Man, you guys really like the Knight as a bug, rather than his human form. Like, I get where you're coming from and that the story would be a lot more interesting if the Knight retained its original form and such.
But I don't like it. Maybe I'll make it so the Knight can change back but who knows when it will happen. I don't like misunderstandings in stories, especially in the first part where it will determine the Knight's allegiance.
Also, it makes it easier to write. Having the Knight stay in his bug form would be too much of a hassle for me to write and I don't want another headache while writing this.
So please bear with it and I will try to accommodate everyone.
Thank you for reading and enjoying my story.
The halls of the large room made no noise, with pillars lining the hall making the air feel heavy. The clacks of boots echoed nearby as well as the shuffling of cloth.
The echoes became louder with each step as the one who made the noise walked closer and closer to the end of the room. Shiro, the Knight turned human, was summoned to this large place, to determine if he is friend or foe.
The clacks stop as Shiro stood against the white-haired woman, along with 5 others. He recognized one of them, Sheele, as her name, who smiled instantly and waved at him.
"Now that we're all here, let's get this meeting started." The silver-haired woman said. "If you're unfamiliar with who were are, we are Night Raid. A group of men and women fighting against the Empire. We fight to kill every corruption known and to make the Empire a better place. My name is Najenda, the leader of this group."
The Knight took the information in. Shortly after it woke up, it found garments similar to the ones they wore, just much simpler, and wore it. It doesn't find it impeding on its newest body but still preferred its original form. It was then summoned to this room where the white-haired woman had Sheele along with others like her.
Najenda, the leader, then continued. "Now that you know who were are, I'm afraid we can't let you go. We won't kill you but you will be sent to the workshop. So I want to ask this of you, will you join me, as a part of Night Raid?" She outstretched her mechanical hand, giving Shiro the option.
Shiro looked at the mechanical hand in front of him. He pondered on the offer and the situation he was in. Shiro, or the Knight of Hallownest, was in an unfamiliar land with unfamiliar enemies and unfamiliar people. This situation greatly reminded him of when he first started. Back in Hallownest.
But before he could speak, one of the members spoke. "Hold on. Are we seriously going to let this child in? I doubt he could be on par with us pros." Shiro saw that the one who spoke whore all pink. Everything she wore, including her hair was all pink. "This kid can't even talk for goodness sake! How can we trust him if he can't speak?!"
"I agree with Mein." A woman garbed in black with red eyes said. "For all we know, he could be a sleeper agent working for the Empire. Unless he tells us who he is, I won't accept him."
"But… Shiro-chan isn't dangerous." Sheele meekly defended.
"Sheele, he used his Teigu against you." Mein, the pink woman said.
"...He did?" The others all sighed, Najenda just hung her head low.
Najenda pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked at Shiro. The boy isn't showing any emotion, even before, just staring at them. She pondered if this was the side-effect of his Teigu.
"Alright, alright." Najenda calmed the group down. "As much as I need more assassins, I can't deny the possibility of an agent from the Capital coming here to kill all of us. And since Sheele believes in Shiro, then I will give him an assignment to prove himself."
"Shiro. Here at Night Raid, we work in the shadows and kill the corrupt men and women of the Empire. That means you'll have blood on your hands and be branded a murderer. Do you want that?"
Shiro doesn't understand what it means to be a murderer. If it means that he had killed, then he was already more than that. He nodded.
Najenda widened her eyes slightly before hardening again. "I see… So you don't care about the blood on your hands and the lives you will take?"
He nodded again. The Knight doesn't know the meaning of morality, anything that attacked him must be prepared to be attacked.
Najenda nodded deeply and stood from her seat. "Alright. Shiro, for your initiation upon Night Raid, you will kill a Capital commander. And since Shelle vouched for you, she will be responsible for whatever will happen to you. Understand?"
Sheele firmly nodded. She knows that Shiro isn't working for the Empire, he's too cute to do that. She believes in him. "I won't let you down."
"Meeting is now finished. Leone, Lubbock, show Shiro where the target is. Everyone else is dismissed."
"Yes, boss!" Everyone said at once.
Sheele walked over to Shiro and smiled warmly at him. "How are you feeling, Shiro-chan? Did you have a goodnight's sleep? Were there any bugs in your bed?"
The child merely tilted his head in confusion. Feelings are still something new he was learning. Sleeping was… odd in his new body. And bugs were never that small, compared to the ones he saw at Hallownest.
Sheele merely smiled through it all. "That's good. We should get ready, Shiro-chan. Boss' wants you in as well as I do so we have to do our best, alright?"
Shiro nodded. Sheele merely beamed with joy. When all of a sudden, Shiro was pulled into something he couldn't describe. It felt something similar to the mushrooms in the Fungal Wastes, just… better?
"So your the one who's got Sheele riled up, huh?" Shiro saw he was shoved into the chest of a yellow-haired woman with two mounds of soft mushrooms on his face. "My name is Leone, but you can call me Nee-san. Nice to meet you."
