Several moments after Seryu left Rak...
Seryu ran at full speed to the city of Kyoroch, her face dripping wet from the tears that ran down her cheeks.
Her chest felt heavy with regret from leaving one of the few people she really cared about behind. It tore her up from the inside out. Seryu would've never left Drake's side if he didn't force her to go and get Commander Esdeath while he bought her time.
While she didn't meet the masked man, Seryu read the reports about how he fought 5 opponents are one time overwhelming them before Chairmen Fuyu stepped in. She knew that such a man was dangerous since only a force like Esdeath or Fuyu could stop him.
Even so...
Seryu stopped in her tracks, turning back the way she came.
She couldn't just leave Drake alone. Not now, not with such a grave threat nearby.
It was foolish sure, the smart thing was to keep going and get the commander like her lover wanted.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to do it, for she feared losing another person she cared about without being able to do anything about it once again.
"I'm sorry Papa." Seryu said to herself. "But I won't allow myself to let someone I love die again."
With her mind set, the young Jagear rushed back towards her beloved.
At the time, she had no idea the only thing waiting for her is a cruel, painful truth.
It only took Seryu a few minutes to return to the place she once was. Frantically, she searched for any sign of her beloved before remembering she had a device designed situations such as this.
"Koru! Give me the radar!"
The little Imperial Arms replied with a simple aruff. It consumed her right arm, replacing it with the item in question.
The radar was one of her Judgement of the Ten Heavenly Kings, particularly Number 9: Justice City Detector.
It was a device that somehow is able to detect any living beings within a certain area. This was a revolutionary invention created by Dr. Stylish, whom took the secret behind it's creation with him to the afterlife.
As Seryu studied the radar, her eyes widened. There were three life forms somewhere south of her position.
'Three?!' Seryu's mentally shouted. There should have been two, one for Drake and one for the purple haired man. Who was this other? A friend? A foe? Most likely the latter.
Seryu commanded Koru to swap the radar with her normal arm, then rushed off to the south praying she would make it in time to save her lover.
Before long, she came to the edge of a canyon. Below, she could spot three figures gathered together between the center of two long lines of parallel ruined columns spread as far as the eye could see and a single decaying building.
Since they didn't appear to be moving, this gave Seryu a sense of relief that she made it with plenty of time. Assuming one of the three turned out to be Drake anyway.
She squinted her eyes, aiming to discover who these three figures are.
The first figure to her left appeared to be a silver-haired ninja with iron claws. Who this man is or what he was doing here Seryu hadn't had the faintest clue.
The second, closest figure with his back turn turned out to be Drake. Seryu felt a tremendous weight lift from her shoulders as she allowed herself to cry out in joy.
The third figure however turned that happiness and joy into dread. At that moment, she felt her heart stop. The man whom killed Dr. Stylish and Bols stood only a few short steps away from her lover.
Seryu clenched her fists, about to jump off this edge and save Drake when she notice one key detail: they were talking, talking like they knew each other. Like they were friends.
Seryu felt a part of her world shatter as tears rolled down her face. She dropped to knees.
'How?' She mentally asked. 'How could you? Why did you have to be-?'
"Why did you have to evil!" She screamed in a controlled voice, smashing the ground in front of her with a fist. She wailed in sorrow as the cold, hard true about her lover had been spelled out in front of her.
Seryu couldn't breath as her broken mind screamed at her to carry out justice. To punish the man who twisted her feelings and left this gaping hole in her heart.
Yet what remained of her heart screamed to talk to Drake first. To clarify the situation, after all there was a chance this was some sort of misunderstanding.
Without another world, she rose to her feet, taking one last look at Drake.
"Koru."
The dog like Imperial Arms turned to it's master, somewhat thrown off by her emotionless voice.
"Give me numbers 2, 7 and 8."
It did as Seryu wished, swallowing her arms and replacing them with Number 7: Taizan's Cannon of Justice and Number 8: Rawls's Rocket Arm of Justice, the latter being a simple armored gauntlet capable of firing rockets.
On her shoulders, Koru spat out Number 2: Heavy Ordnance of Righteousness. This piece is a series of four missile turrets, two heavy turrets on her shoulders and two lighter turrets at her sides with a support leg to help keep the user upright from the counter-force created as recoil.
She held her cannon arm with her rocket arm, pointing both towards Drake.
Tears continued to fall from her face as her mind and heart tore at each other over what she should do next.
It only took a half second for Seryu to make up her mind.
With her face twisted by anger and grieve, she yelled as loud as she could muster.
"I TRUSTED YOU!"
And with that, Seryu unleashed all of hell's fury.
"Seryu."
These words echoed inside Rak's shared body as the volley of rockets and fire raced towards him. Specifically him, they knew, as Seryu surely seen Pyro and figured out what he was hiding all along.
That he was a double agent. A figure who played around with others emotions without a care just to get what they desired.
Yet his heart, or rather his brother's heart, ached with pain and regret.
Rak glanced at each individual rocket and realized that they are far too spread out to perfectly dodge them all. If he had his Imperial Arms, this kind of attack wouldn't be a problem however...
He had Pyro to take care of it instead.
The man stepped in front of Rak, extending both his index fingers outward.
"I love this game." He said with a smirk before firing small, yet fast fireballs at each of the incoming rockets. Each fireball hit its mark, prematurely exploding each rocket well before they came close.
