The Underwater Terrors of Kume Island
Hello everyone and welcome. As you'll no doubt note, I'm a little less enthusiastic this time around as I have something of an announcement to make at the end of this chapter. And with no guest reviews, I'll be going to the shout outs as part of the reason for the announcement has to do with that. First, a shout out to LoneTaker and groche9655 for their input and support on the fic up to this point, I owe a lot of my more original content in this story to you two. And a very special shout out to my friend Noble Eight who, sadly, will be unable to spare anymore time to make story requests or suggestions due to current circumstances in his life. For those who don't know, Noble was one of my first story supporters and requested a number of stories that have gone on to entertain far more people than I could've imagined, including this one. So I'd like to take this moment to say thanks once again for everything and God be with you in your future endeavors. Now that all is said up here, let us proceed to the story.
Unknown Snowy Woods:
"Subaru," said a quiet voice, resonating like a light breeze, "Subaru." The Matagi responded by groggily opening his eyes before sitting up straight and looking around, noting that he was on land and not on a ship like he'd been a few minutes ago. "Subaru." Turning around to find the source, he relaxed only slightly when he realized who it was, the child-like imitation of his mother.
"Azakeru, where in the world am I?" Questioned Subaru as he looked around, "I thought we killed Enmu."
"He's most certainly dead, you and your friends made sure of that," said Azakeru as she sat up a little straighter on the rock she was currently using as a chair, "but I was a part of you well before your encounter with him. It was just his dream powers and the presence of so many individuals with high amounts of Muzan's blood that fully awoke me. Now here we are, able to meet in your mind almost whenever we feel like it."
"And I still can't wrap my head around the fact that there's apparently a demon in my mind," said Subaru, "so why have you decided to appear again, all of a sudden? We haven't spoken since the Mugen Train incident and with Enmu gone, I didn't think we ever would."
"Sorry to disappoint you if that was your hope," said Azakeru as she put her hands behind her head, "but I thought you ought to know, there's something awfully wrong with this place you're going too. The demonic presence there, is all over the landscape like a shroud or a mist."
"The surviving scouts said something about a weird mist hanging around the place," recalled Subaru, "that's probably what you're feeling."
"There's something else," said Azakeru, "the source of that mist, it's presence is terrifying. Be careful when you get close to that island. And mind the sides of the ship. I feel like there's company coming." Subaru wanted to question what she meant by that until he felt another presence looming over him.
Dusk: Near The Island of Kume
The Slayer awoke with a start as he pointed his Webley at the shadow hanging over him. "Oh, my apologies," said Sister Mariela, backing up slightly, "your falcon, Shika, was worried about you?!"
"Oh, she was was she," said Subaru as he holstered his weapon and held out his arm for the peregrine falcon to land on, "she says I was tossing and turning a bit. Guess I was having something of an unusual dream. But how did you kn-and she's gone?" Like before, the blue-haired woman's crippling shyness had triumphed and seen her quickly moving away to whatever secluded corner of the ship she could find now that she knew the Rifleman was alright. On the upside, Subaru now had actual confirmation that she could understand animal language to a similar degree to him and Tanjiro.
But that was a matter for another time. For now, the Matagi stood up with Shika transferring to his shoulder as they ventured to the front of the ship where a good number of the other slayers were currently stationed. "Ah, look who decided to wake up," said Sister Leonia, who was currently leaning against the railing, examining her shotgun, "that bird of yours was apparently making a fuss, at least according to Sister Mariela. I personally wonder how you can even sleep at a time like this."
"Practice," said Subaru, "good hunters and warriors can learn to time when and how long they sleep. I would've woken up in time for the landing."
"Looks like that doesn't extend to seasickness for some of you," said Leonia as she indicated Ozaki, who was currently loosing her lunch over the railing again, "she's been like that ever since Brother Claudius announced we'd all be proceeding in a big group. Something about not wanting to be near you when things get ugly."
"I'd like to say she's just being overdramatic," said Subaru, "but that last job did get more than a little out of hand. And that's putting it lightly given that a Hashira fell in battle."
"I've been curious about that," said Leonia, "I'm guessing these 'Hashira' fellows are supposed to be your top rank fighters. So where do you scale on the charts right now?"
