Aye everyone, I don't like rushing my stories since that really ruins a person's vision for their story, it lessens the impact and makes the story a bit duller when it comes to the pacing, I want to give this story my all and really strive to make it a great enjoyable story, so don't be too sad if I take too long to release chapters, I have really cool stuff planned for the future.
1 hour later
They were returning to their home base with confidence after their mission, the base was near the capital thus they would have to walk through the streets, unfortunately there were still those who gave Daikon a weird look.
He could see a couple people whispering to each other as they stared, he tried his best to not let that affect his mood.
"Hey look" Kurome says with a wide smile, there was a baker selling some cookies nearbye, Daikon took a glance at the little shop before approaching it.
"What would you like?" the baker asked, Daikon puts some coins down with a soft smile "I'll buy that bag of cookies please", she giggled as she nicely hands him the bag "Thanks for stopping by".
Daikon walked to Kurome with the bag, handing it to her "Here ya go".
The happy Kurome takes it gladly, taking out one to eat, her cute smile warms his heart...as if his trauma magically disappeared.
"Thank you so much" she says kindly, he pats her head softly while smiling back "No problem, we all need happiness...even if we are assassins".
She stops for a brief moment before blinking "So...we aren't just tools?" she asked, he shakes his head "Of coarse not, you are a human...not a machine".
Kurome stared at the blue sky with shining eyes, afterwards she looked back down "If you say that...i believe you".
Daikon pats her back with an inspiring smile, he didn't want her to be thinking of herself as a weapon, in the end they are all just people trying to get bye in this society.
The baker noticed their interaction and is glad they seem happy, even if she hadn't heard what they were saying, to her she just saw 2 people taking care of each other.
Upon entering the base they were greeted with Natala, giving them a small wave "Hey guys, welcome back".
"Aye Natala" Daikon said with a friendly grin, the blonde sits down with a cup of water in his hands "Anything interesting happen?" he asked, Kurome nods "We completed our mission faster than expected!".
Daikon crossed his arms, still keeping a smile on his face "Yeah, our training is really paying off".
"Well, uncle bill did say your skills grow faster than any of us" Natala responded with a shrug, Daikon scratched his head with a little confusion "I'm just trying my best, I don't think I'm more special than anyone else".
Kurome smiled as she ate a cookie, happy to see Daikon not put himself above others, the blonde girl named Gin approached the small crowd "With that attitude you might not get into the elite seven".
"Here she goes again" Natala thought while slowly sipping his drink.
She pointed her right thumb at herself and kept her eyes forward, wearing a prideful grin "Soon I'll catch up and become apart of them".
Kurome had a poker face and Daikon kept his confused expression "No need to look down on me" he muttered.
"Womyn was mean to him at first, but it seems she had calmed down" Natala mentioned before getting up.
Gin shook her head, not wanting to give them the wrong idea "I wasn't trying to be mean, I'm motivating him to train even harder is all", Daikon blinked twice "Oh, don't worry about that...i love to train".
Natala dusts himself off "Anyways, I think our next mission starts tonight in the outskirts, we better be prepared".
The black eyed assassin held her sheathed blade tightly "To kill Barbarian spies hiding in a village right?", "That is correct" he responded.
Daikon smiled as he punched his fists together "Alright, can't wait to test myself further".
"You see this as another part of your training don't you?" Gin asked a little annoyed, he turns to her with a nod "Yeah, I want to get stronger, not just kill the enemy".
They would notice his tail moving from his excitement, "You think we should do something with that tail?" Natala scratched his head.
Daikon jumped a bit after hearing that then shook his head as he starts to sweat "It's just a tail, not bothering anyone", the blonde boy tilted his head "Alright I'm just saying, that way people won't be judging you".
Daikon calmed down, putting his hands in his pockets while resting his shoulders "I'll be fine, just gotta be quick".
Gin stretched her arms before looking up at the ceiling "You guys think we will ever get teigus soon?", everyone looked at their weapons, wondering if they will ever be able to upgrade to that level.
Kurome responded with a quiet tone "Not sure, they would have to find ones that we are compatible with".
"The next best thing for you guys could be Shingu, but so far the seven have them" Natala added before stretching, Gin pouted "Well your lucky you have one, we are left with nothing but regular weapons!".
The curious Daikon walked around with his hands behind his head "I wonder what kinds of teigu there are...".
