Ranmza couldn't stop chuckling. "Ha! Boy, just when I thought I had you pegged, you surprise me. Here I thought you were such a nice and innocent girl."

Ranmza then smirked. Abenti sighed as she looked skyward.

"My days of having been completely innocent have been long gone. I can now only make do with what I can."

Abenti's solemn nature caused Ranmza to stop smiling.

"So, I guess it's time to go hunting."

"Yeah..." Abenti had a brief vacant look on her face before she shook her head and smiled as bravely as she could. "Let's go."

So the pair went on their way pausing only once in a while to battle the Giant Apes that got in their way and attempted to attack them. Abenti noticed that the injured apes would actually drop some rather valuable items that was obviously crafted by human hands, and thought this a little bit odd. Ranmza didn't even bat an eye at this.

"Giant Apes tend to take items away from humans and other apes that they fought and bested. They seem to think of it as trophies for winning battles." She explained. "Sometimes the other animals in this world seem to exhibit the same behavior. Nobody really knows why."

Ranmza picked up the said items, and they reached the bridge leading to the Snakemen. So far there was no sign of their target. Finally, near some cliffs where there was some large groups of snake-like humanoid creatures gathering about, there was the man matching the target's description.

"So, how should we handle him?" Abenti wondered idly, not sure what to do next.

"Let's watch him fight for a few minutes. I think I can figure out his level this way. If he's too strong for us, it'd be foolish for us to just take him head on." Ranmza replied.

"Okay..."

The target seemed to be fairly strong, as seeing he managed to get some Snakemen twice his size flying when he delivered a few blows to them. However, this didn't seem to faze Ranmza.

"Looking at his fighting technique, I'd say he's only slightly stronger than me. I think I can still take him on though. but you'd have to help me by healing me from time to time. I'll be too busy fighting to be able to reach for my own potions." Ranmza commented. "And if I seem to be in trouble but don't need healing, deliver a few lighting blots his way to help me out. That should take him down I think."

With a slight nod from Abenti, Ranzma got up and jumped right into battle. as not to scare him off, she fought one of the Snakemen first as if she was merely hunting like he was. But as soon as she got close enough to him, she turned upon him in a flash. However, he wasn't the type to be taken down so easily. He was slightly stronger than she was, and it showed as their swords clashed. He managed to wound her once, as he attempted to bring her down to her knees. In order to at least distract the man, Abenti let loose a lightning bolt. Ranmza managed to get in a few attacks due to the distraction, however he was still standing and holding his own against Ranmza.

Maybe she mis-judged his strength... Abenti thought as she continued to zap out lightning bolts. What if I have to change again to win this fight?

Minutes passed into half an hour, but Ranmza continued to keep on hitting and slashing at him until he was defeated. She then put away her sword, panting slightly and sweating up a storm.

"See? Nothing to it."

She then winched slightly when she touched some of the wounds that the guy had inflicted upon her body.

"Are you okay otherwise?" Abenti took note of Ranmza's flinching.

"Well, nothing a few healing potions can't fix." Ranmza remarked, as she took out a few bottles. Grimacing, she chugged them down. "Even if I get used to this, it still tastes awful. I wish they would find a way to make those things taste better."

"Mmm... so what do we do with him?" Abenti pointed to the man that Ranmza defeated.

Ranzma shrugged, then looked over at the unconscious guy. "Bring him back to that one dude, what else? You'll have to help me carry him though."

"This is going to take a while." Abenti sighed. "Fighting them off is one thing... dragging them around over a long distance is something that I'm not good at."

Ranmza then slapped her forehead. "Of course, the teleporting scrolls! Why didn't I think of it? I wonder if we use a teleporting scroll while hanging on to him, would it work?"

"There is only one way to find out..."

Ranmza nodded. She then took out an teleporting scroll, placed it on the unconscious guy. She then picked up his arms. "Hey, hold on to his legs or feet, please."

"Right..." Abenti went to pick the man's legs up when she scrunched up her nose as she got a whiff of the man's odor. "Man... when was the last time this man took a bath? He reeks!"

Ranmza wrinkled her nose. "You should take a whiff of his armpits here! Anyway let's get this over with!"

With that, she propped the unconscious man's head on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around to grab at the Twin city scroll. She then opened it, and the group was then engulfed together in a flash of light. The three of them found themselves standing in front of the furniture store in the city.

Ranmza smiled. "Well, that's one way to save up on scrolls I guess.."

The pair then dragged the guy over to the bookkeeper, who thankfully wasn't that far away at his usual spot in front of the Promotion Center.

"What do we have here?" The man in charge of the top most wanted list looked at the two women and the unconscious lump of the man that they had hunted down.

"Well, buddy... We did what you asked of us. Now cough over the money." Ranmza responded.

"Yes... well, about that... It is an awfully large sum of money... the likes of which if I had it on me, I'd sure to be mugged myself, regardless of the nearby guards..."

Abenti and Ranmza both glared at the man in anger, however since Abenti was further back behind both Ranmza and their apprehended charge, something falling past her right side caught her attention. Not turning her head to see what it was, Abenti grabbed it so it wouldn't get in the way. However, once she touched it, the item faintly glimmered as the magic imbued into it activated and transformed Abenti into a Ratling.

"What the..." Abenti said in a low forced hiss as she looked down towards what were now her front legs.

Ranmza was too angry to even notice the movement behind her. "You're telling me that you can't pay us? If what you've told us is true, we can go with you to get the money, you know. Otherwise there might be certain consequences, if you get my drift."

Just as the man was trying to weasel his way out of that, he noticed the Ratling. "Eww!! Who let that thing into the city?! I though this city was supposed to be free of all vermin."

He suddenly pressed up against the wall of the Promotion Center, as to get away from the Ratling. It became obvious that he had a phobia when it came to Ratlings. Abenti attempted to turn her head to look around her... but then it dawned on her that the man was talking about her current form. With a hiss, she pawed her way over the outlaw's inert form and straight towards him.

"Oh god!! It's coming right at me!" He let out an undignified shriek as he practically clawed up the wall as if doing that could somehow magically put him on the other side, or even inside of the building.

Growling, Abenti bared her fangs as she bounded up on top of a lidded barrel and swung her tail from side to side. Ranmza couldn't help but laugh at the man's reaction to the Ratling. When she noticed that Abenti wasn't around, she had the sneaking suspicion about who the Ratling really was.

She then smirked. "Aw, what's the matter? You going to let such a cute Ratling scare you?"

"Just keep it away from me!" The man whimpered. "I'll give you all the money I have, if you just take it away!!"

Ranmza nodded. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal! But first, the money? I certainly don't want any empty promises like last time."

"Take it!!" The man screamed, throwing her a large, heavy sack.

Ranmza caught it, and then peered inside. Nodding when she saw that there was really money inside the sack, she then smirked at the man. "I wish I could say it's been nice knowing ya, but that would be dishonest."

She then turned around and walked towards Abenti. Picking her up with her free arm, shifted the heavy sack of gold over her other shoulder and walked away from the scene.

Once they were out of sight, she then whispered to Abenti, "We never do business with that shady character again. Deal?"

"I dunno... I think he's learned not to try to double cross us." Abenti's voice still came out as a low harsh hiss. "Now if only I knew what exactly it was I grabbed that turned me this way, how long until it wears off, if it wears off, and if there's more of them."

Ranmza's face then brightened up. "Oh yeah, I forgot about the event going on today!"

"Event?"

Ranmza then smiled. "Don't worry, the gift you picked up should wear off in a minute or two."

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