A troublesome third party had shown up.
The man stood just 20 meters away from them, and in his right hand, he held a large chakram made of black steel. The weapon resembled a disk, sharpened on all edges, with a leather handle in the middle.
At the moment, he hadn't yet raised the chakram as a threat, letting it rest at his side.
Mathew was hesitant to look away from the bounty hunter, but still stole a glance at the vampire sisters, noting that their fear and unease had only gotten worse with the new arrival.
Something in his gut told him this situation would not be resolved peacefully.
"What is it that you want?" Ophelia barked, eying his weapon.
"Whoa, not lookin' to fight here." He said. His voice was loud but calm. "I was just thinking we should work together on this bounty. Split it two ways, yeah?"
"That is ridiculous. I already have the targets right here. There is no need to hand you a single thing."
"No-no, see, this is my bounty already. I should have first claim. In fact, I'm bein' real friendly here, even giving you a chance."
"You have a contract?"
The man unfurled a piece of paper covered with elegant writing.
"Signed with my own blood." He said, indicating a red fingerprint at the bottom. Ordinary people would have had to squint in order to see it from that distance, but Ophelia and Mathew had enhanced vision, a gift from being of the 3rd Tier.
"An Infirmus contract. I presume you have only a few hours left at most?" The bounty hunter smiled in response, though Mathew could feel a few cracks forming in his facade. He was nervous.
While both the man and Ophelia had their eyes on each other, Mathew decided to take the opportunity to start walking past her in order to get closer to the pair of sisters
Unfortunately, the bounty hunter took notice.
"What the hell is that thing you are walking around with?" He asked, "Some kind of Alchemy creation?"
"Perhaps he is just a man who had the misfortune to be born hideous," Ophelia said, simultaneously deflecting the question and taking a dig at her companion.
"I see… Well, I hoped to have a civil discussion, but you haven't even asked my name."
"You have not given it… Is that not common courtesy? You did not ask for mine either."
"I don't need to ask; I already know who you are, Ophelia, daughter of Polonius." He emphasized her title.
"H-How do you know my name?" Ophelia stuttered out, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.
"He-he. So it is you after all. The traitor princess, the disavowed heir to the house of Valor. Is it true that you killed your whole family just to secure your claim to the throne?" Every word was a pointed knife aimed at her.
Ophelia bore a look of shock that Mathew had never seen on her before. Her mouth was open, but no sound was coming out, as her jaw muscles twitched uncontrollably.
"Did you know," continued the bounty hunter, "that there is a massive bounty on your head, Elysium princess? Your own country wants you in chains."
What was he talking about? Elysium princess? Killed her whole family? Mathew wanted to say he couldn't believe it, but he thought back to the time when she had mercilessly slaughtered all the acolytes of Dread and reconsidered.
He didn't know everything she was capable of, but he knew for sure that Ophelia was at the very least capable of great cruelty.
"What… Do you want?" Ophelia asked.
"Well, the old deal was simple. I just wanted to come to an agreement and split the bounty. But you rejected that offer, so the new offer is that you hand over both of the hounds, and I promise to not pursue you next."
Ophelia's face hardened, and her eyes narrowed to slits.
"He-he. Don't glare at me like that, princess. This is a fair deal where everyone gets to walk away in one piece."
"How do I know that you will keep your word?"
"We just have to make another contract. The pain inflicted by the Covenant for failed deals is immeasurable, even in an Infirmus-level contract. That ought to be enough motivation for us to follow through, eh?"
Ophelia was quiet for a moment, as if thinking it over.
"No." She said finally. "I refuse."
"W-What? Why? For what reason?" The bounty hunter had lost all composure.
"Because I do not like it. That is the only reason I need. I will not be controlled; I will not be coerced." It seemed that her mind was made up.
"You spoiled brat!" He spat. "Nothing matters except what you want, huh? Is that it?"
"That is right." She responded firmly.
The bounty hunter held onto his weapon, and it suddenly ignited into dark red-and-black flames, which continued to flow off of it.