The anti-tank round however continued towards it's target.
Once Pyro was sure all other incoming objects were taking care of, he sidestepped in front of the round's path. He held up one hand, simply catching the round in a flare of sparks and fire. He melted the round shortly after catching it, clenching his fist once the round grew small.
"Now that felt satisfying." He said, looking over his shoulder to Rak. "Guess the cat's out of the bag huh?"
"Too soon." Rak said. "All we needed was two or three more days."
"Should I kill her?"
Rak felt his heart sink. Sure he expected Drake to react it such a way, but himself?
Either Drake's feelings were blending in with his, again, or he grew fond of the broken girl.
"No, that would only create unnecessary problems." Serpentine chimed in. "While this is unexpected, this could provide a solution to our other problem."
"You mean extracting Rak here?"
"Precisely."
Pyro smiled. "I think I know where you're going with this."
Rak raised his eyebrow, confused for a few moments before figuring out what they meant.
"You mean-"
"-I found a new host, yes."
Shikee smiled underneath the black cloth that covered his mouth. "Now then, how shall we proceed?"
Seryu cursed. Her Justice Volley Fire was easily brushed off by Pyro, the same who admitted to killing Dr. Stylish and responsible for the death of Bols.
She wanted to fire another wave in spite of the result, but decided it best to think of another course of action. She was fighting against three opponents after all.
She could use Number 6: Ashoka's Rocket, but that might do nothing regardless of it's reinforced armor. Besides, it was a one shot deal that Seryu wanted to save until she was sure she could get a kill with it.
Hesitation was a new experience for Seryu, one that confused her as much as her mixed feelings towards eradicating this familiar evil.
"Seryu!" Drake's voice called out, surprising the orange haired Jagear. "Come on out! I just want to talk!"
'Talk?!' She mental screamed. After finding out that he'd lied to her after all this time, that he played with her emotions like a tool, now he dares to request to talk? To speak more lies?
Yet, a part of her desired to speak with Drake. The part that Seryu knew still love him despite all of this, that hope this was some misunderstanding.
That wanted to look upon him and feel his warmth one last time.
Seryu cured at her conflicted self, confused and angered at her indecisive state of mind.
She knew she should eradicate the evil before her, yet this is the first time someone close to her had betray her thus her conflicted feelings.
All Seryu knew for certain, that both sides of her seemed to agree upon, was the need to see Drake.
"Koru," She called her Imperial Arms in a calm tone. "Give me Number 4."
Number 4 of the Ten Heavenly Kings, otherwise known as Justice's Acsention, is a simple hook arm used for a wide variety of purposes.
Koru complied, consuming the other three Numbers before granting the hook arm to Seryu.
The latter glanced at her new arm, still conflicted on her next move, before aiming it somewhere in front of the three below.
Koru hoped onto Seryu's shoulder moments before she activated the device, thrusting forward as soon as the hook found purchase in the ground.
Seryu landed on one knee, slowly raising to her feet without removing her gaze from the ground. She still wasn't ready to look the man she loved and hated in the eyes just yet.
"Hello Seryu." Drake said after a few silent moments.
Seryu didn't reply, as her mind was still fighting over killing him then and there or waiting to see what he had to say.
Drake scratched the back of his head, briefly turning his gaze to Pyro beside him. He opened his mouth, but Seryu interrupted before a sound came out of his mouth.
"I trusted you." She said, calm and in low key. "I trusted you Drake, and you stamped that trust into the ground."
"Seryu-"
"I'm not done." Seryu nearly shouted, yet still managed to sound calm...well mostly.
"You played with my emotions, made me fall in love with you and now..." Seryu raised her head, her eyes filled with tears ready to fall over at any moment.
At this moment, when their eyes meet, Seryu noticed Drake's eyes returned to their previous blue.
"Now you stand with the man who murdered the man I respected and one of my comrades." Seryu closed her eyes, shaking her head as she spoke. "I gave you my trust, my love and my first time only to find out you've been working for the side of evil all along."
"You took all I gave you and threw it on the ground! You ripped out my heart, and yet a part of me still cares for you!" Seryu grabbed at her chest, squeezing as tears rolled down her now reopened eyes.
"You tore me apart! Made me broken inside! I can't choose between following justice or trying to forgive you!"
"How am I suppose to respond to something like that huh?!"
Drake took a half step forward and received a blood chilling glare from Seryu.
"Seryu..." He called out once more. "I'm sorry. I didn't want things to go this far."
"Yes, I'm a spy. An agent for the same organization who killed many of the Empire's corrupt officials and otherwise. I only agreed to join the Jagears to learn about their strengths and weaknesses. I lied to everyone for the benefit of Clockwork whom I've pledged myself to."
"I never wanted you to find out, not like this anyway."
"I deceived you, but my feelings for you are real. Seryu, I love you as you love me."
"Why should I believe you?" Seryu replied, throwing her arm to her side. "You clearly said you lied up till now! So tell me why I should ever trust you again?! Tell me why I shouldn't kill you where you stand and rid this world of another evil man!?"
"I don't know. I honestly have nothing to prove myself outside my words." Drake took another step forward. "Seryu, though it shouldn't have happen, you and I love each other, that much is certain."
Seryu shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Yes you can." Drake took a few more slow steps forward until he was within arms reach. "We can make things right between us Seryu. It can go back to how it was before."
