Series: World of Fusion||Title: War of the Undead
Characters: Ryou, Assassin, Asuka||Ship: N/A
Chapters: 16-50||Chapter Words: 3,036||Total Words: 49,117
Genre: Drama, Supernatural||Rated: PG
Challenges: Diversity Writing, GX: Fused World, L2, 2000-6000 wpc; One Character Boot Camp, Marufuji Ryou, #19, rebel; Include The Word, #47, multipy; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #24, 50 chapters; Advent 2015-2016, GX, bonus #1: roll for fic length: between 100,000-200,000 words; Christmas Advent 2017, New Year's Special, start a new fic and update it once a week; Epic Masterclass, YGO GX, #4, AU Space
Notes: Same universe as Raised To His Word but featuring other characters. A little backstory will appear as well. Also, the character notes up top here will change depending on who is involved in each chapter.
Summary: The first strike in war involves doing as much damage as you possibly can – such as taking one of your enemy's strongest warriors and using him to get the strongest weapons. Ryou never thought he'd enjoy being a vampire but this is a whole new level. Perhaps it's a good thing he has a teacher and some new friends to help him out.
Ryou could have flown. Doing so was well within the powers of a vampire. But instead he coursed over the ground, for the simple fact that he didn't want to risk leaving Assassin behind. He held no real friendship for the other, but he'd rather not risk what might happen if the two of them drew too far apart. With both Theron's orders and Noble D'Noir's mind control to work with, the results of that might not be pretty.
But Assassin could move every bit as swiftly as he could, and the two matched stride for stride as they moved down through the mountains and towards the far side of Sunsdown. Ryou took a single sniff of the air and frowned at the zombie stench. Not as thick as it had been when he'd been in the village itself, but some had to be in the area.
Enough so that while he didn't check his speed, he did watch every shadow for the slightest hint of the mindless undead. His fingers flexed; he still needed a good bath from the last time he'd shredded his way through a pack of them, but if they approached him now, he'd tear through them regardless.
Ahead now he could see faint hints of embers and a stronger scent assaulted his nostrils – raw meat and blood. Other scents lurked underneath it, traces of flame, burned wood, and scorched stone.
This was so close to where Sunsdown had been. He forced himself to keep going, when every instinct wanted him to stop and see if anyone here could be helped. They couldn't be – anyone who wasn't dead would be a zombie now. The only help he could give them would be to shred their bodies. He didn't want to waste time with that. The zombies would be there for another day.
Assassin leaped up on top of a rocky outcropping and stared around, as tense as Ryou had ever seen anyone before. Their clothes blended into the night all but invisibly, though to an undead – either zombie or vampire – their life essence would have drawn someone right to them. Ryou paused as well, not to draw breath but to reorient himself.
"This way," he murmured at last, once he knew where they were in relation to what had once been Sunsdown. That fountain would be on the far side, and there lay their best hope to learn where Teacher Samejima was and frustrate everyone else's plans as much as they could.
Or so Ryou hoped. He didn't have time to do what he really wanted and return to the mansion to update Shou. Captain Tesni would watch him; she'd been a good and loyal defender of the mansion for longer than he'd been the ruler there. But that would never stop Ryou from worrying even the tiniest bit.
Assassin nodded, falling back into stride with him. "Are you going to need to feed again?"
"Not yet." Draining that false priest dry would keep him going most of the night – or at least it would have if all he'd done would be stay in that cave until sunrise. Going around like this would put him in need of a meal much sooner.
He found himself hoping that whoever was in charge of the fountain would e a suitable meal. Or knew someone who wouldn't mind offering. He really did not want to experience what happened when he didn't feed for too long.
Doing that one time had been more than enough.
Together they moved through the night, far quicker than the human eye could have possibly followed. Every sense of Ryou's cut through the shadows, delivering information that told him more than he'd ever wanted to know – the presence of zombies, most of whom ignored him and the rest seemed stuck on matters of their own, a few trails of humans, fleeing from the hungry creatures and not succeeding very well at it, some tracks left by animals – all of it gave him a fairly reasonable picture of the area, even as he rushed through it.
"There is something I should warn you about the fountain," Assassin said as they grew closer to the spill of trees on Sunsdown's far side. "I hadn't thought about it before."
Ryou cocked one eyebrow in curiosity. Assassin looked ahead, though if he were trying to avoid Ryou's gaze or peer through the night Ryou couldn't be certain.
"The fountain is warded against the undead. Against zombies in particular that I know of, but I don't know if those wards will function against vampires."
That failed to surprise Ryou in any significant fashion. Despite the fact it was located in the territory that he claimed, he'd never so much as heard of this place. The wards would be very strong indeed.
He couldn't fret about that now though. Instead they kept on moving, and Ryou kept watch on all around him. The night filled with scents and sounds more than sights; most of those were harmless and he didn't need to think about them more than long enough to identify them and dismiss them. Flowers and blooming trees, a few fruits, the sound of water tumbling over rocks, birds singing in the trees and some of them talking to one another in low voices – those were likely spirit birds. They knew him, they'd not argue his right to be there.
