims of the thugs.

"It's alright, go home now, they won't bother you anymore." For obvious reasons. Turning her attention toward Erebus she couldn't help but inquire with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "What brings you to this place Erebus? Of course, it is only fair I answer your question first."

Esperia paused,  pondering for a moment as she continued speaking. "I heard rumors that the succession conflict was causing problems for the poor, problems that were being overlooked by those in charge due to the lack of value they see in this place."

She scoffed for a moment, her eyes sharpening in a gaze as she looked around. "People are quick to forget that most of their wealth is amassed on the work and suffering of others. It's infuriating."

Erebus kept his helmet on, the shade hiding his features. He watched the woman of reknowned lose her head, indicating to Erebus she either wasn’t a melee type or simply wasn’t going to die. In remark to guess, the head reattached itself moments after, causing him to sigh. He wanted in on the hunt too, after all, there was a joy to putting true criminals out of this world.

Erebus approached the target he’d pinned, fully kicking him deeper into the ground and ripping it out of it’s placement. He commended she was aiding the innocent so Erebus would play this game, after all, he had nothing better to do. “To be quite honest, I was out here doing the same. So call it a coincidence I suppose, but better yet. You ran out of magic, and you’re an enemy. Why shouldn’t I destroy you right now?” Erebus presses with a smirk through his helmet.

“I want to go town to town, country to country; reminding people to never give up. Always fight the system. I am a symbol.” Erebus spoke his honesty. “Can you say the same? With all the time you’ve been given, I’m the person you would stand against.“ Erebus understood that he was an Outlaw. A killer even, but certainly if she observed the Light Guilds, would she find as much ‘real’ down to earth people, as those who lived by their own creed? There was genuineness in being yourself, something about that always reminded Erebus why he was where he was, and what kind of champion of Good he stood for. Perhaps Light and Dark were no different than Yin and Yang, and everyone could represent both in different perceptions. Erebus decided he would give Esperia a chance. “Are you new to these vampire abilities you’re displaying?” He asked curiously.

Esperia seemed unfazed by the sight of Erebus torturing the thug he had caught with his earlier attack, yet at the same time Erebus his words made her smile briefly. "An enemy?" She paused for a bit, a finger lingering at her chin as she pondered for a bit. "I do not see it as such~ I would describe it more as 'rivals' perhaps?"

She nodded her head slightly at Erebus his words, musing softly. "There is a certain nobleness in such actions, actions I admire. Yet at the same time, I can't help but wonder if you're in the wrong place."

She was sure her words would confuse the man a little so she clarified soon afterward. "I am not talking about your guild, but about the one that leads it. Can you genuinely say that he shares your views? That what he desires is to destroy the system, rebuild it into one that is fair for all, and nurture those who are too weak to protect themselves? Although I have not seen Odin in years, there is plenty I know and hear about him that makes me doubt that to be the case. But you are your own person, and as long as you chase your ambitions with genuineness then I do not consider you an enemy."

Esperia did realize that she was at a disadvantage when it came to a potential confrontation, even if her actions didn't show that. "In that sense nowadays we are similar. With the disbandment of the syndicate I joined the Rune Knights to fight the system from within, purge the corruption we saw in Baska. Although due to the past it is tricky, it is not easy to gain the trust of the people, even if all you want to do is give them the strength and courage to take care of themselves should you no longer be around."

The inquiry about her vampiric abilities made Esperia nod her head, her smile fading somewhat. "Indeed, I am still growing used to them, the inability to cast magic has been... distracting, but refreshing at the same time. It kind of makes one see the world from a different perspective."

“Huh, rival. I like that.”

Erebus felt as though he was looking at a different person, someone who had finally changed their mind about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, however her case was just as fair as his. Erebus once slayed Lich to save his home town, now he was under the thumb of one. Granted, Odin had a sympathy for people of dark alignments, Erebus didn’t roll over for others unless his heart was in it. He was not in a position to defeat the Dead One and probably still couldn’t for all the strength it took to manage criminals like Venus and Erebus. Even if he could defeat Odin, Odin was protected by Zagan. The real threat.

“The way I see my guild master is the same way I look at regular men. The difference is that Odin actually puts his foot toward his ideals. Surely if he turns out to be something that needs replacing, then that’s a bridge we cross when we get there. For now, he is one of only a handful of people who open their hand to me and offer me protection from mages seeking my bounty or reputation. In a world where you can be set ablaze by mages, and you only have skill. It was the only option I had. I already was lied too, stole the book of dragons from the King, and was in the presence of an entity that mindlessly tortured me for a decade. The only way out of my hell was to grow up and show discipline. If I have to be a pawn to continue doing what I have too. The choice became clear enough to me then and there.”

Erebus sighed, sheathing his new kris dagger. “If I left even right now, Zagan would appear. That’s if I’m even important enough to begin with,” besides he would add. “I can do a lot more from the chair I sit at, and believe me. I can’t for the life of me side with Light Guilds. The Knights of the Kingdom are the foulest lot I’ve ever seen. Eternal Nightmare is probably the first and only place I ever fit in.” He admitted quite frankly. “There was a few I enjoyed company from, but if pressed, the dog will mind it’s leash. They aren’t people I would see myself trusting in a million years.” He finally finished.

He offered a smile at her comment towards the distracting new style. Erebus chuckled. “I’m sure your reflexes are plenty sharp enough though. You seem to be doing fine with your hands.”

Esperia smiled briefly at Erebus his words, wondering what was going on in the man's mind.

"I see, because he is a man of action you see him as someone who deserves your respect." Esperia mused softly, yet the words that followed made Esperia nod her head lightly. "In that aspect we are two sides of the same coin. While you are at Odin's side, wanting to see what future his ideals bring, yet willing to take action should he prove to endanger that which you uphold as your ambitions, I am at the opposite side."

Esperia paused, her gaze narrowing as there was clear annoyance in her voice. "Light guilds act like they are heroes, yet once it goes beyond their territory it is no longer their problem, under the reasoning that should they go beyond, it will leave their guild and the people relying on them vulnerable. Meanwhile, the Rune Knights struggle with internal corruption, political plays by the Magic Council and a king who sits idly on his throne."

Esperia smiled briefly as she clarified further. "I guess that's one of the perks of being a Rune Knight, I can lash out at those corrupted by their greed and power while usually only having to hear a verbal complain from one of the higher-ups that goes one ear in and the other out."

She couldn't help but chuckle at Erebus his words, looking down at her blood-stained hands when all of a sudden she felt something. A sharp agonizing pain coursed through her head, one vile enough to make her collapse onto her knees as she groaned in pain. She could see visions, like images of sorts, but they were too fast for her to properly recognize. Ruins, a submerged landscape, and a voice... a voice that spoke of a name.

Meanwhile Erebus would without a doubt be able to notice that the blood in her hands started to shift, shape together into a form of a sword, the red-stained blade pulsing with an eerie glow as mana surged from within.

Meanwhile, in the air above them, fifteen more blades started to form, although they seemed to blend in and out of existence, like ethereal presences. It was only after the headache started to subdue, that the blades dissolved into red crystalized fragments that slowly disappeared into the air as Esperia looked up at Erebus.

"My head... Don't think I ever had a headache this badly. Wonder if it was because of that hit to my head earlier... But it doesn't make sense. Images, and a voice that tried to say something..."

Esperia paused for a while, a hand reached for her forehead as she shook it lightly, attempting to regain her composure. "Erebus, have you ever heard the name 'Nebuchad' before?"