This story is an AU derived from the Soul Eater franchise. I'll be changing around certain elements and most of the characters will be OC while some main-stay plot characters will be a bit OOC to facilitate the changes in universe. Don't expect to see characters like Maka, Soul, Black Star or Kid, the main cast do not exist in this story.
I own nothing from the Soul Eater franchise. This is a work of fiction all right belong to the show's original creator.
A Small Lakeside town
"You sure this is the place?" A figure asked, observing the seemingly quiet lake.
"Yep. Suzaku's information was pretty spot on in terms to the murders happening recently in the town." the second shorter figure replied, getting off of the sidecar that composed the duo's motorcycle they had driven on. "And if the layout from this map is correct, no guarantees there-"
"Especially with how spacey those kids were-" the first started before the second cut them off.
"They were ten year old kids who were bored out of their minds...and I think they're actually on to something here...the map has (crude) drawing of a cave not far from here. This might be where the grave sight was."
"Really?"
"Yep. Let's get moving."
"Come on Lisa!" a man said, gently pulling his girlfriend up a rock that overlooked the lake.
"Easy Chet, I'm not going anywhere and we still have most of the night!" the girl teased.
"But we get the best view of the lake up here!' the man said showing his girlfriend the moonlit lake expanding from the bank of the forest behind them. "It's amazing right?"
"Yeah…" The girl breathed out, taking in the view. "Great…"
Chet turned to stare at his girlfriend, noting the bright-blue bikini that hugged her curves. Lisa noticed her boyfriend's stare and smirked, arching her hip ever so slightly to give him a better look.
"Seems to me like that's not the only view you find interesting…" she cooed, moving closer to him. Chet grinned sheepishly as his girlfriend pressed herself up against him. Chet wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Definitely not…" he said, bringing the girl in for a heated kiss.
Unbeknownst to the couple, a shadowy figure slowly marched up the rockface, his heavy boots being muffled by the sandy ground around them. His silver machete glinted in the light of the twisted and deformed moon high above them.
SNAP!
The couple broke from their makeout session at the sudden noise and turned to see a massive hulk of a man leaping up on them, machete aimed high.
SCHLUK!
A warm and wet substance splattered over Lisa's face, stunning her for a brief moment as she looked down at her now blood soaked top. Disbelief formed on her face before she looked up to see her boyfriend, bisected from the head to pelvis by the man's machete. Said man turned to her, revealing blood red eyes behind a worn and bloody hockey mask.
"AAAIEEEEE!"
"Did you hear that?" a figure said, rising off the ground they had been kneeling on. A black warped Katana rested over his shoulder, its edge glistening with a dark crimson hue. The figure's left hand held what looked like a shattered skull, rotten and covered in dirt and dust.
"It sounds like it came from further down the lake!" a disembodied voice echoed out. "We need to hurry!"
"On it!" the first figure siad, sprinting out of the cave at a near inhuman speed.
"Ha...hah!" Lisa panted sprinting from her attacker as best she could over the difficult terrain that was the woods surrounding the lake. Behind her she could hear the snapping of trees and branches as her assailant stormed after her, slashing apart the trunk of a tree that caught his blade.
"Children shouldn't run...only bad children run! Mother says so!"
"Leave me alone!" Lisa shrieked stumbling over a root. The sudden loss of balance sent her tumbling down a hill, causing her to slice her calf on the side of an exposed rock. "GAH!" she screamed grasping her wounded leg before a shadow overtook her.
She looked up in horror upon realizing what was above her.
Her masked assailant lifted his machete over his head, the blood of her boyfriend still dripping off its serrated back. "Mother says bad children need to be punished…" the figure rasped through his mask, eyes still burning with a crimson hue. "And mother is always right!" The man brought the blade down, blood flying through the air as it connected.
"AAIEEE!"
CLANG!
Lisa saw sparks fly as the murderer's blade crashed against that of another man's. "Mother this and mother that.." the figure said, bracing his katana against his back with the palm of his hand. The blade grinded against the machete, digging into the lesser metal while the screeching of the blades drowned out any sound the forest wood naturally have. "Hoshi...what was it you said about mommy's boys?"
"I hate them." a disembodied voice echoed from above the sword wielder. It took a moment before Lisa realized that the voice was coming from the man's sword.
"Ma'am." Lisa's eyes snapped to those of her savior, and for a moment, she was locked in a dead stare from a pair of emerald green eyes. "Please run as far as you can." with a slight grunt, the boy shoved back against his attacker's blade, pushing the machete off his weapon before spinning around to deliver a slash across the murderer's stomach.
Blood spewed into the the air, but Lisa paid it no mind as she stumbled from her spot, crawling as fast as she could to flee from the ensuing fight. She ignored everything, the clashing of metal and the sickening sound of flesh being sliced open.
"Touma! She's gone!"
"Good!" the man said, leaping away from a sword slash that would have cut his arm. "Let's split!" the figure dashed through the woods, his attacker following close behind.
"Bad children need to be punished...mothe-!"
"Oh shut up!" the swordsman barked, skidding to a stop once he had exited the woods, allowing the moonlight to illuminate his features. The swordsman readied himself, lowering the sword so it rested below his waist and behind his left leg, blade held up. The moonlight helped the murderer see his pray clearly for the first time.
In front of him stood a young man, barely sixteen with greyish, almost silver, hair and emerald green eyes. His young face was hardened into a scowl as he glared at his attacker. His attire consisted of a pair of faded black jeans with dark brown shoes locked into the sandy shore of the lake. A heavy blue jacket rested over a plain white shirt while a grey and black scarf was wrapped around his neck.
"Jason Voorhees! Your soul has been twisted and corrupted by the acts of murder and consumption of human souls! As a meister of the DWMA and representative of Lord Death, YOUR SOUL IS MINE!" The teen lunged forward, dragging his katana up into the air, flinging a pile of dirt into Jason's face.
Jason swung his machete through the offending cloud, cleaving it in two. But no sign of the teen remained. The crunching of sand behind him was the only warning Jason got. Spinning around, he was too late to stop the sword from cleaving his left arm off his body, sending the appendage hurtling across the lakeside until it splashed into the water.
"GRAAH!" Jason screamed, swinging his machete at his attacker.
"Touma!" the disembodied voice echoed out.
"I see it!" Touma responded, raising the katana to block the attack. Still the strength behind the blow sent him skidding back on the sand. "Damn…" Touma hissed, swapping the katana to his left hand to flex his slightly numb right arm. "This guys is slow and has no skill in swordplay...but his powers as a juggernaut are high...can't let this drag out…"
"Touma...be careful." the voice echoed. Touma tossed the katana back to his right. "Don't worry Hoshi. I've got an idea...a pretty twisted and sick one, but given the kishin I'm dealing with, I'll live with it."
"Mother says I need to kill bad children! And you are bad! Bad children can't be in this lake!"
Touma glared at the man turned kishin. "Your mother...you're referring to the the witch of the Crystal Lake, correct?"