She pointed her finger up with a wink "There are lots of types like Swords, guns, armor, ect", he was a bit surprised as he didn't learn much about them, just that they were important "Woah, that sounds awesome!".
Natala grabbed his halberd with a slight smile "But for the meantime, just do your best with what you got".
Kurome approached them with a nod "Got it".
The team was ready to take on this next mission, they believe their training will pay off and be a very smooth operation.
However, luck won't be kind to those who fall behind.
Hours later, night at the outskirts
The group of terror stayed near a road, a road where a large group spies will be going through, Natala acted as the team leader.
"Another team will be uncovering and evicting them for us, our job is to cut them down when they pass through here" he explained to the squad as clearly as he could.
Remus, the white haired girl nervously gets ready "R-right, we can do this!".
Gin closed her eyes, her arms crossed as she acts like her usual self "This is so simple, no need to explain it more, it will be an easy victory".
Natala smiled while he noticed her body shaking, he lets out a tiny laugh "Hehe, your shaking Gin, you sure your ready?".
She back away, a blush forming on her face "H-haven't you heard of shaking from excitement before you blockhead?!", he responded "It's alright, all we have to do is what we usually do...".
Womyn nodded with an enthusiastic look "Yes sir, when everything's In order there is nothing to worry about!".
"We've been through all sorts of training for this, This is our time to show them our resolve" Kurome says quietly.
Daikon steps forward, confident in his ability to complete this task with his friends "Yeah, I'm getting pumped!", he stares outward towards the road, the wind blew gently against them, the future seemed bright.
Remus began getting worried "But they say an assassins first mission has a high mortality rate, no one die on me alright?" she asked in a scared tone.
The eager saiyan clenched his fist with a grin, his tail moving from his excitement "We'll be alright guys, as long as we work as a team".
After a few seconds they began to hear marching, the spies were approaching "Here they come!" Kurome shouted.
Daikon unsheathed his sword and held it with both hands, he goes into his sword stance with an already serious look "Make sure to take your medicine guys" he informed them.
His teammates took out small drugs and bit down on them to increase their power "Lets go!" Natala shouted as they all charged forward.
The nearby spies looked ahead with worry "What, more of them, what's going on?" one man asked, another one takes out his weapon "You know we can't let out guard down, we have to kill them...".
Natala spins his shingu before cutting one of them in half, Daikon jumps in with a powerful kick to the other man's face, as the body flew he quickly jumped up to slice the man apart.
Some of the spies sprinted to the battlefield only to be met by Kurome's swift blade, she cuts one man's head off and stabs the other "This is it, the moment we prove ourselves further" she thought to herself.
"Ah...hahaha" Remus cuts down as many enemies as she can with her blade, she wore a happy expression as she killed spies "We can get through this, we can live!" she says.
She was distracted by her own thoughts and joy of everyone surviving, she giggled to herself just before she turned around.
A spy managed to wound her on the stomach, blood spills out as she lets out a scared shout, her enemy was about to kill her "Oh no...", Daikon cuts the man's arm off and then stabbed him through the chest, the body fell to the ground.
"Stay focused Remus" he turned to face her, the silver haired girl nodded while covering her wound "Y-yes".
More enemies approached their way but Daikon moves his left hand forward to shoot ki blasts "Don't worry...they'll heal you up once we get back to base".
Kurome manages to kill the majority of the spies, her training as an assassin has began to pay off, maybe soon she could prove herself even further, Daikon kills a man behind her and gives a thumbs up, the 2 smiled.
More of them were coming their way, the duo stood together and sprinted towards the crowd.
They both cut through them like butter, afterwards Daikon quickly turns around and charges up a large ki blast before throwing it, killing the men in a small explosion.
Womyn was still fighting one spy, she evaded as many attacks as she could while blocking others.
"These attacks sting, I have to counter somehow" she thought, the girl jumps back and charged forward with her weapon.
She thought she would deliver the killing blow, however her opponent jumped over the attack and delivers the true killing blow, he cuts her in half, Natala quickly turned to see the horrific sight.
"Noo!" he screamed before running angerly at the man, cutting her killer to pieces.
Daikon and Kurome looked back with shocked expressions, "Womyn!" Kurome shouted as she ran closer only to stop a few inches away.
