Finally getting the next chapter set up. Sorry for the delay. Still not a whole lot of action. Previous one introduced the Azure Blades in a way, but they will feature in this chapter. Although their rivals, the Silver Fangs will debut here. Oh, and there may be occasional fourth-wall breakages here in there just to make it interesting.
Alexa: Say, how is everybody? Alexa Titania at your service.
Vanessa: Aren't we just breaking the fourth wall just now? Oh, who cares.
Alexa: Well, what's to say? Oh, and hi everyone, welcome to this fanfic's first fourth-wall disclaimer/author note segment. This one's plenty long as it is, so I'll just give it to you straight. Some of the OCs on here belong to other people on this website, the author is just using them for the purposes of this fanfic. For example, Neo Kurogane? He's Firelord's character,.
Watch out for his ex girlfriend, Nisha, White's character. Azure of the Auspicious Rain is Sir Julian and Chloe's creator, Kagami Aru and Professor Viktor Kraus are Master Yiseeks' characters.
Nakashima (appears out of a wall of fire): And here I am, one of OrgXIII fan's creations, Fire Demon Nakashima. There's also Org's prime victim character Yuko and her Teigu, Binks. But let's just get on with it, shall we? This fourth-wall thingamajig is getting stretched out. A couple of NPCs will show up eventually who are also Org's people. Certain girls who belong to The Perfect Cadence may or may not show up as well, but we'll see.
Now I think of it, the more I do fourth-wall style author notes using actual OCs and canons, the wielder it feels. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. Still mostly introductory stuff.
Chapter I: The Silver Fangs-part 1
Alexa led Neo to what looked like an old, abandoned manor. The ex-soldier sweatdropped"Uh, so this is where you live, Miss Alexa? It doesn't seem very, err, you know, safe. If you know what I mean."
"Actually" Alexa grinned"Its more sound than it looks, its been disguised to avoid the public notice, this Is the headquarters of the Azure Blades. We strike from the shadows and fight for the oppressed."
"Amazing, you guys must be something" Neo remarked.
"Yeah" Alexa led the way into the main entryway, which had a central staircase and several doors off to the sides.
Caeden, who just returned shortly after, came from the training room to greet them"Hey, Alexa. Oh, and who's this?"
Neo smiled"Neo Kurogane."
"Name's Caeden" The brunette swordsman acknowledged"I'm just about to report to the boss, you two coming?"
"Yep" Alexa nodded"Neo needs to get introduced."
The three headed upstairs to the Study, which comprised of a desk, bed, bookcase and a stand for a modest-looking violin. Sitting at the desk, sorting through paperwork was an older young man with dark brown hair, white tunic with a blue jacket and pants. Sheathed at his side was a white-bladed katana with a greenish handle.
"Sir Kenneth, we're back. Jerik's done for" Alexa grinned.
Kenneth looked up from his work"Ah, good to see you and Caeden back from your mission, Alexa. And who is this with you?"
Neo smiled"Yo, I'm Neo Kurogane, I got this letter from General Najenda who recommended me for your group." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, showing it to Kenneth.
Kenneth read the letter throroughly"So, you were one of General Najenda's subordinates, welcome to the Azure Blades."
"Thank you, so, when's my first mission?" said Neo excitedly.
Kenneth thought for a moment"Do you have an Imperial Arm?"
"Yep" Neo nodded"My sword, Senketsu."
Kenneth nodded"Then you're in as an active member. As so it happens, I have a mission for Caeden and you. Neo, I got wind that a suspicious noblewoman called Lady Yolanda Feng has been smuggling illicit goods into select shops, I'll need her taken down. Caeden, you are to go to Ashe Manor and infiltrate the new Imperial Task Force, the Silver Fangs and gather information on them for me."
Caeden nodded"Will do."
Neo smiled"You can leave her to me."
"Good luck" Kenneth returned to his paperwork.
Caeden and Neo headed out to do their respective assignments. The brunette veteran addressed Neo"Yolanda is said to be quite arrogant, so I would expect her villa to be lightly guarded. Still, be careful, no telling what dirty tricks the Empire will pull. So be careful."
