Tatsumi, Run, Wave, Bols, Seryu and Kurome were thrown together into a cell. In the cell they could barely see their hands in front of their face, it was that dark but instead of shrieking and panicking everyone kept quiet. That is what frightened Tatsumi the most. he quickly examined the walls trying to see if perhaps the walls or the floor had any weakness but he knew it to be useless. Evne if he found one he was too weka without his Teigu to break through.
"What is gonna happen to us?" asked Seryu but when he turned around to look at her he couldn't see her becuase of the darkness so instead he guessed her position by where the sound of her voice was coming from. Even if he didn't se eher he wanted to talk to where she was instead of talking to the darkness.
"We are going to get tortured then executed." said Run as calmly as if he said "It's tea time."
"But why? We didn't do anything." reasoned Seryu.
"They don't care about justice Seryu. The Empire stopped caring about justice when Honest took power." Tatsumi said it while he was banging on the door with all his strenght. He couldn't let Esdeath get tortured and all his friends be killed. "Night Raid, the Jaegers and… Esdeath. I have to save them, no, I will save them. I will find a way." he thought to himself as he continued banging on the door.
Tatsumi wished he had his Incursio. He had been training almost every day the last month until he couldn't feel his arms so he would root here and watch everyone he loved die. No, he would find a way to get out and save everyone. He continued banging on the door for hours, until his fists hurt so much that he couldn't open them. Tatsumi couldn't feel his fist, he only felt an excruciating there. THat was the onyl sign that he had hands. Tatsumi slumped down on hte floor and leaned agaisnt a wall. He almost lost all hope.
Meanwhile in an other part of the Imperial dungeon...
Lubbock's heart was beating faster than ever as the door opened and Syura entered the gloomy chamber. It wasn't any chamber though. It was a torure chamber. Lubbock looked at Syura while putting on his bravest face but Syura only laughed.
"You seem brave. I wonder for how long it will last? I'm guessing you won't talk?" ased him Syura as he picked up one of the tools from a nearby table and approached Lubbock who was striped of his clothes, left onyl in his undergarments and tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Lubbock could barely see the scalpel until it cut his chest and Lubbock screamed out in pain. Syura didn't stop thought and right after that first long cut he made another and to Lubbock it felt like his chest was on fire. Syura only stopped after ten cuts and gave Lubbock time to breathe.
"Are you ready to talk now? If you talk I will kill you right now but if you don't talk I will just continue so please talk. As fun as this is I have someone special waiting for me in an other room and I promised her that I would enjoy her body. I really hope Suzuka and Dorothea will leave her in a good enough shape for me." said Syura and Lubbock tried to spit at him but he missed.
"Resistance is futile, even your little friend in the Jaegers is captured." said Syura and slapped Lubbock. Lubbock looked up when he heard that they captured Tatsumi. Maybe Lubbock was angry at Tatsumi and Tatsumi did betray them but he was still Lubbock's friend and he didn't want for Tatsumi to die.
"I don't know... who you're talking about." Lubbock managed to say with a smug smile and Syura hit him again.
"If you don't talk you will die a painful death and if you do you will meet your end quickly and painlessly. Tell me why do you suffer? What could be worth this pain?" asked Syura as he brought the scalpel closer to Lubbock's face.
Lubbock could have told Syura who he was enduring for and how foolish it was but Lubbock kept quiet. Lubbock knew that he would never see Najenda again and he remebered her every detail the day when he first saw her at his father's estate. Her braided long silver hair which fluttering in the wind, and when she looked at him with her beautiful purple eyes Lubba knew that he would either spend the rest of his life with her r trying to be with her. Lubbock didn't regret anything he did since that day. He only regreted that he never told Najenda why he really was following her. He wished that he could tell her right then and there but his wishes didn't matter. He was going to die. What mattered was Najenda and she cared deeply about the rebellion.
Syura probably wanted to know where the Rebellion army was located so thhat htey could destroy them and Lubbock was sure that he would break after some time under torure. He could neither tell Syura anything but neither could he endure torure so the onyl thing he could do was fight and die. As the scalpel was close to his face Lubbock knocked the chair he was tied to over and he fell to the ground knocking the scalpel out of Syura's ahnd and by some miracle Lubbock caught it with his tied hadns and he managed to cut the ropes whihc bound his hands.
As soon a she cut the ropes he slahsed at Syura's legs but Suyra dissapeared, he teleported away and Lubbock used the chance to cut the ropes on his legs and he got up on his unsteady feet, his vision a little blurry with the lack of food and when he hit his head against the stone floor. He looked around for Syura but unable to find him he went for the door when he felt something behind him and as he turned around he felt somehting goign through his chest. Lubbock tried to say something but he couldn't breaht much less talk. He saw Syuea laughing at him maniacally but Lubbock closed his eyes as he remembered Najenda. He wanted her to be the last thing he sees on this world to be her. When he envisioned her it felt like she was real and he didn't feel the cold at all until he went limp and passed on to the next world.
