The trio sat in Shubuo's tent talking about the advantages both races had. "The war started many centuries ago. The leader of the werewolves, Shuhan and I were lifelong friends on earth. One day a mysterious being accompanied by the Grim Reaper came and told us that our condition was the doing of the other's race. The problem is that is not at all true, Hell's Disease is something that you usually contract from other demons, though I don't know how any of them contract it without actually turning into one or the other. My guess is when you two went into the Temple of Pain and Torment and when you fought those demons for the swords, you contracted it from them. Anyway, Shuhan and I attempted to calm our races saying that there is no way that could happen, but obviously it did not work. The old man then poisoned the leader of the werewolf tribe at that time, and blamed the leader of the vampire tribe. That is where the rift started," began Shubuo.
"Did anyone see the old man poison the werewolf?" asked Kantanshi, more curious about his technique than anything else.
"I was the only one, and when Shuhan heard about the poisoning he must have taken control over the werewolves, and unfortunately the two of us have never talked since that day," replied the vampire leader with a tear in his eye.
"So we just have to convince Shuhan, the werewolves, and vampire armies that this is all a big misunderstanding…" Shadow-Blade mentioned.
"Easier said than done, most of the time…" started Shubuo.
"Hush, there is something lurking outside that should not be there. Shadow-Blade you go out the front and see if you can distract him, I'll use the usual ways to capture him," said Kantanshi taking control of the situation.
""I'll have the interrogation rooms prepared by the time you two return," replied the vampire leader in a low whisper.
Kantanshi and Shadow-Blade looked at each other, "Highly unlikely," replied Shadow-Blade grinning with excitement.
Shadow-Blade drew his father's sword as Kantanshi snuck out the back making himself unnoticeable. Shadow-Blade encountered the intruder first and ran at him with the look to kill. The intruder not knowing anything else to do drew a short blade and a knife and engaged Shadow-Blade. Kantanshi snuck up behind the intruder and put him into a choke hold. The intruder was not a typical human, like he looked. He threw Kantanshi over his shoulder and howled. Shadow-Blade ran in full force, but the intruder blocked Shadow-Blade's attacks. Kantanshi drew a knife from his boot, tested the edge and smothered it with the poison that he retrieved from Shadow-Blade. Kantanshi threw the knife at the back of Shadow-Blade as Shadow-Blade engaged the intruder again.
"Shadow-Blade DUCK!" shouted Kantanshi at his partner. Before Shadow-Blade even knew what was going on, he was on the ground ready to hamstring the intruder as if by some off chance Kantanshi missed. The knife stuck the intruder in the left shoulder, who howled in pain.
Shadow-Blade went to hamstring him, but the intruder jumped into the air and pulled out a short bow and aimed at Kantanshi. Not waiting around to see what was about to happen, Kantanshi focused on where he wanted to go and appeared behind the intruder and struck him in the back of the head. The intruder's arrow fired hitting a lone watchman vampire, which brought the small fight to the attention of every other vampire in the camp. Vampires were grabbing nearby swords and running to the fight. One decided that Shadow-Blade was the enemy as well and attacked him. Shadow-Blade quickly killed one of the vampires leading the attack as well the three that followed. Kantanshi drew his knife from the intruder's shoulder and stabbed him at the base of the spine. The intruder fell to the ground paralyzed. Kantanshi drew Torment, placed his hand on the edge of the sword to draw out its full power for the fight, when Shubuo came from a nearby structure and yelled, "HALT!"
Kantanshi removed his hand from Torment, Shadow-Blade stood at the ready to attack any who disobeyed the Shubuo, and Shubuo came to stand beside the two assassins.
"I told you any who attacked this werewolf would answer to me, assuming he lets you live, now do you all wish to die or are u going to return to your posts?" asked Shubuo with more authority that he had spoken with earlier that day. The warriors left the area and returned to what they were doing. Shubuo found the intruder with Kantanshi's knife in his back. "Nice, we want information and you kill him, good shot Shadow-Blade," said the vampire leader.
"Actually that was me," state Kantanshi, "And we can still get information out of him, it's a weak poison that causes temporary paralysis, let's get him to a room where we have complete control, before I remove the knife and start the treatment. By the way, Shadow-Blade, I'll need a sample of your blood before we treat him."
