XXX

Part 20 – Skillout

XXX

Mikoto sighed and stretched her sore body. "Finally~"

She was currently descending the pompous staircase of the Judgment headquarters. After rigorous interviews and questions from a couple of Judgment officers who looked like they'd rather be anywhere but with her, she'd finally earned her freedom.

She'd never been to a proper Judgment headquarters before Gilmore's fortress, but the word "proper" didn't quite seem to fit that place. What a shock it had been to see Daisy as the acting high commander here. Mikoto looked up at the majestic statues lining the entrance, whom all had titles like generals or knights or commanders. Man upon man, until finally a longhaired beauty with a raised sword and a vamp's head crushed under her foot. The pedestal said DAISY ODINSDOTTER and the year of her beginning time as high commander was carved beneath. Mikoto stared up at the bronze face, trying to imagine the little girl become this woman and finally turn into the greyhaired toughskin they'd met in there. She'd been through a lot… it'd been fifty years, after all. And while Mikoto slinked away from the world and everyone in it, Daisy had risen up to grab at the highest possible goal.

It'd felt like she'd been facing someone twice her age, in there.

"And she kept Kuroko too…" Mikoto sighed. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't bust Kuroko out of there without starting something bigger than she wanted to handle right now. She didn't remember them exactly, since she'd seemed to be asleep or dazed or spelled or something (according to Kuroko at least), but Daisy had some scary-sounding warriors under her command. Mikoto was tempted to try them out, but out of concern for Kuroko's mental health she better not. Her lover had seemed stressed enough about having to redeem herself in Judgment's eyes, but the obvious gesture from Daisy wasn't lost on either of them.

The commander had let them go. Compassion, kindness, blackmailing for later? Mikoto couldn't tell.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Someone walked up beside Mikoto, a young girl in Judgment uniform. She couldn't be older than ten.

"You think so?" Mikoto asked.

"Yeah! She's my hero! I'm gonna be just like her when I get old." The girl grinned with two missing teeth.

"So you don't want to be a vampire, huh?"

"Naaaaah. Then I'd have to be like Mugino-san, and she's so scary."

The name sent a shudder down Mikoto's spine. All of the sudden, every wound on her body itched. More than Daisy, more than whatever secret weapons the Judgment headquarters possessed, Meltdowner frightened her like an unknown demon in the dark.

"Don't you think?" the girl said, innocently looking up at her.

Mikoto didn't meet her gaze, and tried to hide the sudden paleness of her face. "Y-Yeah. You better stick to Judgment."

The girl stared. "Heeeey. You're a vampire, aren't you?"

"Mm." Mikoto clenched her hand. "But I don't like her either."

"She's really scary, so I understand that. But don't worry! We're here to defend you from guys like that." The girl put a proud fist to her chest. "If you ever feel scared, just come here! We have defenses that even matriarchs can't get past!"

Somehow, that didn't make her feel any less worried. "Hm, I'll remember that." Mikoto looked down at her and ruffled her head. "Sorry to keep you. I'm heading out, so you should go along."

"I only have sword practice in half an hour!" she quipped, but skipped along anyway. Halfway across to the entrance she stopped and turned and waved. "Bye vampire-girl!"

Mikoto raised a hand in a half-hearted wave back.

"Girl, huh…"

Fifty years, give or take, and her body hadn't changed at all. Except for maybe becoming more robust, like a log slowly hardening under the dry sun. Speaking of the sun, she could probably double as one right now, walking light bulb and all. The itching was driving her crazy.

I'm not sure I can take another hit like that… As she walked back outside the walls and stood on the sidewalk, her mind returned to Mugino and she wanted to kick herself. So what if she's the one who turned me? If you can't think about anything else, what kind of pathetic joke are you? How about paying that weaponsmith a visit and giving him a piece of your mind?

She smacked a hand to her face. Really? That was the only thing she could come up with, more shenanigans? Besides, she'd already left Kazari for far too long. She should get back.

"Excuse me, do you know where the Protestant Church of Catholics is? Excuse me!" On the other side of the street, a guy with spiky hair desperately asked any passerby's while carrying a map and looking definitely lost. That guy… It was the guy from the market square. That same weird dumbass who had challenged one of Mugino's slaves and somehow survived. Mikoto couldn't summon the energy to deal with him right now. Kazari was waiting, probably scared and anxious if she was still trapped in that doll. With more determination than she felt, she strode purposefully into the street.

