Chapter 4: Secrets don't keep
"Any news on the 'Blood bird'?"
"Nothing different. She dropped off another civilian."
"Did we get a name this time?"
"Nothing so far, but there was no delivery yesterday… The same day a certain student returned to class after a year"
"So our suspicions were correct."
"Should we dispose of her?"
"No, let's use her to our advantage… She could be useful to us"
…
Maisie was on edge, to say the least. She had been trapped in the city for ten days and she was already going mad. Her ten days could be summed by "bickering idiots and stupid team exercises". Not to mention Dustin's idea for her "dinner" was dripping his blood into a cup for her (Which caused Maisie to begin stressing over how much he was giving her). She hadn't been around so many humans since she was turned, which triggered something Dustin had called "social anxiety".
Right now, Maisie was enduring another extremely boring class with the two morons behind her.
"Alright! Pay attention" The teacher, who Maisie later found out wasn't the general, called as she tapped a stack of papers against her desk. "I've already finished grading your written exams, so I'll just be handing those out and calling it a day, okay?" Maisie sighed in relief as the teacher walked around passing back papers as she continued talking.
"Remember, this score is crucial to your overall cursed gear ranking. The way you perform in class is just as important as training" The teacher reminded. "I expect those of you with less than passing grades to put extra effort into your studies from now on"
Maisie's papers landed on her desk with the scores written in red ink. 98, on two and an 82? Pretty well, I guess Maisie thought with a sigh. I'll probably forget all the material once I step out of this room
Suddenly, Maisie's attention was called when Shinoa started yelling and jumping away from Yuu.
"Wow! Would you look at this score?!" Shinoa shouted with the excitement of a four-year-old. "How impressive!"
"Hey! Cut it out!" Yuu shouted as he chasing after Shinoa, who had stolen his exam paper. Shinoa dodged, causing Yuu to run into the door trim face first. Shinoa just giggled.
"You've really outdone yourself! They say only super humans get a score like this!" Shinoa laughed as she ran to the front of the classroom.
Yuu continued chasing her and he yelled "Quit being such a pest!"
"Don't you want to share it?" Shinoa teased. "You should be so proud!"
"Shinoa! Give that back!" Yuu shouted.
"Shinoa, you're taking this too far" Maisie warned as she got out of her seat, warning her escort.
Yuu finally grabbed Shinoa, who had dropped the paper onto a desk, allowing everyone to see it. Maisie, feeling some pity for the boy, walked over to the crowd around the paper.
"How did he get zero- Hey!" One boy said as Maisie snatched the paper. "We were looking at that!"
"I don't see your name on it" Maisie snapped as she walked over to Yuu and handed him the paper.
"I didn't need your help" Yuu muttered as he stuffed the paper in his pocket.
"I know, but you got it anyway" Maisie shrugged as she returned to her seat.
"Why did you have to ruin all the fun, Lisa?" Shinoa pouted. Maisie glared at Shinoa, who was sitting at her desk.
"My name's Melissa. Not Mel, not Lisa, just Melissa" Maisie snapped.
"You're both so uptight! You should try fitting in." Shinoa laughed.
"By pushing our buttons?" Maisie snapped. "And showing off people's scores?"
"So you can relate to people! You two should be more grateful"
"You can take your gratitude and choke on it!" Yuu joined in. "I'll tell you what I keep telling Guren; I don't need friends to stick it to the bloodsuckers, are we clear?"
I don't even want to be here Maisie sighed.
"Yeah, we're as clear as crystal" Shinoa rolled her eyes. "Just don't come crying to me when you realize you're completely worthless by yourself"
"Oh yeah?" Yuu challenged. "I'll kill 50 of those fangs with my eyes closed"
Keep telling yourself that
"Said the childish fool" Shinoa fired.
"You're a childish fool!" Yuu said slamming his hands onto Shinoa's desk.
"Come on, it makes sense that you failed" Yoichi said suddenly. "Sorry, that didn't come out like I meant it to-"
"You think?" Maisie interrupted.
"I'm just saying that since you spent several years as a prisoner of the vampires, your Japanese reading and writing skills aren't as strong as your English and Latin are." Yoichi clarified. "It makes sense that you failed"
"At least someone's using their head" Maisie sighed.
Yuu glared her way. "Well it does make-"
"Your excuse is crappier than your test score" a certain pink haired student interrupted (Whose name turned out to be Shiho Kimizuki).
"You couldn't just let him think that?" Maisie snapped as she fixed her glasses.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yuu yelled at Maisie as she ignored him.
"What? I'm just telling him the truth" Shiho said while looking at Yuu's paper.
"Then what's your score?" Yuu snapped. "Better be epic or I'll pop you one for being an arrogant ass!"
"Yuu, maybe you should-" Maisie tried to warn.
