What's up, you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day. Welcome back to "Corruption, Murder and Redemption?" Happy New Year! (I know this is late to say, but it's still January of 2019, so...)
You may notice when reading this chapter that there's something different with it. Well that's probably because I'm typing this on my phone. This isn't a first time for me doing this. I did it with a fanfic a few years ago. My laptop is kind of bad, so I'm forced to do this on my phone until sometime next month.
Anyway, to the guys that PM (Private Message) me to know what would happen to Aria, and really what happens next, I had to push that to another chapter since I want to cover a few things that'd be hinted in this chapter.
Well enough about that. Let's just jump right into it.
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS HERE. ISN'T THAT OBVIOUS?!
CHAPTER 36: The Irredeemable Ones
Five days has passed since Aria was captured by Esdeath and her team, two days she had been subjected to many tortures. Esdeath and Honest wanted their questions answered. Where is the hideout of Night Raid? Where is Ben Tennyson? And other important information on their enemies.
Aria refused each time to answer, resisting pain from the cuts the torture men made on her body, the burns they applied to delicate parts of her body, and blows they inflicted on her. They tried every way to make her talk, and failed. The only sounds that came out of her were the screams of pain she endured. Despite her small body, she was more strong minded than any man or woman that has been tortured, even Esdeath was impressed.
"I don't know what to make of you." Esdeath said, standing in front of the beaten up Aria in her cell. It was night time, and the only source of light was from the full moon illuminating from a small window.
Esdeath continued. "Your body is weak, and yet your mind is...strong? No, that's not something you have."
Aria said nothing to her, the silence being the only form of resistance against the woman known for her countless ways to break a person physically and mentally. The skill was useful against the most formidable person, and so she squat down with an amused smile and used her fingers under the girl's chin to make her face her.
"No, those dead eyes, I see them now." Esdeath said amusingly. "You're not trying to resist, you've already given up on yourself. Let me guess, you want us to kill you."
Aria removed her head from Esdeath's small grasp and looked back at the floor. Esdeath had her answer by that action and stood up straight.
"Sunny, you may come in now." She said.
Aria's eyes widened in shock. Last time she saw Sunny was when the Anodite almost killed most of Night Raid's members, including Bulat and Ieyasu when they were alive. The destructibe power she displayed when she fought Ben was terrifying to see; Aria hoped to never meet the girl in her life.
But Esdeath, whether she knew her fears or not, stepped aside as Sunny walked over to Aria, her shoes' echoing in such a way that each step scared Aria. Even when she stopped wasn't enough to stop her fast beating heart, because now she stood a few meters away from her with a grin on her face.
"Poor thing, just look at you." Sunny said, referring to Aria's body. Because of the many things the blonde went through, she was left in her underwear, forced to show the dying blood on her body and the fresh scars.
"Please… No." Aria pleaded. Her body was too weak, as her arms and legs were held back by chains.
Sunny's grin widened in response, feeling the urge immediately to see more of that fear on the blonde's face. But she knew the limits set by Esdeath, and so she knelt down and held both sides of Aria's head with her hands.
"You know, you probably shouldn't have said that, because now…" She forced the terrified girl to look into her eyes. "Because now I want to hear you scream."
Aria screamed, before she was sent back to an environment she was familiar with, and dreaded when she looked around. Gone were the chains on her, and on her was her dress which she had used for quite sometime, but the place she was in brought back many memories.
"No…It can't be." Aria muttered, stepping back.
She was back at her parents's mansion, specifically in front of the shed where she used to torture and kill many men, women and children that came from the countryside. The last time she was there, she had set the mansion and the shed into flames as a mark of a new beginning to her new life. But everything was like it was that terrible night when Ben had saved her from Tatsumi's blade.
Before she could comprehend, however, an arrow flew through the air and went through her ankle. Aria cried out in pain and fell to the ground, feeling the pain as blood leaked out.
She was crying so much in pain that she didn't notice the owner of the arrow coming to her until she was right in front of her.
"Wait… I know you. You're - "
Aria was cut off when Sayo shot another arrow right through her forehead and she died.
However, her life didn't end there; rather, she found herself standing back at the same time, shocked and breathing hard at the trauma she just witnessed and experienced.
"What the hell just happen?! Did I just...die…?"
Her question wasn't answered though, because of another 'visitor'. Unlike Sayo, he landed on the ground in front of Aria, his face not revealed until he looked straight at her and gripped the axe in her hand.
"I-Ieyasu…" Looking at his scowl on his face, she knew something terrible was about to happen. "Wait, let's talk this through."
Ieyasu either ignored her or didn't listen; he ran straight at her with his axe ready for a clean cut. Aria knew better than to wait and let herself be killed again, thus she turned away and ran for her life.