"Look out!" Someone pulled her back just in time. A moose-pulled cart swerved as it tried to avoid her. The driver cursed after her as it continued down the street.

"You should watch where you go, short-hair!" The person who'd pulled her back was familiar too. She was clad in a white nun dress and smiled up at Mikoto. A shopping bag hung over her shoulder.

"Eh," Mikoto huffed disinterestedly. The cart would've taken more damage than her anyway. Instead of getting put out by the dismissal however, the girl's eyes lit up.

"Hey! You're the vamp we helped at the market square! Where are your shopping bags?"

"I'm not always out shopping."

She wasn't listening, grabbing Mikoto's sleeve. "Come, come!" Before she knew it, Mikoto was being pulled across the street.

"Touma, Touma, I found the kraken shop!" The nun waved a squid toy in the air and Mikoto realized her bag was absolutely packed with them. "And I found short-hair too!"

"That's great, Index-san…" He did not at all sound enthusiastic and tossed an apologetic look at Mikoto. "Sorry, but you don't happen to know where we can find the Protestant Church of Catholics, do you?"

"The what now?"

"Figured…"

"Well, I'm new here too. Why don't you ask Judgment?"

"Um… yeah, you see…"

"Touma's got a troublesome past with Judgment." Index nodded sagely.

"Eeeeeh." Mikoto's grin grew lopsided. "What a coincidence. Because of you, I just had to spend an eternity in that dreary place and now I'm bored." Grinning, she slapped her fist into her hand, letting off a bunch of sparks. "You have no idea how much pent-up stress I need to get rid of right now."

"Errrr…"

"Let's see you pull off that weird-ass trick this time!" She stepped forward, and Index raised her hands.

"XYZV!"

Mikoto's body suddenly jerked aside. "What—"

"WASD!" The nun yelled and Mikoto's arms rose into the air while her legs locked in place.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

The nun's grin was annoyingly satisfied. "Huh-huh! My magic can control your movements!"

"How is that even possible!?"

"A!" The girl yelled and Mikoto stumbled sideways; her forehead twitched. A torrent of lightning flew all over the sidewalk and all the pedestrians nearby dove for cover. The strange sensation in her body cut off, but so did her lightning without her consent.

The guy called Touma was holding his hand out and looking quite stressed.

Mikoto frowned. "Dispel magic?" He had been able to go one to one with an artisan. This guy was no joke.

He shook his hand and winced. "That was scary! Don't suddenly go all railgunny on random strangers!"

"You're no regular human. I kinda want to test you out now."

He gulped, without lowering his hand. Actually, maybe blowing off some steam on this guy who seemed like he could take quite a beating might not be so bad.

Someone tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me young lady, but is this man bothering you?"

"Eh?" It was the tiniest woman with a birdnest of grey hair. She used a cane for walking, or, Mikoto realized, to help guide her. The woman's unfocused eyes were obviously blind.

"I'll smack him with my cane if you want."

"Oh. No, I'm fine. Sorry, we're really making a scene, aren't we."

The milky white eyes didn't focus on anything, but the crooked woman smiled regardless.

"Oooh, don't worry. I was on my way to Judgment and I'm not as quick as I used to," she gnarled, "it's probably better if I stay out of any squabbles." She began limping along, straight for the road. Mikoto eyed the busy street between them and the headquarters.

"Uhm… you're going to Judgment?"

"Yes! This is the day! I've finally decided to apply for turning, and today is the day they accept new applications!" The old woman walked on while she talked with no regards to the carts and moose thundering past.

"Wait!" Mikoto dove forward and grabbed her by the arm.

"Oh my, I've no time for waiting around! Once this old hag has decided, there's no turning back, haha!" She kept trying to walk forward despite Mikoto's grip on her arm.

"Sheesh. I'll really feel bad if you're flattened right in front of my eyes, so I'll take you across the street."

"Um… while you're there, do you mind asking about the Protestant—"

"I'll ask about the stupid church so stop annoying me!"