"No problem" grinned Neo, walking to Yolanda's villa. Unknown to him, a young woman wearing a dark green jacket with a grey sleeveless sweater underneath was not far away, watching. Her sweater was Topped off with a green tie with black shoes and also dark green leggings. Also had a dark green cap, coffee coloured hair and violet eyes.
'Hm. Well, looks like the Azure Blades picked up a new recruit, hope the new chap knows what he's doing' She thought. The woman, Lynette Claustermann, was part of a small mercenary group called the Silva Panzar Guild. Still, figuring that this had to do with a corrupt Noble, she decided to follow. Besides, she needed a job soon, and the Imperials were too stingy for her liking.
Caeden headed for Ashe Manor, an impressive two-story mansion with a small garden and fountain at the front. As impressive as this looked, Caeden pressed on to the front door and knocked. A maid answered"Yes?"
"Caeden Wren, I'm here about the new task force led by Commander Ashe" Caeden acknowledged.
The maid nodded"Right this way." She led him into the mansion and up the stairs to the study. The study itself consisted of a table, desk and a bedroom next to it which had to belong to the lord of this manor.
Commander Ashe, a man in his forties with dark hair, brown eyes, a black tunic and pants under his silver and white imperial armor was sitting at his desk. He also sported a white cape. The man appeared to not have any notable weaponry besides his dual blades which he kept sheathed. Standing next to him was a woman with long, light blue hair, green eyes and traditional silver/white armor. Her weapon appeared to be a white-bladed sword with a peculiar blue handle.
"Lord Ashe, this visitor is here to speak with you" The maid reported.
Lord Ashe nodded and dismissed the maid before speaking"What business do you have here?"
"Its about your new task force, I'm here to join the Silver Fangs. I was sent here" Caeden replied, trying to sound convincing.
The woman near Lord Ashe scrutinized him for a moment"Hm. You seem like you're capable enough. Frankly, It would've sounded suspicious if we weren't still organizing. I am Vanessa Ashe, sister to Lord Dorek and his Tactician for the Silver Fangs. And you are?"
"Caeden, miss" replied the younger brunette"Oh, and my Imperial Arm is the Violet Flash, gives me a speed boost."
Dorek nodded"Very well, you're in. Since you're both here, I will explain our mission. We are commissioned by the Prime Minister to counter the threat of the Azure Blades. Since we're still short-handed, several guards are to accompany whichever one of you will be on patrol."
Vanessa nodded"Understood." She and Caeden left the room to relax and do some training. Caeden didn't expect it to be this easy to infiltrate the Fangs, but then again, they were just beginning to form.
Neo reached the front of Yolanda's villa and looked around, there were very few guards. Grinning, he rushed at the two nearest guards and slashed at them with Senketsu. The two surprised guards collapsed, dead.
"Hey, you!" Another guard drew a spear and charged. Neo stepped to the side and swung horizontally at the guard, killing him as well.
'That was too easy' thought the ex-soldier, rushing into the foyer of Yolanda's estate. Three more guards spotted him as he entered and rushed. Neo pulled out a smoke bomb and blinded the guards long enough for him to expertly slice through them.
"Ha" smirked Neo, proceeding further into the main hall of the manor, looking around for where the target might be.
"Not bad, Kurogane. Just what I would expect from you, my former love" came a female voice. The speaker stood at the front of a staircase who was not Lady Yolanda, but a lean young woman with blue hair and reddish eyes. She wore a copper plated upper chest plate armor with two forearm and leg protectors over her usual long red outfit.
Neo blinked, he had seen her before"Nisha?"
The young woman smirked"Bingo. I never could forget you. I thought you'd be pretty rusty though."
"What are you doing here?" The ex-soldier asked awkwardly.
Nisha grinned some more"Isn't it obvious? I am a subordinate of General Esdeath shogun. You could say I'm in her personal unit. I was told to help guard certain nobles, but I said too much. You here for any reason in particular? Could it be... That you are now a rebel?"
Neo shrugged, not much got past his former lover"Kinda... But I had my reasons."
"I don't really care much at this point. What say we let my fists do the talking?" Nisha got into a basic martial arts stance.
