The Sleeping Dragon
Imperial year 1024
Tatsumi walks along the well beaten pathway towards the Empire. The old path is surrounded by forest that stretch for miles. He had been separated from his friends when they were attacked by evil bandits in the countryside. Days pass as he continues on his journey, saving a few travelers from Danger Beasts and admiring the tree filled landscapes along the way. Some even compensate him for his help, throwing him some coins and promising to spread his name. He continues on his journey, until one day he hears a commotion further down the road from him and the panicked yells of someone in danger.
He grins, "Time to make a name for myself," and runs off towards the noise.
He finds two men with matching uniforms being attacked by an earth Dragon next to an overturned wagon. The beast has a thick lobster like body of brownish color. He runs toward it and jumps up in the air, pulling his sword back. He falls down to its arm, cutting it with one clean movement. He lands on the ground, and looks back at the beast.
"First class Risk Species Earth Dragon, huh? A worthy opponent."
He waits for the bulky creature to draw close and runs up its arm as it buries its fist in the ground after swinging at him. He slices at its neck and torso at high speed, and jumps off of it, slinging the blood from his blade. He looks at the defeated beast laying on the ground.
"That was amazing young boy! You actually defeated a risk species singlehandedly!" The two men shout, running to him.
The ground suddenly shakes as 4 more Earth Dragons tunnel out from the ground. Tatsumi thinks of a plan of action, before looking over to the tree line.
Tatsumi turns back to the men. "You guys get out of here quick, I'll cover your escape."
The two men nod, and take off running "Come on kid, you can't take all of them!"
"I'll be fine, just keep running!"
"I have to lead them into the forest and away from those guys, then I can take them out one by one using the trees as cover."
One of the Earth Dragons charge at him. He leaps at it and cuts the joint in its arm, and hops on the head of another. One of the earth Dragons swing at him but ends up hitting the other in the face, taking it down. Once he has their attention he runs off into the forest. He looks back to taunt their pursuit.
"Try and catch me you ugly rock monsters!"
They pursue him but he moves swiftly through the trees while they get slowed down by the forest. He takes cover to wait for them to pass. He leaps up on the third one to go past. He slices the veins in its neck and as it falls he jumps on the other one. It swings at him, forcing him to jump off and go after the one behind it. He stabs it in the eye causing it to go berserk and swing with reckless abandon.
It swings and hits the second Earth dragon a few times before Tatsumi slashes its torso, defeating it.
"Whew, that was risky. At least those guys managed to get away." He sits down to catch his breath for a few minutes. He looks up at the sky and gets up after seeing he has a few hours left till nightfall.
"I guess I better get going." He looks around before sighing. "Which way is the path I came from?"
A few days later
Tatsumi wandered through the thick, dark forests for a while before finding himself in a strange area full of Danger Beasts. He spends a while traveling as he gets attacked by many of the Danger Beasts, until making it to a clearing by a waterfall. He sees an alcove in the rocks surface next to the waterfall. He climbs into it, and lays down on the mostly flat surface. He rolls over onto his side.
"I guess I'm getting stronger from all these fights", He thinks to himself as he looks out at the stars.
Tatsumi thinks back on the last few days. He feels stronger from the countless Danger Beasts he slayed. "This is a dangerous area, but I could get seriously strong if I keep this up."
"Sayo and Ieyasu won't be too mad if I spend a little time here sharpening my skills."
He turns back over and closes his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
3 months later
"Heh, I got another one down, EvilBird makes a good lunch!" He pulls a wooden spear out of the downed short winged, big eyed, round EvilBird. "Time to head back to camp". He puts the bird on a spit over his camp fire.
The bird slowly rotates on the spit while Tatsumi thinks to himself on his last few months. "It's been a while now, guess I better leave and try to find the capital."
He eats a share and leaves the rest of the meat to dry out over night while he gets some sleep.
The next morning he packs up and looks around him at the abyss of trees around him. "I wonder which way I should take...I guess I should just go this way." He walks into a random part of the forest, looking up as the tree limbs block the sun from him.
Several days later
Tatsumi stumbles out of a forest, onto a road with leaves sticking in his hair and clothes.