He extended his arm out, giving her a half-smile.
"All you need to do is take my hand."
Seryu stared at Drake's hand. For her, it represented another road she could head down. A life completely new from the one she lead now.
A life where she can be happy with the one she loved.
A life where she would turn her back on justice and everyone else she cared for.
That realization triggered something inside Seryu. Something that made all the conflicted emotions boodle up inside of her flush out all at once.
He choice as well as what she must do all suddenly became clear.
"You're asking me to forsake justice." She said without emotion.
"That's not what I-"
"You're asking me to become one with evil."
Drake let out a tisk.
"I'm not Seryu! Can't you see that the current Empire is evil? I, we, Clockwork, we're trying to restore the Empire to it's former glory! Back before the likes of Honest or Esdeath ever came to be!"
Esdeath. The mention of her name caused Seryu to flinch.
General Esdeath had been so kind and carrying. She was one of the few role models Seryu had left in this world.
What Drake suggested now...Did he mean to...?
"I'm sorry Drake."
Renewed tears strolled down Seryu's face as the last bit of herself that cared for her love slowly died in the darkest debts of her mind.
"But I cannot ally with such evil."
Drake pulled his hand back, letting out a sigh. He pressed his right hand to his eyes as tears rolled down his face.
"I see..." He said, masking the sadness that surely overwhelmed his being. "I'm sorry too."
'Damn shame.' Rak chimed in mentally. 'Expected, but a damn shame.'
At that moment, Seryu jumped away from Drake. "Koru! Numbers 1 and 3!"
The dog like Imperial Arms complied, replacing the Jagear's arms with her massive sword and chain ball armaments the moment she hit the ground.
Drake threw his hand aside, his face portrayed in bitter sadness.
"Seryu!" He cried vainly before his eyes flashing back to red.
"Alight Drake, we tried it your way! Now we use the old fashioned method!" Drake seemingly said to himself, which threw Seryu off for a moment.
A moment that Pyro used to throw a quick fireball at the latter.
Seryu was caught briefly off guard by the coming attack, aiming to counter the attack with the swing of her chain ball.
The fireball imploded once the ball made contact, yet this was a simple diversion to what came next.
Drake rush forward, smiling wickedly. Seryu cringed as she swung her sword arm down.
With a graceful side flip, Drake easily dodged the blow. Within moments, Drake closed the gap between himself and Seryu. He stood a mere few inches from her face, smiling so widely his teeth were on full display.
"With the way you act now, it's no wonder why you're so evil." Seryu spoke plainly, still a bit throw off by his drastic change.
"Oh don't go blaming my older brother for what you see now, dear!" Drake screamed in glee, he held one finger up to his eyelid and opened it up to show Seryu it in whole.
"You see how my eyes are red instead of blue? Well that means that my brother Drake left the controls to me, which if you remember recently was during the time we bonded last night. It was nice by the way, really enjoyed myself."
He let out a chuckle before continuing. "Back on topic, it's long story about my brother and I but all you need to know right now is we're two personalities in one body."
"The name's Rak, pleasure's all yours."
Seryu grinned her teeth as renewed anger clawed its way forward. She opened her mouth, revealing the hidden gun installed in her throat.
The moment she fired, Rak turned his head to dodge. The bullet nicked him in the side of his cheek, blood came out from his newly acquired scratch. He quickly wiped away the blood with a smirk.
"I knew I liked you for a reason."
Seryu dashed backward, closing her mouth in new found fury.
"Koru! Battle Mode!" She screamed. A moment after, the dog like Imperial Arms transformed into its ripped, massive and repulsive battle form.
It roared, leaping forward at it's prey. A massive stream of fire meet the enraged creature, pushing it back the way it came.
The stream stopped, Koru shook itself back and forth as his regeneration ability kicked in.
A swirl of flames appeared before the massive creature, transforming into an all too familiar form.
"Sorry dog, but this is a private dance." Pyro said with a smile. "I'll be happy to dance with you if you're lonely."
Koru snarled, roaring a reply before throwing himself at Pyro.
"Good boy." He said with a smirk moments before launching himself up with twin pillars of fire.
Seryu clenched her teeth. She forgot Pyro had been around, which in turn threw off her battle plan.
"Now it's you and me sweet heart." Rak said with a smirk. "Just like old times eh?"
Seryu swung her chain ball arm forward in rushed furry.
"Don't patronize me!" She screamed as the spiked ball screamed downward.
Rak stood there, completely unnerved by incoming attack. He placed his hand on his sides, still holding that same smug look on his face even as the ball nearly took up his entire sight line.
"You know, I'm not as weak as I let others believe."
At the last moment, Rak held up he right hand and caught the ball. The ground cracked around him, even created a small impact crater, yet Rak stood unphased.
"Huh...A little more weight behind it than I thought."
Seryu's eyes widened. In all her time with Drake, he never showed such strength before. Just another lie to add to the ever growing list.
"How?!" Seryu shouted in pure shock.
Rak let out a laugh. "Not what you expected huh? Drake really had you fooled yea know!"
He tossed the spike ball aside, covering half his face as he grabbed onto his blue hair. He laughed for a few moments before lowering his arm.
"Are you familiar with the group of assassins the Empire made a few years back? The one that was formed from soled off children?" Rak started, smiling wide enough for his teeth to show.