"My mother-"
"You're mother is dead!" Touma barked. "She was an evil witch that tortured and killed children for her own sick experiments! And to punish her, the people of this town killed her only child, a young boy, by drowning him in the lake! You, Jason Voorheese! It was wrong of those people to kill you for your mother's crimes, but murdering innocents for the sins of the past cannot stand! And to further stain your soul, your mother resurrected your corpse to fulfill her sick vengeance! Giving her own life to do so!"
"My mother still lives! She tells me what is right and I-"
"You're in denial." Touma hissed, reaching his hand into his jacket's pocket. From the article of clothing Touma produced the old and withered skull from the cave.
"M-mother?!" jason roared.
"Pretty disgusting." Touma muttered, keeping the skull in front of him. "Making a shrine to worship your mother's remains while offering the corpses of your kills."
"My...my mother-!"
Touma flexed his fist, crushing the skull in his hand. "Mommy's not here anymore, Jason."
Rage flooded the murderers mind, drowning out all cognitive thought with the sole desire to murder the boy in front of him. "RAAAAHHHH!"
Jason swung his blade towards the desecrator of his mother's corpse, but the teen didn't try to block the attack. Instead, he hurled his katana up into the air, sending it spinning above them, before catching Jason's machete between the palms of his hands.
"Soul Menace!" Touma screamed, projecting his soul-wavelength directly through Jason's blade and into his body, the shock from the blow hit jason like a ton of bricks. Jason's muscles stiffened as his body seized. It felt like his soul was being tazed from the inside out.
"Hoshi!"
"Incoming!" the sword screamed, imbedding itself into Jason's shoulder, gravity did the rest, allowing the blade to sink into the back of Jason's shoulder piercing straight into his rib-cage.
"GRUH!"
"This is it!" Touma roared flipping over to Jason's side. Slamming into the remains of Jason's left arm, Touma pivoted over it, grabbing Hoshi by her handle before pulling down on the blade, ripping it out of Jason's body while simultaneously slicing his rib-cage in two.
Blood erupted into the air before fading away. The remains of Jason's corpses began to unravel like thread before binding together into a glowing red orb that hovered where Jason once stood.
"Ha…" Touma breathed out, slumping down to a knee. "That makes kishin egg soul number 68...right Hoshi?"
"Yep!" the katana replied. Touma held the blade out and straight up before dropping it, allowing the weapon to resume her human form. Touma watched as his weapon partner's shape changed from a jagged and frightening sword into a tall and curvaceous woman. Touma blushed as Hoshi's human form came into full view.
The seventeen year-old girl in front of him was at least three inches taller than he was with long purple hair ending just before her waist in a ponytail. She wore a pair of form fitting black pants that showed off her long legs before ending at a pair of brown combat boots. She wore a black sleeveless sweater like top that hugged her large breasts and highlighted her slim waist and wide hips.
Touma watched as she stretched, trying his best not to gawk as his partner's breast jiggled slightly in that top that he loathed (inwardly loved). She bent her hips back and forth, making her partner eye her shapely rear for longer than he should have.
The blush on Touma's cheeks deepened as he continued to ogle his weapon partner. "Touma!" she barked snapping him out of his lust-induced trance.
"Y-yeah?" he asked nervously. 'Oh for the love of death please don't tell me she caught me staring!' he inwardly pleaded.
"Give me some warning before you throw me like that! If I wasn't in weapon form I could've hurled!" she moaned.
"S-sorry, Hoshi, it was a spur of the moment decision! I promise I won't do it again without warning you!" he pleaded.
Hoshi pouted at him for a moment, cheeks puffed up in a way that Touma could only describe as adorable. Her pout immediately disappeared as she grabbed the shorter teen by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "Oh I can't stay mad at you!" she cooed, embracing her meister. Due to the height difference, this act had the unfortunate(?) effect of shoving Touma right into her well-developed chest.
'So soft…" Touma inwardly sighed in bliss, a blush spreading across his cheeks again as the soft mounds pressed against his face. Touma's secret desire to stay in this position was only rivaled by his need for oxygen. Before he could even muffle a cry of need, Hoshi broke the hug slightly, allowing his nose and mouth to rise away from her heavenly chest.
Touma stared up at his weapon partner with flushed cheeks. "Touma…" the older girl purred out seductively, sending a pleasurable chill down the teen's spine and to a certain other spot. Touma stared up at her smiling face, her cheeks lightly tinted red as she gave him a heart-stopping smile. "That was really impressive…" she cooed.
"U-um...t-thanks…" Touma muttered his words coming out in slight jumbles from the way his partner was behaving. "B-b-b-but-"
"But what~?" Hoshi asked, her smile never leaving her face.
"T-t-t-the k-k-kishin e-egg is j-j-just sitting there…"
"Well technically it's floating." Hoshi giggled, breaking eye-contact with her meister to look at tonight's prize. "But you're right." she said releasing Touma from her embrace. Ignoring her meister's fluster state she sauntered over to the floating soul of malevolence before grabbing its by the wisp-lik tip and holding it over her mouth. She parted her lips slightly before placing it upon her lips. In one smooth motion she slurped it down, licking her lips as she let out a satisfied sigh of pleasure. "Oooh~!" she purred. Shivering in delight as she felt the pleasant sensation of power coursing through her body.
Touma ignored the way his partner writhed, doing his best to block out the tempting sight of her swinging her hips back in forth in an enticing manner by turning away from her. "We should probably report back to the academy."
"Oh Touma~!" Hoshi cooed out. Touma stiffened up as he felt a soft pair of breasts press up against the back of his head, causing his blush to return full force, a pair of slender yet strong arms coiled over his shoulders, interlocking below his neck in a gentle embrace. "Do we have to~?" she whined in that adorable manner of hers, blowing warm air into his ear. Touma shivered, doing his best to ignore the reaction she was causing his body to have. "It's so pretty out on the lake tonight...we could just spend the evening here...in each other's company…" she whispered.
Touma's blushed deepened as a myriad fantasies invaded his mind. Summoning all of his willpower, Touma gently pried her hands off his shoulders. "N-no...we need to report back to lord death." He quickly walked off in the direction of their motorcycle. He didn't dare look back at her, not trusting himself to control his hormones if he did.
Hoshi pouted behind him for a moment before realizing that her meister was walking in a strange way. His steps were a little uneven, almost as if he was adjusting to a limp or something. She slowly followed after him, slight concern welling in the corners of her mind. 'Is he hurt? I didn't see him catch any blows to his legs, and the running we did shouldn't have affected him negatively...is he tired? Is this a side-effect from stopping Jason's final attack or-!' Hoshi's train of thought stopped as she finally put two and two together. A light blush found its way onto her cheeks, before a happy smile tugged at her lips. 'Poor Touma...I think I teased him a bit too hard. I wish he'd just let me finish...then neither of us would be so...bothered.' she grumbled inwardly, forcibly blocking the fantasy she desperately wanted to fulfill with her meister.
Touma stopped at their bike before breathing onto its windshield. He quickly scribbled in some numbers into the fog on the glass before mumbling to himself. "42-42-564, whenever you want to knock on Death's door." The glass began to hum and rippled, displaying a dim room with white platform surrounded by what looked like wire-framed grave markers in a barren desert. "Hello?" Touma asked. "Lord Death?"
