12

I'm almost disappointed. Charybdis was a great example of terrifying power. Magic Jamming, massive AOE attacks, giant lasers… Demon Lord Carrion was almost boring by comparison.

Almost, because his power was palpable, even as he smiled and joked around. Just that brief knock he gave to Phobio's head was enough for me to tell.

Demon Lords are no joke. Milim taught me that well enough, and Carrion's only furthered my opinion. Still, the disparity between the two makes me wonder. How strong is Milim, exactly? It seems like there's different tiers. Are there others near Milim's level?

What about Carrion? He's incredibly powerful. Is he the lower end of the spectrum? That's troublesome, if so, though not entirely unexpected.

If the other Demon Lords decide to target Tempest, it'd be trouble.

...

That being said, comparing power isn't one to one. It's not as simple as measuring magicules and spiritual pressure. Carrion is powerful, it's obvious. And, given his status, it's safe to assume he has something stored for desperation.

However...

However, with that being said and out in the open, and even while considering potential hidden abilities... if it ever came to pass that I had to fight him one on one...

…

...I'd definitely win.

-=-=-=-

>Everyone Loves Tanya<

Late Evening

Treyni's Bar

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"CHEERS!"

The bar was a bustle of activity, the celebration of Charybdis' defeat in full swing throughout the city of Tempest. Monsters danced in the streets, plates and skewers of Megalodon meat in hand and drinks of all kinds flowing through every able-bodied and able-aged individual.

Tanya was no exception to this, her seat at the innermost end of the bar practically bouncing with energy as she downed another mouthful of drink.

Her cheeks were cherry red, a bottle of sake Treyni had provided her two-thirds the way empty. Behind the bar across from her, Treyni was in a similar state, a bottle of her own having gone down just as quickly.

"And then- right, then I tell my Vice Commander, 'You weren't exactly a hit with the ladies, before your injury'." Tanya was smiling widely, the first taste of alcohol since her first lifetime having taken a full hold of her sensibilities and inhibitions, "And he gives me- he just sort of stares. He knows I'm right. Only a few members of my 203rd regularly got any… but not him. Not him for sure."

Her words slurred slightly, though not as much as you might expect. Even so, her healthy constitution – and liver – was fighting a losing battle.

Treyni giggled, twirling a stand of hair between her fingers.

"Really now? But, say, who was," She leaned forward, crimson face contrasting the green everywhere else, "Who was, you said, 'getting any'? Who was the ladies' man, huh?"

Tanya chuckled, a painful hiccup escaping her.

"Definitely Neumann. The man was a real lady killer, I'll say. A huge manwhore, in truth, but he always did his job, and hit shots reliably…" She trailed off, shrugging, "So, I couldn't complain. Always performed better after a good night out anyhow, so I might as well have encouraged it."

"Is that so? Just this Neumann fellow?" Treyni tilted her head. "Not you?"

"Me?" Tanya blinked, "Well, I never really… once? I don't know if that counts…"

"Would you like it to count?"

Tanya stared at her.

"Excuse me?"

Treyni leaned forward, stretching over the bar. Tanya leaned in as well.

Her lips brushed against the edge of Tanya's ear, her lips moving silently as she whispered.

Tanya's flush spread across the rest of her face.

-=-

"Oh, this is good!" Mary quickly devoured the rest of her meat skewer, before grabbing another immediately after, "We should fight sharks all the time if they taste like this."

"Right?" Rimuru nodded, taking one for himself, "Maybe we'll send the Goblin Riders on a fishing expedition some time. We could have genuine sushi!"

"Sushi?" Mary said through a mouthful of shark. She swallowed, letting out a content sigh, "Well, if it tastes anything like this, I'm game. Sign me up for that trip."

"I'll run it by the Executives, and we can make couple days of it." Rimuru took his and Mary's empty skewers, tossing them in a nearby bin made for the express purpose of recycling wooden skewers. "Though, you'll have to convince Tanya."

"Me?" Mary raised an eyebrow, "She doesn't listen to me. Why would she? Tell that to Shuna instead. The moment she hears about potential days off, she'll put Degurechaff on the trip before you can say 'Argent'."

"Really? Shuna?" Rimuru thought for a moment, as the two made their way across the Central Plaza. "Yeah, I can see it. Shuna's scary when she wants to be."

"Lord Rimuru! Mary!"

"Speak of the devil." Mary muttered under her breath. Rimuru elbowed her in the side.

"Shuna! Hey, what's up?" He made a show of looking around, "Enjoying yourself? The shark meat skewers are divine. You and Gob'ichi really outdid yourselves."