Shiro nodded. The Knight felt someone staring at him and when he looked who it was, a green-haired boy stared deeply at him. More specifically, the place his head was in.
"Jeez, Leone-san. Shiro's already getting uncomfortable." Sheele immediately grabbed Shiro out of Leone's grasp and into hers. She puffed her face in annoyance.
Leone let out a small laugh. "Sorry, sorry. I was just wondering why Shiro here is so special. Guess we'll see in the mission."
"Don't worry. Shiro will pass, won't he?" Sheele looked down at Shiro, whose blank face merely stared at hers. "... See, he's already feeling confident."
"I don't know if that's a woman thing or you can sense something…" The green boy muttered. "Well, if we're going to be working together then I should also say my name. It's Lubbock."
"He's our resident pervert." Leone proudly said, which Lubbock answered with his head on the floor.
"Come on, Leone. This is my chance to become a cool brother!" Lubbock cried.
"You lost that chance when you decided to peep on me this morning."
"Guh!"
Shiro merely stared at Leone and Lubbock's conversation. So many emotions showed on their faces that truly made him believe he was in another land. Sheele noticed Shiro's face which only made her heart ache in pity. Whatever happened to Shiro must have been so great that a mere child doesn't understand the sin of killing.
She hopes that will change now that she's here.
Since it was still early, seeing that the sun was out and the commander was at the Capital, Shiro was sent to the training grounds where they will test his Teigu. As far as Shiro knows, Teigus are powerful weapons and have a mind of their own. Each Teigu is different in its own way.
Apparently, his 'black sword' was considered as a Teigu but they don't know what it is.
"Out of the 48 Teigu's that were made, less than half of them remain right now," Sheele explained. She walked alongside Shiro on their way to the training ground. "All of us were fortunate to have been recruited by Najenda, if we weren't we'd spend our days as a slave to the Empire and that bad man, Honest."
"You're quite lucky, you know. Not many Teigu is compatible with children since they can't handle the stress and power that comes with it. I guess you and Akame are quite alike, in a way."
The duo then reached a patch of land, where the grass doesn't grow, and training dummies laying about. At the center of it all was a man, with no upper garment, swinging a wooden stick with so much force that the wind is being swept around it. Shiro was amazed at the mere strength the man was exuding, each twirl of the stick made more powerful gusts of air coming from it.
"SEIYAA!" The man released a roar and stopped moving. The wind burst from him, releasing a great gust of air around him. Shiro saw literal steam coming out of the man's body as well as little droplets surrounding him.
"Huff… huff… huff." The man panted heavily, his body red from training and sweat pouring out from his skin. He looked behind him and saw Sheele with the boy. The boy's eyes were widened, making him swell in pride. "Ah, Sheele. Have you come here for training as well?"
"No, no. I'm too frail for the training you are doing, Bulat-san." Sheele politely declined, instead of placing her hand on Shiro's head. "Instead, why don't you help Shiro-chan instead?"
"Oh? The boy with the Teigu, huh? Sure." Bulat agreed with a smile.
Shiro wondered why Sheele asked the man, Bulat, for a spar but he saw no reason to decline now. He wants to get used to this new power of the void.
And after a few minutes, Shiro and Bulat were pitted against each other. Since Bulat is well trained in combat, he would be the perfect target to test against a new Teigu. On the battlefield, surprises can come in various ways, like a new Teigu so he has to be cautious.
Bulat wore a green chest plate and grey sweatpants. He was confident enough to not use his Teigu as he wanted to experience the new Teigu. He spun the stick he trained with and expertise and went into a stance. "I hope that you come at me with everything you got. If you even half-ass it once, I'll smack you on the ground."
Shiro merely stood there against him. The wind blew near him, making his cape sway with it. This spar reminded him of his masters in the art of Nail. The person in front of him wasn't an enemy but rather someone trained in combat. So like the Nailmasters, Shiro will fight with his weapon.
He felt the power of the void coming from within him. Shiro called upon the sword and a puddle of void appeared in front of him. Sheele and Bulat tensed as the raw power coming from the black puddle was as tense as an unbelievable monster. The puddle protruded a handle, for which Shiro grabbed hold of and took it out of the puddle.
The sword was about as simple as it gets. To them, it looks like an unfinished cross but to Shiro, the Knight, it was its faithful weapon.
After swinging it around and getting a feel for it, Shiro readied himself for the battle about to commence.
"Good luck, Shiro-chan!" Sheele cheered from the sidelines, safe from the battle and probably stray strikes.
The two combatants stood against each other, holding their respective weapons with a tight grip. Although Bulat is in danger without using his Teigu, years of combat and reflexes made him go toe-to-toe with Akame and Leone. Even then, he has to be careful. Unknown Teigu like the black sword before him are more dangerous since its effects are essentially random.
But still, death is a life experience, and going out from training seems like a good way to go.
With a grin and firm grip, Bulat readied himself for the sparring session between him and Shiro.