The spiky-haired guy shut up, and Index the nun glared at her from behind his shoulder. Hold on, Kazari. Just got a minor holdup here. Mikoto sent a silent apology to her flowery-headed friend. Then she stepped onto the street and sent two carts screeching to a halt.

XXX

"I feel weird!" Uiharu squealed.

"What's – wrong?" Ruiko wheezed. She'd stopped to catch her breath and it was barely working.

"It feels like… like someone is touching me? N-Nunotaba-san!?"

"Where – are they touching?"

"Does it matter!?"

"I guess – not." Ruiko pulled a deep breath. "Damn, I thought being undead would give me amazing abilities like never getting tired and such!" Her legs burned as she forced them to move on. Not quite a run this time, but whatever took them closer to their destination. She'd crawl if she had to. Actually, that sounded pretty sweet right now.

Doll-Uiharu shifted on her shoulder. People were staring, even though Ruiko had buttoned up her shirt with what buttons remained. They were simply a sight that attracted attention.

"Maybe you're just making yourself tired by subconsciously thinking you should be?" Uiharu suggested helpfully.

"I could literally feel what you just said float into one ear and out the other."

A long sigh came from the doll, and Ruiko grinned slyly. I wouldn't mind hearing that sigh in another situation~

"S-Saten-san!?"

"Uh, you, you heard that?"

"Of course I did!"

"Uuuuh… wait, what did you hear?"

"Ugh!? F-Forget it! Ah! There it is!"

They'd reached a square that looked like nobody but the overgrown statue in the middle would want to settle down on. Most of the buildings nearby looked as shabby as the apartment complex, almost homely now. Just ahead was a two-story dark wooden building with a sign that read Fish Look. There was a covered cart in front of it.

"Looks like they're getting deliveries?"

"I didn't know Nunotaba-san had deliveries door-to-door… wait, they're bringing something out?"

One guy stood by the cart's opening with his arms crossed, a blue scarf tied around a massive bicep. Two more were leaving the café's entrance and with them was –

"Uiharu!" Ruiko stopped abruptly. She was absolutely not fit for another fight, but one of the men who exited the café had Uiharu slung over his shoulder. Ruiko exploded with movement.

"Leave Uiharu alone, you jeeeerrrrrrrrks!"

XXX

As expected, it went from helping the old lady across the street to helping her find the entrance to the Judgment headquarters, then waiting around the front desk until they were handed an application, and when she realized there was no way the blind woman could fill it out herself, Mikoto was already so deep into it she might as well go all the way. So she helped the lady fill out the application for being turned into a vamp ("Are you missing any body parts?" "Does my virginity count? Ehehehehe!"), and then they waited some more until they could deliver the application, and only then did Mikoto remember to ask about the church for those doofuses, who, of course, were long gone by the time she got back out.

"That was a waste of time," she muttered beneath her breath, while the old lady thanked the wall for being so patient with her. Now feeling a disturbing ache somewhere in her gut, Mikoto made haste across the rooftops rather than the crowded streets and returned to the square within minutes.

There, something didn't seem right. A group of people anxiously stood around Fish Look, scratching their heads and looking up at the store front. One of the tinted windows had been shattered, leaving a spiderweb of cracks along the surface. A backpack lay haphazardly discarded beneath it, and Mikoto's stomach did a strange flip upon recognizing it.

Saten-san…? The relief unleashed from that realization quickly gave way for new worry. With increasing urgency she approached the café and addressed a stubby balding man with a stomach as big as he was tall.

"What's going on?"

"Eeeeeh," he drawled so slowly Mikoto was tempted to shock it out of him, "I was jus' minding my own bus'ness, own the store right across the square you see, when sudd'nly WHAAAM!" He threw his arms out so his belly shook. "Explosion! Colors everywhere! Looked outside and there's this gang of folks strugglin' over a girl and a dancing cow, and I swear 'twas a gnome too, sparkling pink and red. I thought I'd check it out, but then I fell asleep."

Um…..

"Oh stop it," a hawk-nosed woman spat, "you were just hallucinating from the fumes in your shop again. That's what you get from importing all that dubious incense!"