"Oh- well, thank you very much my lord. But, um," Shuna fidgeted, her gaze not staying in one place for too long, "Well it's just, have you seen Tanya anywhere?"

Mary and Rimuru exchanged a glance.

"She said something about drinking, and I'm worried that-"

"She's at Treyni's bar." Mary interjected.

"Yeah, she was already a quarter of the way through a bottle when I left." Rimuru added.

"Really, a quarter? And that was, what, 15, 20 minutes ago?" Mary raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed.

"Closer to 30."

"Oh no." Shuna's cheeks turned pink, and she hurried off, though not before shouting back a quick, "Thank you!"

Rimuru and Mary watched her go.

"You know…" Rimuru gave the other girl an odd look, "From what I know about your past, I'd almost expected you to be denouncing Tanya. Or like, accusing her of sinning or something."

"Maybe a year ago."

"I guess. What changed?"

Mary frowned, looking thoughtful.

"Who else? I believed in a good God and that she was Devil incarnate. When God throws you to the side... well, you know." She looked away with a shrug, "Right now, I'm only worried about if I'll be woken up in the middle of the night from the sound of vomiting."

"Assuming she makes it back home at all." Rimuru chuckled.

A few seconds passed, the only sound being the bustle of the crowd around them.

"…Do you think she'll pass out in the street or something?" Mary shot him a confused look.

"…Sure, let's go with that."

-=-

The door to the bar burst open, Shuna stepping inside and looking around with a frantic sort of energy she was rarely known for.

It was a calm riot of activity that met her, enough that not a single patron inside even spared her a glance. Most were too drunk to bother, and the rest were halfway there.

Shuna paid them no mind just the same, her mind completely focused on one thing, which had nothing to do with drunk monsters. 

Drunk humans, on the other hand...

Not there... or there.

Shuna stepped towards the bar, her head on a swivel. The bar was packed full, as were the tables. But there wasn't a familiar head of blonde in sight.

Is she not here?

"Shuna?" Trya gave her a wave from behind the bar. An ale topped off under a tap, and she slid it down the bar to the incredibly muscular Goblina that had ordered it without a second glance. As Shuna stepped closer though, her expression grew a bit... concerned?

"You've never seemed like the type to drink. What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Tanya?" Shuna cut to the chase, putting both hands on the bar and staring at the Dryad with a piercing look. Her expression darkened at Trya's unsubtle wince.

"Lord Rimuru said she was here." The Kijin continued.

"Well, he's right. Tanya was here." Trya handed another mug off to the other person manning the bar, her sister Doreth, all the while studiously avoiding Shuna's gaze.

"And?"

Neither spoke for a moment. After a few more seconds of Shuna's glare, Trya folded.

"She's still here, technically. Just… not at the bar. As you may have noticed."

"I have indeed."

"Treyni, that lazy older sister of mine, and Tanya have been drinking together for the past half hour. And, uh," Trya coughed into her fist, "They both went upstairs just minutes ago. To drink even more, I assume."

Trya and Shuna both knew she was lying about said assumption.

"I see." Shuna's face went carefully blank. "Would you mind showing me the way upstairs?"

"Of- of course."

"Actually…" Shuna gestured for one of the taps. "Give me a drink first."

Trya shivered.

-=-

Tanya had never thought herself particularly fond of nature. Likewise, Shuna had never found herself disliking nature for any real reason.

Not until recently, that is. Extremely recently.

Treyni was... an incredibly creative woman. And passionate. And loud. And... a whole host of things that were praiseworthy and notable, whether they were experienced personally or vicariously by way of an ear pressed against the door.

Let's leave it there.

-=-=-=-

>A Teaching Moment<

A Few Days Later

Tanya's Home

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Oi, wake up."

This is oddly familiar. Mary couldn't help but think, as she slowly rose from her futon.

She rubbed her eyes, glaring with no real emotion behind it at her alarm clock. Her alarm clock today being Tanya von Degurechaff, it seemed.

"What is it?" Mary yawned.

"We're going on an expedition today, so get up and get ready."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well, I already cleared you from training with Hakurou."

Degurechaff smirked. She had a purple mark along her collarbone, Mary absentmindedly noted. Her sleep-deprived eyes kept her from seeing it very well.

"But," Degurechaff continued, "I can always tell him you had a change of heart."

Mary blinked blearily, "I'll be out soon."

"I thought so."

-=-

Mary covered her mouth as she yawned, her other hand reaching up in a stretch. The dew-strewn grass crunched quietly under her boots, and the canopy leaves just above rustled on the early morning breeze, as her footsteps followed in line with those of the woman just ahead of her.

