[Arc 2] Chapter 1: Evil Organisation, Nequitia

The Evil Organization, Nequitia. Or better known to the public as the personal army of the Belial House, led by the baroness of the house, Filyn Nequitia Belial.

The organization is made up of the baroness herself as the top, supported by her right-hand man, Blot Berlock. Under him again is the Ten Generals, each representing one of the twelve main attributes, with the Lady herself representing Chaos, and Blot being Order.

Each General commands one of the eleven different branches of Nequitia, except for Commands, lead by Blot. 

The different branches each have their own missions, either working independently or cooperates with the other branches, but their goal, in the end, is always for one purpose. 

World Conquest!!

To do that, Nequitia is crushing any opposing evil organizations, capturing any land that is possible to develop with the least damage done to the populace, since they are going to be part off the Organization, after all, then develop the captured land to make it 300% more profitable...

Wait a sec, is that what an evil organization is supposed to do? We're not harming anyone, and our very own Blot's talents with economics are so great that people join us on their own to get a share of the goods! And the only opposing forces we've taken out have been several mafia gangs like the Balos Gang!

...Summarized by Combatant Alfred Loxley, aka Alf, aka me.

---

The day after that great wave crashed into the region, bring the water back to the Lake Sea, while I was slacking, er, was working very efficiently with my work of infiltrating the community of Velantas city, I was ordered back to the temporary hideout we had made in the city.

After entering, I noticed that many of the combatants had gathered here as well. Including the veteran combatant that has been with the organization since the day it was founded.

"Hey, fallen angel. How's it going?" - Alf

"Stop calling me that. I have a great name that is Noire, but a blockhead like you must have forgotten that already. You are forgiven." - Noire

This show-off is called Noire, one of the Celestial species known as a Flugel. They are the starting point for the angel-type Celestials and are pretty much humans with wings at their hips. Some have them on their shoulder blades, and some again even have a halo. 

Noire's got no halo, her wings are at her hips, and are silver- and purple-colored. It fits her silver hair and purple eyes. Added with the black Nequitia combatant uniform, and you have an angel of evil, ready for villainy. 

But her personality, it's in the dumps. Noire's a glory hound to a fault. It's mostly due to that she has never graduated from being a combatant to at least a squad leader. I only joined the organization just a few months ago, and I'm already outranking her!

Who had thought that my attempts of skipping the farm job by saying I was training to become an adventurer would lead to such a result?

Including Noire and the other combatants were also Armveil, a Master Dwarf that, despite his shaggy appearance, is one of the Ten Generals of Nequitia. The one of the Logistic division, represented by the Metal attribute.

His assistant, Shula, is also here. She's the only girl that doesn't slap my face when I try to hit on her... the other members of the Logistic group is doing it in her place. She should choose her friends a little better, seriously...

"Glad you're all happy seein' each other but focus. The lady's personally gonna introduce your next mission." - Armveil

Crap, the top brass herself!? All the combatants, Noire included, straightened up in response to that news.

After a little while, the MV1Mana Vision started to light up, revealing a woman in her early twenties. But, with her being a demon, her age and appearance can be a little off...

"-and therefore, go and crush that idiot!!" - Filyn

See? Would someone over 20 lose their temper like that? And good on you guys. You managed to keep yourself straight the whole time. 

"Sir, mind translating the mission contents?" - Noire

Noire, used to lady Filyn's outbursts due to her long experience with her, talked to the other person shown on the screen, a man dressed sharply in a black suit and glasses.

"In other words, lady Filyn wants you to hunt down the previous candidate to becoming the General of the Darkness division, Reinhard. He harbored resentment ever since we refused his promotion due to his lack of battle prowess, and his personality." - Blot

So said Blot Berlock, our organization's brains to couple with the lady's brawn. 

I get where he's going with that. That Rein-what's-his-name is a jerkass of the jerkasses. And even if he's got enough magic skills to bombard a Lesser Dragon to death, in hindsight, that's all he can do. No leader-material there.