'I don't understand! Why is this happening?! Ieyasu… I thought he was dead! Why is Ieyasu and Sayo alive?!'
As much as she tried to think about it, her situation made less sense the longer. Maybe it was because Ieyasu was picking up pace and she was about to be caught by him. The scene scared her more, and so she turned back to him just when he finally reached her.
"Wait, Ieyasu, let me -"
Ieyasu cut her off by literally cutting off her right arm. Blood shot out like a fountain, which in turn caused the blonde to scream in pain as that arm hit the ground a few meters away.
Seeing that she couldn't reason with, plus being scared for her life, she ran off again, hoping for a bit that someone could save her.
"Help! Help! Someone…Ben, please save -"
She was cut off again, this time at her legs. Ieyasu's blade flew through the air and flawlessly cut both of her legs off in such a way that Aria could only cry out in agonising pain as she fell to the ground. With both her legs gone, blood poured out like a stream, soaking her dress and making her looking pitiful as tears leaked out from her eyes.
"No...No, I don't want to die again! Please! Someone save me!" She cried, but went unheard.
Ieyasu wasn't done with her done, especially when he jumped up into the air and raised his axe above his head. When Aria noticed a shadow growing on top of her, she terrifyingly used her remaining arm to push herself onto to her back, soaking her dress more in her blood.
"Ieyasu, wait -"
The spiky-head boy finished her off when he came down on her body, not only stepping on her stomach, but using his axe to cut through her skull.
Aria cried out loud and fell on her knees with her breathing fast and hard. She was back at the same moment before Sayo and Ieyasu had killed it. However, the trauma from both deaths were showing on her face and her weak knees that caused her to fall to her knees.
Crying bitterly, Aria wrapped her arms over her body, breathing heavily as the tears continued to flow. If this kept up, it would only be a matter of time before she'll lose her mind and fall closer to a numb state similar to being dead.
"Ben...Help me…" she whispered.
"Aria…" said a familiar voice.
She recognized that voice, and found some relief. Looking back, she saw Tatsumi standing a few feet from her with a confused look on his face. She may've not gotten along with him sometimes, but since she and Ben were allowed to stay with Night Raid, he seemed like the one person that wasn't after her life anymore.
"Tatsumi…" She smiled and stood up. Cleaning off her tears, she showed the relief in her eyes and said. "I'm so glad that you're here. I...I don't know why I'm here. Where's Ben?"
"Ben…?" He paused and drew out the sword of Incursio. "He isn't here to stop me...not this time."
Aria's fears picked up, and she took a frightened step back from him. The aura coming from him could only be described with one word: Bloodlust.
"INCURSIO!" Tatsumi struck the ground and was encased in the Teigu armor.
Aria knew her fate was sealed when the transformation was complete. Before she could utter a plea for her life, Tatsumi's spear appeared in his hand, and he leapt straight at her, ready to strike her. He succeeded, as the blade drove through her stomach, causing her to cough out blood, with much worse to come.
Tatsumi ran forward with Aria still in the grasp of his blade, the gap occupied by it only widening as his speed increased. Blood kept gushing out of her mouth, making it hard for her to speak, until he used her body as a ram to break through the shed's doors open, and she hit the ground hard.
If there was a way for her to escape this experience alive, it would be impossible. Not only was her bones likely broken from breaking through the hard doors, she was lying in a rising pool of her own blood. She looked dead in front of any eyes, and as blood covered her lips, her eyes stared at the ceiling.
Her experience didn't end there, however, because of two arrows. They were sent right through her wrists, securing her to the floor, but causing her to let out a rough cry. It reawakened her her dying consciousness back to the present and forced her to see Ieyasu standing over her with his hands holding his axe above his head.
"Now do you understand, Aria?" Tatsumi said, walking next to Sayo. Though his face was covered in an armor, the despise he held for Aria was obvious in his voice. "It downright pisses me off that you outlived the very people you put in this place, and now...you will experience every bit of pain you caused them."
To prove her point, many familiar faces to Aria stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves to her, much to her shock.
'These people...I know them. They're - ' Aria wasn't able to finish. She coughed out some blood, which just made it harder for her to breath.
"These are the people you and your family murdered, Aria, and now…" Tatsumi paused and pointed his weapon at her. "They will have the pleasure of treating you the same way you killed them."
Few minutes later, Aria was pulled up to the air by a chain tied around her arms. The chains kept her secured, but also put her in a harder position as blood kept gushing out of her body in front of everyone watching.
"You wanted to die, right? You thought it'd be enough to atone for your sins, but you failed to realize one thing. There's no atonement for people like you. Now, stay there and get everything you deserve."