"Shut it!" Yuu snapped as his attention turned back to Shiho. "Come on, four eyes! Let's see how smart you really are!"
"See for yourself" Shiho said as he nudged his papers with his shoes. Maisie leaned over, just as curious. Her and Yuu's jaw dropped. 100's were written on all three papers. "Latin, English, and Japanese Spellcraft. Easy stuff" Even Maisie was jealous as her stronger subject was Latin (With her weaker being spellcraft).
"Foreign languages aren't even my strong suit" Shiho admitted. "Should be no match for a seasoned study-abroad poser like you"
Shinoa laughed at Maisie, who blushed (More like her face heated up since she was too pale to actually blush) and turned away. Yuu, who had no comeback, got into a fighting position, challenging Shiho.
"How about I use you for vamp killing practice?!" Yuu yelled.
"Oh yeah, tough guy?! Come on! Let's see you try!" Shiho yelled back as he stood up from his seat. Both growled at each other with hands in their pockets.
"Yuu! Please stop fighting!" Yoichi shouted as he ran over.
They're not even fighting… just bitching at each other Maisie though as her patience was running out.
"Uh… By the way" The teacher tried to talk over the three arguing in the back. "I still haven't dismissed you from class yet"
DISMISS US ALREADY Maisie yelled mentally as she put her head down on the desk. Suddenly the classroom door opened and a familiar lieutenant general popped his head in.
"Hey! I can hear you morons half-way down the hall" Guren snapped. "What's the deal?"
"Welcome back lieutenant colonel Guren!" The teacher said with her cheeks blushing. "I hope everything went well!"
Wait, does she have a thing for that Guren guy? Maisie chuckled. That's adorable!
Guren walked into the room, looking at the class. "As well as you'd expect. What else is new?" He said with boredom. "Anyway, is there a reason for all the racket?"
"Those two…" She trailed off.
"I should've known" Guren sighed. Yuu made eye contact with Guren and actually stopped fighting, putting up a hand to silence Shiho.
"Wait, let's put this on hold for now. " Yuu said seriously. "Guren's come out of hiding"
"Yuu, can't you just-" Maisie growled as he ignored her. Yoichi gave her a look of sympathy.
"What's the deal?" Yuu shouted at Guren. "I thought you said I would get to contract with a demon! How much longer do I have to-"
To Maisie's surprise (and annoyance), Shiho pushed Yuu out of the way.
"Let me do the talking, you're too loud" Shiho complained as he made eye contact with Guren. "With all due respect, I think you owe us an explanation. You have an obligation to this class. You left for ten days without any regards for your students. I think giving us some cursed gear would make up for that"
It was now that everything they were saying was sinking into Maisie's brain and registering. THAT'S WHAT A CURSED GEAR IS?! MAKING A CONTRACT WITH A DEMON?! Looking at Yuu, Maisie's expression filled with dread. "Who the hell would trust that moron with demon-cursed weapon?" She said with shock.
"What did you-" Yuu snapped, but Guren interrupted him.
"My thoughts exactly" Guren smirked as he turned to Shiho. "You think a bunch of dumbass losers like you have what it takes to tangle with a demon, huh? You should listen to the dropout, she seems to know better"
Maisie growled at the nickname. "Screw that!" Yuu shouted. "The only dumbass in here is Kimizuki! I won't fail!"
"You sure failed that exam" Maisie pointed out and Shiho chuckled.
"Shut up! No one asked for your opinion!" Yuu snapped.
"Oh yeah?" Shiho smirked. Next thing she knew, the two had punched each other in the face. Both were sent back as Shiho fixed his glasses.
WHY IS VIOLENCE SO ENCOURAGED NOW?! Maisie thought with disappointment. Before the dracs took over, these two morons would've been expelled already!
"So, what's your assessment?" Guren asked. "Can this class resist the demon's temptation?"
Only Maisie heard this due to her advanced hearing and this made her unsure. Vampires and demons don't sound like a good combination, especially if I'm involved.
"Hmmm there's always room for improvement." The teacher admitted. "But those two are much stronger than I was at sixteen. I think they can do it."
"What about the others?"
"There are a few contenders" The teacher said as she faced Guren. "But Yoichi Saotome takes the cake. He has a surprisingly high stability against demons. Though Melissa O'Connor is a close second"
"Oh really?" Guren said, surprised. "Okay then. Why don't we give it a shot now? It's less complicated that way."
Maisie immediately tensed up as Guren grabbed his sword.
"No! You can't do that in the classroom!" The teacher yelled.
"My! Are you planning to attack?! This sure got interesting fast!" Shinoa smirked.
"Shinoa! That's not-" Maisie shouted until Guren drew his sword, allowing a black aura to escape.
"If you die from this, blame yourselves for not training hard enough!" Guren smirked.