"He was sent with a squadron to investigate the Haunted Castle of Velantas, but the recent flooding of Velantas made him believe that we had sent him there so he would be assassinated by the flood. He, and his squadron, was safe due to the gods teleporting any intelligent life to the closest land above the water-line, but that only made him believe the gods had chosen him or something. The final report from his squadron before he killed them is a little confusing..." - Blot

No, I think that's simply the situation that's at fault, not the report. No, that Rein-what's-his-name's fault.

But to think that idiot was this close. I and the other combatants from the Earth division are here to support Armveil and his group in their infiltration mission to take over Velantas city's economy, so it's kinda shocking that I wasn't told about this.

...And can someone stop Noire's "We told you, but you didn't listen"-look? 

"ANYWAY! That scum has turned to something less than a villain and is now just a simple crook! Go out and warm him up for me!!" - Filyn

"Translated: engage Reinhard in battle before he can leave the Island of the Haunted Castle. You do not need to defeat him, just keep him busy enough so the two of us finds a time to teleport to there. Remember to activate the Location Beacon when you start the fight. That's all." - Blot

---

One day later.

*BABOOOOM!!*

"'That's all', my ass!! Who said this guy could only use half-assed magic spells!?" - Alf

"It is half-assed, but his talents in multi-casting allowed him to create several Dark Mines before we could attack." - Noire

So he stacked several of them underground to enhance the blast? That's cheating!

I ran for cover as the madman started to wave his magic catalyst shaped like a dagger. Tons of darkness spells landed where I had been just a few seconds ago.

"Oi, how are we supposed to keep that guy busy without dying?" - Alf

"I will heal you if you get hit, so simply provoke him while dodging the worst shots. Just don't die in a single hit. I cannot use Resurrection." - Noire

Who's counting on you knowing such a miracle-magic anyway!?

None of the combatants can get closer to Rein-what's-his-name due to the constant barrage of those balls made of darkness. And those that have long-range moves gets blocked by the many layers of those shield-magics he keeps on spamming.

"Oi, won't he run out of MP soon?" - Alf

"Not by a long shot. I heard that his MP-management skills are the real threat regarding that bloke. Both cost-reduction and auto-regeneration. And also, I think there was something about [Mana Steal]?" - Noire

That's bad news to the max!

It's a little late, but I've finally figured out the reason this guy was even remotely possible of being a General candidate. While the lady's pretty fixed on the Generals fitting their attribute-theme, she's not the type to simply assign anyone that fits the bill. That's the reason why only half of the General-positions are taken already. 

The firefight continued for a little while, with that bastard seeing to not run out of MP. 

"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Fear the awesome talent of this Reinhard Everwand! Let me show you the depths of the dark arts!" - Reinhard

Rein-what's-his-name is getting too cocky there!

"Hey, do we really not have a plan here? What is taking Filyn so long?" - Noire

"How should I know!" - Alf

Argh, the wait is killing me so much that I lashed out at her. She's got a point though. What's taking them so long?

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Scram, ants, scram! And if you survive, make sure to tell that bitch that she should have never doubted my awesome power!" - Reinhard

A collective aura of anger emerges from the combatants, including me. When I get my hands on that bastard...

"Wa-ha-ha-ha! Mwa-ha-ha!! Bow down for me, the only one worthy of being called the master of Darkness, no, the Champion of Darkness!!" - Reinhard

What, he's a follower of Alvatria? Only idiots or those with a death-wish does that. 

Ironically, Rein-what's-his-name's boasting was just what I, and the others, needed to calm our heads. We just need to keep on holding out-

*Swish*, *STAB!*

"Huh!?"

I don't know who said that. Maybe it was all of us. Anyhow, a dagger suddenly burst out of Rein-what's-his-name's chest, along with a fountain of blood. Rein-what's-his-name collapsed in a pool of his own blood, with surprise and confusion all over his face.

None of us could fathom what had just happened. I get that he was struck in the back where his shields didn't reach, a move we had tried to do by circling around the guy to no luck all this time, but who did it?