"Well those behind the program created a bunch of drugs for the majority of their newfound tools, aiming to increase their abilities to match those of the Elite Seven. Course those drugs had a shit load of side effects should those kids fail to keep redosing at set intervals, but the Empire didn't give two shits about it hell they used missing dosing periods as a punishment for these bastards."
"Anyway, once my boss found out bout this drug he saw to getting a few samples of it. He had a few eggheads play around with it, try to create an antidote, studying it's contents, good old science shit like that."
"After some time, these eggheads perfected it. Figured, what the hell right? Maybe we can improve upon it before trying to destroy it all together eh?"
"So my boss, being the resourceful man he is, takes this new and improved wonder drug and injects it in me."
Rak raised his arms at his sides before continuing.
"Now I have all the powers those kids have without any of the side effects. I don't have to take so called 'medicine' either, just a one-shot deal."
"And that, is why I am such a bad ass even without an Imperial Arms."
"So you're just like Kurome then." Seryu replied. Rak waved a hand at her.
"Didn't you hear me? I'm better than her." Rak took a step forward. "You can say Kurome and all the other child assassins are prototypes to what stands before you. Now that you know, do you still think you can win?"
"Justice always wins!" Seryu roared, dashing off to her opponent.
"Typical answer!" Rak replied, racing off towards her.
Pyro threw another fireball at the massive Koro, once again the latter took the blast head on. It howled in pain, flinched back a step, then continued forward.
Pyro smirked before raising both his hands. From his elbow down, his arms morphed into flames. A moment after, Pyro released massive waves of flames towards the beast. The flamethrower like attack stopped the Koro in it's tracks as it not only fought to hold it's ground, but defend the area it's core roughly was.
If Pyro wanted to, he could easily destroy this humanoid Imperial Arms. His job however was to keep the beast occupied until Serpentine found the right moment to strike Seryu.
He didn't mind it, in fact he found it amusing to see how much punishment Koro could take before giving up or his regenerative powers stopped working as well. The latter was doubtful to happen at best but then again, it is highly unlikely that those whom created this beast in the first place foresaw it taking this much punishment for so long.
In the corner of his eye, Pyro spotted Serpentine's host body Shikee quietly moving towards Seryu and Rak, the latter two engaged in a fight that looked like a massive armed creature fighting a agile, elegant dancer.
'Soon then huh?' Pyro thought, moving his focus back to the beast before him.
"Don't you worry, this will all be over shortly!"
Rak bent backwards, sliding under Seryu's sword arm for the 20-something time. She clinched her teeth before opening her mouth wide. The gun hidden in her throat fired off three rounds, all of which were narrowly dodged by Rak.
"Getting closer dear, but not fast enough!" Rak smiled. "I might have a challenge if you weren't so blinded by anger!"
"Just shut up!" Seryu swung her chain ball down, Rak grabbed the ball and quickly threw it aside, letting out a laugh as he did so.
"See? There you go proving my point!" He glanced at Seryu, whom smiled at the him. Rak raised an eyebrow, confused as to why she was smiling.
Perhaps she finally snapped. Or maybe-
-Rak quickly turned his head to the ball he threw aside, it laid only a half dozen feet from him and the moment his gaze fell upon the ball it began to glow.
'Shit!' He mentally screamed before throwing his arms in front of himself and jumping as far back as he could with one foot.
The ball exploded a moment after, the blast hit Rak and threw him further up in the air. His arms stung, he could feel some trails of blood flowing down but otherwise the blast didn't do much damage.
That was the only good news however.
Rak turned his head, noticing Seryu soaring right for him. She used the explosion as a distraction to get him up in the air. Now when his mobility is limited at best, she had him right where she wanted.
And he damn well fell for it.
'She got me...' Rak thought as he tried to turn his body.
Seryu held her sword arm stretched out at her side. Her face twisted in evil pleasure as she chuckled.
"NOW DIE!"
Seryu swung her sword forward, eager to claim another 'evil' life for her twisted version of justice.
"Apologies, but he still has a part to play in the grand scheme of things." A voice said behind her.
Seryu's eyes went wide, then she felt a searing pain across her backside. Whatever or whomever struck her drastically threw her aim off. Her sword swung low, a bit below Rak's knees. The latter realized this and quickly raised his legs, barely feeling the cool blade slide under his knees.
Seryu cursed as she twisted in the air. She landed with one knee on the ground, flinching in pain from her leg and back.
Rak landed a fair distance from her. Their eyes meet, the forward shrugging before pointing somewhere passed Seryu.
She turned her gaze in time to see the third person she forgot about land a dozen or so feet from her.
Shikee flexed one of his claws: the same one stained in the young Jagear's blood.
"Bastard!" Seryu spat up blood. A trail ran out of her mouth but she didn't let her newfound pain stop her from cursing this man out. "Sneaking up from behind like that!"
"I'm a ninja. Attacking from behind is what we do." Shikee replied, extending his bloodstained claw out. "For someone who complains about being attacked from behind, you sure like to strike in the same manner."
Seryu clenched her teeth in response. She turned her gaze away from the ninja. She glanced around for her Imperial Arms, finally finding him being pushed by waves of fire.
It seems that Pyro, the man she despised, is simply toying around with her partner.
Seryu impaled her sword arm into the ground, putting her weight into it as she struggled to rise to her feet. Once she accomplished that, the young Jagear yelled as loud as she could.
