Four Years Ago

The red head took the bloodied knife and shove it towards the dead body of her master. She had learned long ago to detach, and as of the moment, she was.

One.

The sound of flesh being ripped apart by the blade in her hands would forever be ingrained in her mind.

Two.

Warm blood painted her palm scarlet, spluttering her pristine white dress.

Three.

Four.

Five...

Fifty...

She lost count, and the blood in her hands felt thick and slimy. Slippery, thay she lost her hold on the hilt. The bloodied knife scattered to the floor, and Freya threw her head down, and let out a giggle. Then a laugh, and her eyes were overflowing with tears as her laughter echoed in the room.

She then made her way towards the exit out to the city of Fontaine. Opera Epiclese- sounds like a good place as any for her final performance.

Gasps and shrieks of horror followed the moment she got out under the warm sun, and the usually lively yet quiet area filled with terror with her presence.

"Threat detected. Order confirmed. You! In the name of Hydro Archon, surrender immediat-"

A woman in the distance screamed in horror as six gardemeks crumpled to the ground, their mechanical words incoherent, short circuited, metalic bodies twisted in ways beyond repair.

People fled to her opposite direction while she made her walk unhurriedly towards the Opera Epiclese.

***

Sigewinne had her ears and eyes flooped down as she made her way to the worktable and continued her work.

"I should have been more careful," she shook her head, "Now I lost my Vision, and I have become a liability to the Duke."

"How are you a liability? Clearly Duke Wriothesley cares for you. I'm sure it will turn up," Freya comforted the melusine.

Sigewinne shook her head. "If he finds out that I have no Vision, he'll make me leave him to keep me safe."

"And who will run the Infirmary?"

"Exactly that. Further more, who will take care of Wriothesley?" she whimpered, and Freya's gaze softened when she saw the worry in Sigewinne's eyes, "If the rebellion is indeed happening, people might use me to get to him. I can't do that. But I also can't leave him alone. He needs me," Sigewinne's eyes gathered tears.

Freya approached her and crouched next to her to wipe her tears. "Don't let anyone see you cry. Not in this place."

Sigewinne continued to sniffle, making it hard for Freya to not want to hug her. The redhead sighed. "I...might have a way to help you," she finally said with her usual unhurried tone, "But I can't guarantee anything. It's just... Information costs, you know."

The Head Nurse looked up innocently at Freya, "What are you getting at?"

"First thing we must do is get the information on who has your Vision. I know the people whose information can be bought."

***

"Watch your step, weirdo."

As soon as the voice registered to her brain, Freya felt someone's boot on her shin and she let out a grunt of surprise as she landed on the metallic floor of the Fortress. While she whimpered quietly in pain, the sound of Katya and her cronies' crass laughter echoed, then the sounds of the gang footsteps walking further while some of them muttered, 'Weirdo' and 'Weak' to themselves.

"Katya," called Freya.

Katya was a powerful and 'rich' prisoner in the Fortress of Meropide. Once convicted for valuable artifacts thievery, she now sells gossips and informations of any kind for coupons, and people had grown to either steer clear from her or befriend her- depending on their interest. The first year Freya served her time in the Fortress, Katya like everyone else, stayed away from her, but upon seeing how meek the supposedly cold blood murdered that Freya was, the blue haired convict began to take likings to bully her. Nothing serious. Just bumping against her shoulder, pushing when she walked past, and giving her nicknames.

"Oh, you're talking to me, sleepy?" scoffed Katya, swiping her short dark blue hair back and posed with a hand on her hip.

Freya stood up and ignored the pain on her arm from the fall, her expression neutral. "Yes. Could we possibly talk business?"

"Why, consider me intrigued. What do you possibly want? I was under the impression that you want nothing but to just... you know, exist. And be boring."

A series of laughter from her gang rang in her ears, while Katya herself stood there with a smirk on her face.

"Could we talk in private?"

"Why? Don't tell me you're going to confess now, you're making me blush," she snickered, and her friends laughed again, as if she was being extremely funny.

Katya wasn't even that funny.

When there was no more response from the meek redhead, Katya sighed. "Alright, if you wanna talk business, might as well do it here. These are my people, and they I trust."

Freya was quiet. Katya continued.

"Come on, don't waste my time. I have a combat I am looking forward to at the Pankration Ring," urged Katya with a roll of her eyes, with her expensive heels (Freya didn't even know how she managed to get a pair of designer shoes delivered from the surface) tapped impatiently at the ground.

"Alright. I need information on who has the Head Nurse's Vision. I am ready to pay for it," Freya stated.

"Ah," Katya flashed her saccharine smile, "Sure. I'll be happy to do business with you," she walked towards Freya and circled her, then lightly played with her red hair, before tugging it slightly and leaned to her ear, "...For sixty thousand coupons."

Freya took a sharp breath. "I... only have... fourty thousand coupons. At best."

"What a shame," Katya murmured with a sigh and a devious smile. "One would think working at the Infirmary would earn you more. Tell you what. I'll give you a friendly rate. Forty thousand coupons, and a match with me at the Pankration Ring. Right now. I need the exercise."

"..."

Katya scoffed. "...Afraid? Aren't you a cold blooded killer or something?" she jeered.

"...I... don't like violence."