"Hello Touma." a dark cloaked figure emerged from the side of the mirror. The figures body was almost completely composed of black robes that seemed to jut out of his body in weird angular spikes. A cartoonish skull mask completed Death's ensemble. "I assume you're mission was a success?"
"Yes sir." Hoshi declared walking up to stand side-by-side with her meister. "We took care of the Slasher of Crystal Lake! And I ate my 68th Kishin egg!"
Death clapped his oversized white hands together, eyes squinting in what the two could probably guess was a smile. "Wonderful! You two are progressing so well!"
"Indeed." A Sultry voice agreed from off screen. Death moved aside slightly as another figure slowly approached the mirror the two were communicating through. The woman who appeared was the definition of the Sexy Teacher look. The woman in view was a tall, well endowed woman with black hair bearing a streak of scarlet that hung over one of her deep purple eyes. The bangs were further framed by a pair of glasses that rested over the woman's beautiful face. Her clothing consisted of a black business blazer that left a portion of cleavage exposed, including a peek of her black bra. Her lower attire consisted of a form-fitting pencil skirt that curved over the flare of her hip and stopped a little before her mid-thigh where it was met by a pair of purple stockings that led down to black high heels. The pen and clipboard in her hand only further exemplified the teacher quality of the woman in question.
"Hello Ms. Cassandra!" Hoshi cheered upon seeing the second in command of the DWMA.
The attractive woman gave a slight smile and a wave to her student. "Hello Hoshi. I hope you're behaving yourself."
"Of course!" Hoshi cheered, wrapping her arms around Touma and pulling him into another hug. Touma's blush heightened as his cheek was pushed into his weapons gifted chest. "I've been taking good care of my Touma~!" she cooed, her voice and face taking on some seductive qualities. "Isn't that right Touma~!"
Her meister blushed under the seductive gaze she was giving him as he tried in vain to come up with words. "H-H-Hoshi! D-don't say things like t-that! P-people will get the wrong idea!"
"Oh…" Cassandra smirked, "Touma, such a naughty boy you are, seducing your weapon like that...quite scandalous…"
"N-no!" Touma stuttered. "I-i-it's not like that Ms. Cassandra! We h-haven't done anything like that!"
"Oh really?" Cassandra purred. "But how can I trust a wolf in sheep's clothing...I might just have to punish you for seducing my student."The flirtatious way she said punishment pretty much informed Touma that it had a different meaning than detention.
By now Touma's face was burning a bright red, steam pouring out of his ear like a tea kettle. Thankfully, Lord Death decided to give the boy mercy. "Now now girls, let's not cook the dear boy, he looks like he's about to overheat."
"Very well, m'lord." Cassandra said, still wearing a slight smile.
"Okay…" Hoshi pouted, releasing her meister from her hug quite reluctantly. Touma tried his best to compose himself, failing miserably as he looked like a hot mess with his now disheveled clothes and flushed face.
Death, thankfully, ignored it. "Well, while I'm happy you two have gathered another Kishin egg soul, we have another mission for you."
"So soon?" Hoshi asked. Even Touma was surprised. Normally they were given at least a day's reprieve as One-Star Meisters. "Is it another Kishin soul?"
"No." death replied. "This is much more challenging. You two will be going after a witch."
"WHAT?!" the two shouted.
"Maybe we should specify, m'lord." Cassandra interjected. "You two will not be hunting a witch, merely performing reconnaissance."
"Oh...Touma sighed, relieved that they wouldn't be hunting down one of the more powerful adversaries the DWMA had antagonized in the last few hundred years. "So its info gathering?"
"In a sense, yes." Cassandra confirmed, holding her clipboard in front of her. "We received strange reports of widespread forest destruction such as fires and earthquakes happening in a town not too far from you. Such sudden destruction could only be caused by witchcraft. We need you to enter the woods and locate the Witch's hideout, then report back. You do not need to engage and should only use violence as a last resort, understood?"
The two students saluted. "Yes Ma'am!"
Death and Cassandra watched as the mirror's image died out, replacing it with their own reflections. "You think the information is accurate?" Cassandra asked, turning to look at Death.
"If the Crimson witch is there, we need to know. If that is the case, we'll deploy a team of meisters to eliminate her."
"Someone like her...she'll be a powerful opponent. You need at least three 2-star meisters on the elimination team...and a 3-star meister to lead them. I'll reach out to Keith and Benjamin. Mary is still in the city and Martha's mission should be wrapping up soon."
"Excellent. Please inform them of the situation and have them meet here as soon as possible. And what of the other two meister we have on Kishin Missions right now?"
"Elise and Hashiko have just deployed to their chosen city and Rio and Sasha have just been assigned their mission. They'll be leaving shortly and should reach their destination in little over a day.
"Alright. Then let's address the next set of issues...the Gathering of Witches."
VRRRROOOOMM!
The roar of the motorcycle scared off the many crows gathering on the empty road that connected Crystal Lake to the next town, Harthrock. "You okay, Touma?" Hoshi asked, looking up from her sidecar to see her meister, eyes covered by a pair of brown motorcycle goggles.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Touma replied, speeding up the bike as they came closer to the spec that was the town of Harthrock.
"I know how you feel about witches." Hoshi mumbled. Despite the roar of engine next to her, Touma could still hear her.
"Margaret was different from other witches. She was able to resist the call of destruction that most of them are subject to."
"But a witch was still your mentor…"Hoshi said. "You told me once...that you hated humans more than witches." Touma's grip tightened on the handlebars. "You don't prejudge witches...that's something I like about you…" Touma forced his cheeks to remain neutral, otherwise they'd be turning red. "But...as your partner I can't let you hesitate in a fight-"
"But we're not fighting." Touma interrupted. "Our job is recon. If a witch is there, we leave and contact lord Death."
"But if we do end up in a fight-"
"Then I'll fight." Touma declared. "If it means protecting you like I promised, then I'll fight a witch, even if she's innocent." Hoshi blushed from the statement but looked away. "I know how to put my emotions aside, Hoshi. You and the others helped change my mind about people...so I'll protect you no matter what."
DWMA
"Let's see…" a boy with a brown beanie and green and white sweatshirt with a snow pattern etched across the top and bottom. A pair of brown cargo pants reached to just before his ankles, leading down to his brown shoes. The boy's black hair peeked through the beanie, hanging over his hazel eyes. The 14 year old boy looked at his backpack, rummaging through his contents to make sure he had everything set. "Sasha? You got everything you need?"
Satisfied with what he had in his pack, he turned around to his companion a maid about the same height as him but 2 years his senior. The woman was dress in the attire fitting of a maid with a long black skirt that reacher the ankles of her thigh-high boots and ended with white frills. A black vet rested over a white blouse that rested over her petite frames while her black hair was done up in two buns on opposite sides of her head. A white and black maid bonnet and black gloves completed her ensemble.
"I have all of my belongings Rio. I am ready to depart when you are." she replied curtly in an almost robotic manner. The boy named Rio frowned at her for a moment before sighing.