If Aria could speak, she would've done it since. But her bloody state left her with nothing but the sight of her victims, numbering in the hundreds, from inside the shed and standing outside, waiting their turn.
Sunny was very amused by the scene she was seeing through Aria's eyes. In the physical world, the girl was the same as she was before, except she was breathing hard, crying and thrashing her body from left to right. The chain holding her arms restricted her movement, while also giving Esdeath and Sunny a fun show.
"I must say that your Teigu has reached places where even I haven't considered it could venture." Esdeath said, staring at Aria's traumatized behavior. "But...I must hand it to you, Sunny. You never cease to amaze me. What did you do?"
"I'm giving a criminal like her what she truly deserves." Sunny's malicious grin widened. "If she thought dying would be easy, wait until she she experienced it a hundred times over."
"I'll like to see that." Esdeath's smile disappeared and turned away. "But...I'll have to put an end to it soon. The emperor wishes to put her on trial before him since she's technically a noblewoman."
"So I should end it here? That's a bummer." Sunny was disappointed.
Esdeath smirked, and she turned her head back at Sunny. "I didn't say it has to be now. Tell me, just how long till she loses her mind completely?"
"I say twenty minutes tops." Sunny grinned.
"Then you better let those minutes count." With that, the ice general walked out of the cell, leaving Sunny to do whatever she wished to Aria.
Spear lay on a medical bed, a heart monitor right next to her as the beeps from it was the only sound in the room.
The room she was in was similar to many medical rooms back in Plumber HQ on Ben's earth. The walls were white, medical supplies were present, and there were beds for other people if more people were hurt.
Ever since her battle with Kurome, the Imperial Fist graduate hadn't woken up. Ben was worried for her health, and was even standing by the doorway watching her bandaged body.
'Why? Why did this have to happen to her…? To them?!' Ben angrily thought and gritted in teeth. 'This is my fault! I knew the empire would go after us, but I thought I could handle it! But to think that E new team of Esdeath's is that strong, I never expected it! Right now, there's no way I can have a team with them around!"
"Ben…" Eunice called from behind. He responded by looking back, just in time to see the look he has been hoping to see from her for a long time. She said it herself. "It's ready now."
"It's about time." Ben replied with a serious face. On a small sense of instinct, he rubbed his wrist, the same place where the Ultimatrix should be.
After their battle with Esdeath, Eunice had taken Spear and Ben to a large airship similar to the one from the Secret Saturdays; however, the color scheme was green and black. As for the Ultimatrix, it took sometime before the alien device was removed from Ben's wrist so it could be freed from Esdeath's ice.
Ben wanted to go and save Aria, knowing that whatever she was going through in the Imperial Castle was worse than he could imagine, but he knew better. The Ultimatrix was the only way he could save her, thus he waited for it to be freed in the lab all this time.
The ship's lab was huge in size, resembling one of the most technologically advanced places in their world, though in this world it was the most advanced place. The Ultimatrix was on a platform made for it, covered in a glass dome until Eunice approached it and she took it in her hand.
"Good as new." She said and turned back to Ben. "Esdeath's ice blocked the Ultimatrix from basic functions. Any mistake could've caused the Ultimatrix's fail-safe to activate and...well, you know how that went with your adventure to find Azmuth."
"I do. Now hand it to me. I have to burst Aria out of there." Ben told her with a serious face.
"No." Eunice refused. To emphasize her stance, she held the device behind her back. "You and Spear were lucky I was able to pick up the Ultimatrix's distress signal before Esdeath captured the both of you. If I let you take the Ultimatrix and run off to the Imperial Castle, you certainly won't make it out with Aria."
"Yes, I would!" Ben retorted.
"No, you won't!" Eunice fired back. "This is what Azmuth tries to correct you! Sometimes you just do things without taking the time to analyze it! Sure, sometimes you do think things through, but not now! We don't even know the full Teigu power of Esdeath's new team or their trump cards! What if Esdeath holds Aria hostage!? She'll destroy the Ultimatrix once you just change back, and it'll be you that'll need saving!"
Ben opened his mouth to disagree, to tell Eunice that she was wrong, and that he could handle it by himself. But he knew she was right, thus he frowned with guilt and said. "You're right."
Eunice's anger dropped, and she felt sad for her friend. She knew how kind-hearted Ben was, and knew just as much as his friends back home that he only wanted to do the right thing. However, they were in another world much harsher than their own, so there was no way she was going to risk their lives.
As a comfort to Ben, she went closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know these past few days has been very rough for you." She said with sympathy. "Not only has Spear not woken up, but Night Raid doesn't trust you enough to know their new hideout."
"Yeah, I can't blame them." Ben acknowledged. "Once Lubbock reported what happened, Akame was so angry that she blamed me right in my face for endangering everyone. I doubt even Leone and Tatsumi will look at me in a good way when we meet again."