"Well with everything that's happened recently," said Subaru, "Me, Ozaki, Tanjiro and our other friends all managed to rake in a promotion or two. Observe, 'reveal my rank'." Subaru held up his right hand and clenched his fist tightly, causing a symbol to appear on his hand.
"Alright I'll admit it, that's pretty neat," said Leonia as she examined the mark, "it says 'Kanoe' on it. How did you even get it to appear?"
"A process The Demon Slayer Corps uses called 'wisteria engraving'," explained Subaru as he unclenched his fist, causing the mark to disappear, "I'm not entirely sure how it works, but apparently after it's put on, the mark will appear whenever you speak a password and clench your fist to get some blood flow in your hand. Given that some of the demons possess shape-shifting abilities, you can never be too careful. Though I should point out that Kanoe isn't that high on the totem pole, being fourth from the bottom and all."
"Well don't worry too much," said Leonia as she loaded a couple of shells into her shotgun and flipped it closed with a click, "we're some of the higher-ranking members of this chapter. So just stay out of our way and let us work."
"I'll see what I can do," said the Matagi with a shrug. Any further conversation was cut short by a loud summons from Brother Claudius. The slayers gathered at the bow of the ship and took in the sight of a small but rocky island a few miles out in the distance. And as the numerous reports suggested, it was covered in some kind of strange indigo mist that roiled around almost like some kind of fumes.
"That's it alright," said Brother Claudius as he spied the island through a pair of what Subaru had been told were 'binoculars', trying to see what he could with the fading light from the setting sun. "Whatever that mist is, it seems to start spreading when sunlight recedes from the island. I guess it's a good thing we brought some extra protection. Brother Ignatius, care to show our guests the special masks?"
"Masks?" Questioned Ozaki, who still looked slightly queasy.
"He'd be referring to these," said Ignatius as he held up what looked like an insectoid face with some straps and a pair of eyeholes with plastic lenses and a cylinder hanging off the front, "word has it there are some nasty little things being cooked up by a lot of the other countries across Europe, with poisonous gas being among them."
"You mean like the types of gases that spew out of a mine or a volcano?" Questioned Subaru with a quirked eyebrow.
"Precisely," replied Ignatius, "and rumor also has it, some armies plan to weaponize different chemicals for the purposes of war. So, in answer to that as well as the safety of their own armies, military gas masks like these were created. We decided to invest in some of them given that there are, few, records but still records of certain demons spewing noxious fumes or the possibility of entering locations with said poisonous gases. With the right filters, and a pouch of extras, they should protect us from whatever that stuff on the island is so long as we all have them on securely."
"So, it's basically wear one of those ugly things or die," said Ozaki with a sigh, "well it's still less embarrassing than what happened on one of my other jobs." Expectedly, she was giving Subaru the stink eye when she said this. When a couple of the other female slayers glanced his way, Subaru simply fixed them with a 'don't ask' look.
"None of us got into this profession because we thought it'd be glamorous," said Sister Cynthia, "if we have to endure a little discomfort to kill those demons, then it's worth it." A round of 'Amens' met that statement as Ignatius passed around the gas masks to everyone and began a quick demonstration on how to secure it. Once that was out of the way, everyone began hitching the masks to their belts or stowing them in their travel bags. But just as Subaru was finishing securing his to his belt, he noticed something odd.
There was a shoe on the deck belonging to one of the other crewmen, with some droplets of water on and around it. Now ordinarily that might not seem all that strange, but the setting of the sun was causing the temperature to drop and being caught barefoot on the metallic deck of the ship was a surefire recipe for painfully cold feet, which further begged the question why someone would leave even a single shoe just lying around. So, approaching cautiously, Subaru moved towards the shoe and began to reach for it. That's when it happened.
A shadow suddenly emerged from the water and lunged over the railing towards the Matagi. Had he not been expecting something, Subaru might've been torn up by its teeth and claws, but because he had his guard up the Slayer was able to leap back, draw and fire his revolver all in one quick succession of movements. The flash from his muzzle revealed what he was dealing with as a humanoid demon with shark-like features snarled in surprise before leaping back down into the dark depths below. "EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM THE SIDES!"