As Tatusmi was sitting in the darkness defeated it hit him. Maybe they couldn't get to their Teigus but their Teigus could come to them. He looked up and tried to see his comrades but he saw only darkness os he spoke to the darkness.
"We left all our Teigus at the HQ, right?" asked Tatsumi.
"Yeah, everyone except Esdeath for obvious reasons." murmured Wave. And everyine else grunted in approval. A smile formed at Tatsumi's lips.
"Hey Seryu, your Teigu can find you no matter where you are, right?" he asked Seryu.
"Yes but I don't see how that has any…oh wait, I see what you are getting at." she responded to him and it was like he could see her coming to the conclusion.
"Clever plan Tatsumi but it could be days before Koro got here and how would he enter the palace? If Koro can ind her it doesn't mean that he will come and search for her right away." Run said and crushed his last hope.
Tatsumi cursed. He hadn't thought about that. Tatsumi wanted Incursio, he wanted the power to tear down the cell door and save everyone who he loved and cared about. He then felt something in him. Something which sounded like the Tyrant's voice. Something which he hadn't heard since the island when Esdeath was nearly killed.
"Summon me." it whispered to him over and over again. Eery time a little louder and more aggressive and Tatsumi felt like he had the Incursio in it's dormant state, like the sword was in his palm. Tatsumi thought he was going crazy but what else could he do except try? So he took a deep breath and yelled on top of his lungs "Incursio!"
He then felt something ih his right hand and he looked at it in awe and saw Incursio in it's dormant form just liek he wished. The sword was shinning in the darkness while Tasumi looked dumbstruck at it. His hand was healed, he felt no pain whatsoever. Tatsumi raised the sword high and struck it with all his might into the ground beofre he felt Incursio enveloping around him. Incursio's encouraging embrace felt toTatsumi like the best thing in the whole world at that moment. Before he knew it he was in what remained of the powerful Tyrant to the astonishment of his comrades. He saw that even Kurome's mouth was hanging wide open. Then Tatsumi wondered how he could see Kuroem and he noticed that he could see in the dark. "This must mean that Incursio has evolved like it did when I first put it on." thought Tatsumi while enjoying his power, Incursio's power.
"H…how did you do that?" asked a bewildered Wave probably hoping he could do the same with his own Teigu.
"I do not know but this is our way out. We will escape. I am going to bust this door open. Seryu, you have weapons inside you so you are going with Run and Wave to find and free Night Raid. Then you will together with Night Raid go to the Teigu storage and get all the Night Raid Teigus. And don't fight against Night Raid. Am I clear?" he put an edge on his voice like Esdeath did when she was giving orders. Before Seryu could respond though he turned towards Bols and Kurome and started barking orders at them in the same manner.
"Bols, Kurome you are going to the Jaegers HQ to get our or rather your Teigus. They know we will be going for our Teigu once we break out so you need to be careful. In the meanwhile I am going to find Esdeath." Tatsumi turned towards the door hopng to inspire his comrades andfriends even further but it made no diffrence because no one except him could see in the darkness.
"We will rendezvous at the new temple they are building in the slums. There aren't any guards there at night." He said and he kicked the door down like it was made of wood instead of thick and sturdy metal. Two guards came at them right away, confirming the reputation of the palace guards, but Tatsumi turned invisible and snapped their necks from behind. He couldn't risk leaving them alive. Everyone got to the role they were assigned and Tatsumi went down the corridor through which they were brought. He couldn't evne think about what was happening to Esdeath. After a while Tatsumi got to the point where Esdeath was taken from the rest of the group and he turned that way.
He came upon a large metal door which was made out black metal and it was as if he sensed that what he was searching for was in there. He turned invisble and slowly pushed against the door. It opened with an painfully loud creak as Tatsumi enterd the room which he guessed to be a torture chamber. He saw instruments of all kinds lined up, all of them with only one thing in common.
They were made to inflict as much pain as possible. In his mind appeared images of Esdeath being tortured but he supressed them as he didn't know what he would do if they were true. The room at least was empty so Tatsumi had enough time to look around. The room was like a preparation room and he guessed that the six doors lead to the torture chamber.
Tatsumi opened one door, then another door and another but he only found one blood stained chamber after another until there was only one door left. Tatsumi was about to slowly open the door when he heard a muffled scream and although it was impossible to recognize the voice by that alone he knew. He threw open the door, summoned his spear into his left hand and jumped not even looking. When he was inisde what Tatsumi saw in the room would haunt him for a long time.
Esdeath in her undergarmets was tied to a post and behind her stood the the girl in the red dress from the throne room, the one who was part of Wild Hunt. Beside the girl was one of the Rakshasa Demons, she wore loose clothes and only one of her breasts was covered by a breast guard and she also ahd black hair but Tatusmi paid her no atteniton. In the middle of the room was a pillar made out fo rough wood and tied to it was Esdeath. She was only in her panties and bikini and she had several whip wounds on her back from which she was bleeding. When she heard the door opening she looked up and he saw that the left side fo her face was swollen from a severe beating.