Neo drew Senketsu"If this is what it takes." He faced her down. Nisha lunged forward with a flurry of punches and a kick. Neo barely dodged them and jabbed at Nisha's chest. Nisha jumped back and countered with a swift knife kick to Neo's thigh. Neo staggered and swing horizontally and vertically, driving her back.
"Oh, is that all you got? I expected more" Nisha grinned as she activated her armor Teigu before tackling Neo. Neo was flung backwards by the tackle, leaving him to struggle to get up as Nisha was prepared to follow through with a bodyslam.
But just then, there was a loud bang as the nearby front door flew backwards off its hinges, revealing the green-capped coffee-haired young woman from earlier, accompanied by several white-clad soldiers with no notable crests on.
Neo and Nisha both turned their heads to see the group rush inside. Leading them and the brunette was a fully violet-armored figure that had wings and white linings. The former couple could guess that this was another armor-Teigu user. A young man with blond hair, yellow tunic and pants stood near her, a sword at the ready.
"Well, the more the merrier" giggled Nisha sadistically, even as the remaining guards of Yolanda's villa rushed to intercept the newcomers.
Neo stood up and rushed for the staircase while Nisha was distracted by the Teigu-Armor User, the blond swordsman and the brunette Sniper. Yolanda's room appeared to be wide open, guarded only by the captain of Yolanda's guards, who Neo quickly decked with his blade.
"Humph, what useless protection I was given" stated the blond woman in the room, haughtily. She had blue eyes and black armor"And you are?"
"Neo. Sorry, but I gotta take you down" grinned the ex-soldier"Yolanda, right?"
Yolanda smirked, drawing a dual-edged spear"Yes. You with the rebels? Or Florianna's do-gooder alliance?"
"Florianna? Who's that?" Neo asked, curious.
Yolanda snarled"None of your beeswax! Die, Rebel!" She darted forward with a double slash. Neo ducked and slashed Yolanda across the chest. The blond hissed in pain and jabbed at him repeatedly. Neo avoided the jabs as his eyes started to glow red.
Nisha charged at the blond swordsman with a tackle. The blond jumped back and drove her back with a slash. The sniper shot at Nisha, who barely avoided the shot and launched a double punch and a kick at the sniper, knocking her back. The armor-user slashed unexpectedly, making a gash on Nisha's side. The battle maniac hissed in pain and tackled the armor user, following with a punch.
"Big mistake" The blond slashed Nisha's other side.
"Why you!" Nisha roundhoused the blond and darted at the Armor User with a double kick. The armor user staggered and drove back Nisha with a double slash.
"Well? Ready to give up?" The Sniper smiled, gun pointed at Nisha's head.
Nisha sweat dropped"Nah, you guys got this round, but this is far from over" she picked up a nearby chair and threw it to distract her opponents and made her break, running out the door.
"Should we pursue?" The blond swordsman asked.
The violet Armor User shook her head"No... Its over, just one more thing to do..." She headed up the stairs. The mystery militia had just mopped the floor with the rest of Yolanda's guards.
Yolanda sliced and jabbed again. Neo dodged and slashed her thigh.
"Uek!" Yolanda buckled"What are you... You fight like a demon?"
A voice replaced Neo's as his eyes was still red"Close, but I'm this guy's Teigu, Senketsu."
Yolanda attempted to jab one more time before Neo's body dodged and stabbed her right in the chest, finishing with a slash. Yolanda gasped and collaped"Urgh... You..."
"Good night" Senketsu spoke one more time using Neo before control returned to the ex-soldier. Neo blinked.
Yolanda gasped"It doesn't matter how may nobles you take out... Eventually, the rebellion will be squashed..." With that, she closed her eyes.
Neo sighed"That was too much, Senketsu,"
The violet-armored warrior from earlier entered the room and glanced at Yolanda's body"... Looks like you got the short end of the stick, Yolanda. And so ends your petty rivalry with House Whiteshore... However, I cannot deny you a proper burial."
Neo glanced at the armored-person, judging from the voice, the User sounded female"Uh, you are?"
The armored woman glanced at him"Did you do this?"
Neo shrugged"I can't really deny it. Are you Florianna? Yolanda mentioned someone by that name."
The armored woman shook her head and shut off her armor to reveal a young woman with long purple hair, green eyes, a green tunic and pants"Close... I am her younger sister, Arianna Whiteshore."