"It is of high quality, I assure you, and how would you otherwise explain that cracked window, eh?" He leaned towards Mikoto as if to share a secret. "'Twas the cow."

"Stop your whispering nonsense. Who knows what that witch does in her spare time. I bet some of that brewery blew up."

"Where is Nunotaba?" Mikoto asked, deciding she'd heard enough. The woman flung her hands up.

"How would I know? No one wants to pull the door open and risk any of her security systems going off. That's why we're all trying to look through the windows. My sons are at it."

"I can't see anything," said one of the boys trying to peer inside. "Why'd she go and tint the windows, anyway?"

"Cause she's a freak!"

Mikoto strode past them, grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open a bit too hard, nearly yanking the entire knob out of the wood. The two boys whoooa'd and oooooh'd, whispering to their mother excitedly.

The café was a nightmare. A pool of blood decimated the floor, and drops of it painted the chairs and tables as well, as if it had sprayed over the interior. The furniture had been thrown about and several flasks and jars lay shattered on the floor.

"Woaaah, blood," the boys gasped as they entered, but Mikoto paid them no mind. Behind the counter, hanging on an empty shelf by the collar of her coat, was Nunotaba.

"Nunotaba!" Mikoto jumped onto the counter, pulling the witch down and bringing her to the floor. A deep flesh wound dominated her shoulder, pumping blood into the cloth of her coat. Mikoto held her tightly, as if her holding Nunotaba was the only thing keeping her alive.

"Who did this? Nunotaba!"

The witch's eyes opened into slits.

"Misaka-san…" She gasped, and Mikoto grabbed her hand while supporting her back. "We need to… discuss payment…"

"You're in no state to discuss anything! What happened?"

Nunotaba glanced to the side and Mikoto followed her gaze. On the wall was a message written in blood.

DEAR KINSLAYER

JOIN YOUR FRIENDS TONIGHT

AT THE ROYAL FEAST

Like a physical signature, a blue scarf was pinned to the wall beneath the text.

"How disgusting." The woman scrunched her hawk-nose. "Who in their right mind would do this? Let me see her, dear, she obviously needs the hands of a healer."

Mikoto didn't release her grip on Nunotaba at all, staring at the blue scarf. She knew that scarf well.

"Skillout…" Hazy memories, bloodcurling ones that may as well have belonged to a different life, emerged from deep in her mind. They were the feral part of Mugino's pack, organized criminals dealing with everything shady and questionable. That blue scarf stirred something dark and terrifying. She had run into their ranks several times before. Had hunted them.

"They came…" Nunotaba's voice grew weaker. "Took… your friend…"

At a certain woman's orders, no doubt. Only that person would want to go after them with this much violence. That one person who made her stomach coil and her breath freeze whenever she thought of her.

'I turned a fucking worm that somehow reached matriarch status!'

'Technically, you're still my pack member.'

She knew it'd come to this. Sooner or later, one way or another, Meltdowner would come after her again. And all the time in the world would not have been enough to prepare.

This was worse. Mugino had struck way below the belt.

"She knew we were gone. They knew Kazari was here all alone."

Nunotaba said nothing, her energy was quickly ebbing.

Mikoto didn't need her to speak to know however. Kazari was a planned target, but Saten-san had been here too. She'd come back; that was why the backpack was out there. She'd returned only to be taken away once more. Probably while protecting Kazari. Why? What goal did Meltdowner have for doing this? There was no clear reason for why she wanted to ruin their lives. Why she'd done any of the things she'd done. Was there any way to reason with that old hag at all?

"Sweetie, she needs medical attention." The lady beside her put a hand on her shoulder. Mikoto tensed and had to fight back a growl.

No, don't let her get the better of you. This is a trap. She wants you to come to her; wants to finish what she started. She forced her hands to unclench around Nunotaba's clothes. Then she gently put her down. The witch had closed her eyes and her breathing was labored; Mikoto's hands were smeared with blood.

I couldn't stop her last time, and now it's come to this. I'm so sorry, Nunotaba…

"Sorry. Please take care of her." Her voice was rough as a rock, and the hawk-eyed woman glared at her dubiously. Mikoto walked past her, the two sons and the balding man, who jumped aside as she passed, as if bitten by something in the air. Mikoto didn't notice. Her head was thumping too much. Every step caused the red haze at the edge of her eyes to grow denser.