"Okay...let's go. We'll catch the train and head out of the city towards Clover. From there we'll…" he trailed off upon seeing a young man of about 19 in a black and grey business suit standing at the top of the steps that created the massive path leading to Death's academy. The man had black hair that went down to his neck with streaks of grey running through them. His yellow eyes bared down on the youth from the half-mile distance that separated them.
Sasha turned around, curious as to what made her meister stop mid-sentence. She paused momentarily as her own yellow eyes met those of the man's. The two stared at each other for almost a minute before them and turned around, walking out view. Sasha stared after him for a moment before turning back to Rio. "I apologize for my brother's behavior, Rio." she said once again in her robotic tone.
"Hey, you don't have to apologize to me Sasha." Rio replied with a small smile. "Let's get going."
"Understood." she replied walking in pace with him.
"You're not even gonna say goodbye, Marcus?" A man with graying hair and blue eyes asked the young man with yellow eyes. His attire consisted of a long black gentleman's coat resting over a grey vest and black tie. A pair of slacks reach down into well worn brown boots.
Marcus continued to walk past the man as the latter stared after the two students heading towards the train station. "There's no point. Sasha knows her objectives. There's nothing left for me to say to her."
"Pretty cold." the man replied as he heard the younger man continue to distance himself from the steps. "Have you always been this cold towards family?"
"What happens in my family, Tobias, is my business alone. Stick to teaching classes...Professor." Marcus said as he walked into the academy's doors, leaving his former teacher alone at the top of the steps.
Tobias sighed, looking up at the cloudless sky. "Even after becoming a Deathscythe...he still has so much left to learn. Good luck handling him, Lauren."
Forest of Harthrock
Touma stepped through the underbrush of the forest as the sun began to set. "Sucks that the trip took most of the day." Hoshi groaned, stepping over a fallen branch. "It would be easier to navigate these woods during the day."
"Yeah…" Touma agreed, pushing past a branch and holding it until Hoshi past him. "But then the witch could see us coming. Shadows are our friend in this case."
"Roger that." Hoshi replied allowing Touma to take the lead again. The two students traversed deeper into the woods until they saw a plume of smoke rising above the trees closer to the mountain that split the forest clean in two. "Is that a fire?"
"Maybe…" Touma muttered. "Let's get closer."
The pair raced through the woods, pushing through the branches and foliage that obscured their vision until they came across a cliff that overlook a large clearing that met a pond about a quarter mile down the mountain's face. In the middle of the clearing was a small little cottage that was made of crimson metal halfway embedded in the ground. Moss and trees had grown over its back, wrapping around it in a twisted fashion.
"How long has this been here?" Hoshi asked, looking to Touma.
"Hard to say. With the way the dirt, moss and plant life are growing on it, I'd like to say years. But certain witches have magic that can affect nature, its possible this witch has some such ability, maybe to mask her hideout." The smoke the two had seen was spewing out of the chimney attached to the house's side.
"Should we move in closer?" Hoshi asked, kneeling down on a knee to take a closer look over the edge. Touma crouched down as well, thinking the situation over. Hoshi glanced at her silent partner, watching as his emerald eyes stared off aimlessly. Hoshi knew he was deep in thought and stayed silent, letting her eyes wander around the area until they fell upon a strange set of rocks nestled in the corner of the cliff, nearly hidden behind a bush.
The rocks were arranged in a strange fashion almost resembling a face. Hoshi silently moved towards the rock, squinting as she made out several strange carvings that adorned their surface. As Hoshi stepped closer, the rocks began to glow.
Inside the House
"Ah…" a female voice cooed, lifting her leg out of the warm bath that enveloped her body, obscuring it from view. "Such boring days...a fire here...earthquake there...it's hard to stave off one's urges…" she moaned.
KKKRRRMMM!
"Hmmm?" the woman questioned, standing up from the water to reveal her figure in all its glory.
KRRRSSHH!
The glass window above her shattered as a teen with grey hair and emerald eyes wielding warped black and red katana was sent careening into her bathroom, landing on the ground with a roll before propping himself up, prepared to retaliate against the creature that had attacked him.
The woman examined him carefully as he rose from the ground, brandishing his weapon. His eyes darted around the room until they stopped upon her, locking in place as they widened.
"Oh my…" the woman purred seductively, eyeing the teen up in down like a lion eyeing a gazelle. "How did this happen I wonder?"
Moments Earlier
The rock burned a bright red before the light transferred in between the rocks that looked like eyes, flashing crimson as Hoshi reeled back in shock. "Touma!" she shouted.
"Hm?" her meister asked, breaking from his thoughts to look at his partner. He caught his stumbling partner by the hips as she backed into him. "Hoshi?! What's wrong-!" his question ceased as the face made of rocks began to rise with the ground.
The cliff beneath the pair's feet shifted an warped like it was being pulled up. The duo lost their balance, tumbling down the the now hill like slope as it continued to rise.
"OOF!"
"AH!"
The two landed on the ground unceremoniously before looking up at their would-be attacker. What greeted them was a massive humanoid hill covered with trees, rocks and bushes. Touma's eyes widened in response, grabbing Hoshi's hand. His partner immediately began to take her weapon form, transforming from a purple haired beauty into a deadly katana. "That's a land golem!"
"Was it a trap?" Hoshi asked, voice echoing from her sword form.
"It was probably a sentry...to have something like this...we're dealing with a powerful witch!"
"Touma move!"
Touma saw the incoming fist as it hurtled towards him, not taking any chances, the meister leapt to the side, allowing the attack to smash into the ground, uprooting rocks and trees all around them.
"Gah!" Touam hissed as debris bounced off his skin and branches slapped across his clothes. "Margaret told me about these things…" Touma muttered.
"Did your teacher happen to mention how to kill it?"
"Yeah, actually, she did!" Touma replied leaping back to avoid another slammed Hoshi into the ground, bracing himself from the following shockwave as it rippled across the area. "Gruh...need to target the ritual site where it-Crap!"
The ground beneath Touma's feet ruptured as the land golem ripped it arm free of the ground, fully uprooting the area and sending Touma flying into the air.
"Brace yourself Touma!" Hoshi screamed as they fell through a glass window near the top of the crimson house. The glass structure shattered on impact, allowing the sword meister to slam into the bathroom floor painfully. Touma shrugged off the impact rolling to his feet and preparing for any retaliation from the house's magic defenses if it had any besides the golem.
Touma's eyes widened upon seeing the figure in the bathroom's tub, water dripping down her body. His cheeks burned bright red as he involuntarily drank in the woman's appearance.
The female before him was a tall crimson eyed woman with short blonde hair that ended just before her shoulders, framing her gorgeous face that took on a seductive look as she realized her opponent was ogling her. Touma couldn't stop himself as his eyes traveled down below her face, watching as the water dripping from her hair traced down her buxom chest that had to be as big as Hoshi's or even Cassandra's. The woman cocked her shapely hips to the side, allowing Touma to see her long smooth legs and impressive rear.
"Oh my…" the woman's seductive voice purred out, making Touma's heart skip a beat at just how sultry it sounded. "How did this happen?"