"Koro! Berserker Form!"
Upon hearing the command, Koro's skin morphed as veins popped out of his muscular arms, his white coat turned to a wine color, and his black eyes turned blood red.
With its transformation complete, Koro glanced at Seryu. It snarled, noticing not one but two enemies near its master. It roared, causing Pyro to stop his attack to cover his ears.
Shikee and Rak however, were paralyzed by the ground shaking roar. Seryu used this opening to wrap her chain arm around the extended ninja's hand.
She pulled him forward a step, opening her mouth and firing the gun hidden within. The round hit Shikee right in the chest, roughly around the heart.
At this point Koro's roar ended. Shikee slowly moved one hand to his chest, eyes twitching in shock and pain.
"Arrogance. That's this host's weakness." Serpentine said, as blood pored down from the bullet wound and threw his steel gloves. "I knew it would cost this host dearly sooner or later. Didn't think it would be now though."
Seryu laughed. "Serves you right! All evil shall be destroyed by justice! That's the way of the world!"
Serpentine chuckled. "My, my. How ironic coming from you." He closed his eyes, lowering his hand. "If only you knew the truth...Then again, I'll be showing it to you soon enough."
"Funny coming from a dead man. Evil sure is stupid sometimes."
"I won't be so sure."
Shikee's belly swelled, expanding in size in a dramatic manner. Only stopping once he grew twice in size.
As the ninja bloated, Seryu's eyes widen in shock. She called for Koro, the latter rushing toward her to act as a shield.
Since this one was a ninja, Seryu figured he would be using some sort of poison or explosive last resort technique. So it stood to reason to use her Imperial Arms as a shield since he can regenerate anyway.
If only she had even a hint of what the entity called Serpentine truly is.
Shikee pulled back the mask covering his lower face. Light green liquid pooled out from the corners of his mouth as the man struggled to hold in whatever he was holding in.
The shinobi opened his mouth with a roar, but not just any roar; it was deep, unnerving, ancient even. Most of all, it was inhuman.
As this ungodly noise rang out, what Shikee contained within lashed out with an unprecedented fury.
Snakes, dozens if not hundreds of snakes flew out of the ninja's mouth, each hissing loudly as they flew in a swarm towards the two before them with fangs fully extended and ready to bite into their prey.
"Koro!"
The Imperial Arms was already in motion before its master's cry. It took two steps forward, opening its mouth wide enough the it made it appear as if its head was mostly mouth and prepared for the swarm to fly right into its nearly bottomless pit of a stomach.
The first several dozen of flying snakes flew into the humanoid's mouth just as it planned, what happened next was unexpected.
A few of the serpents separated from the swarm, flying directly into Koro's eyes. As the Imperial Arms roared in pain from these snakes biting down on it's eyes, the swarm split into two groups and maneuvered around the thrashing humanoid.
Seryu, unwilling to accept this fact, opened her mouth and fired her hidden gun as fast as she could into the swarm. Once the serpents drew close the young Jagear thrashed her sword and chain whip arms around.
Even as dozens upon dozens of dismembered snakes littered the ground, even as Koro removed the serpents eating away at his eyes and began to thrash the swarm directly as they in turn maneuvered around the beast, and even as Seryu didn't show even the slightest sign of exhaustion, they were only delaying the inevitable.
Despite all the numerous serpents spawning from his mouth, the parasite within Shikee could produce them indefinitely so long as the original serpent inside the host remained intact.
Eventually, the swarming snakes managed to maneuver pasted Seryu's fierce defense. These snake bit into the young lady, the first few hitting reinforced metal plating and replaced parts created by Dr. Stylish. Within moments, the serpents bit into flesh releasing their toxins.
If she had her normal arms, Seryu would be frantically throwing these serpents off. In lack of that, she shook her body back and forth hoping to throw these snakes off.
One by one, the serpents whom bit into her released their grip. With all the toxins they were carrying injected into their target, their purpose has been fulfilled. The serpents disintegrated once they hit the hard ground, disappearing into nothing.
Those that flew in the air started to drop, dissipating like the others once hitting the ground.
Shikee regained his original form, falling a moment after, hitting the cold ground as a warm, drooling corpse.
Seryu's body twitched, she could feel something pulling together in her blood stream, forming and slithering under her skin. She wanted to grab at whatever it was crawling inside, yet her body didn't respond in kind.
Tears flown from the Jagear's eyes as she felt a mix of helplessness and fear. In time, her sense of self began to blur as the world around her seemed to grow distant.
Seryu's body went limp, yet remained on her two feet. Minutes passed before her head twitched. Slowly, her head began to rise. She looked at her arms and legs, slowly moving them in turn.
The Jagear smiled widely, letting out a slow laugh. However, the sound that came out wasn't her usual voice.
Old, ancient and unnervingly deep, much like the voice which came from Shikee before.
Seryu closed her eyes, raising her head as she continued to laugh. When she reopened them, the color in her eye changed.
They were now a pair of yellow, snake eyes.
She stopped laughing, still holding her smile as she lowered her head.
"Thanks for the new body."
The following morning...
Tatsumi, Mine, and Walker walked the streets of Kyoroch. Having meet up with the rest of Night Raid last night, the group decided to split between gathering intelligence from groups of Revolutionary spies stationed around the area and scouting/confirming intel along with getting a feel for any potential approach and escape routes.
