Eternal City, Crystal Tokyo

Chapter 63

Celty's fingers flew across the keys as the Dullahan wrote, "You have to help me! They've taken Anri! They have SAIKA!"

Alucard stiffened slightly, but she kept her reaction under control. "Saika," she said, "the possessed sword? THAT Saika?"

"Yes, that," Celty typed, looking impatient. "We have to rescue her."

Alucard agreed with that, but she noticed that Devil Lady looked confused and annoyed. "What is going on?" she demanded as they stood in the wreckage of the temple, surrounded by the fallen.

"I'll explain, but later," Alucard told her. She turned to Celty, "Where did they take her?"

"Farther up the mountain," Celty typed, "they have some sort of ceremony planned."

"Lead the way," Alucard said as they headed out.

"All right, what is this Saika and why should we be concerned?" Devil Lady asked as she followed them up the hill.

Alucard was faintly amused that she was willingly following them into battle to save a stranger. For someone who claimed to not be a hero, she often acted like one. Of course, her reasons for getting involved were far more pragmatic.

"Saika," Devil Lady repeated as they hurried up a barely there path up the mountain.

Alucard nodded, "Saika is a demon possessed blade, one that turns those that love against whoever they are in love with. It's incredibly dangerous, thousands have died because of it's influence, and worse, it empowers it's carrier."

"Empowers?" Devil Lady asked as they hurried along.

"Durability and strength, primarily," Alucard elaborated, "in essence the person becomes a extension of the sword."

Devil Lady looked at her, something making her narrow her eyes thoughfully. "You're scared of this," she realized.

"No, I am not," Alucard answered, even as she realized she might be protesting too much. She continued, "I am wary of it, yes. It can even hurt one such as myself."

They raced up the path as Devil Lady asked, "So who is Anri?"

"A highly functioning sociopath," Alucard said, "or so I'm told."

"Huh?" Devil Lady blinked just as they reached the end of the trail.

On the top of the mountain was a flat clearing, with what looked like a movie prop altar in the center. The struggling brown haired woman and the priests were no prop, and the sword in the woman's hands gleamed dangerously.

"ANRI!" Celty typed, using her small device's speakers to bellow out the comment.

"It's the Dullahan!" one of the men in priestly garb noted, "But we have measures to defend against her..." Then he trailed off as he saw Devil Lady and Alucard charging with her. "Use the anti-supernatural defences!"

Alucard smiled as she charged one group of men. She was tempted to kill them all, but she suspected Lady Venus might be a bit cranky at that. So instead she concentrating on maiming and disabling, and she wasn't THAT worried about them recovering quickly.

Devil Lady attacked with a similar ferocity, but with more restraint than Alucard would have used. She tempered her blows to just throw around men and stun them, not even ripping and limbs off. It was disappointing to see, really.

Celty formed one of her frightening shadow scythes and just tore through the enemy, sending men and women flying. If not for sure numbers she would have broken through to Anri in a moment, but there were dozens of them.

Alucard was so distracted she didn't catch the miko charging at her. "Die spawn of satan!" she yelled, flinging water at her.

The liquid splashed over Alucard, but had no other effect than making her damp. "What," she had to ask, "was that?"

"Holy water," the slightly stunned miko answered.

Alucard knocked her out with one blow, even as she assessed the battle. The majority of priests had fallen, but a small group were still trying to drive Anri and Saika towards the altar. At the same time Celty and Devil Lady were near breaking through.

'So why aren't they breaking and running?' Alucard wondered. They HAD to know they had lost, so why were they still fighting?

"Get over here!" Devil Lady called out.

Before Alucard could answer, the oldest looking priest raised a black knife. "Enough blood has been shed!" he called, as a burst of what looked like black lightning arched from the blade.

Alucard cursed as she realized what happened. The priest had used them to spill the blood of his minions, probably as part of some spell. She should have seen it coming. Hell, she had pulled stunts like this herself, back in the bad old days.

"Aiee!" Anri screamed as the black energy curled and twisted around her. The sword she was carrying seemed to shimmer and twist, as if something was trying to break free. "Saika, no," she growled, apparently to the sword itself.

Celty reached Anri's side, as did Devil Ladyu, but both were helpless as the darkness writhed and danced around her. "Anri!" Celty typed, looking at her plaintively.

"She can't be resisting the spell," the old man snarled, "it's not possible." He grabbed a priest, dragging him towards him.

"No, please..." the man started before the priest and leader of the group gutted him with the black knife.

"More power for the spell!" the old man roared.

Without thinking Devil Lady put herself in the way of the next bolt, the cried out in pain and surprise as it tore into her. "I'm.. bleeding?" she managed, actually stunned at being hurt.

"Get away," Anri managed as the spell energies crackled up again.

"Never," Celty typed grimly.

All three woman jumped as a gun roared, and Alucard felt them looking at her. "Damn idiots," she noted as the high priest fell over with a large hole blown in his head.

"You killed him." a shocked miko managed, her strawberry blond hair contrasting wildly with the miko uniform.

"Yes I did," Alucard agreed coldly, "and rightly, too. You have no idea of the forces you are toying with." She raised her voice, "Anri! Do you have that damned blade under control, or do I need to shoot you too?"

"Don't you dare," Celty typed indignantly.

Amri smiled weakly, patting Celty's shoulder. "He, or I guess she, has every right to be worried about Saika. I'm fine."

"Thank you for all being worried about me," Devil Lady noted as she tried to staunch the bleeding.

"Sorry," Alucard sheathed her gun, ripped the robe off a dead miko them helped get a improvised compress on the wound.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Lady Venus wasn't actually that surprised when Jun burst into her office. In fact she had deliberately sent her secretary away, suspecting just such a thing would happen.

"You...," Jun started furiously then trailed off.

Venus smiled sweetly as she drawled, "Yes?"

Jun managed to get her temper under control, then flopped into the chair on the other side of the desk. "You knew what I was getting into, didn't you?" she asked.

"Not as much as you'd think," Venus admitted, glad Jun wasn't in a murderous rage or something. "I knew something was active in New Kyoto, and that it related to Celty. I did NOT realize it was a gambit to get Saika, or I'd have sent more help."

"Is that sword really that dangerous?" Jun had to ask.

"Hard to say," Venus shrugged slightly. "Records are patchy, but the sword, jumping through various hosts, has killed a hell of a lot of people across Japan."

Jun nodded soberly. "Any idea what that priest wanted with it?" she wondered.

Venus considered evading, but the woman deserved knowing what she had helped. "I don't know for certain," she admitted, "but the intelligence we received implied they were those Earth First nuts. I doubt they would have done anything good with it."

"I'd guess so," Jun agreed.

"How are your injuries?" Venus asked curiously, having been told she was hurt in a early report from Alucard.

"Nearly healed up," Jun admitted gruffly. She got up out of the chair and turned to go as she added, "Next time, tell me these things. I'd be more willing to put my life on the line for you if you actually tell me what is going on."

"I'll keep it in mind," Venus said non-commitally.

Jun headed back to her apartment, deeply tired and wanting to rest. She opened her door then headed in, before stopping as she picked up a unfamiliar scent. Somewhat more cautiously she walked farther inside, seeing a figure sleeping on her couch.

Sakura was curled up on the couch, clearly having come over to wait for Jun's return. She smiled at the sweet looking girl. She carefully sat down, so as to not disturb her, and watched her sleep.

To be continued...