Another mocking laughter ensued, and now even Katya, laughed. "Okay, not that's rich coming from you. I didn't know the Steambird pretty much post Onion news as well. Your story was obviously farfetched. How about this. You get on the ring with me, basically be my punching bag, but if you manage to stay conscious through it all, I will give you the info. See, I'm a very generous person. An alternative for you, since there's no way you can make me yield while you won't even look at me while I speak."

Freya bit her lip and looked at her. "Give me a week. I'll see what I can do to get twenty thousands more coupons."

"Okay, scaredy cat. You caught me on a good mood. Fine. A week to gather more coupons, then we talk business. Go bust you ass at the Production Zone, borrow coupons, or," a sharp slap on Freya's bum caused the redhead to jump and gasp, "...You can put that round ass to good use. Many men down here are starving for a pretty girl with an ass like yours to drill. Though knowing you... You'd probably put them to sleep."

Another series of cackle and laughter rang in her ears. Ignoring the pit in her stomach, Freya finally looked at Katya and nodded meekly. "One week. I'll see what I can do."

***

Freya did give her all. On top of her work at the Infirmary, she would work at the Production Zone until late at night. These days, she got lucky for pulling several luxurious welfare meal, but even bartering her good meals with other inmates for coupons did not yield her enough coupons.

Getting into the Pankration Ring with Katya should be avoided at all costs. Or so she thought at first, until she saw Sigewinne being cornered by a burly patient throwing a fit in the Infirmary. He was throwing apart Sigewinne's potions rack brutely.

"You stupid melusines! Surely you have better medicine here than your sickening potions!"

Freya froze at the commotion, and her eyes landed on Sigewinne who looked slightly terrified.

"Sir, we don't have anything else. Please, these potions will do you just fine," said Sigewinne in her anxious voice.

"I want the normal ones!" he barked and bumped the worktable before Sigewinne with his fist, making the gentle melusine cower, "I'm not gonna ask again!"

"Head Nurse," Freya said with her neutral voice, "Duke Wriothesley is looking for you. He's coming here soon and doesn't seem to be in the very best mood."

The name Wriothesley made the burly man pause. His eyes fleeted back and forth before he waved his hand, "Never mind, I'm outta here."

The man walked past Freya in a hurry, leaving behind the mess in the Infirmary.

"Sigewinne. Are you okay?"

The melusine nodded, looking somewhat relieved. "I thought Wriothesley is out to the overworld now."

"I don't know. I just said it so he would scram."

Sigewinne's ears and eyes drooped, sighing, "He knows I have no Vision so he acted up," she murmured to herself, before casting her innocent eyes at the red head, studying her. "Freya... You look exhausted," she pointed out with concern in her tone.

Freya chuckled. "Don't worry about me. I am indeed exhausted, and..." the red head sighed, knowing that there was no other way, and that her mind was made, "...I'm thinking of getting a week off. Is that okay?"

Sigewinne's eyes lit up. "Yes, of course! Leave the Infirmary to me. You have been working very hard, so if you need rest I am happy," she beamed.

Freya smiled. "While I'm not here, be sure to work with at least one guard by the door, okay? Don't be alone."

"Gotcha, Freya. Don't worry about me. Even without my Vision, I can still stick strong anaesthetic injection if any patient is too much to handle," the sweet melusine smiled with an underlying sadistic tone to it.

Freya giggled.

***

"Fourty thousand coupons," Katya whistled after having counted the coupons she took from Freya. She smirked at her, then made as if she wanted to bite her cheek, "Rawr! Hahahah, and a tasty punching bag for me. Can't wait to tap that cake."

Slap!

Freya jumped at the slap on her butt that Katya gave, making her cronies laugh. "But you're not seriously wearing that to the ring, are you?"

Freya looked down at her uniform.

"Word of advice, you don't want to get that shirt stained with blood," added Katya with a scoff, "I'll see you at the ring at 7 sharp. Whether you show or not, you're not getting these coupons back, weirdo."

Freya stood there frozen as Katya and her gang left, a shiver running down her back.

"Prisoner 1659, move it!"

Freya jumped again and gave a weak nod at the guard. Apparently she was blocking the way to the elevator while the guards were busy carrying a load of supplies. She quickly made way for the goods to pass then walked back to the Dormitory Block to change.

***

"Are you sure you're doing this, kid?" Roussimoff, the Pankration Ring Host asked with a frown as he handed Freya a form to sign, his eyes scanning her form. To his trained eyes, the redhead looked more suited to selling flowers than getting herself mixed up in a ring, and that the poor thing could use a sandwich or two. "Katya is a formidable fighter with a bloodlust. You got into a bad gambling or something?"

"Something," Freya replied with her usual slow voice. She signed the form with slightly trembling hand and handed it back to Roussimoff quietly.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, kid," he said before giving her a roll of black fabric. Freya studied it for a moment and was fiddling with it, wondering what it was for. Roussimoff sighed and snatched the roll from her hand. "You don't even know what this is?"

She looked at him meekly and shook her head, even went as much as blushing in embarassment. "Oh, Archons. It's a hand wrap. You wrap it around your knuckles to protect it. Like this."

Perhaps he felt pity for her, that he took the time to actually help Freya wrapped the fabric on her knuckles. Once done, she walked up to the ring, but Roussimoff cut her, "Yield whenever it's too much, or if you cant speak, tap the ground three times. The chances of inmates dying in this ring is not zero."

With that he turned his back on her and went back to his table to take more bets from the crowd who mostly wanting to see Katya in action.

Freya sighed and got into the ring with her heart thumping in her chest.

***