Mine, with her face known by the Empire, wore a disguise.
She wore a dull light blue, gray wig(dull light blue on the outer part, gray on the inner part) that stretched down half her backside, a sleeveless black vest covering a gray t-shirt, a checkered red short skirt, a spiked choker collar, a finger less black glove on her left arm with matching black armbands on her right, black high heel leather boots, brownish see through stockings, purple nail liner, and heavy makeup on her face that completed her "punk rock" look.
It was the complete opposite of her usual style and while she offered her complains the assassin knew it is a necessary sacrifice.
Wanting to play it safe in the chance they crossed paths with Esdeath, Tatsumi decided to slick his hear back, leaving a single bulk of hair forward, and wore a pair of shades.
It wasn't as extreme as Mine's outfit, but as far as he knew Esdeath and her Jagears have no idea Night Raid is even in the city.
After a few long minutes of mentally mapping the city streets, the trio noticed a crowd gathered ahead of them.
Many in the crowd wore simple gray robes, they gathered around several individuals in a wide circle. Tatsumi could make out figures holding spears in the inner point of the circle. No doubt guards keeping the masses from swarming whomever or whatever they were gathered around.
As they grew closer, the three could make out the symbols of the Path of Peace religion which made their home here in Kyoroch.
Voices came from the center of the circle.
"Please, everyone will get their turn! We've brought plenty to go around!"
Walker paused, finding himself washed over with a familiar feeling.
"It can't be..." He said to himself after hearing the voice one more time.
The merc started into a slow jog, closing in on circle in a minute. He worked his way into the crowd as Tatsumi and Mine chased after him, calling him out but getting no response.
Walker neared the end of the crowd and saw what laid in the center: several wagons filled with bread being handed out one at a time by various soldiers of the Path to Peace religion to the surrounding crowd.
Among them stood two unique individuals; a long, slender, robe wearing priest with long white hair wearing a golden cross across his forehead and an all too familiar man with slicked back brown hair and sideburns, a thunderbolt scar under his jaw and wore a black lined shirt underneath a white-yellow vest, a blue tie, light gray pants held up with a black belt, matching shoes and leather finger-less gloves.
"No freakin way..." Walker said under his breath.
Tatsumi and Mine caught up to the merc at that point, studying the group within the circle.
"Isn't that the leader of the Path to Peace?" Tatsumi asked, partly snapping Walker way from his focus.
"Oh...yeah, I think so." The merc hastily replied, which caused Tatsumi to worry.
If Walker's focus wasn't on the priest, then who is?
Tatsumi traced the man's line of sight to the man beside the priest. Questions flooded into the youth's mind, each begin to be ask, yet he knew that some if not all would be answered if he waited to see what will happen next.
The lord of the religious movement took a loaf of bread handed to him by a guard and approached one of the lines forming out of the crowd. The man Walker was focused on followed close behind, his eyes scanning the masses for any potential threats or anomalies.
"Please, take this." The lord said with a humble smile, extending his hand out to the elderly woman before him.
The woman slowly grabbed the loaf, bowing her head in gratitude. "Thank you, thank you Lord!"
With those words, she moved back towards the crowd, soon blending in with the mass of obviously poor and struggling individuals.
As the next person in line approached, a guard carrying several loafs of bread walked towards the lord. He handed the priest one bread at a time as he in turn gave one to each individual who stood before him, smiling as he carried out the selfless act.
The one who clearly acted as the lord's bodyguard began to twist his head in his search for any hazards. Given the recent attack on the city along with the current state of the Empire, no one could blame his thorough methods.
"What's with this guy and you Walker?" Tatsumi finally asked once he figured out he needed to get the ball rolling.
"He's...someone from my past." Walker replied after a few silent moments. "Hell, I didn't even know he was alive till now."
"Someone we need to worry about?" Mine chimed in.
Walker looked at his self-appointed rival like she just asked him something personal. He turned his gaze back at the man in question, slightly shaking his head.
"No. He shouldn't be."
"The Prime Minister could have hi-"
"It goes against his character. He's beliefs." Walker cut in. "He won't be corrupted."
"Might not be a friend either."
"...Yeah..." 'And who could blame him?' Walker finished mentally.
"This guy have a name?" Tatsumi asked once a few silent moments passed.
Walker closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. When he reopened them, he found the man from his past looking directly at him, eyes wide with surprise and yet, a hint of expectation. Like he knew the two of them would meet again.
The man turned to face Walker, taking a step away from his lord. The latter turned his head, drawn by innocent curiosity. He handed what remained of the bread in his hands to a subordinate and focused on the events transpiring before him.
'Shit...' Walker cursed in his head. With a sigh, he stepped out of the crowd, eyes locking with his old friend.
"Rook..."
"Walker."
Rook placed his arms behind his back, taking in a deep breath of his own.
"Long time no see."
"It's been a few years yeah." Walker rubbed the back of his head. "Would've sent some letters here and there, but you sort of disappeared off the face of the earth."
"Yes well..." Rook glanced at the ground for few moments before continuing. "Things grew...complicated between the group. I though it best to have a change of scenery."
"Don't sugar coat what happened back then." Walker replied, closing his eyes as he shook his head slightly. "You left because of naivety and hunger for glory."