Night fell on the forest. Critters, small and nimble, rushed to the safety of their homes as the moon stood above all. Its shine pierced even through the thickest of foliage, landing on the ground. The trees were silent with no wind to blow them but some had their branches sway for a moment before resting.
Leone landed on a sturdy branch and observed her surroundings. Too much noise will alert nearby Danger Beasts, which will then lead them to their base so she has to be as quiet as a cat when trekking deep in the forest.
Every member of Night Raid had to have the skill to make no noise during assassinations. You wouldn't want to alert the target of your killing unless it's Leone where she goes berzerk on their asses.
That said, she knows when to be silent and to kill without leaving a trace.
She looked behind to see Lubbock also standing at a nearby branch. The green-haired teen nodded in Leone's direction, signaling that 'he's fine.' While Lubbock may not be more combat-oriented than the other members of Night Raid, his planning and trap-making are unrivaled, closest to Najenda. He may look weak but he's the entire reason why the Empire never found its base.
Finally, she looked closest to her and saw the reason why they were out at night. Shiro clung to the shadows of the trees with a hook lodged deep into the tree. The hook looked like something taken from a Killer Mantis and he is using it as a hand-hold. Leone wondered what kind of child did Sheele bring in. Not only was he able to keep up with them, but Shiro used the claw like an expert to maneuver the forest like it was nothing.
Shaking her head, Leone sniffed the air a few times. Her Teigu, [King of Beasts: Lionel], made her passive to detect scents and allowed her to find whoever the group is looking for in a clouded area, like this dense forest. Through the other smells, Leone found who she was looking for and ran to it, the others following behind.
And after a while, they found the encampment. Soldiers garbed in iron armor and leather clothes were at the center with a medium-sized fire going about. Tents all around with light coming from inside them indicate that there are soldiers inside as well.
The trio all hid a few meters away and used the cover of the night and trees to mask their presence.
"There, I see him." Leone pointed it out. She saw a large man with beefier armor than the rest and was commanding a group of soldiers in front of him. "That's gotta be our guy, right?"
"Yeah. That's definitely him. Commander Tiens of the Empire. He's a noble with some connections to the underground and sells Danger Beasts to the Empire. He also sells slaves from families he's murdered and even kept a few himself." Lubbock said, giving a rundown of the target. "He doesn't own a Teigu and is relatively weak. So he'll be a good target for our small participant."
Leone nodded and turned her attention to Shiro, who like them, was observing the men in the camp. She tapped his shoulders and the childish face of Shiro turned to her.
"Listen up kid. This is serious business, alright? This isn't a fight where you can swing your sword around. In order to pass, you have to kill the commander and no one else. We are assassins, not warriros." Leone alarmingly said, surprising Lubbock. "We'll help as much as possible but the rest is up to you. Remember, kill the commander and no one else."
Shiro took in a moment to understand Leone's words and instructions. He looked back at the camp with the numerous soldiers all about. They all were sprawling about, eating and drinking with each other and some were even standing guard.
The Knight wasn't unfazed by killing. It was how he was doing it. In his old world, he would have killed everyone there with no difficulties and returned unharmed.
But this is not his world. And the weapons, the Teigu, are more powerful than he would have imagined. While Lubbock has said that the commander doesn't possess one of them, he would still be wary of those that did.
Shiro nodded. In this world, mere clashes of steel wouldn't be enough. The individuals here are stronger than he expected so he has to know new ways to kill them.
Such as assassination.
Without a word, Shiro jumped into the fray and welcomed this new killing.
Najenda sighed and finished the last of the documents she had to sign. Despite becoming a leader of rebels, she cannot escape the nightmare of paperwork. The many forms of weapon shipments, recruitment training, and possession of materials were all taking their toll on the leader of Night Raid.
'If this war doesn't kill me, this paperwork will.' Najenda bitterly thought as she signed the last of the documents. "Oh thank god, I need a drink."
The word immediately put Najenda in a good mood as she quickly got up from her seat and made her way to the base's kitchen. While every member had access to it, Najenda secretly put in a secret drawer filled with her favorite drinks she sto-, paid from her local brewery.
As she walked down the dim corridor of her base, Najenda saw Leone and Lubbock walking before her. The two saw Najenda and smirked. The leader of Night Raid knew that smirk and had to ask. "How was he?"
"He's good, boss. The little man killed him like no problem." Leone replied.
"I see. Then, where is he?"
"He went back to his room and likely took a nap," Lubbock answered. "But seriously, that kid was a monster. It's like he was made for assassinations."
"Really? How good?" Najenda was curious. Sure, Akame was also trained for assassinations but for these two to give compliments to Shiro, it must have been quite the sight.
"Frighteningly good. It's like he wasn't even there. No one suspected a thing in the camp." Leone seriously said. "Boss, I'm serious that if Sheele hadn't found him but the Empire…"
"We would all die without a sound."
Phew, and that's that. Hope you enjoy it and I'll see you at the next chapter.