"TOUMA!" Hoshi wailed.
"Huh?" Touma mumbled snapping out of ogling at Hoshi's scream.
"Stop ogling the witch!" Touma blushed even harder, realizing he had been staring at his opponent in such a shameful way, what was worse was Hoshi had seen him do it too. He was never going to live this down.
"Oh?" the witch cooed. "Who says he has too?" Touma quickly turned his head away from the woman, tactical suicide if his mind had been functioning properly, but do to his hormones, it wasn't. "Normally I'd kill an intruder who dared to interrupt my bath, but since its an adorable little meister, I'll make the exception." she said, licking her lips. "Especially when he's as cute as you are…" she added.
"Um...uh…" Touma mumbled, doing his best to look anywhere but at his naked opponent.
"Stop messing with my Touma!" Hoshi wailed. Her meister could've sworn he saw a tick mark appear on the side of his sword.
"Hmph." the witch smirked, stepping out of the tub fully as a crimson light floated around her before collapsing onto her skin. It glowed a faint red, before fading away to reveal her new attire.
Touma was at first relieved upon seeing what looked like clothes through the steam, but that hope quickly burned away as quick as it came as he saw her revealing attire.
"My name is Ingrid, The Crimson Witch. What's your name cutie?" Touma would have responded if not for the distraction that was Ingrid's outfit. The Crimson Witch wore a dark-red one-piece leotard that was wrapped around her neck but split down the middle from her chest, giving her opponent a generous view of cleavage as well as revealing the skin of her belly, only stopping just before her waist. Her hips were on full display as the leotard did nothing to cover them, leaving that to the thigh-high stockings that stopped just a few inches above the knee. Her arms were bare until her elbows where a pair of long crimson shawls trailed down her arms and touched the ground, right next to her crimson high-heeled shoes. A red witches hat with what looked like an open mouth completed her ensemble.
"Uh-I-I-it-I-!" Touma stuttered until Hoshi jumped out of his hand, taking human form.
"Hey you!" She shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Ingrid. "Stop flirting with MY Touma!"
"Who says he's yours?" Ingrid asked, that confident smirk still gracing her face.
Hoshi grabbed the startled Touma by his shoulders and pulled him into a possessive hug, once more pressing him into her chest. "Touma is mine! I'm not giving him over to some blonde-haired bimbo!"
Ingrid didn't falter in the slightest, eyes turning towards Touma, who's embarrassed face could still be seen, even as he was pressed into his weapon's chest. "Is this true, boy? Do you belong to this woman?"
Touma's blush deepened at her implication. "W-wha-?! N-no! N-no I d-don't! W-w-we're not l-like that!"
"Oh…" Ingrid purred, cocking her hip to the side and bending at the waist slightly, trailing her hand down her chest, drawing the pair's eyes to her impressive bust. "So, Touma, does that mean you want to belong to me?"
Touma sputtered at that. "W-w-w-w-what?! N-n-no! I-I-I mean I can't! I-I shouldn't!"
Hoshi's eyes began to water like a puppies as she pulled Touma's face so it looked at her "B-but Touma...y-you said you would always b-be my side…" she pleaded.
Touma's emerald eyes locked with his teary-eyed partner's teal ones that seemed to bore into his soul with their hurt look. 'Oh...my heart…' Touma inwardly moaned, unable to bare the sad look Hoshi was giving him.
"So?" Ingrid asked, standing straight up, arms folded under her chest. "What'll it be, cutie? Do you want to leave her and be mine?"
Touma broke free of Hoshi's hug, startling her for a second before he grabbed her hand in his own. "N-no!"he declared, giving Ingrid a heated glare, admittedly it didn't seem that intimidating as his face was still burning red in embarrassment. "I'm Hoshi's!"
Ingrid's smile didn't falter while Hoshi's cheeks lit up in a blush, heart pounding in her chest. "Touma…" she whimpered with a smile.
"So you do belong to her." Ingrid mused, smile never leaving her.
"Yes!" Touma declared. Right before his face heated up in embarrassment as he realized how he had worded his response. "W-w-wait a minute I meant I'm her meister! Her meister!"
"Touma!" Hoshi squealed in delight, tackling him into a hug. "You're the best!" she replied
"H-Hoshi!" Touma muttered, face once again beginning to steam. "J-j-just transform already!"
"Roger!" she happily complied, lighting up and morphing into her katana form, landing in her flustered meister's hand.
RRRRMMMBBBL!
"Guh!" Touma glanced up to see the Land Golem looming over them. "Damn...that thing is still here."
"Ugh…" Ingrid groaned, looking up at the 'protector' of her domain with disdain. "It interrupts my bath for this? I swear Titania's golems are more of a nuisance than a boon." She then looked back to Touma before smirking. "Tell you what cutie, if you manage to defeat my land golem, I'll excuse the intrusion into my home."
"And I'm assuming if we lose, this thing will kill us?" Touma surmised, eyes flickering between the crimson beauty and her massive guard dog.
"That is his job." Ingrid mused. "Good luck."
The golem reared back its hand, bundling it into a fist, before sending its hurtling back down to Earth, Touma leapt to the side, allowing the attack to devastate the rest of house. Touma landed on the ground outside the demolished building, watching as the giant lumbered out of the debris, staring at its target as he brandished his weapon.
"Hmmm…" Ingrid mused, floating down onto a ridge overlooking the battle. A wave of crimson energy danced off her finger tips, slicing a tree at its base, creating a stump for her to sit on. She leaned forward, an amused smile resting on her lips. "This should be fun…"
Touma leapt back from another attack, slamming Hoshi into the ground, bracing themselves for the ensuing shockwave as it ripped across the clearing, uprooting trees and rocks, sending them flying away from the area.
Touma pulled his katana from the ground leveling it on his left forearm as he locked his emerald eyes on the golem in front of them. "Hoshi...I'm gonna need to use your Blood Arts."
"Touma-"
"We don't have a choice." he snapped. "We'll resonate and perform the first level-"
"Only the first." Hoshis stated firmly. "If you try to go beyond that, I'll cut you off, I don't care about the feedback from resonance failure, so don't cross me. Got it?"
Touma smirked. "Yes ma'am." he replied before closing his eyes. Inside her weapon space, Hoshi did the same. Touma's breathing slowed as he readied his soul along with Hoshi's. When his eyes opened they glowed a bright green. "Let's go!"
"Right!"
The duo screamed in unison. "SOUL RESONANCE!"
BAADOOM!
Instantly, the ground they stood on imploded into a miniature crater as a massive sphere of wispy green energy enveloped Touma. The sphere itself seemed to be outlined with a face and hairstyle reminiscent of Touma's while strands of crimson lightning encircled the manifestation of his soul, know doubt belonging to Hoshi's own soul.
Ingrid watched from the ridge, grinning as she saw the combined might of the pair's souls resonating. "Oooh…" she shivered in anticipation. Her smile grew as she saw the red ring surrounding Touma's emerald eyes. "I love that color…"
The golem lumbered forward, swinging its arm down in an effort to crush the comparatively small meister beneath it. But its hand hit nothing but soft dirt.