"I don't know about that. But…" Eunice smiled a bit. "I know someone who looks up to you even after that. Come with me."
Ben was confused, but did as he was told. The spaceship was huge in size, built with so many rooms that some of them were currently unoccupied. It took sometime before they made it to the 'living room', and Ben was surprised by who was there.
"Hello, Ben." Sheele said and smiled sweetly.
"Sheele, you're here. How?" Ben asked with a confused look on his face.
The purple-haired girl looked away, clearly saddened by something. "I...I left Night Raid...for good." Then she looked back at him with a small smile. "Do you still have a place for me in your new team?"
"I...I don't know…" Ben hesitated.
He was trying to mentally grasp Sheele's presence and the question she asked. If she had come prior to the incident with Esdeath, he would've accepted her with a bit of sympathy for her. He knew the closeness she had with Night Raid and was certain that the departure was hard on them too. He just couldn't accept her after everything that happened.
Eunice knew better though, and decided to do something about him. She carried the Ultimatrix to him. "Ben, you need this, and you need her and everyone that's offering their help to you. Just because of what happened to Aria and Spear doesn't mean you should be afraid to let others help you."
"I think she's right." Sheele agreed. "I think I understand how you feel. You think that you've let everyone down, and now you want to show everyone that you can be useful. I thought the same until the night Ieyasu died, almost to the point that I began to feel I was more of a burden to everyone after that. But...you showed me that despite that I couldn't use my legs, that despite I couldn't be alongside my friends to fact, I could still make myself helpful to not just everyone, but myself. For that I say thank you."
She ended her speech with a respective bow to the teen hero. Ben was surprised and impressed by Sheele's behavior. It snapped him out of his uncertainty, before he made a decision of his own by taking the Ultimatrix from Eunice's hand.
"I've been worried over what happened. With Ieyasu gone, and Aria and Spear in trouble with that battle, I feel like I keep failing. But not here…" He secured the alien device on his wrist, and added. "I'm going to keep fighting, that is if you and Eunice are willing to accept me."
"I will, Ben." Sheele nodded with certainty in her eyes.
"You can count me in." Eunice smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "We both know you need my help if something bad happens to the Ultimatrix. Besides, Gwen and Kevin would worry sick if I left you alone."
Ben laughed a bit and smiled back on her. At the same time, the Ultimatrix's symbol light up, and the computerized face said. "All Systems checked and ready for regular operations."
"Your Ultimatrix can talk?" Sheele asked with a surprised look on her face.
"It can do that, and do a whole lot more." He then smirked and added. "Stick around and I think you'll get to see some of the things I mean."
"I will."
"What about me, master?" asked a familiar voice.
Eunice, Sheele and Ben turned to the source of the voice, and found it to be Spear heading to the teen hero. She was wearing the same bandages as she did in the medical bay, and a cloth around her waist that kind of stood out. She didn't care about her looks though; she was already staring at him seriously.
"Do not keep me out of this, I beg you! Aria was my responsibility, and she is my student! Let me fight alongside you and rescue her!" She persisted.
Ben looked at Eunice with uncertainty. "Eunice...um, is she good to go?" He asked.
"Give her a few hours, and she'll be alright." Eunice answered and wrapped her around over her chest. "As it stands now, this ship has the most technologically advanced devices and medicines this world has never seen. It's a good thing Azmuth was able to smuggle it in without getting caught in the Multiverse War."
"Multiverse War?" Spear asked. The same question was also something that confused Sheele too.
"We'll explain it later. Right now we should get ready." Ben then grinned. "We're getting Aria out of there - "
"Tomorrow night." Eunice cut him off. Knowing he would be confused by her interruption, she turned to him. "What? Spear needs to rest, plus she doesn't have a Teigu. You saw the fight, she didn't stand much of a chance with that Teigu user. I don't even think that girl was going all out on her."
"She's right." Spear agreed and placed her hand on her stomach, the area where Kurome's puppet had shot a bullet through. On her face was an expression of disappointment and frustration. "To beat a Teigu user, you must have a Teigu...or in your case, a weapon that surpasses them. As of now, I have no way to fight them, especially as my weapon was destroyed in the battle."
"I know that." Ben told her, but unwilling to prolong the rescue mission. "We shouldn't forget that Aria must be going through hell right now. We can't let her stay there any longer."
"Ben, I'm aware of that. I think everyone here is also aware of it." Eunice informed him deeply. "But we also can't jump into a battle unprepared. It's bad enough that Sunny is there, just imagine the new forces behind those walls."
Ben slumped his shoulders down in defeat and frowned. Things weren't going his way, and as much as he understood the reasons, it didn't make him feel any better.