"I finally found a road, hahaha. This a lucky day!" He smiles before running along the path for several hours.
He spots a traveler on the horizon and yells out to them, "Hey, hey, wait up!" The person turns around and looks at the strange person running towards them with a half-crazed half, happy look on his face. A girl with short black hair and a black uniform. She narrows her eyes suspiciously, putting her hand on a sword sheathed at her hip.
Tatsumi stops running and walks toward her. Not noticing her tense. "I haven't seen another person for months, could you please tell me where we are?" He pleads with her. She unsheathes her sword. Tatsumi jumps back with surprise. "Hey wait, I just want directions!"
"Are you a bandit?" she asks while narrowing her eyes.
"What? No! Of course not, my name is Tatsumi. I got lost in the forest after getting attacked by Earth Dragons. I am trying to get to the capital." He explains quickly with his hands up.
"How can I be sure of that? You could be trying to lead me into a trap. I should kill you just to be sure," She says with a dangerous smile on her face.
Tick marks appear on Tatsumis head, "This little brat…" "I'm not a bandit! I just want directions." He sighs to himself, wondering how these things keep happening to him.
"Hmm okay, but if you are lying to me, I get to play with your corpse," She says with a psychotic look in her eyes.
"What the fuck...who did I run into," He thinks before he looks at her, smiling nervously. "Haha….ha…ok then, can you tell me where we are? I've been roaming these forest for months after I got lost."
"I can't be certain of you, so you will travel with me since I am heading towards the capital. That way I can keep an eye on you," she says while sheathing her sword. Her black eyes peering at him.
"Dammit," he thinks and nods his head at her. "My name is Tatsumi, nice to meet you miss." He says with a bright smile.
She blushes slightly at his radiant smile. "My name is Kurome. We are going this direction, so you walk in front, and just know I will be watching you."
"Yes Ma'am."
They walk for a while as the sun bears down on the never ending path. Tatsumi grow tired of the mood, deciding to try and lighten the atmosphere.
"So, where are you heading back from?"
"Killing a treasonous village chief who was making weapons for the Revolutionary army."
His mouth gapes open before he tries to think of something else to ask.
"So you eat a lot of candy huh, I like sweets too." He looks at a pouch of candy she eats from.
"…You can't have any," she says. He looks back to see her hug the bag of sweets to her chest.
He looks dejected before asking, "What's the Capital like?"
"Nothing amazing, I guess a country boy like you will be amazed easily enough by it though."
"So blunt," Tatsumi thinks exasperated. "Ok, I give up."
They walk along the road until dusk, and head off the path to make camp in the forest. They come to a clearing and move rocks in a circle for a fire. Tatsumi begins walking into the forest.
"I guess I'll get some firewood."
"Wait." She holds her sword and calls out, "Yatsufusa." A strange cloaked, masked person appears out of nowhere, making him jump back in surprise.
"This is my puppet Hentarr, he will follow you to make sure you don't run off."
"How did you do that!? Was that magic, where did you learn it?" He shot off questions until she looked annoyed.
"It's a Teigu, haven't you heard of them before? This is one of them, and it's called Yatsufusa."
"No, this is my first time hearing about them…What are they exactly?"
"The first Emperor had them made over a 1,000 years ago. They are made up of the best materials, danger beasts, and a metal called orihalcon. Yatsufusa is one of the 48 Teigu to have been created."
"So where can I get one of these Teigu magic things?" he asks.
"Over half of them are lost and the remainder of them are currently in the hands of the Empires forces or the Revolutionary army."
"Oh, so if I join Empire's Army I might be given one of these Teigu?"
"Yes, but it's unlikely you will get one." She says with a mischievous smile.
He deadpans. "You are getting too much fun out of this." He gets up and starts to head out to get the firewood, stepping over a downed log and tree roots. "I'll be back soon."
A week later
"So when I decided to explore the area and I stumbled upon its cave. I managed to sneak up on it while it was sleeping and took over its corpse with Yatsufusa."
"Wow, so it must be your strongest one right?"