"So," She began, dropping her arms and looking around. "Is there a reason you got me up and out in the forest so disgustingly early? I'd barely have started training with Hakurou Sensei by now."

"Marcus Aurelius once said that we humans were born to be active in the morning, and to do the work we were meant for." Tanya said, amusement clear.

"Ew. You're in such a good mood and I have no idea why. Stop it." Mary grimaced. There was another mark just barely peaking out of the back of Tanya's collar.

She's been training hard, I guess.

"And who the fuck is Marcus Aureliez?"

"Aurelius." Tanya glanced back with an eyebrow raised, half-smile fixed in place. "He was a Roman emperor. How far did your education go, exactly?"

"My mother taught me, when we weren't fleeing the country because of a war. When did you go to school? You were like a toddler the first time we met."

"I went to college, I'll have you know. The Imperial War College, where they teach you the efficient way to fight wars. But rarely how to live past them. A lecture over Marcus Aurelius was one of those rare times they focused on a period out of war rather than in."

"Well, whatever. What if sleeping is what I'm meant for?" Mary yawned, "He sounds like an idiot."

"Then you two have much in common."

"Very funny." Mary rolled her eyes. "Who let you wake up on the right side of the bed? You must have slept amazing; I'm almost jealous."

"Slept?" Tanya turned back ahead, "Right. Don't worry, you'll understand when you're older."

"I literally am older."

"Sure you are." Tanya shot back without hesitation. "In any case, it's not much further to the first location. I hope you're ready for some detective work, Watson."

"Who's Watson?"

Tanya couldn't hold back her sigh.

"Kidding." Mary said after a second, "Who doesn't know Sherlock Holmes? I'm not that sheltered."

"Could've fooled me." Tanya said under her breath. "Anyway, we're here."

She stepped through the tree line, emerging into a wide clearing. Mary stopped beside her.

"So, you never answered my question." Mary put a hand on her hip, running her fingers along the sheathe of her still-being-borrowed magisteel katana. "Why are we out here? And why today? Did you want to fight again?"

"That implies I have ever wanted to fight you in the first place. And no, we're not."

"Fair."

"We're going to be investigating a series of magical anomalies that have been cropping up recently." Tanya pulled a neatly folded square of paper from her back pocket, unfolding it to reveal the marked map Souei had given her nearly a week prior.

"And we're doing it today, because the envoy from Demon Lord Carrion's Eurazania is arriving today."

"Uh." Mary raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that mean… we should be there, instead of Middle of Nowhere, Great Jura Forest?"

Tanya snorted.

"Hell no. Not unless we want to be a part of some absurd pissing contest."

Mary blinked, "Excuse me?"

"I've done a little research on beastmen over the last few days. That, plus my first interaction with Phobio, leaves me no doubt that this envoy will end in yet another idiotic 'test of strength' as with King Gazel's first visit." Tanya rolled her eyes. "I have no intention of getting caught up such a ridiculous waste of time."

"Okay." Mary didn't mean to point out the obvious, but, "I mean, it didn't take us that long to get here. We'll probably be back soon enough for it anyway."

"Oh, you must have misunderstood me." Tanya held up the map so Mary could see it better, "We're investigating all of them. Not just this one."

"Oh." Mary stared at the numerous marks with something akin to sorrow in her eyes. "I'm not getting back to sleep anytime soon."

"No, you're not." Tanya agreed. "Now, let's go."

She started walking again, Mary following with a sigh.

The clearing was exactly how Tanya remembered it, she couldn't help but think. Trees lined the area in a wavy oval, flowers, weeds, and wild grass dotting the ground intermittently. Any scorch marks and gashes from giant sword strikes seemed to have righted themselves over the past several months. For all intents and purpose, it appeared liked your typical forest clearing. Except for…

There you are. Tanya stopped.

The small crater from her arrival was even still here, slightly off center and vaguely the size of a human a couple centimeters shorter than she was currently. Grass had overgrown the exposed dirt, leaving just the indent as an indicator of her first moments in this world.

"Right, so this is where you actually make use of yourself for once."

"For once?" Mary stepped forward, faux indignance in her voice. "I did kill one of those Megalodon, you know."

"And I killed six of them. Your point?"

"Just saying." Mary stood at her shoulder. "So, what should I do? Fill the crater with water?"

"We're not here for the crater. Ignore it."

"What is this place, anyway?" Mary ignored her instead, taking the chance to glance around.

"This is where I landed when I arrived in this world. The crater, specifically." Tanya stepped back, crossing her arms, "And it is here that one of earliest magical anomalies was identified. You are going to investigate it."