She stared at the corpse with a tear...but Daikon rests his hand on her shoulder, equally saddened, his touch calmed her nerves a little but can't keep the thought off her head.
The rest of the team briefly mourned for their lost ally, wishing they could stay longer...but they still have a job to do "If only we were quick enough" Gin said.
The silver haired girl stared at the grass, her wish for everyone to make it out alive was crushed, most of them were still standing...but they lost one, "I thought we would all make it" Remus quietly muttered.
Natala felt the most guilt, as team leader he feels responsible, the weight of this loss was heavier for him.
He gripped his shingu tighter, looking ahead at the moonlight shining upon the ground "Alright everyone, I wish we can make a burial but we have to complete this job" he said in a saddened tone.
Gin glances around, confused as she saw no enemies "Are you sure, all the spies seem to be eliminated".
In the distance there was a man watching over them, he jumps down from a small cliff and reveals himself, the team quickly turned their heads to face him "I guess your right" Gin nervously confirmed.
The man had dark brown hair and a visible scar on his left cheek, he wore a dark red coat with a black shirt and black gloves "So you kiddos managed to kill my men...impressive".
"He must be the commander, be careful everyone" Natala muttered.
The man unsheathed his blade and stood up correctly, he looked to be a rather tall person in his late 20's "You may call me...Balzac, I got that from a little something I own" he proudly stated.
Daikon scratched his head "This guy seems pretty full of himself", the rest of the team nodded their heads.
"Alright, time to show you what a real warrior looks like" Balzac boasts as he slowly takes out something from the back of his belt.
He held a strange white and green mask that had eyes, the man slowly puts on the mask and it stays perfectly on his face.
Daikon notices something is off as the man was shaking and groaning, Balzac lets out a shout as a small shockwave spread through the battlefield, Kurome frowned and gets ready for combat "W-what is this strength?".
The man started to laugh a bit while most of the team was rather intimidated "With his mask, my potential is unlocked...and my power is surging".
(Slow Roosevelt – Silverback)
"Everyone, I'll test this guy's power out myself while you think of a good strategy to take him down" Daikon says with seriousness, him and Balzac charge at each other clashing their blades.
"You seem to be the strongest one in your little group...but that won't save you from utter death" the man mocked him as they continue to battle.
Daikon swings his blade at lightning speed, he kicked the man in his stomach and sent him crashing into a tree, he was a bit shocked as the man quickly gets back up and counters with a thunderous punch to the gut.
"That mask is somehow making him stronger" Remus said worryingly, Natala continued to watch the fight closely, trying his best to think of a plan.
Balzac laughed as he thought he was getting the upper hand, Daikon proved him wrong by falling down to trip him over and kick him away, "Damn you kid" the man mutters before jumping back up.
He swung his blade at Daikon only for it to be blown away by a ki blast, Daikon attempted to kill him with a swift strike but the attack was dodged.
"His mask might also increase his speed, this isn't good" Daikon thought, he sheaths his sword and gets into his battle stance.
The 2 fighters stared at each other, both ready to clash in hand to hand combat, Balzac charged forward with a heavy punch but was blocked and hit with a powerful elbow attack to his chin.
Kurome held her weapon tightly, hoping Natala would tell them the strategy so she can quickly come to Daikon's aid.
Daikon punches his stomach and uppercuts him in the air, Balzac spins mid-air and lands on one hand then jumping back up to deliver a kick, it missed but left a large crater on the ground.
They punch and dodge each other rapidly, Balzac lands a punch and roundhouse kicked him forward, Daikon quickly shot a ki blast and sent him sliding farther.
"Alright everyone, let's try to get that mask off of him and finally kill him" Natala says with confidence as he swings his shingu around, charging forward with a overhead swing.
The man blocked the attack by grabbing it and flipping him over "This is futile" he muttered, Daikon kicks him in the face, leaving a large crack on the mask.
Kurome speeds closer and cuts off his right arm, causing him to groan in pain, he tries to kick her but Daikon grabs his leg and throws him into a tree.
As he slowly gets up Gin appeared in front of him while mid-air, slamming her sword on the mask, breaking it completely "Damn you!" he shouted, he glances at his sword, kicking her away to be able to reach it.
Natala ran towards him to sever his last arm, the pain was driving Balzac insane while he attempted to run away "I-I have to get back".
Daikon runs in front of him to kick up in the air, he jumps up to slice the man to pieces before shooting a burst of blue ki, incinerating the man completely.