"Walker that's not-"
"Two of your friends died because of me." Walker said, taking a step forward and pointing his finger at the ground for emphasis. "If I didn't convince Doya, Stinger, and rest of you guys to take on that stupid Pol-nacerious Bear during that last job we were all together."
He lowered his eyes to the ground.
"You and Ratchet were the only ones who knew what we were getting ourselves into. I should've listened..."
Rook paced over to his former boss. With a half-smile, he placed his hands on the man's shoulders.
"That is all in the past Walker." He said sternly. "What's done cannot be undone."
"True...but after you left, the North Star Shooters fell apart." Walker closed his eyes. "Stinger and Ratchet quit soon after you disappeared. I left Doya up in the north and-"
Rook shook the man, interrupting him. "The past is the past Walker. All we can do is move forward, never back."
Rook took the merc into his arms, giving him a firm hug.
"For what it's worth Walker, I forgive you." He said in a whisper. "I forgive you, and I'm glad I got to see you again."
"Goddamn it Rook." Tears began to pool in the merc's eyes, he returned the hug by patting his old friend's back a few times. "Since when the hell did you become a saint huh?"
Rook chuckled. "While I'm flattered at the statement, I'm far from a saint." He released his friend, giving him a moment to wipe his tears. "If you're looking for a saint, then let me introduce you to my current client."
Rook turned to his side, extending a hand to the lord of the Path to Peace.
The man bowed his head slightly, smiling as he closed his eyes.
"My name is Lord Fairchild, leader of the Path to Peace."
He reopened his eyes, still smiling at the old merc.
"It's so good to finally meet you, Rook has told me much about you and your group."
"Yeah? We'll I've heard a bit about you too."
Lord chuckled. "Is that right? I'm glad word of our work has spread throughout the Empire, though my role in it maybe a bit exaggerated."
"Modest huh?" Walker turned his head to Rook. "I see why you like this guy."
Rook smirked in response, otherwise saying nothing.
Lord tilted his head, looking past Walker and Rook.
"I see the thread of fate has tied you to two others in the crowd. Do you know whom I'm talking about?"
Walker raised his eyebrow, looking at Rook.
"He has special powers." The latter replied. "Best I can sum it up, it's like future sight, only a bit vague."
Walker let out a sigh. "Physic powers, great. Now I see why you're protecting this guy."
He turned back to Tatsumi and Mine, nudging them forward. The two glanced at one another before slowly moving to join them.
Rook crossed his arms as he studied the approaching youths.
"Don't tell me you're starting a new gang Walker."
Walker tilted his head, giving his old friend a "seriously?" type of look.
"Current clients, long story."
Lord Fairchild took a step toward the duo, taking in every detail.
"Oh my, I see the thread of eternal love binding the two of you." Lord smiled widely, grasping the pair by their shoulders. "Congratulations! Assuming you aren't already married, I hope the two of you live a promising life together."
Tatsumi and Mine immediately blushed, the slid away from one another, staring into each other's eyes.
"There's no way in hell I'd marry him!"
"I can say the same! Especially after all the name calling and using me as a servant!"
"Oh please! You should be grateful I decided to use you in the first place!"
"See? She's so stuck up, I'd never get along with her!"
Lord let out a chuckle as Mine let out something inaudible as her reply.
"Now, now, I know playful fighting can help lovers grow closer but I think the two of you should be honest with one another."
"I WOULD NEVER WILLINGLY LOVE THIS PERSON!" The two youths screamed in unison.
"Perhaps not now," Rook cut in. "but it will happen. Anything Lord Fairchild predicts with his gift always comes true. The only question is when."
Walker added in a hearty laugh. "You know what? I have to agree with his lordship here. You two are so different that it makes sense. Opposites attract and all that nonsense."
Mine crossed her arms, turning her back on the group. Tatsumi let out a sigh.
Him and Mine? After all they've been through? Sure he come to respect her as an ally, but as a lover? Not. A. Chance.
Lord Fairchild turned his attention back to Rook and Walker.
"I think we have things under control here Rook. Why don't you too take this chance to catch up?"
The statement caught Rook by surprise, but his response came without delay.
"But Lord-"
The man raised a hand, calling for his bodyguard's silence.
"I can handle myself just fine among the faithful. Besides, I have your hand picked guards here should the worst happen."
He lowered his hand, smiling his innocent, naive smile at the two.
"You should take this time to enjoy the company of friends. Rest assured, I will remain safe long enough for you to enjoy the afternoon."
"You heard him Rook." Walker said with a smirk. "Can't disobey a request for a client right?"
Rook slapped himself with the palm of his hand, holding it on the center of his face as he was reminded how much Walker knew about his personal code.
"I hate you sometimes, you know that?"
Walker chuckled. "So I take it you aren't glad to see me anymore eh?"
The merc turned to face Tatsumi and Mine. He was well aware the three of them where on an intel job, but this may just lead to something valuable.
Yes, Walker wanted to feel reminiscent of old times with his good buddy, but he knew the interior of the palace the Path to Peace uses as their headquarters and that could make all the difference for their upcoming mission.
"I'll catch up with you two later." He said, giving a wave as his farewell.
Tatsumi nodded, knowing what Walker had planed or respected his decision to seemingly catch up with his friend.
Either way, he nor Mine gave any sort of trouble as Rook and Walker headed off and disappeared into the crowd.
Once the two departed from eye sight, Lord Fairchild looked once more at Tatsumi. The priest's face transformed from its usual innocence and warmth to something much more serious.