Then he stopped. No, they wouldn't argue – and they could be useful.
Assassin glanced at him. "Something wrong?"
Ryou shook his head, listening with all of his strength until he caught the particular voice that he wanted. He'd thought they were in this area, and now he could hopefully do what he wanted to do – albeit at a distance.
"Are you there, my friend?" He called out quietly. He made few friends among his own kind – human or vampire – far preferring the company of spirits if he had the option.
Deep in the depths of the trees he'd caught a faint glimpse of gleaming red and gold feathers. Mortal eyes couldn't see them as clearly as he could. But now the spirit bird came closer, coursing through the trees until Burning Bird landed on a tree branch not that far from him.
"Hell Kaiser." Burning Bird tilted their head towards him. "I hadn't thought you would be out here. Too many zombies in the area."
"I'm trying to deal with that. But I need a favor." Ryou offered his arm and burning Bird leaped down to perch on him, claws digging in. "Will you help me?"
"I will. What is it that you need?"
"Fly to the mansion. Warn Shou that there is someone named Theron who is attempting to stir up a war between zombies and vampires. I can't stop him right now but I need Shou to keep an eye out for danger. Warn him to also watch out for Noble D'Noir. I really can't stop him." Ryou raised his free hand to his mouth for a moment. "Tell him whatever you've seen of the zombies approaching."
Burning Bird tilted their head again in a different way. "And should your brother not be there?"
For a single moment that confused Ryou. Why wouldn't Shou be at home? Then sense hit him. He'd been gone for over a day and a night and going into a second day. Shou would be out there looking for him.
"Then tell all of this to Tesni. And see if you can find Shou after that."
The great bird nodded at last. "If they have any messages to bring back, I'll find you. Where are you going?"
It was Assassin who answered that. "To the Fountain, where Izumi and Sienna live. It's the closest place that his teacher can be found."
Ryou nodded his affirmation. He would not ask Burning Bird to take any messages to the Cyber Dojo. It existed in the high mountains, up where it would not be comfortable for the gleaming bird of flame.
"All right." Burning Bird spread his wings, then looked back down at Ryou. "Watch for those zombies. The horde's getting thick and they ate almost all of Sunsdown."
Ryou frowned. "Almost?"
"I saw a few escaping. But I don't expect them to survive long."
"If you can guide any of them somewhere safe, do so," Ryou requested. "Any sort of help would be appreciated."
Burning Bird agreed with a nod of that sharp beak. "I'll be on my way." Bright wings spread and a breath later, he sprang into the sky, a trail of glitter following from his tail and wings. Within moments he faded out of sight altogether, soaring off in the direction of the mansion.
Ryou didn't watch the departure. He started again, turning over what little information Burning Bird had been able to tell him. A few survivors, nothing more, and the hordes getting stronger and stronger.
That was all Theron's doing, Ryou knew. He knew far too well what Theron's goals were – he didn't know who Theron was and why he wanted it. He hadn't made up his mind on if he cared, only so much as it would enable him to stop those plans. And stopping those also meant stopping Noble D'Noir.
I need to find a way to send a message to Ruthven and Camula. He didn't like them very much but he refused to simply let Noble D'Noir's plans go off without a hitch. Perhaps once Burning Bird came back, he'd be able to send him off again.
"That was an interesting friend you have there," Assassin said. "I've never met a spirit like that before."
"I met him shortly after I was assigned here," Ryou said, moving forward. "He and his family live in those woods." He nodded towards them; they were close to where he and Samejima had been before this whole mess got started. Under other circumstances, he might have asked Burning Bird to help them then.
Now he considered exactly how to send that message to his superiors. They would want to know about it – at the least they should know about the war brewing and start preparing for it. There would have to be a way to settle matters decided – either a proper duel or a genuine war between opposing forces. Ryou suspected that decision would be a duel. If it came to physical force, then half a dozen vampires at the peak of their strength could shred a thousand times their number in zombies.
Zombies are caused either by other zombies or by necromancy, Ryou mused as he rushed along. I wonder what would happen if we found the necromancer who raised most of these and … encouraged them to break the spell.
He liked the thought of that. It wouldn't be easy to make happen. Necromancer magic could work on vampires as few could. Not every necromancy spell, of course, but a great many of them, and there were many necromancers who hired, trained, and supplied vampire hunters as well.
Vampires had their own allies, of course. Shadow mages and a few of the darker angelic types frequently strode into battle against them.
It would also give him a reasonable excuse to meet with Yuusuke again, should such a gathering be required. It had been over a year since they'd last encountered one another and Ryou did not want to admit that he'd missed his old friend.
He refused to admit that he missed Fubuki as well. Fubuki, who came and went like the waves he loved to surf, and who wandered all the land crafting songs about what he saw and heard. Ryou's lips twitched into a hint of a smile.