Eunice understood his pain, knowing that he felt responsible for what happened with Aria and Spear. While the latter was safe with them, the former was behind the enemies' walls and going through what they probably couldn't imagine. She could've tried to save Aria those days ago; however, with Esdeath in there, and she (Eunice) having only Leone's Teigu power at the time, she knew she didn't have a chance against Esdeath.
With that thought, she thought it was right to disclose a piece of information she purposefully held back to comfort them. She meant this particularly to Ben, not hesitating to tell him.
"If it makes you feel better, I'll ask our spy to check up on her." She revealed.
Everyone turned to her, confused and reasonably surprised at the information.
"We have a spy?" Sheele asked the question on their minds.
Aria was breathing heavily, the stink of her cell being too much to handle for the small-minded. Hours had passed since her mental torture came to an end, and with that a bit of relief to her gradual crumbling mental walls.
As far as Aria knew, the time was sometime in the day, and she has survived something most people likely wouldn't. Seeing those familiar faces of her past kill her constantly, only for her to be revived to experience more of it was sickening. Ironically, it wasn't the stink of her own drying blood or the sweat that made her feel this way.
"Wow, they sure did a number on you. So horrible." said a sympathetic voice.
Aria was surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice. She looked around, only aware that it sounded like it came from her own cell. The guards posted at the cell's entrance were unaware, and so she sighed and bowed her head.
"Great...I'm going insane now. It wouldn't be the first…" She muttered to herself.
"No, you're not insane."
Before Aria knew, a muddy brown hand covered her mouth, shocking her and startling her in the process. Whoever that was keeping her quiet was behind her, before reaching her lips to the blonde's ear to talk to her.
"Calm down or else they'll find out. I'm with Ben and the others." She said to her.
Hearing the name of the boy who saved her in the past widened her eyes. It was even enough to stop her struggling, but kind of suspicious as she waited for her supposed assailant to release her mouth. It was really the only thing she could move on her own will.
"We're good, right?" She asked before surprising Aria even more.
Despite not getting any response from her, the unknown person went ahead to go over her in the form of purple and brown mud and reconstruct her body into that of a girl with blonde hair tied into a ponytail and held back by a headband. She wore a black sleeved dress with a star on the middle, white socks that went past her knee and red and black shoes.
"Hi, I'm Lucy Mann, and I hear that you're Aria Goodricke." She reached her hand out to Aria for a handshake. "Don't worry, I'm one of the good cousin from Ben's family."
Aria stared at the girl's hand, and then back at her face. To show what was wrong with her gesturing, she moved the chain holding back her right hand.
"Oh right, you're chained up. Sorry." With that, she sheepishly squat to her level and said. "I wish I could get you out of here, but I'm not strong enough to take on bad guys like Esdeath. My species are very weak against ice and fire."
"You're...an alien?" Aria said the first word since meeting her. The look on her face showed her surprise, which Lucy couldn't blame her.
Though Aria has seen Ben in action more than once, never had she met an actual alien that had nothing to do with being human. If she wasn't chained up and immorally dealt with, she might have said more.
"Yep." Lucy confirmed with a bright smile and nodded. "But don't count Ben turning into my species anytime soon." She then changed the subject. "Anyway, Eunice told me to go check up on you and update you about everything. Ben's fine, and so is the Ultimatrix and Spear. A girl named Sheele has left Night Raid and has joined his team. They're hoping to get Spear a Teigu or some weapon so they can start planning on a rescue mission to save you."
"Really?" Aria's face brightened up. After all these time, she almost couldn't believe her luck. But her mind flashed back to her sins, and so she frowned and bowed her head. "No, they shouldn't. I'm not worth it."
"Don't say that. It's the torture that's talking." Lucy tried to convince her.
Their moment was interrupted when footsteps were heard, followed by a door opening and more footsteps. Knowing who it might be, Lucy looked back to Aria with an urgent thing to say.
"We'll finish this discussion later. Looks like someone is coming. Try to stay sane until then. Bye." With that, she made her body into mud and went through a crack in the wall behind Aria.
"So that's how she made it here." Aria said, looking at the place the other blonde girl had escaped through.
Her attention was drawn to a certain woman when came in, but with two young girls in maid clothing. In her hand was a towel, as those maids went over to Aria's sides and used the keys with them to free her from her chains.
"Wear this." Esdeath said and threw it onto the teenage girl. "Time to have you freshen up to meet His Majesty."
"The Emperor?" Aria was shocked to hear.
"That is correct." Esdeath turned halfway to leave. "I'd advise that you get your testimony ready, not that it'd matter at all. Your life will really just be in the hands of the Prime Minister, and we both know where that'll lead you."