"Nice dodge." Ingrid smiled as her eyes locked on where Touma and his weapon had disappeared to. The duo re-appeared above the golem's arm, plummeting onto it with a quick roll, Touma sprinted up the appendage at an inhuman speed.
"Hoshi!" he yelled.
"Blood Arts: Red Rush High, active." Touma rushed up the limb of his aggressor, blood pounding through his veins at an accelerated rate, fueling his body with more oxygen and thus, improved movement. He could feel his heart pound in his chest as the accelerated rate pushed the organ to its limit.
The golem lifted its arm from the ground in an attempt to shake the young teen off of it. Touma's foot slipped a sthe goliath shook its arm, ruining his footing. He felt gravity take its hold on him as he began to fall.
Hoshi's next words assured him that he wouldn't. "Blood Arts: Crimson Thread!" Touma cringed as spikes burst from Hoshi's handle, piercing his flesh and draining blood from his now wounded palm. The crimson fluid rushed up the blade before peeling off of it like thread. Its needle like tip fired from the sword, striking the golem's face.
The monster paid it no mind as its left hand reached for the falling duo. Touma smirked, pulling on the thread and propelling him up into the air, dodging the golem's hand and landing right on its face.
The golem had no time to react as a slash across the face caused a stream of red cracks to spread across its face. "Weakness of a land golem, the ritual site, which happens to be your face!" a second strike followed the first, and then a third, and then a fourth. Over and over, Touma sliced the stones that composed the face-like ritual site, destroying the flow of magic that held the monster together.
Touma raised Hoshi one more time as the pair screamed in unison. "DIE!" In one fell swoop, Touma plunged his sword deep into the monster's skull, pushing the blade deeper until the hilt could go no further. The golem's movements ceased immediately as spider-webs of red cracks raced across its patchwork body, stone, wood and dirt crumbling as it body began to disintegrate.
The legs gave first, causing the creature to buckle on its knees, the appendages crumbling to dust upon impact with the ground. The rest of the torso followed shortly. Touma, pushed off the crumbling face, springing back into the air until they landed on the ground, watching as their opponent finished breaking down mid-fall.
Touma fell to a knee, using Hoshi to brace himself. "Touma?" Hoshi asked, fear clear in her echo.
Touma gave her a reassuring smile. "J-just tired...and my hand hurts." he mumbled, looking at his now bleeding appendage.
"I'm sorry." Hoshi whined. "I don't want to hurt you." she moped.
Touma immediately regretted complaining as he heard the dejected tone in his partner's voice. "N-no! It's okay Hoshi really! It's just a few cuts! Papercuts really! Y-you know I've had worse than this!" he pleaded, desperately trying to cheer up his now sad partner.
"You were amazing." a sultry voice purred in his ear. Touma's blood shot to his face a as pair of soft, feminine, hands began to caress his body. His eyes turned as far as they could to see Ingrid had somehow snuck up behind him and was now embracing him from behind, sliding her hands across his shoulder and down his chest, feeling him up. "You're very well built…" she whispered into his ear, taking great joy in the way his body started to tremble from her caresses. "Shame you wear such baggy clothing like this jacket…but despite that, that was a truly interesting display."
"Hey!" Hoshi screamed, drawing attention to her sword form. "What do you think you're doing you slu-UAAH!" while Hoshi had been ranting at their supposed enemy, Ingrid had slid her hand down Touma's shoulder and the whole length of his arm until it had reached his katana. Now her hand was lovingly stroking the back of Hoshi's weapon form.
"That compliment was to you too you know...both of you...I got chills just from watching..."
"U-u-uh...u-um…" Hoshi mumbled. If Touma wasn't so flustered himself, he would have been greatly amused by this turn of events.
Ingrid tightened her hold on Touma, her hand sliding back up his chest until it rested under his chin. She tilted his head back so it would face him as she gave him a sultry smile. She pressed her chest up against his back, enjoying how he tensed up at the feeling of her soft chest rubbing against his back. "So tell me...do you want to belong to me?" she whispered, her crimson eyes boring into Touma's emerald ones. "The offer extend to your weapon too. Think about it…" she playfully licked her lips, enjoying the feeling of having his eyes locked on her movements.
Ingrid spun around until she was face to face with a blushing Touma. Again her hand found its way under his chin, pulling him closer to her as she pressed her body up against him, wrapping her left leg around his right. Her left hand fell behind his neck, gently tracing her hand up and down, causing the boy's hair to stand on end. "A cute little meister and his weapon partner...with a sexy witch...think of all the fun we could have…"
"I-I-I-I-I-!" Touma babbled. Ingrid simply smirked, finding his dazed and red face absolutely adorable.
"Should I take that as a yes?" Ingrid whispered, inching her lips closer to Touma's.
"H-Hey!" Hoshi wailed snapping Touma out of his stupor and causing Ingrid to glance down at the frustrated weapon.
"Don't worry, Hoshi, was it? You're more than welcome to join in, I'm sure your meister would love that, isn't that right, Touma?"
"Wh-wha…?" the teen mumbled, still trying to regain his bearings whilst being caressed by the gorgeous blonde. "I-I-I-I d-don't think that she-I mean we sh-shouldn't-"
"Oh my, you are adorable." Ingrid smirked, releasing him from her grip and taking a step back.
Touma shook his head, doing his best to get his hormones under control from the erotic onslaught the temptress in front of him had unleashed on him. "W-why have you been causing disasters?" he demanded.
Ingrid shrugged her shoulders in a bored fashion. "I had little choice in the matter. Tell me, Touma, how much do you know about witches? You are a student of the DWMA, so you must have at least a basic education of us, but I sense old magic on you. It's a bit familiar, but I can't quite place it." Touma frowned at this. "I'm not the first witch you've ever encountered, am I?"
"I met one a long time ago." Touma replied, keeping his weapon leveled at the crimson beauty. Ingrid in response merely smirked a knowing grin. "What?" Touma muttered.
"Met huh? Tell me boy, did this meeting happen several times over the course of a few years? Or did it happen once in a more...intimate manner?" she made sure to emphasize the word 'intimate', causing Touma to blush again.
"O-of course not!" Touma barked.
Ingrid's smile never fell. "Then you must've spent an awful lot of time with a witch, so I assume you know more about them then you let on. Tell me, you know about the Instinct of Destruction, yes?"
"It's the pull of magic." Touma responded without pause. "It's what drives witches."
"Yes. A side-effect of being able to manipulate great quantities of magic. Most witches don't care about what they do when they satisfy that urge, but me on the other hand, well, I don't like unnecessary attention, so I satiate my urges on a manageable scale."
"Causing earthquakes and fires is manageable?!" Hoshi barked out.
"Well I think it's better than me just spontaneously obliterating a town. I don't dislike humans."
"You don't?" Touma questioned.
"Not really." Ingrid shrugged. "Many of them are detestable beings, but the rare few more than make up for that with how entertaining they can be...especially when they're like you two." she said, her voice turning sultry once again. Touma fought the blush that threatened to appear.
"So you're not an enemy of humans?" Hoshi asked.
