Chapter 191: The Scent of Hell

Rachel moved to join the two golden-haired Legends, feeling rather good about how this meeting had gone. "It depends on the subject. Well, why don’t we save a knight? After you," she said, gesturing at the UK dignitary. "Let’s slip out before we get caught up in a police report or something. Tom can handle the paperwork."

"Thanks..." the bald man mumbled, only just making it back after directing the crowd to the lower level. "I get the sneaking suspicion that I’ll be cleaning up after your messes a lot, Rachel. I’m starting to see a pattern in how your misfortune abilities work."

"Oh, c’mon, General," she teased, shooting him an impish grin, "haven’t I proven myself to be more than an asset to allow a little misfortune? Look what you might be able to learn from this incident alone. Maybe I end up in all the wrong places, but don’t I also bring about all the right results?"

"That’s... partly what I’m afraid of," the man whispered as she left with the two Legends.

They made small talk about the incident as they slipped inside Arthur’s black SUV and continued on their journey; however, her mind looped back to the video of Empress Wu and the CCP. There was an unbelievably large string of misfortune, stretching far into the future, that had opened up to her upon the reveal. Something big was happening in China.

Rachel grew a tad impatient as forty minutes passed before they reached their destination, the agents driving them wanting to take several detours to be sure no one was on their tail. At least she had the chance to get better acquainted with the two golden-haired Legends, giving her a better insight into how The Oscillation hadn’t selected them randomly.

Jeanne was 19 years old, the same as Rachel, but the girl had been mortified upon learning that she’d been drinking on an illegal license that Charlemagne had provided her. She hadn’t even checked the false identification until the topic came up, and, evidently, it said she was 21. It went without saying that the girl had rarely left France.

On the other hand, Arthur was nearly 60 years old and had a wealth of military experience under his belt; that wasn’t going to keep him from enjoying his newfound youth, but he also had responsibilities to handle. On a more personal note, he loved racquetball, which Rachel wasn’t opposed to trying at some point.

The king was married, and Jeanne’s innocent probing revealed it to indeed be to the Legend of Guinevere. The king had no issues discussing his wife, talking up her beauty and dedication to staying by his side. Although, Rachel did catch a subtle shift in his undertone when some specific topics came up. Their relationship seemed to be a complicated one.

Nia kept her ears trained on other topics, and not all of them external threats. When they stopped in front of an old, abandoned building outside of DC proper, Rachel caught a curious look in the bunny girl’s eyes.

Something caught your ear?

"Hmm." Her twin glanced back toward the city, somewhat bored with how peaceful their ride had been, since she couldn’t find any threats. "There is a fashion show happening right now, and I’m listening to the conversations people are having about the items..."

Rachel couldn’t help but chuckle. Ah, the fashion show... basically, the fancy restaurant you would have preferred, allowing you to devour outfits, instead of the horrific, bunny leg-cooking place we dined at. You’re taking it too personally; they aren’t bunnies like Moongmor or Mei.

"I can’t help my brain wandering without an enemy to focus on. I’m still trying to process the, uh, wiki page you showed me on rabbits... or those weird ’anime’ pictures that Scarlet and Alexa enjoy. I half feel insulted. What do these people mean when they say I’m very messy and that I shed a lot? Rude."

I’m sure you do feel a certain way! You’re on a forum about pet owners, and you have to stop thinking you’re taking L’s for all of bunnykind; besides, I’m sure you saw just how many people love bunnies as companions! You just can’t connect typical ones with yourself.

"Humph. I may be a Living Denier, but I’m also a lunar bunny... Some people think I’m a total myth! How can they deny I exist when I do?"

Haha! You are in deep. Come out of the rabbit hole.

Nia slammed the door with a light glare at her. "One of those sayings about rabbits? Yes, rabbits dig holes. Skin me! Gah... And what is with this expression ’breed like rabbits’ when we have a very sophisticated mating system?! Experts, my tail."

Letting the bunny cope with the media depictions of bunnies, Rachel followed the agents into the building. Jeanne and Arthur took either side of her, Nia bringing up the rear, still swiping through websites talking about different kinds of rabbits.

After passing several checkpoints and going down an elevator, which made the internet cut out, Nia handed her phone back, now in a sour mood. Jeanne struck up a conversation with the bun, trying to evoke a more positive mood by having her describe what she thought about bunnies; it was a good pivot.

Their conversation died when they reached Galahad’s room, and the agents left them to their privacy, explaining that the doctor would be in shortly after checking on another patient.

Rachel moved to the man’s side to take the armchair since she’d be providing blood soon enough, trying to relax as Nia vanished in sparkling light to try out various outfits she’d heard about at the fashion show; some designs the bun described seemed wild, but maybe Rachel just wasn’t getting the right mental picture. Meanwhile, the two golden-haired Legends stood at the foot of the bed, somber faces viewing the near-dead knight.

Her wide field of vision took in the whole room with a single sweep, sensing the Infernal pollution she’d injected into Galahad’s spirit like a poison; it felt like it hung in the air like a fog, with how potent the Hell Force was. "Unlike the other Force, this... smells demonic. I wasn’t even thinking about what I was doing when going after Relica."

A swirling miasma of Negative Energy leaked out of him, his skin sunken and sickly as Yomi’s influence twisted into his spiritual center; rotten vapors flowed out with every breath the unconscious man took as he did his best to keep the insidious element at bay.

Arthur’s eyes tightened. "Are you strong enough after the last incident, Jeanne?"

The woman hugged herself, a shiver passing through her frame as she studied the demonification in progress. "My strength matters little in this exchange; I am only here to direct the ichor like a funnel, which doesn’t require much... I am speechless, Rachel. To think you channeled this kind of... hazardous pollutant is difficult to swallow."

"You should have seen Yomi itself," Rachel said with a short laugh, "or... met Izanami in the flesh. Ironically, I think you might sympathize with her more than you think."

Jeanne offered a strained smile. "On the contrary, I believe all demons and fallen angels can be saved. Even devils, born in the corruption of Hell, can be redeemed... if they seek it. It is never easy, but it is a pursuit worth making."

"And then you have me," Rachel said, throwing open her arms to invite their gaze. "I mingle with the damned and divine! What does that say about me?"