Aria couldn't utter a word, her body too scared to say anything at all. She knew the Prime Minister, and has seen him in some parties during her times as a noble. Back then she was able to enjoy the status of her parents, and in a way protection from any persecution from the Imperial government. But those times we've over, along with the immunity she enjoyed and any status she held. Whether she liked it or not, she'd be facing a trial for formality in front of the emperor.
The empire was very expansive due to centuries of wars and victories it achieved to reach where it was today. Many of them were tribes that have long existed, including various communities and villages that were old depending on their individual origin.
Among them was a small village that had been troubled by a group of bandits that have troubled them for so long. The villagers saw them as nothing but trouble for their economy, and that of their own women and children who, depending on the bandits' requests, we're violated in ways no one would dare to mention.
However, the day had come that a trio of heroes arrived to their poor village to deal with the bandits who really were more like monsters than your average bandits. The heroes agreed to help them, and soon they stood at the gate of the village, waiting for the bandits to arrive.
"How long are they going to take? I thought they usually show up at this time and day." asked one guy.
His name was Samson, a guy with spiky black hair, green eyes, and wearing a white shirt with small shoulder armor, and black pants and nice shoes. He possessed a twin blade weapon and held them in his hands.
"Be patient, my friend." said the leader of the group.
He wore a green and blue kimono, had his hair tied back to form a small ponytail, and possessed a long sword.
"Nuatsu is right." The girl of the group agreed. She was also the shortest of them and wore leather female armor, with her weapon being a wooden staff.
Before Samson could say a word, the air suddenly felt quiet, and soon they heard footsteps coming their way. The bandits were coming, a bit late, but approaching the village to cause another doom and gloom to the inhabitants of the poor place.
The heroes weren't going to let it happen though, so they went into fighting position and let the bandits approach them for a battle that'll likely appen.
Shura was intrigued by the appearance. Having come back from one of their little 'adventures', he and his group, the Wild Hunt, were on their way to meet with the village chief to have them compensate for the 'protection' they 'offered' to them. It was unfortunate, however, that there was a slight obstruction in their way.
"Are the weapons necessary? I see that old fart went ahead to call in some help." Syura said and pushed his hood down. "And here I came to take our compensation for protecting his little village."
"Protecting?! Don't make us laugh!" Nuatsu, the leader said, pointing his sword at them. "We have heard about the atrocities you monsters have done! This is the end of your wicked ways! Turn back now and we - "
He was cut off, quiet literally, because Izou, the master swordsman of the Wild Hunt, suddenly appeared next to him and proceeded to slice the head off.
"You...You bastard!" Samson screamed in anger and charged at Izou.
"Samson, stop!" The girl of their group shouted, reaching her hand to him.
She was too late, Nuatsu was on the move when Dorothea leapt to him, only giving him a few seconds to turn his head to see her. The next thing he knew was pain, when Dorothea bite down on his neck so hard that she ripped the flesh off and caused his blood to shoot out into the air.
Samson screamed, panicked and in pain over the attack that seemed so sudden to him. Because of his state, he stumbled on a rock and fell to the ground, where Dorothea approached him, brandishing her bloody fangs.
"Stay away from him!" The girl couldn't let her friend be killed.
Without hesitation, she jumped up in the air, her staff held above her head, and came down for Dorothea. She was getting close, when suddenly Enshin leapt and kneed her at the stomach with so much force that she spat out blood and hit the ground hard.
She gasped for air, wanting to fill in her lungs before she died from lack of air. When she sat up, she was ready to get back on her feet and fight back. But the sight she saw was enough to freeze her in shock and keep her eyes widen.
Her comrade was on the floor dead, the short girl from before drinking some of his blood. Once she was done, she gulped down the last of his blood and smirked devilishly.
"That was refreshing." Dorothea said, and her body was covered in a small aura.
She knew right away that she had to get away, to warn the villagers that the bandits were coming. She wanted to get up and do just that, aware that her failure would lead to the lives of many lost to these people. But her body refused to move, and soon she was lifted off the ground from the neck by Shura himself.
"Wow, that's all you can do? Not much of a fighter, are you?" Syura said with an amused smile and turned back. "Look at them. You know, they're quite lucky to escape this life by a swift death. I can't say the same about you."
Enshin chuckled and picked up her staff from the ground. With a crooked grin on his face, he went over to her and brandished her weapon for her to see.
"I wonder, which end of this weapon will hurt the most when I plug up your holes. Let's find out, shall we?" Enshin licked his lips.
Shura threw her to his feet, causing her to fall on her front, and leaving her backside vulnerable for the worst. With no weapon and her comrades dead, she watched with scared and shaky eyes as Enshin reached down to her and grabbed her leather armor.