Over a half dozen weapons were drawn in that instant as everyone moved towards the center of of the ship. "What is it Subaru?" Asked Claudius as his eyes scanned the railing around them.
"Demons in the water," answered the Matagi, "shark-like features so water breathing is likely part of their blood art."
"They must be what attacked the retreating scouts," surmised Brother Rapheal as he adjusted his Tekko knuckledusters on his fists. The man's hands were so large that he couldn't wield an ordinary gun with a trigger guard comfortably, leaving him the option of either meleeing or getting specially customized weapons. Given the current situation, he went the melee route.
"Guess that means the party's starting earlier than we thought," said Leonia, "bring 'em on."
"Could you please not encourage the de-," Ozaki started to say before two figures leapt over the railing at them from opposite sides of the boat. Rapheal was quick to move in front of the first one, slamming his fist against it's face before leaping back and allowing Leonia and Helena to unload on the beast with their shotguns, knocking it back over the railing. At the same time, Claudius and Helena intercepted the other one with a tonfa and a staff whipping against its lower body while Subaru and Ozaki jumped in with strikes aimed for its head.
But the shark man was slippery and managed to leap back, receiving only a couple of minor cuts before jumping back in the water. "Now would be a good time to switch to the wisteria loads," suggested Subaru, "these things mean business."
"I still can't believe some random plant has a better chance of killing these monsters than sacred metal," grumbled Sister Cynthia as she took the snail drum magazine out of her MP18 and put in the new one with wisteria coated rounds.
"Sorry, we'll have to get you Nichirin steel next time," quipped Ozaki.
"That's enough, both of you, focus on the task at hand," scolded Claudius, getting a couple of annoyed nods in return. And it was just in time, too, as the ship was suddenly rocked by a powerful blow against its side, causing some of the members to lose their footing and stumble towards the starboard rail. One of the shark demons was clearly waiting as he leapt up and made a grab for Mariela. Thankfully, Leonia intervened by hitting the monster's arm with a large, eku oar before pulling her fellow Catholic sister to safety.
At the same time, Subaru winged the creature's shoulder when it tried to give chase, forcing it to dive back down into the water. "Everyone grab onto something," said Claudius, "if they pull you under you're dead!"
"And being drowned and eaten is not the most dignified way to go," commented Brother Leandro, "not that we should expect demons to be respectable fighters." He didn't bother mentioning the fact that fighting on a cramped deck with a lot of people around also made it just that much more difficult to counterattack in the short window of time they had with the demon's hit and run tactics.
"That hurts my feelings to hear that," said a voice as a clawed and webbed hand reached down and seized Leandro by the collar.
'Breath of the Serpent First Form: Winding Serpent Slash!' Thought Ozaki as she leapt up and unleashed a circular slash which cut off the demon's arm. She attempted to rebound and cut off it's head with another strike but wasn't fast enough as it jumped off the mast it had been clinging too and leapt back into the ocean. "Damn, just missed the bastard," cursed Ozaki.
"Well you have my thanks at least," said Leandro as he pulled himself back up to his feet and tossed the dismembered demon limb into the sea. The Slayers then moved back to back, keeping an eye out for any possible movement around the railings. Unfortunately, this was the time one of the sleepier crewman decided to make their way above deck, unaware of the reason the rest of his co-workers had taken refuge below.
"Brother Claudius," said the Catholic Deacon as he stumbled up the stairs, "what's going on?" The 'Deacons', in this since, were basically the Catholic Slayer's versions of the Demon Slayer Corps Kakushi. They had a few tricks but direct combat with demons was not their forte. A point which was about to be made very clear as the ship was rocked yet again with an impact on the other side.
It was less of a surprise than before for them, but for the recently awakend Deacon it was beyond bad as he stumbled over and caught himself on the railing. "Get back from there!" Exclaimed Brother Ignatius as he rushed towards the man. It was too late, however, as one of the shark demons emerged and grabbed the unfortunate victim before pulling him over the side and into the depths below. "God in Heaven, they just killed Kenny!"