Tatsumi could only look at the open wounds on Esdeath's back, it was like he was hypnotised by them. He wondered where the whip wiht which she was beaten with was and he looked at the two girls who were behind Esdeath and glaring at him. Then only did he notice that the girl in the dress had the whip in her hand. That snapped Tatsumi out of his trance like state and he got back to reality.
Tatsumi wanted to tear them apart like a wild animal, to beat their heads into the floor until only mash was left. He looked at the girl in the dress and she smiled at him before jumping towards him with great speed looking like she was going to bite him but Tatsumi sparred with Esdeath and the girl was nothing compared to Esdeaht's speed.
Sidesteping her attack and Tatsumi hit her with his armored fist in the head, using all his force, hoping that he would not break but shatter her skull. She didn't flew off as he expected though and netiehr did eh hear bones snapping but instead she launched a punch of her own into his gut which even through the armor Tatsumi felt. That was when Tatusmi snapped. The voice in his head guided him. He was its instrument. The Rakshasa demon attacked from behind but Tatsumi threw an elbow in her face then kicked the girl in the dress.
Both girls flew back this time and both were slammed into a wall with a satisfyign thud. Tatsumi used the spear which he held in his left hand which was waiting patiently to participate in the bloodshed. He threw it at the Rakshasa girl who had somehow grown her nails to unhuman lenght. The girl was against a wall and as she was to attack Tatsumi the spear hit her and slamed into the wall, holding her traped there, stuck in her abdomen. Tatsumi would later deal with her.
He passed Esdeath who was looking at him with tired eyes. Tatsumi got to the girl who was still on the floor picking her up by her neck he lifted her until her feet couldn't reach the floor. He took ehr head between his ahdns and he applied pressure, hearing a crackign sound and he saw her expression of pain while she was biting at his armored hand without success, unable to pierce Incursio. He saw her die right in his hands and Tatsumi felt grim satisfaction. He couldn't feel her pulse anymore,and her skull was cracekd so he let her lifeless body drop to the floor. Then Tatsumi turned his attention back to the Rakshasa demon and ran towards her while she was still struggling with his spear stuck in her stomach.
His fist conected with her head in an crunching noise and he continued punching like his hands weren't his own, maybe he could have stopped but instead he let the voice guide him and he hit her while her nails were trying to pierce his armor. She raised her hand and her nails struck him into the shoulder, where his armor was thin but he didn't feel a thing even when a stream of blood went past his eyes and he was usre it was his. He somehow managed to look at the girl in front of him on the floor while he was beating her like a rabid dog.
She was beaten, almost dead, and she was crying which made Tatsumi stop, it took all of his willpower to stop. He took his spear out of her guts and aimed it for her head deciding to grant her mercy before he felt something jump at his back and bite at his neck. He started going backwards, hoping to slam against a wall before the mysterious attacker penetrated his armor. He slamed against the wall just about as the figure was to penetrate it and the figure dropped from him.
Tatsumi turned around he saw the girl in the dress alive and snarling at him with great fangs from her mouth like she was a vampire. "How is she alive?" he asked himself as he was now himself and the voice inside his head was quiet. The vampire girl threw a punch at him but he caught her fist and applied force so he heard her bones snapping.
"This time I will finish the job." he said to her in a raspy voice. He threw her at the floor and aimed his spear at her neck and he struck . The head came of in one motion and it rolled to the side. One of her dead eyes looked like it was following him but he kicked the head. It bounced off a wall and stopped in a corner.
He returned to the female Rakshasa demon who was moaning in pain and he thought about leaving her to die a painful death but decided against it. Tatsumi wasn't a monster. He brought the spear down and her moans abruptly stopped. He went to Esdeath's side, she looked up at him and he removed his helmet with only a thought. Tatsumi now could control his armor better than ever before he realized.
Her eyes had a tired look to them, or rather her one eye because one eye was swollen and seh couldn't see on that one. Esdeath looked like she was feeling a great deal of pain. Esdeath opened her mouth to speak but Tatsumi put a finger on her lips and shook his head and she closed it. He pated Esdeath's head assuring her that everything was going to be alright and Tatsumi went to the girl in the dress and took her Teigu from her severed head putting it in one of his pockets. Tatsumi dismissed Incursio and took of his shirt, using ti cover Esdeath before he summoned Incursio again. He took Esdeath into his arms making sure to be gentle as to not hurt her any more. He carried her out of the dungeons and out of the castle.
There weren't many guards there but the ones who were at their stations gave Tatsumi almost no trouble. They were sleepy as it was the middle of the night and had no Teigus so they were no match for Tatsumi. He got to the meeting point and noticed that Bols and Kurome were alredy there. Now they only had to wait for Night Raid and the rest of the Jaegers. Esdeath meanwhile feel asleep in his arms after they gave her first aid. Tatsumi was ahppy he was in Incursio so no one noticed he was crying.
Author's note: I really wasn't sure who was going to die here but I knew that someone needed to die and Lubbock was the unfortunate one. Poor Lubba. I hope I managed to get Lubbock's character right. Please tell me what you think and I hope you enjoyed this chapter or at least that you weren't too sad! :)