"Investigate what? There's nothing here." Mary pointed down, "Want me to comb through the dirt? Examine the grass?"

"I think I liked you better when you weren't so fucking chatty." Tanya pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's a magical anomaly, genius. Use Magic Sense and tell me what you feel."

"Fine, fine." Mary waved her off. "Shoving your work onto me, I get it."

Tanya didn't rise to the bait.

"Fine, okay. Here goes." Mary let out a breath, slowly activating Magic Sense.

The feeling wasn't too dissimilar the one from a mana tracking or radio detection formulae. It was just… more. A lot more, because magicules, the main conduit for magic in this world, was almost everywhere.

It was… a lot. Too much, in fact. It assailed her eyes, colors more vibrant than any she'd seen forcing her to take a physical step back.

"The hell?" Mary blinked, rubbing her eyes roughly as she deactivated the Skill. "Did you bring me here just to give me a migraine? I couldn't see anything."

"I didn't tell you to see what was happening. I told you to feel it."

"What, like that isn't intentionally vague or anything?" Mary snapped. "Just tell me what to do already."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Poor little Mary Sue, always being told what to do, never thinking for herself."

"Hey-"

"I can't spoon feed you everything you'd like to know. I can't teach you if you aren't willing to learn."

"Is that what this is? A teaching moment?" Mary interjected. "You're infuriating! I am willing to learn. I've been trying to learn this entire time. But if you're going to teach me, then fucking teach! Don't just say 'Sue, do this' or 'Sue, you need to do that' without any actual help. I'm not a member of your battalion, so don't bark orders at me like I'm your soldier."

Tanya's eyebrows raised a hair.

"Huh." She said after a moment, crossing her arms. "So, your backbone wasn't just Being X's hand up your backside like a Muppet. That's good."

"I- huh?"

For what felt like the millionth time, Mary found herself befuddled by a sentence out of Tanya's mouth. She deflated, her anger trickling away almost immediately. And with its disappearance, Mary noticed another familiar feeling.

Her own magic.

"Anger is a powerful thing. Your emotions are powerful, Sue, and they bring your magic to the surface like few others. Not even an angry Visha could bring her mana to the surface as quickly as you can, and trust me, that's a compliment."

"I- you were…" Mary blinked, "You're kidding. You were being an asshole on purpose? To make me angry?"

"No." Tanya sighed, crossing her arms, "I wasn't doing anything of the sort. Perhaps you're right, and I do have to adapt my teaching style. I am not a kind or natural instructor, as my 203rd would no doubt tell you. But what I am is both efficient and reasonable, so I suppose I could do to be more… empathetic, to your situation."

"Oh." Mary's life would never fail to get weirder. That was practically an apology, and from Tanya von Degurechaff to her, of all people. Would wonders never cease?

"That being said, I'm still not going to just give you everything. You need to become more independent going forward. I can teach you, and give you the tools to improve and succeed, but the thinking and effort needs to come from you. Understand? I wouldn't be a very good teacher or Commander otherwise."

Mary nodded. "Alright, I can do that."

"Although," Tanya continued, almost absentmindedly, "one of my subordinates, Lotte, told me multiple times that I was the best Commander she'd ever had. And that I deserved to relax more, along with an offer for assistance in such matters." She tilted her head, thoughtful, "Odd, since I was her only Commander up to that point. And… I think Visha, my adjutant, tried to murder her later that evening. But I have no evidence for that, and neither of them brought it up ever again."

"Let's talk about something else."

Tanya shrugged. "Okay."

"Magic Sense." Mary said, getting back to the point, "Tell me what to do. What am I looking for?"

"You'll know what you're looking for when you feel it." Tanya pointed at her. "Hear me? Feel, not see. It's Magic Sense, not Magic Sight. Extend your senses and stop relying on your eyes so much. Treat the magicules in the air like the flow of that water magic you're so fond of, and feel it move."

Mary didn't bother arguing. What was there to argue anymore? Tanya knew a lot more about magic than she did, and she actually gave her a hint this time. It was best to just listen now. Degurechaff had given her what she needed. Now, it was time for the thinking and effort on her own part.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. And then, she activated Magic Sense again.

The world exploded into color just like before, magicules revealing themselves to her. This time, however, she barely gave them a second glance.

Mary closed her eyes, stretching out all of her senses as best she could.

Immediately, she noticed the difference. It was like… she could see all around her. Magic was everywhere, and everything it interacted with, she could sense.