"You bastards!" exclaimed Cynthia as she moved closer to the side and unloaded her submachine gun into the water below, doing nothing other than disturbing the waves slightly. This, however, did make her easier prey as the other shark demon leapt up from the Port side of the ship and attempted to grab onto her. It was only thanks to a timely intervention by Rapheal's fist and Subaru's bullet to its side that she was saved and the shark demon was forced into retreat yet again.
"Stay calm," urged Brother Raphael as he signaled for the remaining crew who'd been in hiding to head below deck, "his death will not go unpunished. Remember what is written: 'The Lord guards the path of the Righteous….,'."
"..But the wicked shall perish," finished Cynthia, "right, I'm sorry."
"Take heart," said Raphael as he turned back to the railing, "this is not over yet."
"I just wish we had a way to know when those two bastards are coming," complained Ozaki, "and a way to keep them from going back in the water." A sudden screeching drew some of their attention as Subaru looked up on the mast to see Shika. He then glanced down at a few other tools before making eye contact with Claudius.
"I take it you have something of a plan," he said, already putting the pieces together himself.
"Something like that," said Subaru, "but I'm gonna need some help." Claudius nodded before turning to his fellow Catholics and making a few distinct hand gestures. A series of nods came in answer as everyone moved to position while Subaru gave out a few hawk calls to Shika. The message was loud and clear for her as she took off and began listing side to side with her eyes scanning the area around the ship.
They didn't have long to wait for Shika to give a warning screech before the ship was hit with another hard impact, causing it to lean to the side once more. The difference this time, was that Sister Mariela intentionally let go and stumbled towards the railing. As before, the shark demon breached the surface and made a grab for her as she ducked and covered her head, just in time for a Subaru-propelled harpoon to impale the shark through the stomach. "Grab on and pull!" Declared Rapheal as he and Helena both yanked on the rope, quickly getting assistance from Leonia as well.
In an ironic reversal, it was the shark who was pulled over the railing this time as Subaru leapt up, unslung his rifle and jammed the bayonet into the creature's heart, causing him to cry out in pain. It was apparently concerning for the other shark demon who also leapt out of the water on the other side of the railing, only to be tangled up by Brother Ignatius's signarture melee weapon, chained surujin weights. The bound demon fell to the deck in confusion before managing to stand back up awkwardly and attempt an escape back over the railing. He was quickly foiled, however, by Leandro and Claudius grabbing onto his legs while Cynthia hit him in the back of the knees.
The coup de grace came with Ozaki rushing in using another technique, 'Breath of the Serpent Fifth Form: Slithering Serpent'! With a quick and confusing left to right movement of her sword, the shark demon was so confused that he didn't have time to react as his head was cut clean off by Ozaki and went sailing into the ocean. His body collapsed then as it started turning to ash. "Even I have to admit," said Cynthia, "those breathing sword tricks of yours are kinda cool."
"Yeah," said Ozaki, "but the process to learn them sucks." Any further comments were halted as everyone turned their eyes to the growling demon Subaru had pinned, noting that his struggles had almost ceased and purple coloration was spreading over his skin. For everyone but Ozaki, who'd seen it before, the sight was no doubt strange to witness.
"Hey, shark man," said Subaru as he pulled his bayonet out and stepped back, prompting everyone to raise their weapons up in mild alarm, "what you got running through your veins right now is wisteria poison. This particular strain won't paralyze your movements, but it'll still hurt a bit as it's killing you. But, I have a cure for that pain if you cooperate."
"And what exactly do you want with a demon," spat the shark monster, "I ain't going into an aquarium if that's what you want."
"I'm a hunter," said Subaru, "I only take pets that help me do that, like Shika here." The falcon landed on his shoulder, illustrating his point to a degree. "What I want, is information. What's going on at that island we're headed too? What's up with the mist there?"
"Ya know, the funny thing about that," said the Shark Demon as he stood up, "is that my boss is a weird guy. Given that you've beaten me, he might take enough interest to slaughter you all himself. So, long story short, that island is a breeding ground for new demons and the fulfilment of the Boss's eventual wish. As for what that is, well, that part he'll have to tell you himself."