"Please...no." She begged, but found it to be in vain.
The once silent moment was destroyed when two rips were heard, followed by a pause and a girl's voice heard afar, causing birds to fly away as she screamed in agony.
Few hours went by with the villagers witnessing the horror they had dreaded the most for a long time. Many of their homes were engulfed in flames, their women and children dragged off to the center to be violated, and some of the men, mainly the elderly, knelt down and forced to watch as their family were molested and raped before their eyes.
Ironically, the ones that were lucky to escape the horror were the men the Wild Hunt had the pleasure of killing, but this wasn't what the village chief wanted.
Tied to a pole naked, he cried out and pleaded as he saw the big and fat clown, Champ, doing horribly things to the little children, the bunny-ears girl, Cosmina, having her way with the adults, and more of the members besides Syura and Izou doing whatever they wished.
"Mercy! Mercy! Please! No more! We're sorry! Please don't go on with this!" He cried out with tears falling down his wrinkled cheeks.
"Too late, old man." Syura grinned with his arms crossed over his chest. "If I were you, I'd keep quiet and enjoy the show."
"NOOOOO!"
Izou closed his eyes, not because of the screams of women and children being molested or raped, but because he found nothing about the whole thing enjoyable. Unlike his comrades, he was looking forward to a fight, to meet a worthy warrior that would pump the adrenaline in him to the limits and beyond. Having his way with the women wasn't his style, and so he kept quiet while standing some meters away from Syura.
The only reason he found to open his eyes was when he heard a fleeting sound coming his way. He caught between his fingers and brought it to his face, where he then looked at what it was.
"Shura, you may want to see this." He said and extended his hand to the young man.
Syura was partially irritated and at the same time curious at what Izou wanted him to see. Knowing the swordsman, it had to be something important, thus he grabbed the thing and looked at it long enough to identify it.
"A paper plane?" He questioned and opened it. His eyes lay on what was written inside. A minute later he grinned madly and said. "Oh ho. So, Tennyson, that's where you're going. This is quite interesting."
"Do you know who it's from?" Izou asked with curiosity.
"No." Shura crumbled the paper in his hand.
"It could be a trap." Izou suggested suspiciously.
"True, but when has that ever stopped the Wild Hunt?" Syura's grin grew. "Look at it this way, if it's a trap, you'd have the pleasure of dealing with the person behind it."
"And if it isn't?" Izou raised an eyebrow.
"Then we'd finally be able to make Ben Tennyson and his female companions pay." Syura then turned away, watching Enshin going wild with the women. "I wonder...just how much can I drive him insane when I rape those girls right before his eyes? I think I'd go with the one named...Eunice since the letter says she's from his home."
"I don't have any objection to it. As long as I am allowed to participate in the battle, I don't care." Izou stated.
"Good, then we shall head off tonight, after we're exterminating this place from existence."
With that said, their plan was set and would soon be in motion. Ben Tennyson and his team, unaware of the Wild Hunt, will be in for a battle that they'd never forget in their life.
Eunice suddenly shuddered, and in a show of a terrible feeling, she wrapped her arms to comfort herself and tightened her grip on her muscles. The feeling was too dreadful to describe, like a bad omen that something greatly evil was waiting for her. It was really scary just to think about how such a feeling came across.
"Eunice, are you okay?" Ben asked from his seat.
With a new day had come with a new possibility that the newly formed team was ready to take part in. Spear was in need of a weapon that would have the power to go up against a Teigu, and considering Eunice knew the location of such a weapon, everyone was seated at the cockpit.
Like the Secret Saturday's ship, there were two seats for the drivers, which were Ben and Eunice. Spear sat behind Ben while Sheele did the same for Eunice, though it didn't go without saying that the both of them were bewildered by the entire ship. Never had they seen any technology of this magnitude, nor have the thought of such an airship ever came to their minds before. If it weren't that they were on an urgent matter, they might have questioned about everything they were seeing.
However, the atmosphere seemed worrisome when Eunice had removed her arms from the steering wheel suddenly. If it weren't for Ben taking over from his side, and halting the ship before something bad happened, they would've been in actual trouble.
Eunice understood her action and let out a sigh to calm her mind and body. It allowed the tension to reduce a little, and she held the steering wheel again.
"Sorry, I'm just...I was caught off guard by a strange feeling, like...someone was looking right through my clothes in an...inappropriate way." She confessed.
Spear and Sheele turned over to Ben, staring at him with accusing glares. Ben knew it without looking back; he was the only male in the team, thus he turned to them in his defense, though it didn't hide his uneasiness from the silent accusation.
"Don't look at me. I was looking straight while Eunice was just about to tell us the location of this weapon."