"So, what happened? Did Kenneth call for reinforcements or something?" Neo asked, curiously.
"Is Kenneth the one who sent you here? Hm... I suppose I can tell you, my group is part of the three house alliance between House Ashe, House Terrence, House Fen and House Whiteshore. We are among the few nobles who dare resist the Prime Minister's tyrannous regime. But we don't do so too openly... I am the appointed leader of the Whiteshore Militia" Arianna explained"We strike only where and when we can whenever we're certain we won't draw any attention from Honest's agents" Ariann explained.
Neo smiled"Well, I wasn't expecting backup, so thanks."
"A coincidence, it was. But you are welcome. Now, we should vacate the premises, that female martial artist will surely alert the Imperial Police. They'll just think the rebel army did it" Arianna acknowledged.
"Uh, sure" Neo followed her out, cleaning Senketsu as they left. The blond swordsman and the sniper were waiting for them.
"Well, looks like you made it out alive" the sniper acknowledged.
"Mission complete, now we need to lay low for a while" Arianna stated before addressing Neo"I heard that the Azure Blades are growing more active, are you among their number?"
"Yeah" Neo nodded.
Arianna noded"Good luck... I am sure we'll meet again. And if you wish to meet my sister, Whiteshore Manor is across the way."
"Thanks" Neo grinned, heading back out. The Sniper followed. Arianna turned to retrieve Yolanda's body so she can give it a proper burial.
While heading away from Yolanda's estate, Neo addressed the Sniper"Uh, and you are?"
"Lynette Claustermann, member of the Silva Pazar Guild" replied the sniper, casually.
"Oh, you mean the guild that consists of Mercenaries and Adventurers? Impressive" Neo smiled"So what were you doing there?"
Lynette stopped"I will tell you one thing and one thing only, I was hired by Lady Arianna shortly before we burst in to see you and that female martial artist bimbo. You got a job for me? I'm very busy."
Neo sweatdropped"Uh, actually, I'm with the Azure Blades. I haven't seen you fight, but they could use someone like you. My boss's name is Kenneth."
Lynette paused to think for a moment"Meh, if the pay is good, I'll think about it. The location?"
Neo subtly told her and then said"Oh, and that bimbo was my EX, Nisha. Is she okay, by any chance?"
"I don't plan on hunting her down, unless I need to. Now, that's enough chitchat, I must go pick up my pay and then go back to the guild's headquarters" said Lynette in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Okay, see you" Neo nodded, continuing back to base.
Nisha ran to the nearest Apothecary, cursing herself and hoping Esdeath won't be too upset if she found out. For now, she had to get her wounds treated, she had dismissed her armor shortly after fleeing.
"Trouble?" A white-haired figure appeared, the current police chief.
"Not at all, miss Zatsuhashi" Nisha grinned at the chief of police before rushing into the apothecary. The martial-artist had to hurry and get her wound treated.
The woman, apparently called Zatsuhashi, shrugged and headed back to her office.
Dorek was still in his office when a guardsman entered"Lord Ashe, Lady Yolanda has been confirmed to have been killed. Lady Whiteshore should be safe for a while longer."
Dorek nodded"Good. Carry on." It hadn't been easy for him, Vanessa and Florianna to arrange that arrogant supporter of Honest's, Yolanda's assassination without drawing suspicion onto himself. He had to get the attention of the Azure Blades as subtly as possible and plan out a way for the Whiteshore Militia to infiltrate the villa. Also, he had suggested to General Esdeath that Nisha be the one to guard Yolanda's villa.
Another guard entered the room"My lord, a letter has come for you. Its from Lord Durchville, said he'll be by in a few days, he has a proposition for you."
"Very well, leave it here" Dorek instructed.
The guard nodded and left the letter before leaving the room.
Okay, since this chapter was turning out longer than planned, I had to end with a battle and some suspense, I hope it was enjoyable. The Whiteshore militia is mostly a third-party group, and so is the Silva-Panzar Guild, just so you know. Oh, and Florianna may not actually show up for a few more chapters. I hope the fight scenes for this chapter weren't too rushed.
Please feel free to review.