He'd love this. An epic war between two types of undead? Fubuki would stand on the sidelines, watch it all, and take notes to create a song out of nothingness. And if anyone grew too near him, then his Red Eyes Black Dragon would protect him.
Perhaps he'd send a message to them as well. They knew what had happened to him but their own lives kept them busy to the point the three of them couldn't be as close as they'd been in years gone by. Perhaps this could be a time to change that.
Ahead something moved in the starlight. Ryou stopped, tense. He could tell right away that this wasn't a zombie. He could recognize a zombie from the stench and the way that they moved and this person moved like a living person. Even more, they moved like a warrior, cautious and on guard.
Assassin eyed the movement ahead as well, one hand twitching a fraction, a sharp blade appearing in his hand. Without a single word, he cast it forward, the knife flying point first to whoever it was in front of them. For most people this would have come out of the night, far too quickly for them to counter or avoid.
This stranger instead deftly dodged out of the way and wrapped one hand around the knife's hilt, catching it. They turned it, examined it, and then a woman's voice spoke from the shadows.
"Is this always how you greet strangers in this territory?"
Something about the voice touched the edges of familiarity with Ryou. When he turned his full attention towards her, all he could see was a shape wrapped in a hooded cloak. The wind blew the wrong way for him to get a proper scent of her, and what little he could gather he wasn't certain about. He did, however, catch the hint of concealing magic. Someone didn't want to be known for who they were.
"Only on certain occasions," he said at last. "But what are strangers who hide themselves so well doing here at all?"
"My job. Or seeking to do it, if I can find the one I was sent to observe."
Assassin said nothing, but he carried knives in both hands now and waited, head tilted towards Ryou. Ryou searched his memory, trying to remember where he'd smelled or heard someone like this before.
"And who might that be?"
He could feel himself regarded by a pair of very serious eyes. "I wonder if you might know them – vampire. I was sent to observe the archer Theron, for the sake of his lord Zombie Master."
Ryou would have sworn, if he could have found language strong enough to vent his feelings. He remembered now what Assassin told him – that a warrior would come to observe Theron. Apparently they'd now found that warrior.
"He's not here," Assassin said. "You'll have better luck going towards the mountains. He'll likely be around there closer to sunrise."
The warrior moved forward. "And you would be?" Her every step told of her training and that she didn't trust either of them. Ryou awarded her at least one mental point for that. No one should trust anyone that they met in the dark of the night.
What bothered him more than anything was the fact that she still seemed familiar, though he couldn't put a face or a name to her. He wanted to. He felt like he should.
He started to move to the side, to let her pass. By the time that they returned to the cave, she might be closer – not there, but closer. Vampires could move far faster than humans, even well-trained ones like this.
But as the two of them passed one another, his nostrils caught a full whiff of her and he stopped in his tracks, staring back at her.
"Asuka?"
At the utterance, the warrior turned, all of her muscles tense and hard. She likely couldn't see him all that well; no humans had a vampire's sight after dark.
Then she raised one hand to tug her hood down and he saw her full face. Somewhat more slender and more mature than the last time he'd seen her. Underneath the cloak he caught a faint whiff of fine leather armor. The cloak concealed a great deal of her from him, including, he realized, her scent. A well-made creation of magic, he thought. One hand fell to a blade he'd noticed at her hip, until her eyes focused more clearly on him, then widened.
"Ryou?"
Assassin's gaze flickered between the two of them. "I presume that you know one another?"
"Yes." Ryou answered. He wasn't going to say how as of yet. Assassin was a reluctant ally at best. His own eyes narrowed. Just because he'd known her when they were children didn't mean she remained a friend. "Are you working for the zombie lords?" He wanted to be certain she was the one he'd been told of before he made any decisions on what to do.
She frowned, arms crossing over her chest. "I'd heard the stories about you – changing. I didn't know if I should believe them or not."
He waited for the proper answer to his question, one eyebrow raised just the tiniest fraction, enough to let her know that he waited. She regarded him for a few more moments.
"They hired me to check on Theron," she admitted. "Supposedly -" Her words broke off and she frowned, the grip of her hand on her blade's hilt tightening. "They're looking for Principal Samejima, aren't they?" Every word she spoke came out laced with suppress rage – and not very well suppressed, either. She'd never enjoyed being deceived, he recalled. Some things clearly never changed.
"Why do you say that?" Ryou asked, probing with great caution. He would have much preferred her as an ally rather than an enemy, but no one could be certain which way some people might turn.
Asuka's lips thinned. "What I was told was that Theron was in search of someone who guarded a set of demons and might let them out at the wrong time. Someone who had a vampire servant as well, that Theron looked to capture." She shook her head. "You tell me what's really going on."
Ryou glanced towards the sky, judging the passage of time. "Can you keep up with us?" He asked. "Because that is a long story and we don't have a great deal of time to waste."
To Be Continued
Notes: Yes, I've known Asuka was the warrior sent to check on Theron since I first mentioned it.