"What? Why?" asked the werewolf.
"Because I've treated you for this poison before, and I don't have my antidotes with me at the moment, don't worry it's a small cut and a short procedure," replied Kantanshi.
The trio dragged their paralyzed hostage down to a large dimly lit room, with two beds and chains lying around the room as well as other torture devices. Shubuo tied the prisoner down and rotated the bed so that he was facing the center of the room. Kantanshi returned the knife to his boot where he had originally pulled it from, and loosened his coat and doubled checked his pockets for poisons and other items he would need. Kantanshi drew a knife from one of the benches and cut Shadow-Blade's arm to and took 5 drops of blood into a vial. Shadow-Blade bound his arm to stop the bleeding. Kantanshi found a few dried herbs in his coat crushed them and mixed them with the blood sample. Then gave it to the prisoner, who refused it, so Shadow-Blade took out his father's sword and stabbed the prisoner in the knee causing him to scream in pain, so Kantanshi poured the drink down his throat.
"Give it a few seconds to kick in, he'll be fine in no time," said Kantanshi, "For future reference Shadow-Blade, it seems that all of us still have most of our human traits."
"Really, what makes you say that?" asked Shubuo.
"This poison, is meant to incapacitate a victim, if left untreated it'll kill them, this is one of the last poisons I made before I died. I used something similar to this on one of our last missions on Earth, against the guards, Remember when they were chasing us Shadow-Blade?" Replied Kantanshi.
"Yeah, but I thought it killed them quicker…" said Shadow-Blade.
"That was a more concentrated form I used on Earth, this one causes local paralysis and then as the body tries to close the wound it starts to spread, if it spreads too fast it'll reach the heart and kill the victim, but if it spreads slowly enough, it makes for quite a painful death…Looks like he's awake," stated Kantanshi changing the subject.
The three looked at the intruder each with their own ideas of what to do to them. Kantanshi went over to the bench and started grind some herbs into a fine powder. Shadow-Blade began sharpening his father's sword then thought better of it and drew pain. As Shadow-Blade removed Pain from its sheath the intruder's eyes grew large and wild.
"So…you know this sword Pain do you?" ask Shubuo, "I would like to know what you know of this sword."
The intruder remained silent. The only sound that could be heard was the grind of Kantanshi's mortar and pestle as he continued to mix a new concoction. The sound of stone on stone was enough to drive anyone crazy, but this intruder was no ordinary enemy. The grind eventually annoyed Kantanshi so much that he stopped and continued his mash by hand.
"Do you know who I am?" asked Shubuo in a very patient voice, "I could send you up to my men who would have you so full of holes you would be confused for a pin cushion."
The vampire stood up only to have a throwing knife whizz past his head and nearly strike the intruder in the left shoulder. Kantanshi stood up with his mixture in the mortar and pestle again. This time he walked over to the intruder and began grinding the herbs again. The man cringed with agony as blood began to run down his shoulder. Kantanshi took a pinch of the mixture and packed it into the wound, the only thing that could be heard for miles was the prisoner's scream. Shubuo stood walked over to Kantanshi once the screaming had subsided, but before he could ask anything Shadow-Blade was behind him with a hand on the vampire leader's shoulder.
"Let's leave the interrogation to us, we've had more practice at it," said Shadow-Blade with a cruel grin on his face. Shubuo deciding he did not have the stomach for whatever it was the two assassins had in store for the poor man. Shubuo went up stairs to get the reports from his men while Kantanshi and Shadow-Blade did what they had to do to get information.
Shadow-Blade sat on a stool testing the edge of Pain as Kantanshi tried everything he could think of with the supplies they had. Kantanshi had stabbed the man multiple times, tried various poisons both tested and untested on the man and finally when he was about to turn it over to his partner for a time, Pain spoke out.
"A sacrifice of blood will awaken, a power beyond comprehension, suffering is the only way for the master to gain complete control." Said the sword.
"Hmmm, curious…." Said Shadow-Blade.