Anyone threatening her friends…

Anyone hurting those she loved…

XXX

Ruiko plucked another piece of glass from her arm.

"Jeez, I can't believe that didn't work."

"I suppose you need to learn how to summon it," Uiharu said with her weird echoing voice. Ruiko glanced at the one-eyed doll, then at the Uiharu beside her, leaning onto her shoulder in a deep slumber. "And they did point a gun to my head, so I'm sort of glad you actually listened to them."

"Well… at least my two Uiharus are both safe and sound!"

"I keep telling you, there's still only one of me! I'm just stuck in the doll!"

"Sure. Aaaaand we're stuck in a cage. So that's nice."

Thick black bars obscured their view of the room. The cage was just tall enough for Ruiko to sit cross-legged. Outside of it, a large kitchen spanned out. Fires crackled in fireplaces, large cauldrons steaming above them. A few people in aprons stirred the cauldrons or worked on cutting up meat to put in them, while others carried boxes of vegetables and crossed off lists as each one was counted.

When Ruiko's new Airblaster technique didn't work, they had been overpowered and thrown into a cage in the back of the cart. The vampires, because there was no doubt that's what they were, made sure to strip them of all weapons; even Ruiko's handcuffs (courtesy of Anti-Skill) had been broken apart and removed. Once the carriage stopped, they'd been carried inside a huge, mind-blowing castle, and into a kitchen where they seemed to be preparing some kind of feast. Next to them, a cooking stove made slow work of whatever was in the cauldron. The smell was actually pretty pleasant, but the idea of joining whatever was in there killed any sort of appetite.

Ruiko had never been to the castle before, but she knew Pihs Looc was the old capital of Feldspar – back when the country still had a royal family, more than one hundred and fifty years ago. Maybe these vampires were the ones who had eaten them up.

"I thought the banquet was supposed to be this Saturday." She wondered aloud, and the answer came from outside the cage.

"It is. This is just the warmup. A Skillout feast, if you want." A huge man came strolling into view right in front of their cage while sharpening a huge knife. He wore a large apron over his equally large belly and his head was shaved apart from a stripe of hair which gathered into a tail on his neck. His large fangs glinted in the firelight. "No worries lil' girl, I'm not gonna chop you up. This knife here is for turoks."

He turned toward the table behind him and stuck the knife into the wooden surface. Then he bent over so his pants slid down his butt and pulled something from a box on the floor and slung it onto the table. It was a small turok pig, which he began chopping into sizeable pieces with the giant knife.

"Hey," Ruiko said, "we kinda got involved in something weird, but do you know how long we gotta stay here?"

"I dunno. I don't care." He tossed the head away and turned towards the cauldron, dropping pieces of meat into it. He looked at it for a second, hands on his waist. While he did, one of the other chefs approached him.

"Al, we need to start with the sauce to make it in time for dinner."

"Alright, everything's under control. Remember, this is like a test run before the big day! Let's give the Skillout boys and Mugino-sama their best meal yet. We'll have 'em converted to veggies in no time."

"And the sauce?"

"Needs an extra kick of course." Al gestured to the cage where Ruiko and Uiharu sat. "We already have the blood supply."

"Eck!?" At Ruiko's outburst, he flashed them a grin.

"Just a lil bit, okay? The taste adds a lil edge to the meal, even for us veggies."

Ruiko stared at him as he put more pieces of meat into the giant cauldron. "So you're not going to eat us?"

"Hah! Well, I had a daughter your age once, so I don't feel much for harming you girls." He pulled out another turok from the box, then stopped and scratched his head. "Oh, that's right. Our matriarchs are kinda related too, right. I guess in a sense that makes you my nieces, huh? Haha!"

Before Ruiko could properly process that, a distant boom rocked the castle. Al the chef looked up and the other chefs shuffled uneasily.

"Hum. Guess she's here already."

"She's not gonna come here, right?" Someone asked, and Al snorted.

"Hanzou will have his Skillouts on the ready. There's no way they lured her here without a plan."

At Ruiko's side, Uiharu began fidgeting. "Misaka-san is coming for us! We need to get out of here."