The Shark Demon lunged for Subaru then, but even if he wasn't greatly slowed by the poison, he still would've only gotten a few steps before Leonia stepped forward and put her double barrel shotgun in his mouth. "Smile you son of a-BAAAAMMM!" Her final word was cutoff by the powerful blast of the shotgun blowing out the demon's brains as it toppled over, its body turning to ash due to the wisteria in its body and the damage it had sustained. "Wow, this wisteria stuff really does work after all."
"I wouldn't have survived so long using my guns if it didn't," said Subaru as he slung his rifle back over his shoulder and reloaded his revolver, "what about everyone else, are they alright?"
"No major injuries here," said Ignatius as he looked over the ones near him, "though I think Leandro got a cut or two from earlier."
"I've survived far worse," said Leandro, though he didn't send Sister Mariela away when she started examining the area where his uniform had been torn earlier.
"So that means our only losses were Kenny and Benjamin," said Claudius, "still more than I would've liked. But they're souls are headed up to Heaven and salvation now, so let us give thanks for the time we were able to spend with the two." The other Catholics bowed their heads in a moment of silence while Subaru and Ozaki stood to the side. It was yet another thing the Corps Slayers found they had in common with their European counterparts. The loss of comrades, was an almost common occurrence.
Kume: The Island Covered In Indigo Mist: Upon a Hilltop
The indigo fog hung heavy in the air, making parts of the ground and surrounding foliage almost hard to perceive in some areas. But the coming moonlight would soon illuminate it all, which was a sight the seated occupant of the hill might've looked forward too once upon a time. But for now, here he sat with a gourd in his hand as he slouched on his makeshift throne. There could be no doubt for what this creature was as his horns, black hair and pale face along with his pale skin attested that he was a demon. A very drunk demon, as one could tell by his slouching posture. He was garbed in a flower kimono with an ornate umbrella open over his head and a gourd in his right hand.
"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God," said the demon, "sake full of wisteria, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now, that the hour of my death, which I hope is soon, amen." He then proceeded to down a large amount of the contents, coughing a bit at the burning sensation running down his throat. "Ah, even after all this time it still stings, but that's about all it does these days."
He was speaking to the two demons standing on either side of him but didn't expect a response. Both of them were garbed in the traditional style of samurai warriors, with the one on his right, known as Gouki, wielding a dumbbell like Kanabo-club while the one on his left, Reiki, held a kanabo-quarterstaff. They were his personal guards, the Nioh twins, not that he necessarily needed guards but they still had their uses. Speaking of uses, a strange sensation suddenly tugged at his mind as he felt a couple of links snap.
"Shuten," said a female voice as a blond-haired woman with black horns similar to the drunk demon and red tattoos on her face came walking out of the bushes into view, brushing the leaves off of her loosely worn, yellow kimono, "I take it you felt that?"
"I did indeed wife," said the now named Shuten as he sat up straighter, "the Isonade brothers, Saburomaru and Juzomaru, just died. Do you know what that might mean, Ibaraki?"
"Those Catholic hunters are back," said Ibaraki, "I thought they would've gotten the message with the few survivors we allowed to return last time. But the threat is a bit more serious if our mercenary guard demons are dead."
"It is more interesting, to be sure," said Shuten as he looked out at the approaching ships, spotting something odd in the process, "but perhaps it's not such a bad thing. I think I may have spied, something curious coming with those slayers. So what say we at least give them a look before the slaughter." Ibaraki shrugged in indifference, but Shuten Douji knew his wife well enough to recognize the twitch in her fingers. Yes, perhaps the night would prove surprisingly productive after all.
And here we are at the end of this chapter and into the not so pleasant announcement I mentioned earlier. To keep things simple, this story is unfortunately going on hiatus for an indeterminate amount of time. Before anyone gets worried, it has nothing to do with my health but rather a personal matter. I've decided I need to take a step back from this story for a bit and reevaluate my writing approach up to this point. I realize now I may have been putting too much strain on myself trying to work on this and another story at the same time and have been inadvertently sapping my motivation and creativity, leading to shorter and less detailed chapters that I was more concerned just to get out than to get right. To that end, I'll be taking a break from this story for a while. But worry not, I still intend to keep working on my Re:Zero fic and will continue my other fics on hiatus due to the anime not being out when the animes continue. Thank you all for your understanding and support up to this point, and with luck I'll come back to this story again someday. 'Til then.