Ingrid again shrugged. "I wouldn't say enemy...but don't write me off as some altruistic do-gooder. I'm only interested in those who have a penchant for entertaining me...like you two. Anyway, I'll forgive you for interrupting my bath, you certainly killed my boredom, but I need to go, can't live in a demolished house now. Tata…" she waved, starting down the path towards the woods.
"H-hey! You can't leave!" Touma shouted. Ingrid stopped turning her head with an amused smile.
"Oh, are you that infatuated by me?" she asked, turning fully to face her opponent. "I didn't realize you would fall for me so hard that you wouldn't want me to leave. You could still be mine you know."
"Th-that's not it at all!" Touma yelled in embarrassment.
Ingrid smirked. "My offer still stands."
"We're not taking your offer lady!" Hoshis snapped from her weapon form.
"But we're not letting you go!" Touma declared, dropping into a battle ready pose.
"Oh, you want me to remain here?"
Touma nodded. "Ideally."
"So you can report my whereabouts back to your precious Lord Death? And lead a squad of meisters to kill me?" Touma's face paled a little. He could feel the air grow hotter around him, and this time it didn't feel like it was his hormones playing tricks on him. "Just because I like you doesn't make me stupid. You're a meister working for the Grim Reaper, if you're mission wasn't to kill me outright, it was reconnaissance, so if you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave."
"We can't let you do that!" Hoshi exclaimed.
Ingrid frowned. "Oh really?"
Touma readied himself letting his soul settle on the same level as Hoshi's syncing their wavelengths to each other. "Who's going to stop me?" hot air ble into his ear. Touma leapt from his spot, spinning around to see Ingrid behind him.
"Wha-?!" he muttered turning back to the spot where she once stood. 'She's fast!'
"Where are you looking, Touma?" Ingrid sultry voice purred beside him.
"Guh!" Touma swung his blade to where he heard, slicing through empty space. Again the air around them began to burn. "Where is she?" he grumbled looking around frantically.
"Oh, can't you perform Soul Perception?" Again Touma swung his blade, just missing Ingrid who merely moved her head back, letting the weapon miss her neck with a smile. "Oh, I get it, you're afraid of using it in the middle of a fight." Touma cringed before lunging forward with his sword. Ingrid again moved back, dodging another slash aimed for her torso. "Not an unfounded fear…" she grinned.
"Damn it all!" Touma swore, leaping forward and past Ingrid, who was slightly surprised as he sailed past her. Touma slammed his feet into the ground before pivoting on his heel, swinging his blade back and slicing off a small portion of Ingrid's shawl.
The Crimson Witch sailed back, landing delicately on her high-heels as she examined the damage to her garment. "Tch." she hissed. "Now I have to get this fixed. Thank's a lot Touma."
Said meister again lowered his weapon behind his leg, blade-side up. Ingrid smirked, irritation from her wardrobe damaging sinking beneath the confidant grin she now bore."I knew you'd be fun."
Crackles of crimson energy began to raced up her fingertip and onto her arm. "Red, red, rain, riot and bring the pain!" she yelled, fling the lighting from her fingertips and sending it hurling towards Touma, said meister's eyes widened in fear before he leapt to the side, dodging the lightning bolt.
"That was close…" he grumbled. The hairs on the back of his neck rose before he spun around, blocking another crimson bolt with the flat of Hoshi's form.
"GAH!" Hoshi screamed.
"Hoshi?!" Touma exclaimed, holding weapon which was now smoking from the surprise attack. "Hoshi are you okay?!"
"I-I'm good…" she whimpered.
"Don't play the tough-girl act now, what was that?"
"A little trick I learned." Touma looked up at Ingrid as she smirked. "My crimson magic took me years to get it to this point. Despite its initial destructive capabilities, I tinkered with my magic until I found a way to deal damage directly to the soul. I believe you meisters have a similar ability, yes?"
Touma cringed. "It's a ranged soul menace…"
"Hope you don't take it too personally, cutie." she purred. "But I'm not about to fight meisters and demon weapons without a little advantage."
"I can take it, Touma." Hoshi whispered. Touma glanced down at his weapon, eyeing the reflection of his partner's face, and the determination in her eyes.
"Fine." he grimaced. Repositioning himself in his familiar sword stance, Touma readied himself for another attack. "Then let's kick it up a notch. You ready?"
"Do you have to ask?"
Touma shrugged, "It's just polite. I don't want to force you into something without your consent in the ma-"
"Touma!" Hoshi whined.
"Right,sorry!"
The duo once again screamed in unison. "SOUL RESONANCE!"
Immediately, Touma's body became coated in an aura of green with flashes of red spiraling off his body like mist. "Hoshi…" he growled.
"Blood Arts: Red Rush High: active." Touma grinned.
Ingrid smirked, raising her hand, now coated in crimson electricity, to block Touma's sword swing. "You are fast." Touma growled, putting more strength in the blade as it grinded against the witch's lightning. "But…" she blurred from his view, startling him as he lost resistance to his he felt a hand seize the back of his collar. "I'm faster!"
"Gah!" Touma wailed as he was flung across the clearing,slamming into the ground and tumbling to a stop. "Ugh…" he grunted before flipping forward, avoiding a high-heeled kick into the ground. Ingrid grinned as the ground beneath her foot shattered.
Touma rolled to his feet, gripping the bloody handle of his sword, letting the spikes dig into his palm. "Crimson Thread!" he shouted, hurling the tip of the newly formed wire towards their enemy. Ingrid moved to the side, dodging the attack with a smirk. The Crimson witch raised her hand in preparation for an attack before she heard the whistling of the thread rocketing back towards her.
BBZZZAAAP!
Ingrid's body erupted in a flash of crimson electricity, eradicating the strand and sending the current directly into Hoshi's sword form, and right into Touma's body.
"GIAAHH!" they screamed, reeling back in pain. Touma gritted his teeth, bracing himself. 'Get it together Touma!' he screamed in his 's when he saw Ingrid appearing in front of him, palm reeled back and crackling with electricity.
"Touma block!" Hoshi screamed.
He almost did, he could feel the blood rushing through his veins, accelerating his muscles to inhuman degrees of speed. On instinct he pulled Hoshi's form in front of him to block the incoming attack, until his eyes locked onto the crimson energy arcing across his teeth, Touma made his choice. "Fair warning Hoshi…" he grumbled.
"Huh?" his partner questioned as she felt herself being flung in the air. "No! TOUMA!"
Ingrid's palm struck home. Touma had crossed his arms, blocking the initial strike, but he caught the full force of her soul menace, feeling her magic tear through his watched in horror as her meister fell back, slamming into the ground where he lay motionless.
Hoshi's sword struck the ground before morphing in a flash of light. The now humanoid weapon sprinted towards her meister, ignoring Ingrid as she stared down at her opponent. Hoshi slid on her knees, grabbing Touma's prone body and gently lifting him into her arms.
"Touma? Touma?!" she cried, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as his body remained motionless. "No...no no no!" she screamed. She qucikly laid him down once more, placing her ear to his chest. Dead silence was all she heard. "No!" she quickly pulled open his jacket, throwing away his scarf before placing her hands on his chest.