"Over there." - Noire

I looked at where Noire pointed, where the thread that was bound to the dagger was coming from and saw a suspicious individual.

They were dressed in a brown cloak despite the scorching heat from the sun, hiding their face with the hood of the cloak.

Seeing that she packed away the dagger she'd used to kill Rein-what's-his-name, the guys around us started to cheer on the suspicious newcomer.

"Hey, is this alright?" - Noire

"An enemy of your enemy is an ally... is not always true, but it seems alright this time." - Alf

Just as we took a breather, the cloaked guy looked like they were squinting to look at something behind us, which turned out to be the teleport spell that Blot specializes in.

About damn time! Sorry, but the fight's over-

"I'malittlelatebuthereIam! Dark-Heretic Rock-'n-Roller!!" - Filyn

Just as she exited the teleport spell, our commander and master in Dark-Heretic Magic, Filyn, threw her signature unique spell, which is essentially a rolling boulder made of magic at the cloaked guy-ooOOIII!!

"L-lady Filyn! That person helped us-" - Noire

"Garami!" - ???

"Huh?" - Filyn

A black goblin-birdkin (?) came out from behind one of the dynes and ran-flied up to the person. An ally?

"Garami? Not Rein?" - Filyn

"Boss! That guy already finished off that spell-spam-bastard!" - Alf

"Eh, what? That wasn't him? I could swear I smelled something murky over there..." - Filyn

"That is why I always tell you to look before you shoot! Everyone, help that person already! Letting someone that helped Nequitia to die will be a shame worse than a thousand deaths, and your salaries!" - Blot

Y-you don't have to drag my salary into this! 

Urged by the vice leader's threat, we all went to where the cloaked guy had collapsed after being rolled over by Filyn's spell...

Oi, he's already dead!? Wait, these are tattoos? I was afraid that Filyn had squished her to the point of blood flowing out of her eyes...

I'll refrain from telling her that I mistook her for a man. Yup, let's forget about that mistake. Huh, what am I talking about? Not important. 

Ignoring the strange feeling of forgetfulness, I sprayed the Heal Potion's contents onto her while Noire used her healing spells.

Knowing the vice leader's personality, he's probably going to scout this girl. She did take out Rein-what's-his-name. He's got an eye for talents. I mean, he managed to find me, the great Alfred, so a girl of this lowly level...huh? Why did I get a shiver right there?

Greydra

Kigal-Note/Celestials: Flugels

Description:

The Flugels are a Celestial species that looks extremely close to humans. They are the most average of the intelligent Celestial species and also the one with the closest relationship with the lower world.

Flugels are said to be the messenger of humanoid gods, but whenever that is true for other worlds or not, this is not true for the Flugel.

Flugels are also been named angels, but this is rather a collective name for all humanoid Celestials that shares appearance with humans to certain degrees. Flugels are not happy about being referred to as Birdkins. 

Some Flugels that gain a high amount of positive Karma Value obtain a halo over their head, which will allow them to evolve into a more holy variant of the regular Flugel evolutions. In contrast, Flugels that gain negative Karma Value will evolve into species referred to as fallen angels.

Appearance:

Flugels look no different from ordinary humans, except for a set of wings, either located on their shoulder blades or by their hips. As mentioned, some Flugels may develop halos that float over their heads. 

All Flugels have pale skin colors and bright hair colors. Their wings, on the other hand, can be of any kind of color. 

Abilities:

Flugels are especially strong against the Light- and Holy attributes, but lack defense against the Darkness attributes and its combination variants. 

Flugels are capable of flight and have high mana reserves, which often results in them either chose between long-range classes like Archer, or Priest classes that focus on recovery.

While a Flugel's offensive and defensive magics are nothing to sneeze at, they have an inborn talent in recovery and support spells. On the other hand, they are fatally weak with debuffing- and ailment-inflicting spells.

Gust's comment: Garami's natural enemy. Like, on so many points.