"Easier said than done," said Ruiko, "even if we can get out there's a bunch of vamps here, and what about your body?"

"Ooooooh that's so annoying! I'm going to try once more!"

The doll stared up at the sleeping Uiharu.

"….."

The doll kept staring.

"…..Uiharu, you alright?"

"Shush!" The frustrated voice filled her head. "I'm trying to change back! It should be like this, but I can't find the slip." Whatever that meant, Ruiko was sure knowing would make her none the wiser. She imagined the doll slipping into Uiharu's body somehow, like melding into the stomach or sticking it's arm up her— "S-Saten-san! You're disturbing me!"

"I'm disturbed too! That seems like a really tight fit!"

"Eeeeeeeh? Y-You need to get your head out of t-that fantasy or whatever it is…"

Ruiko brushed Uiharu's real shoulder thoughtfully, still warm and sweet albeit sleeping. "Did you mean what you said back there?"

"About… what?" She sounded like she didn't want to admit she already knew.

"About wanting to lick me."

"Do we have to have this conversation right now!?"

Yeah if you're going to keep reading my thoughts, we do.

The doll twisted awkwardly on the spot.

"I-I don't know how to avoid it…"

"So let's talk. Not like we have much else to do." Ruiko glanced out at the busy kitchen. Al was busy chopping up more turoks and yelling at someone else. Other than waiting for them to boil us, that is. "You know, that time when we kissed in the bushes, it was a condition from Misaka-san in order for me to fight her. Seems silly now, huh. But… in fact, I really enjoyed it. And while I was stuck in that room, I was thinking a lot. About Anti-Skill and Misaka-san and what the hell I was trying to do. And then the only thing that really seemed clear to me was you. I want to be with you, Uiharu."

There was a sharp intake of breath and suddenly the doll fell to its side lifelessly. Uiharu's body pulled back with a giant gasp of air.

"You did it!?" Ruiko beamed. Uiharu suddenly threw her arms around Ruiko's neck and planted her lips on Ruiko's. "Mmmggh!?" She was pushed to the floor under the other girl's weight, their legs entangled, Uiharu's fingers combing through her hair. The dance of their tongues became punctuated by grunts and moans as the smaller girl's knee pressed up into Ruiko's crotch until all she could see was red and white blotches of pleasure.

"Aah, Uiharuuuuu~"

"Eh!?" Immediately, Uiharu pulled back and the fiercest blush Ruiko had ever seen spread over her face. "S-Saten-san, what…"

Ruiko breathed out, still burning from the sensation of having Uiharu rubbing against her. She put an arm across her forehead. "I need to… process this for a while…"

"I-I don't know what happened, it must have been a side effect…"

"Yeah, of course. No way you'd do that on purpose."

An awkward silence surrounded them. Uiharu fidgeted, and Ruiko tried to adjust her expectations just a little. Still though. That had been amazing.

"Alrighty, so which one of your girls have the best taste?"

With the best timing in the world, Al the vamp approached the cage with his huge kitchen knife and an empty bucket. How much is he gonna take!?

Ruiko sat up and blocked Uiharu from view. "Use me!"

He squatted beside the cage and cocked his head, frowning at her. "What in the world. You don't have a heartbeat, girl."

"Uh, well…"

"You best get yourself to a healer. The flowery-headed one behind you should work well however. A firm, strong beat in that one."

The vamp unlocked the cage and pulled open the lid, exposing them from above.

"Just a lil' nick o' the knife."

"Noooooo!" Uiharu wailed as he grabbed her 's eyes glinted. Now's our chance!

"Ultimate Slowmo!"

It took about two minutes. By then, five more vamps had joined them, Al the chef had shown his real skills with a knife, Ruiko was being crushed to the floor and Uiharu was squealing in terror as the knife nipped her skin. Dammit!

As soon as a drop of blood popped out of Uiharu's finger, Al caught it on his finger and stuck it in his mouth like he was checking whether to use more spice. Within a heartbeat his eyes went wide and he started coughing. "Uh? What is this? Gah! Blah! Ugh, I can't use this." He spat and spat and wiped his mouth on a rag and looked like he regretted every choice of his life.