"We can discuss that later if you want to, I think it's about time I tag out to you, my hands are growing numb from all the torment I've attempted to inflict on him. Shadow-Blade stood up with a jagged knife in his hand, one of the things he had retrieved from the werewolf camp. This dagger was used to rip through the muscles of an enemy, it was originally of Kantanshi's design. It had groves for liquid types of poisons, but Shadow-Blade had never really used it unless they were trying to get information. Usually he placed small amounts of water on the blade in order to scare the victims, this time; however, Shadow-Blade had another idea.
"Kantanshi, what is your most painful poison that you have on you right now?"
"I don't have any right this second…and my hands are numb and aching from all the mixing I've been doing, but I can give you the ingredients and you can mix a poison to use…" replied the assassin rubbing his hands.
"Sure, but do you have any that if mixed wrong would kill the victim?" asked Shadow-Blade looking the pestle and mortar over with a cruel gleam in his eye.
"Any of the poisons I use mixed incorrectly can kill the victim quicker than intended, but of the ones I have here, it won't do us much good to have them mixed wrong…except that it would be for the most painful death a person could endure," replied Kantanshi, seeing where this was going.
Kantanshi removed multiple dried herbs from the pouches he had found around the camp, as well as the ones that Shadow-Blade had given him. Shadow-Blade knowing his partner all too well, knew that odds are it was a fool proof recipe for an untreated poison, but it would hopefully be enough to scare the intruder into talking. Kantanshi pulled out the herbs in plain view of the intruder and instructed Shadow-Blade how to mix them; Shadow-Blade purposefully mixed them in a completely random and incorrect order only to get yelled at by Kantanshi. Once the mixture was finished he added it to the knife and walked over to the intruder who was now shaking with fear.
"I was sent by the werewolf over lord, Shuhan, to hunt and kill any traitors, and you Shadow-Blade look like the biggest traitor of them all, it will be the death of you once I get out of here." With that, the man turned into a werewolf and damaging the bonds that held him, he dropped a smoke bomb to cover his escape, only to have Kantanshi right in his face with Torment drawn. Torment, who was only half awake at this time, began to glow red, with anticipation of new bloodshed, Kantanshi held the tip of the demon sword to the werewolf's throat waiting for him to move, only to hear Shadow-Blade scream in pain. The intruder werewolf ran towards the scream with a small dagger drawn, to kill Shadow-Blade, but Shadow-Blade dodged the attack and screamed in pain again. The intruder lunged at Shadow-Blade, who deftly dodged the attack again only to scream in pain. Kantanshi, still partially blinded by the smoke listened for the movement of the spy, then he realized what was going on, Shadow-Blade had awakened Pain…what a time for that. Kantanshi drew out Torment's power that seemed to become all the more powerful. Pain reacted to this release of power and mixed with Torment, torturing Shadow-Blade's mind. Shadow-Blade saw what he had never wanted to see again, his entire family estate soaked in blood, his family dead, a young man, who had been a close friend, ran through with multiple spears and a black powder lining the floor. Then Shadow-Blade saw the same vision that Kantanshi had seen, of a shadowed figured making a deal with Satan himself, for the blood of innocents, the shadow would gain immortality. Shadow-Blade coming out his trance looked at Pain, who was black with red tints on the blade, Shadow-Blade sliced his hand a second time only have a small pain course through his body and expel, knocking both Kantanshi and the other werewolf into nearby walls, Kantanshi rose up and stated, "torture my enemy…" as he said this Torment turned into thousands of tiny little blades slicing the werewolves, but Pain created a barrier to defend his master against the attack. The werewolf that had originally entered the camp, and they had attempted to get information out of, was sliced and the next thing anyone knew the werewolf was screaming in pain with tormented memories, curled in a small ball in the corner as Kantanshi and Shadow-Blade walked over to him. Shadow-Blade looked at Pain and ran the werewolf through, with a final scream, Pain absorbed the vast about of blood, turned dark red and fell back into a normal state.
"Well that was productive…." Stated Kantanshi, "you woke up your sword, we have minimal information, and we've killed someone…all before lunch…hungry?"
"Sure, I know I saw something to eat when I entered, we should probably go tell Shubuo what happened though," replied Shadow-Blade sheathing Pain.