What the hell is he thinking?!
Guren stabbed his sword into the ground, spreading the aura throughout the room. Maisie stomach dropped to her feet as she looked around the room with a sick feeling in her gut. The students around her screamed as they dropped to the floor.
"What the hell is going on?"
"My heart feels like it's being squeezed!" Shiho said as he laid a hand on the desk beside him.
"What's wrong with everybody?" Yoichi said, looking around him. Maisie stood up and felt fear rising in her gut as her gaze fell on the sword that caused all this pain. Even the teacher had to hold some kind of special paper (?) to remain standing. After what seemed like an eternity, Guren finally pulled his sword out of the ground and sheathed it.
"I think that's enough for now" Guren said with a smile as the evil aura disappeared. When the lights came back on, Maisie looked around and saw the damage from just stabbing the ground with his demon sword. The walls and chalkboard were all cracked. Desks were moved and students laid everywhere (except for two, who got knocked out while standing).
"Alright! Good! If you're still conscious, you got a chance" Guren said with his signature smirk. "Make no mistake, you've still got a long way to go, but if you continue and study your spell craft, you could move into the contract ceremony for a cursed gear"
"What the hell was that?!" Maisie yelled.
"It was a demon aura. I'm surprised you're still standing" Guren admitted. "So it's true what they say about you"
Maisie bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying something she would regret.
"The six of you that are still on your feet, you just earned five stars" Guren smirked. "You'll get to try out for a black demon series cursed gear, the same rate of weapon as my sword"
"You mean four" Maisie corrected.
"Are you blind? There's-" Suddenly the two standing, but knocked out, students fell to the ground. "Nevermind. Looks like there's only Yuu, Kimizuki, Yoichi, and Melissa"
Guren looked at a smiling Shinoa with disappointment. "I wish you had passed out"
"Hah" Shinoa smirked.
"Dealing with demons is like a day at the beach for you, isn't it?" Guren sighed. "Guess I should expect as much from general Hiragi's daughter. You probably didn't even use a ward. What a turn-off"
"Aw! Don't be that way!" Shinoa teased. "You know I'm the cutest thing you've ever seen in your life~!"
"Piss off!"
Alright then… That explains why she can get away with all this Maisie groaned.
"Let's go before I change my mind" Guren snapped as the group followed.
I can't exactly say I'm not interested. Even if I was drafted… I have to pretend to be interested. Maisie thought as she took deep breaths. Suddenly a realization came to mind. DID WE JUST LEAVE ALL THOSE KNOCKED OUT KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM ALONE?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH EVERYBODY?!
Maisie followed the group down a set of stairs, trying to ignore the tense atmosphere.
"So, uh, lieutenant colonel Guren?" The teacher asked. "I know I should expect unconventional test and tactics from you, but I'm not entirely sure letting Yoichi or Melissa try out for the black demon series is a good idea"
"Do you have a problem with my decision?" Guren asked.
"No, sir. That's not what I'm saying" Their teacher said nervously. "It's just… I'm not certain they have enough strength to accept a demon into-"
"Tough" Guren chuckled. "If they don't have the strength, they die. That's the world we live in. We're not playing games here"
Maisie and Yuu could see the doubt on Yoichi's face slowly grow. Maisie was nervous too, but for a different reason. The group walked a little more before their teacher spoke up again.
"But sir-"
"For crying out loud!" Guren muttered as he stopped the group and faced Maisie and Yoichi. "Yoichi, tell me. You still want to avenge your sister's death at the hands of the vampires, don't you?"
Maisie's heart sunk. He would've been eight when his sister was if it was during the Dracs takeover. A year younger than me… And the same age Hannah would be now if she was still with me. This didn't help Maisie feel less like a monster.
"Yes, of course" Yoichi said nervously.
"Alright. Are you going to die for it?" Guren asked.
Yoichi hesitated. "I… I don't know"
"Then you should quit right now" Guren said harshly. "If you have any doubts, go back up those stairs" He then turned to Maisie. "What about you, Melissa?" Guren asked. "You'd have to do it eventually since you were drafted"
"I don't see why I shouldn't get it over with" Maisie shrugged. Maisie's answer didn't help Yoichi as he looked conflicted.
"Go Yoichi" Yuu said with a serious tone. "This isn't the kind of place a nice guy like you should be in and you know it"
"I agree, Saotome" Shiho spoke up. "Leave while you can"
Yoichi grabbed his head, on the brink of tears. Yoichi then lowered his hands just as Guren was losing his patience.
"Did you now hear what I said?" Guren snapped. "Get outta he-"
"I've made up my mind" Yoichi said with a little more confidence than before. "I'm doing it! This is the only way I'll get the strength I need! I have to make sure nothing in this world can take the people I hold dear ever again!"