"Just take them to the dungeons, I'm done with them here. Will's ass, I need to brush my teeth."

XXX

Kschiiing. Kschiiiing. The calming sound of a sharpening blade made Hattori Hanzou smile beneath the blue scarf wrapped across his left eye. Skills honed for years were finally going to be put to the ultimate test. If only Hamazura was here to see it.

Somewhere outside, thunder rolled across the sky. From his perch in the western watch-tower, Hanzou had perfect view of the main gates and the bridge beyond it. Lines of deliveries waited to be let in, carrying supplies for the banquet. The sky had begun boiling with dark clouds. Lightning flashed, and one strike hit the bridge, a golden burst in the dark. It punched a crater in the ground and spat fiery debris in all directions.

"Hm." Hanzou grinned, his empty left eye socket throbbing under the scarf as someone appeared in the wake of the smoke. The last time he saw that figure, he'd lost half his face and ten comrades. His entire unit had been devastated during a smuggling operation, thanks to a single attacker. She hadn't even come to stop them in particular. She'd just happened upon them. But that's how the war between Skillout and the Kinslayer began, one without direction and meaning. For five years they'd hunted a beast and been hunted in return, like a silly game of cat and mice where bloodshed was the only outcome.

The one who'd saved Hanzou during that first encounter was Hamazura. Hamazura, who'd later paid the ultimate price while defending his Skillout family. It was a deed never to be forgotten, and Hanzou made sure to remember every day. His body remembered. His scarred face, which he'd had a healer smear with poison to prevent it from healing fully, reminded him every single day of the massacre he'd barely escaped. He wanted to remember, needed to remember. The memory brought him purpose, and purpose brought him power, and that power would bring him one step closer to avenging his dead brothers and sisters and Hamazura too.

He turned away from the window and stood, just as the door to his room smacked open.

"Hattori-san, she's here! She's here!" Ed shook with the eager of a disturbed child. He'd once been a great mage, but like all of their old comrades, he'd never been the same after the Kinslayer tore through their ranks.

"I know. Set your hunger ablaze, Ed." Hanzou slid the sword, as long as his legs, into its sheath; the shimmering blade singing to their ears, pure and ringing with power. "My Suntail hungers too."

Ed's snake-like tongue darted out to lick his lips as he let out a shrill cackle. Hanzou picked up his helmet and followed Ed outside while strapping it on. If Mugino-sama was the queen, Skillout was her army ants. They were already in position, crowding the courtyard in various defensive positions, weapons and magic honed to perfection. Like a troupe of killer ants posed to take down an elephant beetle.

They would be given only one chance. Hanzou had spent hours twisting his mind on a tactic that would allow them that one shot they needed. Not a lot of opportunities arose. Most importantly, any sort of engagement with the Kinslayer would result in failure. Give her any opening for a counter and they'd all be blown away. Therefore, every single Skillout had hidden out of sight the moment she arrived. Therefore, nobody tried to stop her as she stalked across the courtyard.

In total, their fight lasted less than ten seconds.

When Hanzou exited the castle doors, the stage was already set. She'd blasted the outer gates away and strode towards the castle. She looked no more than a teenage girl, who'd be better off studying at some fancy school than wallowing in the darkness of the vampire community. They all knew better though. The Railgun's true nature was that of a demon, and she'd brought that aura with her, stifling and murderous. It was not to be challenged directly, so they did not. Instead, they'd spun their web of entrapment across the entire courtyard. More precisely, Ed had used his wizardry to mass produce the strongest web a spider could spin, and strung it in random patterns between the walls and trees and bushes.

Railgun had already walked into it and struggled to move on. It'd caught onto her arms and legs and wrapped around her throat and torso, seeking to trap her like a fly. The more she resisted, the more threads would wrap around her limbs. It would only give them a few seconds at most. Hanzou had seen what she could do all those years ago. Crackles of electricity already ran over her skin, burning the threads one by one while she snapped others off with pure force.

Five seconds.

Hanzou slid into his stance, feet wide apart, and raised his Suntail to a horizontal line, both hands on the hilt. The blade began vibrating, filling with a glow from the hilt up.

