Scarlet's dangerous grin widened, but her eyes held a chilling vacancy. "Who said I'm going to do anything?"
"When you smile like that, Scar, I know you're scheming something that's probably going to get me shot at by a much larger gun than usual," Ryder said, his own grin now fixed uncomfortably in place.
Scarlet ignored him and stepped forward, addressing the small, frightened group of refugees and mercenaries. Her voice was smooth, confident, and entirely manufactured.
"Hello, everyone. We are going to help you guys, so rest assured," she announced, projecting an image of calm authority. "We have taken down all the Kaiju that are nearby and around here, so you don't need to worry about the immediate threat."
She paused, gesturing theatrically toward Ryder. "This man here is the Grim Reaper."
"Don't go giving me weird names!" Ryder protested, flustered, instantly trying to refute the title, but Scarlet talked right over him.
"He is a master Kaiju Hunter who has taken down many high-ranking Kaiju during his journey across the plains."
"Hey, what are you saying?!" Ryder insisted, his protest swallowed by her performance.
"And I am his fellow member. I am just a Sorcerer, not a Kaiju Hunter," she concluded, offering a small, humble bow.
(Note: In this world, only Kaiju of high rank can use the ability called magic or ether. Only a few number of humans can use magic because it is too hard to control and harness.)
A burly mercenary, one of the men escorting the civilians, pointed a shaking finger at the purple blob currently attempting to devour a chunk of raw Kaiju meat nearby. "Then that thing behind you is that magic, right?"
"Yes, yes, it is," Scarlet replied smoothly. "My summon, made purely of magic power."
"Everything you see is magic. Only magic."
"Eh?" Gelspawn, realizing it had been mentioned, stopped chewing and angrily wobbled forward. "Who are you, you bastards, calling a thing?!" Gelspawn shouted at the mercenaries and civilians.
"Wow, whatever the name, it is really good," the burly mercenary mumbled, distracted by the sheer power radiating from the summon.
"Alright, now that you're safe, we are giving you a chance to witness the true strength of human magic," Scarlet announced, her eyes flashing with a predatory gleam as she began to lay the trap.
"Ha! You are just brainwashing them, Scar!" Ryder hissed under his breath.
A man stepped forward, looking like he was in his late thirties, his clothes torn and dusty, but with the weary eyes of a professional. "Excuse me, Mr. Grim and Mrs. Sorcerer. My name is Mikel, and I am a Kaiju Hunter," he said, addressing them formally.
"I know what I'm about to say is a disgrace to me being a Kaiju Hunter, but I have to say it. There is a specific Kaiju around here that I think only you two can take down," Mikel said, his voice dropping with shame and urgency.
"Huh? A Kaiju targeting you specifically?" Scarlet asked, a spark of pure interest igniting in her eyes. The bait was being taken.
"Yes. The town we are from there was a monstrous Kaiju there. It looked almost human, and it destroyed everything. That's why we escaped and came here, but… they still follow us here." Mikel shuddered.
"I had a feeling that if we did not run at that moment, something terrible might have happened to all of us here right now. I think it was hunting me specifically."
Scarlet's smile was gone, replaced by a ruthless focus. "What kind of ability did it use? I mean, what type of magic did it use?"
"Well, the Kaiju used wind to attack and defend. If we attacked it, the wind simply deflected everything."
"Oh, so it must be The Wind, Davies Glorious!" Scarlet exclaimed, a flicker of dark recognition in her eyes. "He holds the title of third lord."
The name, Davies Glorious, hung in the air like a deadly shard of glass. It was whispered with a combination of dread and respect in certain, lethal circles a name that, to Scarlet, represented a concrete challenge and an immediate elevation of the war.
"The Third Seat?" Ryder repeated, the phrase triggering no memory, but the sheer coldness of Scarlet's expression telling him everything he needed to know. "You mean this thing is a high-ranking officer of the Kaiju Lord?"
"It's not a 'thing,' Grim Reaper," Scarlet corrected, her voice silkier than usual, almost reverent. "It's one of the twelve lieutenants, the true powerhouses beneath the Kaiju Lord himself. A direct subordinate with terrifying destructive capability. If your blurry memories are to be believed, this is precisely the kind of enemy we lost to."
Her eyes burned with a feverish intensity that went beyond simple ambition; it was a hungry need to prove the past wrong. She turned to Mikel, the Hunter, who was now trembling visibly.
"Mikel, you have our attention. You said this Davies followed you. Where is it now? We need precise coordinates."
The mercenary swallowed hard, exchanging a quick, fearful glance with the civilians. He finally pointed down the alley, toward the densely packed urban sprawl that formed the border of the main city.
"It's hunting us. I saw the signs swirls of unnatural wind, small, perfectly cut slices in the pavement. It's toying with us, letting us believe we escaped," Mikel confessed, his voice heavy with guilt. "I was going to lead these people in a different direction, hoping to sacrifice myself as bait, but now that you two are here…"
Scarlet's predatory smile returned, sharper than before. "Perfect. You won't have to sacrifice yourself, Mikel. You'll simply be the distraction."
Ryder's brow furrowed, his ethical alarm bell ringing loudly. "Wait, wait, wait. You can't just use these people as bait for a high-level Kaiju Lord! We're here to help them cross the border!"
Scarlet leaned close to Ryder, her breath brushing his ear, the faint scent of ozone clinging to her. "They are already bait, Ryder. Davies is a hunter; he's playing with his food. We don't change their fate; we simply use the scenario they're already in to create an opening. This is how we prove your future is wrong."
She straightened, her eyes locking with the terrified civilians. "The Grim Reaper and I will hunt this Kaiju down. Mikel, you will lead your group exactly where you planned to go. We will follow your trail and use your movement to flush out the Third Seat."
Ryder sighed, running a hand through his hair, knowing the argument was futile. When Scarlet got that specific, focused look, reason went out the window. "Fine. But I get the first shot at 'Davies Glorious.' And you don't call me the Grim Reaper again."