After a few seconds he breathed heavily from the tough fight, his teammates approached to help him up, he gave everyone a thumbs up, a job well done...for the most part.
2 hours later
The assassins had already returned home, Remus was being treated to recover from her wound, Uncle bill sighed with disappointment "You all succeeded in completing your mission...but you still lost a comrade".
Natala stared down with a nod "I know sir, I apologize", Bill rubs his face thinking about the death, it didn't hurt him...but made his job tougher.
"Anyways...i received word from Gozuki, he would like for us to merge teams due to loss of members...and a new assignment that requires a collective effort" he said.
Natala looked up with a confused yet surprised face "Really?", the leader confirmed this "Yeah, the elite seven had already lost 4 members, one of them labeled as missing".
He would walk past Natala and gave him a grin "As for remus...i'm afraid we will have to transfer her away soon, we don't want the team being too large".
The boy was shocked and saddened to hear this "I understand sir, I'll tell my team the news", Bill explains further about the mission "This new mission is more of a campaign, so you will likely be doing some side missions beforehand".
"But what's this campaign about" Natala asked, Bill crossed his arms, staring at the ceiling "The empire has been losing spies to mercenaries the Rebels hired".
He shakes his head while covering his face with his hand "They call themselves a clan...performing assassinations for generations, this will not be so easy".
After a moment of silence Bill waves goodbye to Natala before walking off, the blonde was left speechless, so much to take in, the loss of a friend, another friend transferring teams, and a merging of teams for a campaign.
"We get to meet Gozuki's team, there is so much to keep track of" he says quietly to himself, slowly walking through the halls of the base "Time to inform them".
Daikon, Kurome, and Gin sat together at the table, Kurome rested her elbow on the table...still mournful about the death.
"I still can't believe she's gone" she muttered, Gine lets out a soft sigh, while the death bothered her she tried her best not to be too torn about it "I know it sucks, but we can't let ourselves get too attached".
These words bothered Daikon, he shook his head, respectfully disagreeing "I don't think it's a good idea to throw away our emotions".
Kurome looked up a bit "But isn't hiding our emotions what the seven have been doing?" she asked, he responds with a reluctant nod "Yes, but we don't have to follow their example, being assassins doesn't mean we should stop being people".
Gin looked into his eyes, curious about him even more "Daikon, I'm really surprised they let you be apart of the team, even though you don't fully follow their teachings...".
He looks at his right hand, memories of his father's murder flashed in his head, he shook his head while gritting his teeth "I don't care, all of you mean too much to me...i can't just abandon my friends".
Kurome tilted her head, a smile formed on her face "I'm glad you are here with us, without you things would be a lot harder".
After standing up Gin rested her hands on her hips "Yeah, we should all stick together till the end!".
All of this motivated Daikon even further, the help of his friends are key to him getting stronger to protect those he loves, he grinned as he clenched his fist, his tail moving from excitement "Thank you, I'll do my best!".
Meanwhile, the capital
Bill had just arrived inside a small meeting room, Gozuki was sitting down on a chair "Evening Bill, how have things been?".
"Tiring, my team had lost a member, luckily our mission was complete" he responds, fixing his monocle with a nod.
Gozuki looked out the window, crossing his arms "So...how's this Daikon doing?", Bill crossed his hands while leaning forward "His brainwashing is very poor...but his power and latent potential is too much to throw away".
He remembers how Daikon released a huge burst of power years ago, as well as his current training "He's an excellent weapon, the empire shall still stand with him in our control" Bill smirked.
Gozuki continued to stare in the far distance, while he agrees for the empire's survival, he doesn't think of his assassins as just mere tools.
A few seconds have passed and someone else enters the room "Greeting's gentlemen", that man was the assistant of the minister, Saikyuu.
He sits down on his personal chair, Gozuki sits down as well, eager to discuss the topic at hand "We're both here Saikyuu, let's hear what you have in mind", the assistant puts some papers on the table "Very well Gozuki, here you go".
They both pick up a few papers while the atmosphere gets more intense, Gozuki reads through before putting them down "Our teams will come together for this campaign, that much I know, but who are these Mercs I ask?".
Saikyuu leans back on his chair, his hands behind his head, the name of this group sends chills in the room "The Oarburgh clan".
To be continued...