Maisie saw the look Yuu gave Yoichi and felt pity for both boys, who seemed to understand what each of them went through. The room was tense for moment until Guren smiled and said "Alright! Let's keep moving people!" The group began walking again just as Guren muttered "Time for the ceremony"
As they walked down, Maisie put a supporting on Yoichi's shoulder. Yoichi looked and smiled, as if to say thank you, as the group reached the end of the stairs. At the end of the stairs was an elevator that the group then boarded. On the way down, Yoichi began looking nervous. Yuu noticed this and hit Yoichi on the back of the shoulder.
"Getting cold feet now isn't gonna help" Yuu smirked.
"Uh…"
"There's no point worrying about it" Shiho spoke up. "Deal with it. You've made your choice."
"That's not helping" Maisie snapped.
"Look, we can't baby him" Shiho fired back.
"I'm not saying that" Maisie growled. "You just don't have to be an ass"
"I'm just telling him the truth!" Shiho snapped.
"Are you sure you can 'deal with it' Kimizuki?" Shinoa smirked. "The truth is you were standing at first, then you leaned over. Was the demon too much to handle?"
Shiho flinched and Maisie realized Shinoa hit a nerve.
"You saw it too, right Yoichi?" Shinoa asked.
"Me? Well… yeah" Yoichi said honestly.
"Stop paying attention to the small things!" Shiho shouted.
"They weren't the only ones who saw it, Kimizuki!" Yuu teased.
"Now that you mention it" Maisie teased.
"Not you too!" Shiho growled. Maisie felt herself laugh for a second before a piercing pain in her bottom lip.
"Shit!" Maisie muttered as she covered her mouth. Damn it! My fangs!
"Are you okay?" Yoichi asked. Maisie tensed up as her fangs retracted once more and she removed her hand from her mouth.
"Yeah, I just bit my lip" Maisie sighed as she showed him the tiny smear of blood on her hand. "I think I'll live"
"Ouch. That looks like it hurts" Shinoa frowned.
"It's nothing" Maisie assured.
"Don't get too comfortable" Guren warned. "These demons are much stronger than those used to created regular cursed gear" He looked at the group. "If you let your guard down for an instant it'll kill you"
"Yeah, I already know" Yuu said in a tone matching Guren's. It was then that the elevator doors opened.
"Welcome to the edge of Hell" Guren said in a serious tone. The area was octagon with seven sides having carvings of demon masks above pits of sand with weapons in each of them. In front of each pit was a red rope, some kind of circle and a set of stairs. Their teacher stayed behind in the elevator waving as everyone else walked out of the elevator.
"What is this, a temple?" Yuu asked.
"It's the home of the thing you want most of all" Guren confirmed. "The highest ranking weapons with demon kings sealed inside them are kept here"
"The highest ranking, huh?" Yuu asked. Yuu kept his eye on the middle weapon out of the whole bunch. "So, if I have one of these, I can kill all the vampires?"
"That depends on your personal skill" Guren clarified.
"Okay, but they're all the same as your sword, right?"
"Yes, the rare black demon series" Guren said as he turned towards them. "Quit asking questions. Let's get started. I have better things to do than hang out in a dark cellar with a couple of newbies"
"Fine, what do I have to do?" Yuu said stubbornly.
"Pick a weapon you like and enter the spell circle" Guren explained. "Once you touch the weapon, the contract ceremony will begin automatically. If you don't lose to the demon, you'll gain it's power."
"And what if we do lose?" Shiho bravely asked.
"You'll either become a man eating monster or the demon's power will crush your soul and kill you" Guren said bluntly.
"Awesome" Maisie cringed.
"It's not pleasant. Either way, you're dead. If you start to go monster on us, I'll kill you myself" Guren chuckled.
Yuu chuckled as he headed up one of the stairs and walked into a spell circle. "Fine by me. I've been waiting a long time for a chance like this" Yuu said with determination. "Besides, I'd rather fight with a demon than sit through another boring lecture"
Maisie gulped as she heard what no one else could hear Yuu say.
"The vampires will suffer. For Mika and my family I will slaughter every last one of them" Yuu looked at the demon face. "That's the only thing I still live for."
"Then draw" Guren muttered as the other two boys approached their weapons. "And it'll begin."
Yuu grabbed the sword and shouted "Alright you bastard, let's dance! Give me your power!"
When Yuu drew the sword, the spell circle lit up green. The same happened to the other boys and all three passed out on the spell circles.
"I guess I should choose" Maisie said. Suddenly, she was thrown across the room, her body slamming into the elevator, leaving a small, but visible dent. Guren started laughing.
"That's funny" Guren said as he continued laughing. Maisie shook off the shock as she climbed to her feet, only to have Guren's sword aimed at her neck.
"Why would I give a vampire a cursed gear?"