"Yes, though I haven't used it against any strong opponents yet, it's still a recent edition to my collection."
Tatsumi and Kurome keep traveling towards the capital. After many long days, they spot the city from the road. The white walls around the capital stand high, and stretch out of site to either side. Tatsumi takes in the sight of it with a wide smile.
"I finally made it! Only behind by a few months though."
They walk through the open gate. Crowds of people walk the streets, going about their daily lives. Tatsumi looks over to Kurome. He notices a melancholy look on her face.
"Goodbye Kurome, it was fun traveling with you."
"You too…I hope we meet again, so don't forget about me." She says before hugging him and waving as she runs off.
He waves goodbye and watches her go until she is out of sight. He sighs before walking down towards the inner city. Houses and other building are on either sides of the road. He looks around for a while until spotting a recruiting station. He enters the building to find a long line already at the counter. He takes his place at the back of it and waits.
Once he gets his turn he asks the desk man," So I just sign out this application? Do I start out as a foot soldier?"
"Yes, that's obvious right? They get shipped off to very remote regions." The man says with a bored look.
"That's too much time! Let me shows you my skill, you can start me off at Captain Class!" Tatsumi pulls out his sword.
A few hours later
After having got thrown out of the recruiting office, he went to go stay at an inn. It stands two stories high, built of well-aged wood. He buys a room and board from the old Innkeeper standing at the bar, heading up the stairs to find his room and settle in.
The next day he goes into dining hall to eat breakfast. A few other guests eat at the tables, talking in hushed conversation. He decides he needs to find out a way to make a name for himself as he breaks apart a piece of bread, taking a few bites. Tatsumi overhears some patrons talking about recent murders, their serious tones breaking the calm morning quiet.
"They say all of the corpses were beheaded. It's best to stay inside at night these days, or you might just lose your head."
"Yeah, I don't plan on walking the alleys at night anyways, the imperial guard still hasn't managed to catch him. The city is bad enough with the Prime Ministers taxes, and the rich doing whatever they want. This city is overrun with the worst of the wicked."
"If I find and take out this murderer I can surely spread my name around while saving people," Tatsumi thinks to himself as he eavesdrops on their conversation. "I didn't really notice much problems on the walk through the city."
He finishes his breakfast and heads out the door. The sun shines down on the city in yellow morning rays. Tatsumi looks up at the clear sky and begins walking to explore the bustling city.
A few hours later
The sun sets in the west and darkness settles over the city as he walks through the alleys on the lookout for any trace of the murderer. He looks around and begins to walk towards the outer area, a more spacious area of the capital. Murderous intent touches upon his senses as he swings his head towards the source. Tatsumi takes off and comes upon a person standing next to a headless corpse. Terror on the face of the victims severed head. He narrows his eyes and loosens his sword in its scabbard.
Tatsumi pulls out his sword and prepares to attack, then lunges towards the murderer, slashing at his back.
*CLANG*
A blade from the murderers arm stops Tatsumi's attack and a second one slashes towards, him forcing his retreat.
"Ohh? You don't look like an Imperial guard, It seems you are very unlucky to have ran into me," says the murderer, clad in a trench coat with his hair spiked back on the sides. A strange circular thing resembling an eye sits on his forehead, with a look of insanity on his face.
Tatsumi glares at him, "You are Zank the Beheader right? I am here to stop you from taking any more lives."
"Why yes I am, hehe, good evening. It seems you're all alone…I wonder what you think you can achieve without a Teigu to fight me with."
Tatsumi wastes no time dashing towards him with a forward slash. He is parried before jumping back, he stabs forward. Zank dodges to the left and slashes furiously with his two blades, their sharp edges cutting through the air, sending Tatsumi on the retreat.
"This boy…..I can hardly read his movements. He has impressive battle focus, hehe..."
"So happy, so happy~~. You have skill, but don't think I can't see you!"
Zank steps forward and dodges a downward slash from Tatsumi while kicking him into the wall. Tatsumi flips midair and pushes off the wall towards Zank. He points his sword straight out like a spear. Zank dodges to the side but has his arm stabbed through.