Mathew was surprised he didn't just stand down. Was he really that confident he would win? Or was the punishment for breaking a contract in this world truly that severe?
"Well then. Enjoy lugging back damaged goods." The bounty hunter said, and then wound up his arm and threw the Chakram from his hand. The strange flames trailed behind it as it sailed through the air, not towards Ophelia, but towards Siyah, who was held in place by invisible restraints.
Mathew didn't even think. He moved on instinct, a desire more raw than thought.
A sharp pain shot from his back, all the way to his chest, causing him to stumble, but he remained standing, his arms outstretched to maintain his balance.
He had thrown himself in the Chakram's path to shield the two sisters, and it had cleaved all the way through him before embedding itself in his body.
"W-Why did you protect me?" Asked Siyah.
"I… don't… know," Mathew said through the pain. "I'm just an idiot… I guess…"
"Does that hurt? Y-you have a blade sticking out of your chest."
"I… didn't notice that… Thanks for letting me know." He knew his wounds would heal, but that didn't make the situation any less uncomfortable.
Just as he was considering how to remove the foreign object from his body, though, it was suddenly ripped out on its own. It flew through the air once more, landing in the bounty hunter's awaiting hands.
It seemed he could call it back at will once it was thrown.
Mathew practically fell forward as red blood poured from the new gaping wound, and he would have hit the ground if Siyah hadn't caught him first.
"A-are you ok?" She asked.
"No, but I hope you are. Looks like Ophelia freed you?" Speaking sarcastically helped Mathew cope with the pain. Or at least that's what he told himself.
He was honestly surprised that his blood was still the color red, with how inhuman his current body was.
He craned his neck to see Ophelia turning to face her opponent, golden armor and vambraces phasing into reality. He would have loved to help her at that moment somehow, but he was too busy coughing up his vital fluids.
She would have to face the enemy alone.
She charged forward, attempting to close the distance.
The bounty hunter threw the Chakram again, and she twisted her body, narrowly avoiding it. A few strands of her hair smoked as they made contact with the red and black flames.
The disc-like weapon traveled a few meters past her, but then changed trajectory, moving in a large arc, before sailing back towards Ophelia. It was on a deadly path right towards her neck.
"Watch out!" Shouted Siyah.
Ophelia spun at the last second, throwing her left forearm in front of her to save herself from being decapitated. The Chakram connected with her vambrace, and there was a high-pitched ringing sound as it bounced off the armament, leaving a large gash in it.
At first, it seemed that Ophelia had succeeded in completely reflecting it, but then black lines began to branch out from the gash, and the entire vambrace burst into pieces, a sound like shattering glass accompanying a flash of golden light as it was reduced to nothing.
Ophelia growled and rushed forward again, summoning a silvery blade in her hand to replace what she had lost.
The bounty hunter grinned as he caught his weapon, the flames still coming off of it as he moved to throw it once more.
As he did so, however, Ophelia's blade released a burst of bright white light from her blade, which she held forward in front of her. The bounty hunter was blinded, reducing the accuracy of his throw and allowing Ophelia to narrowly avoid it.
Then it was over.
The sword had pierced him through his chest, leaving him no chance of surviving this encounter.
"It appears you will not be fulfilling that contract after all." Mocked Ophelia.
"Just because I lose doesn't mean you win." The man said, gritting his teeth so hard that his gums bled. He held out a weak hand.
Mathew felt urgency shoot through his body, and he tried to call out a warning, but he didn't have the strength.
Fortunately, He didn't need to worry about his mistress.
Ophelia, seeing the man's gesture, reacted immediately. She grabbed his hand, then spun behind him, leaving her sword impaling him. She then gripped his other hand, holding them both behind his back in a lock.
He could no longer catch his Chakram as it came back to him, and he wasn't even allowed a scream as his own weapon did him in, embedding itself in his body right next to Ophelia's sword.
As his body grew gold in her hands, Ophelia threw him onto his back, removing both weapons from his lifeless corpse.
"Well," she said as she wiped some blood from her cheek, "I suppose this matter is settled."