Like a submarine, the thought came to her then. It reminded her of their detection technology – ASDIC, she believed – from the two occasions she'd been inside such a vessel. Once on an Albish vessel and once on a Russy one that resembled a hunk of scrap over anything else. Though, both had been terrifying, in truth.

But she remembered how the Captain on the Albish craft described it, during a relatively peaceful moment. One of the rare times where He had been content to leave her mind at rest for a little while. Who knows? Perhaps traveling underwater for days at a time had been as boring for Him as it was her.

Magic Sense resembled that, at least in part. Waves and flow, of magicules rather than sound, oscillating and swirling and travelling back and forth until a clear picture of the world around her could be seen, even with her eyes closed.

Flow… it's a flow!

Tanya had been right on the money with her comparison to water magic, sarcastic or not. The magicules didn't move randomly.

Well, they sort of did, but only in the way the movement of the ocean and the rush of a river is random. They ebbed and flowed, like currents through the air. When she'd been focused on seeing the magic, it had blinded her. But now, she could feel it.

Mary extended her Sense, to touch the entire clearing. She could feel Tanya's presence behind her. The magicules in the air seemed almost drawn to her, and the magicules inside her were… dense, for lack of a better term. Her magic circuits were filled to the brim, the flow within her smooth and efficient, with next to none lost or leaking out.

Of course, this was only "next to none" instead of "none at all" because Tanya was subconsciously allowing her magical aura to exist in that moment.

Mary had no way of knowing this, but Tanya's magic efficiency was great enough that with a little effort, the suppressing of her magical aura could completely erase her presence from means of magical detection, as opposed to merely masking it like with most others. 

But that wasn't important. Yet.

"I see you've gotten the hang of it." Tanya's voice was far away. "Now, focus on the crater. Feel it out. Tell me: what's happening here?"

Mary did not respond verbally, instead shifting her focus from the area around her to the area in front of her. What she felt had her taken aback.

How did I not notice this before?

The magic above the crater was… wrong. Whereas throughout the rest of clearing the magicules flowed like rivers or currents in the ocean, here in this spot, it coalesced. They curled outward and spiraled inward, a mulitdirectional, paradoxical whirlpool of magical energy.

Moskstraumen… it's like a tiny maelstrom.

Tiny was right. The reason she hadn't noticed before was because it was a barely noticeable size. Less than a quarter the width of physical crater below, and – Mary observed for another moment – shrinking at a lethargic, practically indetectable pace.

Mary's brow furrowed unconsciously. It was shrinking, yet the pull was… interesting, for lack of a better term. It was almost drawing her in. She pulled her Magic Sense in tighter, focusing on the whirlpool alone.

This is weird.

It was almost gravitational. The magic itself was different. Otherworldly, even. In a familiar way… if she just leaned in a bit more, just focused her own magic a little bit closer, she could almost-

A hand landed on her shoulder.

"That's enough."

-=-

"It was almost gravitational..."

Made in Wombo Dream app

-=-

Mary jumped, dropping her Magic Sense involuntarily.

"Wha-?" She looked over, noting the frown on Tanya's face.

"Reel your magic in. It's all over the place."

"It is?" Mary blinked, just then noticing the green glow that had engulfed her. She took a deep breath, slowly exhaling and allowing her magic to relax. Several breaths later, the glow had dissipated, her magic suitably reeled back in.

Tanya squeezed her shoulder, before letting her hand drop.

"That's better."

"What was that?" Mary burst suddenly, her eyes wide.

"You tell me."

"It was," Mary focused on Tanya's calmness for a moment, using it to try and pull her own emotions back under control. "It was a- Moskstraumen!!"

Tanya blinked. "Could you repeat that?"

"Moskstraumen." Mary emphasized, her Legadonian accent thickening for a second, "A bunch of maelstroms, off the coast of Legadonia. A whirlpool. The magic was all twisting and swirling like one. It was drawing me in."

"My first thought was closer to black hole, but that's an apt description you've given."

"Your first-" Mary paused, "Wait, you've done this already?!"

"Of course I have." Tanya scoffed, "I scouted out this location yesterday and found exactly what you did. Did you think I'd allow my subordinate to observe an unknown magical anomaly without vetting it for danger beforehand?"

Tanya said this, tactfully ignoring the fact that she'd placed herself in danger to do so. This wasn't about her, though. 

And maybe that was a problem.

Meanwhile, Mary couldn't believe her ears. She didn't even register the slip at the end, so baffled she was.

"I hadn't thought about- obviously I didn't- no, hold on, hold on. If you already investigated this, what, unknown anomaly or whatever, then why bring me here?"