"Heh, how was that. What did you say about Teigu? Do you think you don't need to use yours, or is that all you're capable of?"
"Shut up! I'll carve through your neck!" Zank screams as he rushes towards Tatsumi.
Tatsumi is surprised at the sudden charge and tries to get his defense up. Zank slices at his neck with reckless abandon, forcing him towards the wall. Zank slashes upward, cutting into his torso. Tatsumi falls to his knee as Zank walks toward him. He breaths in as he struggles to stand up.
"Dammit, I won't be killed by the likes of you!" Tatsumi yells out as Zank charges him.
He darts forward and ducks under Zanks attack, slicing at his exposed thigh. Tatsumi grins before he looks toward the beheader. He stabs his sword into the ground to keep himself upright, gasping for breath.
"I can't move well after that, but I can't fall here! The village….Sayo, Ieyasu…I'm sorry..." Tatsumi stands up and raises his sword, preparing for another clash. Tatsumi then looks up as someone suddenly jumps down from the roof. They step in front of him and point their sword at Zank.
"Stay right there, I will finish this." Says a raven haired girl wearing a black sleeveless collared shirt and red tie, with a black skirt.
Tatsumi watches in surprise as she runs at the surprised Zank and slashes towards him from the right. He steps back and blocks her sword. He stabs at her and is parried, sending him tumbling forward. The girl takes advantage of his injured side and stabs into the wounded arm. Zank falls back and chokes as if poisoned.
"The voices…erk…have stopped...happy~ happ…" Zank's lifeless body falls forward slowly, defeated.
The girl calmly walks to the corpse and takes the eye from his head before pocketing it. She looks back at Tatsumi who is now leaning against the wall. He smiles at her, impressed at her skill.
"Good job, I don't think I could have finished that fight. Say…you got any bandages, I'm feeling a little…faint." Tatsumi says, struggling to keep consciousness. He takes a seat on the ground.
The girl walks over to him and kneels down. She looks at him with a deadpan stare. "What were you doing fighting a Teigu user?"
"Trying to make a name for myself I guess, I have to find my friends and send money back to my village." He says breathing heavily. "My names Tatsumi."
Akame gains a look of recognition at his name. She pulls out a roll of bandages and takes off his shirt. She raps his torso and other cuts tightly and appraises her work.
"Your Tatsumi…you had a friend named Ieyasu?"
Tatsumi looks at her in surprise, "Yeah! Have you met him?" He asks hopefully.
She looks at him before closing her eyes. "I and my team found him and your other friend Sayo in one of our targets torture rooms. The girl had already passed, but the other was still hanging on when we got there. He died shortly after saying he wanted us to tell you what happened if we ever met you."
"That…they are dead?" he says with tears threating to spill from his eyes. "That's just not right, we were going to become famous and save our village from starving."
Akame looks at him with a small amount of pity. "Do you want a way to earn money to send to this village of yours? I have a way that you can, since you're strong it should be fine with the others."
He smiles bitterly at her words, "What is your offer then? I don't seem to be having any luck here in the Capital, the whole places seems messed up…"
"Help us fight the Empire's corruption, we are the assassin group Night Raid." She puts her fist up and strikes a cheesy pose with a deadpan face. "Boss said it was best to do things like that if we met potential recruits."
Tatsumi looks at her blankly before laughing, "Hahaha….ouch" He touches his wound lightly. "Ok, I'll join you guys." An armored man suddenly drops down from the rooftop. He has an odd looking spear on his back, and is fully incased in his armor from head to toe.
"I distracted the guards. Looks like you finished up here, we better get going," The armored man says to her.
Akame nods and points to Tatsumi, "He is our new recruit, can you carry him?"
'Yeah." The armored man lifts Tatsumi onto his shoulder. Akame looks at Tatsumi to make sure he is ok. "My name is Akame, and this is Bulat."
"My name is Tatsumi, I hope we get along," He says with a smile before passing out.
"Is he strong?" Bulat questions her.
"Yes. He managed to heavily wound Zank before I arrived."
"Heh and without a Teigu…This kid has potential," Bulat says after they begin to leave to their Headquarters.