Ingrid simply remained behind her, eyeing the two as the girl performed CPR, slamming her hands into his chest three times before planting her lips on her partners, breathing air into his lungs. Three more times she performed this routine, all the while the Crimson Witch just watched, her face neutral of any emotion.
"GAK!" Hoshi reeled back from Touma's lips as her meister hacked up blood. Fear swelled in her chest as the blood pooled out of Touma's mouth. She quickly tilted his head to the side, allowing the red liquid to seep out of his mouth before shallow breaths soon followed.
"Touma…" Hoshi sobbe din relief, feeling tears fall from her eyes, tracing down her cheeks until they splattered on the ground. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, slowly rising up. She turned towards Ingrid, eyes hidden behind her bangs. "You…" she growled.
Ingrid cocked her head to the side. "Yes, me."
Hoshi raised her eyes, letting Ingrid see the blood lust boiling beneath their teal surface. "You hurt Touma…" she hissed.
Ingrid nodded. "Yes I did."
"RAAH!"
Ingrid ducked underneath a blade swipe. The edge of Hoshi's arm had morphed into the blade of her katana. A kick followed suit, one that's heel knicked Ingrid's hair, slicing several strands of her blonde hair, she could see the girl's heel had developed a bladed edge as well. Ingrid flew back a few steps, brushing the sliced strands with a surprised glance. "Impressive...oh!" Ingrid blocked the slash from Hoshi, arm coated in crimson energy.
"YOU HURT TOUMA!" she screamed, breaking the lock before spinning on her heal, delivering a brutal spin kick to Ingrid's side. A barrier of crimson lightning took the blow in full. Hoshi's eyes narrowed in rage as she saw the energy wrap around the witch, forming a thin shining membrane of energy.
"You are good…" she cooed. "I get it...your meister has the skill to resonate with you, but your combat abilities are higher."
"Shut up!" Hoshi yelled, dashing forward with her blade arm again. Ingrid swatted the blow aside, lashing out with an electric palm that Hoshi dodged. The human weapon grabbed the woman's arm and pivoted with her hips, lifting the girl into the air before slamming her into the ground.
"GAH!"
Hoshi raised her sword arm while her left held the woman down. As she drove her blade down, a bolt of lightning coursed through her body, lighting every fiber of her being on fire in pain. "GIAAH!" another jolt launched her back.
"Ummm…" Ingrid groaned, sitting up rather casually. She stretched her arm, the one Hoshi had manhandled before rising off the ground. She strode over to the downed weapon as she hissed in pain, crimson energy racing along her body like a makeshift net. The light began to fade as Ingrid stood above her, glancing over to Touma's downed body. "You are quite tenacious, my dear Hoshi."
"Gruh…" the girl hissed, trying to stand.
Ingrid continued to stare at Touma. "He has so much potential you know. I beat him now because he's inexperienced. And I doubt he knew how to handle a witch with martial prowess like myself. I don't blame him though, so many witches don't like to get their hands dirty so they neglect their physical abilities."
Hoshi wobbled to her feet, forcing her mind to shrug off the pain."But me...well, don't tell your partner this, but I'm over 200 years old. You wish to know what someone as long lived as me does for fun?"
"I-I don't care!" hoshi roared stabbing at Ingrid who merely spun around the girl to dodge, wrapping one of her shawls over the girl's arm before twisting her around, throwing Hoshi off balance and onto the ground again.
"The answer is anything and everything. So I studied physical fighting to pass the time, and honestly, I like it. You on the other hand, you seem bred for it. Fighting for you is as easy as breathing for you, isn't it?"
Hoshi raised herself from the ground, bracing herself on her weaponized arm. "Were you…" Ingrid started. "No...I guess that doesn't matter. Your meister may lack some practical abilities in fighting a witch of my caliber, but he certainly possesses a keen mind and sharp eyes. Did you notice?"
"What?" Hoshi grumbled, finally managing to stand on her own feet again.
"My last attack on Touma, you thought you could block it, didn't you? You thought you could bare the brunt of the attack for him, not realizing just how dangerous an attack like that was with my power behind it." Hoshi's eyes narrowed. "Your meister clearly cares for you quite a deal if he was willing to take a hit like that rather than having his weapon take the fall. I wonder…" Ingrid mumbled, fingers dancing with her crimson magi as she pointed them over to Touma's body. Hoshi's eyes widened in horror.
"Are you that loyal to him?" Ingrid murmured
The demon katana lepa from her spot, but instead of charging the witch, she charged Touma. Ingrid smirked as her magic fired from her hand, shooting towards Touma.
"Blood Arts:" Hoshi muttered beneath her breath. "Red Rush High!" Instantly, her speed exploded, propelling her across the clearing faster than even Ingrid's attack, beating it to Touma, but not fast enough to move him. So Hoshi did the next best thing. The living weapon took the shot to the back. Pain raced up her spine as the magic ignited every nerve capable of feeling pain, leaving the girl unable to even scream as she collapsed near her partner.
"I guess you are." Ingrid mused, casually strolling up to the pair as Hoshi crawled on top of Touma, doing her best to shield the unconscious boy. Ingrid stood above them and amused smirk graced her lips.
"I-I-I w-won't let you...hurt...Touma…" Hoshi wheezed, glaring daggers at her opponent. Ingrid knelt down, cupping Hoshi's chin in her hand.
"I'm not going to dear...you two are some of the more interesting people I've met in the last decade. Now way am I going to kill you before you provide em with some serious amusement." Ingrid giggled. The Crimson Witch released her grip on Hoshi, brushing her hand through her purple hair. "Get stronger, both of you. You have so much...potential." Hoshi wish she could've ignored the sultry way the witch muttered her last word as she sashayed away from the two.
"Oh. One more thing darling," Ingrid said as she strode into the woods. "The offer I made for the two of you, it still stands. Be sure to tell Touma that for me." All Hoshi could do was glare as the crimson-dressed beauty disappeared into the underbrush.
"Guh…" Hoshi hissed, gripping her sides in pain. Her eyes glanced to Touma. His breathing had slowed but he still looked like he was in pain. Not that Hoshi could claim she was any better. The purple-haired beauty turned to the remains of the demolished, following the wreckage into the clearing until her eyes rested on a shard of glass just a few feet from her.
Hoshi turned back to Touma, stroking his cheek gently. "Hold on Touma…please." she whimpered, crawling away from her meister until she loomed over the shard of glass. Breathing down on the reflective surface, she quickly scribbled in several numbers, all the while chanting. "42...42...564...death's door…"
The glass rippled before the image of Death's room appeared on the screen. "I'm sorry, m'lord Death is currently out at the moment. How can I-Hoshi?!" Cassandra gasped as her brutalized student came into view. "What happened?!"
"M-Mrs. C-Cassandra...we need...help…"
End of Chapter one
Hope you guys liked this chapter. I'll be combine elements of Soul Eater with elements from other similar franchises such as Witch Hunter (the manwha). If you have any ideas or suggestions, send a review or a PM.