"By the Oath of my people, I condemn you. For the murder of our brethren, for the loss of our leader, and for the downfall of my one true love. You shall suffer just like Hamazuraaaaa!"

The blade burst into a force that drove him ahead like a rocket, a shooting star of fire that exploded across the courtyard and right at the trapped matriarch. It was no longer a blade as much as a spear of light when it pierced through Railgun's chest. The blast of light struck out, burned a trench twice as wide as he was tall and burst against the wall behind them, where it spread across the stone like glowing spiderweb and continued to crawl around the entire castle in pulsating waves. It was a devastating weapon based on Mugino-sama's Silicon Burn, designed to annihilate every living being in its path. Even his own body was numb when he pulled back, but it was not only from his own weapon. His limbs trembled from the electricity which had struck out at him. She'd not managed to call upon her power fully before consciousness escaped her, else he'd be lying about in pieces.

Railgun hadn't fallen, but was held only by the remaining threads around her wrists. Her knees had buckled and her head hung towards the ground. Steam rose from her skin to the sky in twirls. Around them, his comrades came crawling from their hiding places, hissing and wary, but eager to see the end of an old nightmare.

"The only thing I regret is that I was not allowed to face you at your full strength. I am sure this meeting would have been far bloodier were that the case." Hanzou used the tip of his blade to raise her chin up. She looked to be knocked out, but he knew better than to turn his back on the Kinslayer. Her eyes had rolled up into her head, yet he still frowned. His strike had hit true, not doubt about it. But there was not a single scratch on her body, no hole in her chest nor burn marks on her skin.

It was… deflected? He could not tell. The skin on her face and arms glowed eerily, like fireflies swam in her veins. No doubt his strike had hit, but there was no wound. He did not know the details of what had happened, so he stayed on his guard. Even while Ed gleefully danced around and added more and more thread, tying her wrists up, trapping her legs and arms and constricting her throat, Hanzou never lowered his blade from her chin.

"Ohoho, you guys did nice work of her~"

"Frenda-sama…"

As if summoned by the smell of victory, the blonde artisan walked up beside him and grinned pleased at the sight.

"Even with such a ridiculously long charge time and hard to control blast, you managed to stop her in her tracks. You're finally living up to your title as Leader, Hattori Hanzou." She smirked at him, and Hanzou bowed his head.

"I am nowhere near Hamazura or Komaba-san."

"True that. Even with the Suntail which is handed down from leader to leader, you're the only one who can fail to kill a target using it. In the end, she's still alive, isn't she? Let us take over before she wakes up. That'd be a pain for sure."

Hanzou finally lowered his sword as Frenda-sama walked forward. Behind her followed Takitsubo-sama, as silent and brooding as always. Rumors had it she and Hamazura had been more than friends before she turned him, and after he vanished, she was never seen with anyone else. It was Hamazura's ghostly memory which kept open a chasm between the current Skillout leader and the blackhaired artisan. In short, they hated each other.

Frenda-sama hoisted the Railgun over her shoulder like she was a sack of potatoes. "Come on, Takitsubo, let's deliver this present to Mugino-sama. Maybe she'll even praise us~"

"I thought Mugino-sama said to not engage her." Takitsubo-sama stated.

"Eh, she just wanted her alive. Don't worry, there's no chance these guys would have finished her off anyway. If she'd barged into the castle and ruined the feast, I betcha Mugino-sama would have made us clean it all up! This way is better."

They returned to the castle with the Kinslayer slung over a shoulder, still chatting, leaving Hanzou to stare at the enormous smoking trench crater in front of him.

"Hattori-san, Hattori-san!" Ed jumped around like a headless chicken. "Where'd she go, they took her!"

Hanzou's Suntail still smoked, warm in his hand. At maximum power it'd take an hour or two before it had cooled enough for another attack. He'd never had to use it twice before.

"It's fine, she's with Mugino-sama now. And, if Mugino-sama is willing, there'll be another chance."

Note: Next time: Will Mugino finally reveal her motives? Stay tuned!

Thanks for any and all feedback, and the prodding about new chapters, it speeds up my lazy ass. The next few chapters still require some work. There's a lot of stuff to stitch together... but I promise I'll give my all to make it stupidly awesome in true BSS style!