"I'm sorry, Master Tennyson." Spear apologized.
"I'm sorry too." Sheele said too.
"It's fine." Ben turned back to Eunice with concern for her. "Look, I don't know what this feeling is, but you should know better than anyone that I won't let anything bad happen to you."
"Thanks." Eunice smiled. She felt relief from those words, and soon had the airship moving.
"So you're gonna tell us about this weapon that you stumbled across?" Ben asked.
"Oh right. Sorry." With that said, she began to explain. "Centuries ago, when the empire was created, a weapon of unknown origin fell from the sky and hit the earth, sending tremors both far and near. I came across it during our stay with Night Raid while looking through some books Najenda kept around."
"And that's what led you to this discovery?" Spear asked.
"Yes." She answered, and then asked the teen hero. "Ben, have you heard about the mystical hammer known as Mjolnir?"
"I think I heard about it." He answered, but with a hint of uncertainity. "Wasn't it something that a god possessed."
"Thor, yes. He was known as the god of thunder from Norse mythology."
"Mythology huh?" Ben sat back on his seat, staring at the ceiling. "I'm guessing this weapon has something to do with him."
"You're right to assume that. The weapon is Mjolnir, at least from the descriptions I gathered." With that said, she went on to the important part. "We're going to its known location, a cave called 'The Cave of Worthiness'."
"'The Cave of Worthiness'?" Ben sat up, curious at the name. "Weird name, don't you think?"
"No, if anything it makes sense because of its nature." Eunice then went into detail. "While hammer is powerful, it doesn't allow anyone to just pick it up. According to the writing on it, only a person who is worthy can lift it from where it lies."
"Kind of like Excalibur." Ben compared, remembering the ancient sword he, Rook and Kai came across.
"Yes, and no." Eunice disputed easily. "While the sword was meant for the pure hearted, it was flawed because of its definition of a worthy being. Think about it. You saved the earth more than once, sometimes to the point of sacrificing the power to become a god yourself. Does that not make you worthy to wield any powerful weapon?"
"Hmm, you've made a point. I should tell Kai the next time I see her." Ben couldn't help but smirk at the thought of telling off Kai about the sword.
Has aware that Eunice was up to date with his adventures because of the Ultimatrix sending information back to Azmuth on Galvan Prime. The information were only limited to events that were deemed important, thus Azmuth was unaware of some conversation he had and other moments he was glad the creator of the Omnitrix didn't know.
"Wait, we're getting this thing for Spear, right?" The thought had come to the teen hero. "If that's so, how are we sure that she'll be worthy to have it."
"I've done a background check on Spear, and to my belief, she's worthy to wield that weapon." She then paused and looked up back at Spear. "Just keep in mind that this is just my hypothesis. There's no telling if the hammer would deem you worthy."
"Don't worry about it, Spear." Ben said, looking back at Spear. He knew how emotional Spear can be to please him, so he tried to assure her. "Even if the hammer doesn't accept you, it doesn't mean that you're not worthy to fight alongside us. A stupid sword back in my world didn't think I was the best for it, and I'm the biggest superhero there. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"I guess so." Spear smiled a bit.
She and Sheele have been listening to the conversation, never once trying to question the references they made to past events or the weapon known as Excalibur. So as much as Ben was assuring to her, she wasn't going to accept any unworthiness so easily. Not only was the team counting on her, there was also Aria who was being held back against her will.
"Don't you worry, Master Tennyson. I will not fail you." She said and nodded seriously at him.
"Uh…sure." Ben looked away, uncertain on what to say. "Just don't push yourself like that fight with that little girl."
With that said, the airship went onward, heading to the location of the mystical hammer so that the daughter of the former prime minster can wield it. Sound easy enough, right? No, because, while they may get to their destination, they would encounter a force scarier than most foes they have faced before.
-(CHAPTER END)-
That's where I'm stopping for now. This chapter is more of a buildup to the fight in the next chapter, with that also being a buildup to the battle with the Jaegers.
For those of you who only watched the anime, the Wild Hunt are a group of Teigu users formed by Syura, Honest's son, as the secret police of the empire. At this point in the fanfic, they haven't acquired the position that Honest would give them, but at some point we'd get to that.
To be honest, this isn't really their first appearance in this fanfic. They made a cameo/introduction in chapter 27, and since went to ruining other peoples' lives. If you want more information on them either read the manga or check the wiki.
To the guy who guessed that I'm taking part in NYSC (look it up. It was why I was in camp), I'm guessing you're either Nigerian or someone who just happen to have heard of it. Anyway, thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for reading this chapter. I know this may've not been easy to read through. Please review if you enjoyed the chapter, and favorite and follow this fanfic if you haven't. Until the next chapter, have a nice day/night wherever you live.