"Well, you said it yourself." Tanya raised a challenging eyebrow. "This was, how you say, a 'teaching moment'."

"…I hate you so much."

"Don't act so irritable. Your magic control is still subpar, you know." Tanya said, shrugging, "Flow is a big part of efficient magic usage, and your flow is herky-jerky on a good day."

"Herky-jerky?" Mary muttered under her breath.

"So, I figured I should teach you how to properly sense magic, in the hopes that it would fix the issue. Or at least, alleviate some of it."

"You mean, teach myself?" Mary sighed. "And how does nearly getting sucked into a magical maelstrom help me?"

Tanya spread her arms wide, "Figure it out."

"I really do hate you."

"No, you don't."

Mary sighed again.

No. I don't.

-=-=-=-

>The Autumnal Festival<

One Month after Charybdis

Assembly Hall

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Oi."

Rimuru poked her shoulder harshly, and insistently. Tanya turned, a bemused expression on her face.

"Yes?"

"Tell me. Tell me right now. Why aren't you wearing a yukata?"

"Because I told Shion and Shuna that'd I convince you to wear one if they let me choose my own attire."

"Convince- you didn't convince me at all! The girls just walked in and handed me the yukata."

"Yes, because I told them I'd already convinced you to wear it." Tanya held back her smile. "You have a chronic inability to deny them. I didn't even have to try."

Rimuru gaped at her for a moment.

"...You're an evil person, you know that?"

"Evil? I don't think so. Although..." Tanya tilted her head, "Tanya the Evil? Has an interesting ring to it." She thought about it for a few more seconds, before shrugging, "But no, I'd rather think of myself as cunning. If it helps, you could always treat this as a learning experience. Use it to help in future interactions as the leader of Tempest.

"Funnily enough, I am not feeling at all consoled."

"Funnily enough, I wasn't really trying to. You could always tell them no."

Rimuru shot her a look of abject misery.

"Or maybe you could compromise with them. Occasionally." Tanya revised her statement. "They do quite like using you as a dress up doll."

"Gee, you think I didn't notice?"

"Hey." Tanya held up her hands, "Don't shoot the messenger."

"I'll usually wouldn't, but the smug half-smirk the messenger has right now really makes me want to."

Tanya was smirking now, and she didn't bother trying to hide it.

"Oh please. We both know-"

"Lord Rimuru!" The door burst open, and Shion rushed in, her eyes lighting up as soon as she saw the two of them. Well, as soon as she saw Rimuru.

Shuna followed after her at a much more sedate pace.

"Lord Rimuru, you look fantastic." She said with a serene smile, even as Shion glomped the slime lord.

"Doesn't he?" Shion beamed, her large… personality, threatening to suffocate Rimuru. If he needed to breathe, that is.

"Shuna." Tanya ignored the comedy show and held up a hand. "Stunning as always."

She wore a more decorative kimono tonight, flower patterns of various vibrant colors accentuating her beauty with every fold.

"Hello Tanya." Shuna turned, her eyes running over Tanya's form appreciatively.

A simple white button up and close-fitting black pants adorned the Argent's frame, the latter of which tucked into brown leather boots similar in length to her usual steel grey combat ones. Black half-palm gloves covered her hands, and her hair hung in a half up half down style as opposed to her usual high ponytail.

She looked rather like a female Bond on a casual night in, truth be told.

"I can see Garm set you up nicely."

"He did his best." Tanya agreed, "Though, between you and me, it's a little tighter than I'd like."

She held up an arm to showcase this, the fabric straining slightly against her bicep and shoulder.

Shuna's pupils dilated.

"I think it's perfect, actually."

"Really?" Tanya shrugged, the motion drawing Shuna's eyes. "If you say so."

"Although, if it's too tight…" Shuna walked further into the room, stepping quickly until she was standing in Tanya's personal space. Without hesitation, she reached up, undoing the top two buttons of the other woman's shirt. Her hands lingered, fingers unconsciously flexing as she fiercely resisted the urge to unbutton the rest.

After a very long moment, she pulled away.

"There we go."

Shuna took a short step back, observing her handiwork. Tanya's clavicle was just barely visible, and the barest hint of color dusted her cheeks. The barest hint of an unfamiliar bruise peeking out had her expression dipping somewhat, though it was quickly replaced with determined light in her eyes.

"Ah. Thanks."

Take that, Treyni. Shuna kept herself from smirking at the sight. Who needs alcohol?

At a fortune telling stand a few blocks away, a dryad sneezed.