"One more thing,- sorry I didn't catch your name."
"Tatsumi."
"Tatsumi...That's a strong name." Lord placed his hands on Tatsumi's shoulders, locking his eyes with the young man.
"Aside from the thread of eternal love, I saw another thread that binds you so tightly it appears to be chocking the life out of you."
Tatsumi felt himself gulp. He had yet to decide if Lord's powers are real or not yet, still he was willing to hear him out.
"What would that be?" The youth asked.
"The thread I saw is black." Lord answered. "It's a thread that stands for suffering, loss, and even death. I can't say for certain, but with this thread bound so tightly I think fate has much hardships in store for you."
He let go of Tatsumi, the warmth in his face slowly returning.
"I'm sorry. I dislike sharing such terrible news, but I felt the need to let you know. To steel yourself for what is to come."
Tatsumi slowly nodded. "Thanks for the warning." He turned to Mine, the latter staring at him with a look of concern. With a nod, the two headed back into the crowd.
"If you ever need anything, please come see me! I won't turn away someone in need." Lord Fairchild called out. Tatsumi responded by holding his arm in the air for a few moments.
Lord gave a half-smile, turning back to his previous task when he caught something in the corner of his eye.
He looked back at Tatsumi, his eyes widened by the two new things he saw.
The first was terrifying. It was a shadowy creature unlike anything Lord ever seen before, and yet he felt something familiar about it.
The figure had bright blood red eyes and hovered over the boy like a vulture. Whatever it signified meant something grave for the young man.
The second however, was something small and easy to miss. Sticking out of the back of Tatsumi's neck was a single sparkling gold thread attached to a part that wasn't covered by the black thread.
This golden thread had many, many different positive meanings. The lord of the Path to Peace however, knew exactly what it meant in young Tatsumi's case.
It meant salvation.
It meant hope.
Some time passed since Tatsumi and Mine departed the company of Lord Fairchild. The pair continued on their assigned route, careful not to drift too close together as they both held mixed, awkward feelings thanks to the priest's prediction.
Hours seemed to pass before anything eventful happened. When it did however, the center of the event was focused around Tatsumi.
"Oh there you are!" A voice called out.
Tatsumi froze, petrified with fear that somehow despite his limited disguise that General Esdeath found him. It took the young man a few moments to realize that this voice wasn't Esdeath's, but one he never heard before.
With his mind at ease, Tatsumi let out the breath he'd been holding. He took another step forward, thinking himself silly for his needless paranoia when he felt someone jump on his back.
Arms swung around in a low arc as whomever this person was gave Tatsumi a surprise hug as the latter felt the mystery person place their head on his with a single chuckle.
Mine turned to her side, reflexes grabbing at her Imperial Arms that wasn't there to begin with. She silently cursed at herself, studying the woman whom now laid on her comrade's back.
"What are you trying to pull lady?"
'Lady?' Tatsumi thought, wondering what force in this world decided to have woman attract to him.
"Oh I'm sorry, is he your boyfriend?"
Mine blushed a bit. "N-no he not."
"Mmmm. I see. Then you wouldn't mind if I do this?"
Tatsumi felt something wet slide across his left ear. It took him a moment to realize that this woman just licked him.
"Hey!" Mine screamed before Tatsumi had a chance to.
"Ah so you do have feelings for him!" The woman let out a short laugh. "Why is it that you humans can never be true to your feelings? I mean, it would make interactions so much more simple."
The mystery woman released Tatsumi from her hug, the latter immediately took a step forward and spun around. His stomach turned, a cold chill ran through his spine, and his breathing started to increase once he saw the woman standing before him.
"So you do remember me." The ghostly pale skinned woman said with a smile. She closed her eyes as she grabbed onto her black, silk-made, elegant dress and curtsied before the two.
Tatsumi took a step back, reliving the feeling of dread he had when he first laid eyes on this woman and her companions. That unshakable feeling that something inhuman stood before him.
And there wasn't anything he could do to protect himself should it desire his life.
Mine turned her gaze to Tatsumi for a moment, honestly confused by how the man acted but took it as a sign to stay on guard.
Besides, something didn't sit right with this woman. Her instincts scream it.
"Allow me to introduce myself," The pale skinned woman spoke with an earnest smile, placing both her arms in front of her. "My name is Victoria Farblood. But please, call me Victoria."
She closed her eyes, smiling even wider before continuing.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tat-su-mi~"
And here ends another entry to Clockwork!
Just a shout out to everyone reading as we've passed the 8,000 view mark! Thanks everyone!
Now I ended this a little short of where I originally planned, but given how much content I wanted to add along with how much was already written and a good place to end things this time made me change my mind.
However, what a mountain full of surprises this entry turned out to be huh?
We got a bit of backstory for Walker and the North Star Shooters, the result of Seryu and Drake's "lovers quarrel", a bit more into Lord Fairchild's powers and even the cliffhanger at the end.
What does Victoria plan to do to Tatsumi? How will the plan to assassinate Boric be affected(assuming it will be)? What of Raven and his minions whom remain on the outskirts of the city? And let's not forget Senator Jast and his party expecting to show any day now. Perhaps Pyro and Raryu have already entered Kyoroch?
Will everything go as expected or will something unforeseen happen once again? Find out next time, as the Kyoroch Arc take a new, strange turn!