"Now, then," Shuna hooked her arm through Tanya's own, either unaware or intentionally ignoring the incredulous looks she was getting from Rimuru and Shion. "Shall we head out?"

She didn't wait for a response, pulling the other woman with her as they left.

"Shuna?" Tanya could be heard saying, as the two made their way down the hallway and out of earshot. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Like what? I'm not sure what you're…"

Their voices trailed off as they got further away from the room.

Rimuru and Shion were frozen in disbelief.

"Um." Mary poked her head into the room. "Does anyone know where Rimuru- oh, you're here."

She walked in, her expression turning confused as she got closer.

"…Why do you two look like you've seen a ghost?"

-=-=-=-

>Demon Lords<

Two Months After Charybdis

Northern Training Field

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Flare circle!"

Milim jumped to the side, laughing all the while.

"Where were you aiming, Rimuru ?" She brandished her new bright pink gauntlets, the aptly named "Dragon Knuckles" gleaming in the sunlight. "Wahahaha! You can do better than-"

She ducked, a lunging strike missing as Tanya went flying over her head.

"Damn." Tanya whipped her own new weapon out the side, blue flames licking the length of its straight, blacksteel blade. She darted forward as soon as she landed, feinting a slash and then blasting a kick at Milim's sternum when she fell for it.

Milim caught her foot anyway, her other arm blurring to block with her gauntlet. A shockwave rang out, the wind ruffling both of their hair.

"Fuck's sake!"

"Wow, that was strong! I might have actually felt that one!"

Tanya jumped back, the teal color around her eyes that indicated TLE Level Three fading.

In that same moment, Rimuru appeared behind Milim, his sword swinging low. Milim jumped, avoiding it entirely, and Tanya pounced.

She leapt to meet the Demon Lord, her sword blazing and her eyes glowing as she slashed downward. Milim blocked the blow yet again, only the blink in surprise as she was forced back to the earth.

Rimuru, having stayed in place, swung upward, intending to meet Milim halfway.

It never connected.

Milim's aura exploded outwards, a swirling column of pure magical energy spinning up into the sky.

On the other side of Tempest, Mary and Hakurou took a break from their lunch, watching the magical twister with shock and amusement respectively.

The cyclone ended after several tumultuous seconds, dirt and grass settling as the winds died down.

"Ugh…" Rimuru lay sprawled out in the dirt, swirls in his eyes.

"That was great!" A shadow fell over him. Milim smiled, offering a hand up. "You two have gotten real strong. You'd both make some pretty great Demon Lords by now!"

"I already said I won't, but thank you." Rimuru sat up, rubbing his head. "…Hey, where's Tanya?"

Milim expression never shifted, even as she pointed back over her shoulder at a nearby tree.

Tanya lay high up, sprawled across several different branches. She groaned, smoke in the shape of a ghost seemingly leaving her mouth.

"Oh shit- Tanya!"

-=-=-=-

>One Warm Night<

Shuna snuggled backwards into the embrace, Tanya's warm breath tickling her ear.

She always smiles when we're together. Her touch is always appropriately affectionate.

Lady Shuna. The Oni Princess. The Shrine Maiden. Benimaru's little sister.

It was rare for her to just be "Shuna".

Tanya made her feel that way. Let her – for as few times in her life as it happened – be only a woman. Not a lady, or a princess. Not a sister, or a damsel. To Tanya, she was just "Shuna". To Tanya, she was just herself.

Even if it's not all for me.

Tanya smiled at her, gave her just the right amount of affection and care you'd expect of those in close relations, and then she gave even more. But Shuna could tell. Sometimes, Tanya's eyes glossed over. Sometimes, a different syllable would form on her tongue, before correcting itself.

Someone from her past, perhaps.

Oh, it wasn't Tanya's fault. Shuna couldn't blame her. Not when they had the same problem.

It couldn't be helped. And in truth, it wasn't an issue. Not to her.

Tanya's affection for Shuna was real enough, and Shuna's towards her just as well. Of that, Shuna was certain. Lapses were unfortunate, but not deal breaking on either part.

Even so...

"Shuna", she would say, with a calloused hand patting her on the head, with a toned arm thrown over her shoulders. "Shuna", she would say, a whisper on the night, an affectionate nip on the ear. "Shuna", she would say, and "Tanya", she would answer, as limbs tangled, and teeth gnashed, something bloody and burning in their bones, something primal and beautiful overtaking them.

That misplaced affection...

Shuna rolled to face Tanya, burying her nose in the other woman's naked collarbone. Tanya's arms tightened subconsciously. She could feel Tanya's coiled up magical power humming underneath her skin. A sense of warmth and power enveloped her then, and Shuna sighed, content.

...I want it all.

-=-=-=-

For a while, Tanya and Mary's and everyone else's lives were like this. Tempest was at peace.

Everyone went about their daily lives with little to no interruption. Training. Working. Eating. Resting. Taking a day or two off when necessary. A sense of normalcy had once again descended. It was a consistent, peaceful life. In other words, it was exactly what Tanya had wanted for years.

For the longest period of time yet since Tanya and Mary's arrival, it was this way. Nearly three whole months in fact, as the summer of Charybdis faded into autumnal harvests and the nipping chill of early winter. Tempest remained at peace. And it would continue that way for several more months yet.

Even so, a nagging sense never failed to tickle the back of Tanya's mind. Magical anomalies, Demon Lords, Charybdis… something was happening. The world was stirring to the growth of the nation of monsters, and Tanya couldn't help but feel like a powder keg just waiting for that first match.

She would be proven right, of course. Murphy's Law, as it were. Forces outside of Tempest's borders had no intent of remaining quiet. Threats distant and close refused to stagnate, and the enemies of the Jura Tempest Federation grew every day.

But that was not the issue at hand. Not yet.

Instead, this was not an enemy of Tempest, but of the world. This was something else entirely. Beings that slithered in the dark, scheming, planning for the day of absolution, for the day their plans would reach fruition.

Tanya could have cried at the injustice of it all.

As often was the case, all it took was one morning for everything to flip on its head.

Again.

-=-=-=-

Three Months After Charybdis

Unmarked Office, Assembly Hall

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Tanya."

Tanya looked up from a scroll, eyebrow raising as Souei stepped into the room with a grave expression. Graver than usual, that is.

"Souei? What is it?" She straightened in her seat, rolling up the scroll and placing it in on the coffee table.

Souei sat down on the couch across from her.

"Gobgala has been taken."

Tanya's eyes lit up with interest, and she leaned forward.

"She's the one who agreed to wearing a magical tracer, right?

Souei nodded.

"Her trace left Tempest approximately 10 minutes ago. Souka is following them as we speak."

"Good." Tanya stood. "What's her direction and estimated location?"

Souei was silent for a moment.

"They're heading west at the moment, though their path seems to slowly be curving northwest." His eyes narrowed. "They're moving fast."

"That's fine. It doesn't matter how fast they are. Can Souka intercept them?"

"She should be able too. As soon as they stop, she'll be on them."

"Good." Tanya grabbed her repaired green overcoat from the back of the couch and threw it on in the same motion, then made for the door. "And even if she can't, I'll be there to catch them anyway."

"You're going?" He didn't sound surprised.

"Of course." Tanya paused. "These people are bold, attempting another kidnapping from Tempest in broad daylight. That indicates a more robust operation, rather than someone looking to make a quick buck on the slave market."

This should be serious, but not overly so. I doubt a Demon Lord is involved in such a petty, barely noticeable crime. Hm. Perhaps I should bring… yeah, alright.

"I've just made Souka aware of your involvement." Souei stood as well, an unreadable look on his face. "She'll defer to you upon your arrival."

"Thanks. Also, I'll be taking Mary Sue with me. She could use the experience."

Souei nodded.

"I'll send a Body Double in your shadow. Let's err on the side of caution. Even out of the range of our Thought Communication we can still communicate."

"Appreciated, but hopefully unnecessary." Tanya waved over her shoulder, opening the door and stepping out.

"Good luck." Souei intoned.

"I shouldn't need it. This won't be much more than a couple days-long excursion. If anything, we're going into this too prepared."

Souei made his way to the doorway, just to make his disagreement known.

"You can never be too prepared." He said to her retreating back.

Tanya acknowledged his point internally, as she made her way out of the building.

Now then, let's nip this in the bud, shall we?

-=-=-=-=-=-

Known Skills List

Tanya:

Common Skill: Thought Communication

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra Skill: Voice of the World Communication

Unique Skill: Formulaic Casting

Unique Skill: Tetrabattery Limit Enhancement

Mary:

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra/Intrinsic Skill: Physical Enhancement

Unique Skill: [Full Extent Unknown]

Notes:

Yes, yes. Everyone loves Tanya, or whatever. Don't take it too seriously. It's a minor subplot at best, until her and Mary's relationship progresses past "tentative friends/good acquaintances".

Tanya's new sword is kinda like Artoria's Excalibur from Fate, with a black blade and a leather wrapped handle. I'll do art of it eventually.

It's finally here. The Scylla Rising Arc begins in full! Next chapter: "Beginning of New Madness".