Toxin Ga Kill!

by Andrew78591

The Empire has become corrupted by the monsters in human bodies. Many now try to end the corruption within such as the Revolutionary Army and Nightraid. A teen named Tatsumi has this same goal as he is helped by a symbiote to accomplish his goal. The city will know of a man that is set on overthrowing the corrupt government. They will know the name Toxin.

3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, Andrew78591, here is back with chapter 3 of Toxin Ga Kill! Sorry if this took so long. This chapter the longest one I've ever wrote and had some writers block with this. Back I'm back with something all of you can read.

But before that, there's something I want to address first. This is about the amount of recommendation ideas I keep getting for fanfictions. Look, I didn't mind getting all of these from you guys and I appreciate your guy's help for ideas. But I want my stories to be read, reviewed, and appreciated just as much as anyone else. But everyone has just been sending me nothing but requests instead of enjoying and commenting on my stories and it's becoming more annoying then helpful. So please guys, cool it off with the requests and enjoy my content as it is. There are requests I'm considering doing and I have my own ideas I want to do, so I'm not in the mood to be taking requests and I simply want people to apprecitae my work. Please and thank you.

(Update: I'm just fixing up my chapters for this fanfic of mine if some of you ask)

Now with all that out of the way, let's get this chapter started.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd begin:

Chapter 3: A Forced Departure

Snowy Black Forest, 4 year laters

In the depths of the Snowy Black Forest, a giant danger beast is feasting on the flesh of a bear it caught. The danger beast was a behemoth, standing thirty-feet tall and had a muscular body that just screamed "power". It was completely covered in white long fur, except for it's hands, feet, and face, which were conpletely blue. It had sharp claws and two large teeth poked out from its lower lip. This was the high ranked danger beast known as the Yeti.

As the beast feasted, a familiar figure observed it from behind, hidden among one of the many snow caked trees.

"Jackpot," Tatsumi whispered in glee. A danger beast of that size would catch a hefty payment for its meat and Tatsumi had every intention on collecting.

'Pretty tough looking. You sure you can handle it?' Questioned Toxin.

'I'll do fine, you'll see,' Tatsumi replied confidently through their shared mental link.

'Funny, that's what you said about the last yeti. You know, the one that had you frozen solid for like an hour,' Toxin said with a slight chuckle.

The white patches on Tatsumi's mask narrowed from underneath the mask. 'This is gonna be different,' he said.

'We'll see,' Toxin said.

Tatsumi stared at the yeti's back as he tried to formulate a plan. From what he remembered, yeti's are known to be highly aggressive. That mixed with strength that could turn rocks into pebbles and an ice breath attack that freezes its victims in seconds, something he had the misfortune to experience first hand, it's obvious the best course of action would be a quick and fatal blow before it can react. He just needs to get close without alerting it.

Tatsumi slowly crawled along one of the branches, taking extra care not to give his position away. At the end of it, he hung upside down and grabbed onto the branch below him and crawled along that one. Reaching the trunk, he stopped to look over to the yeti. The danger beast continued to munch on its own kill, seemingly unaware of Tatsumi's presence.

'So far, so good,' Tatsumi thought and crawled across a branch before leaping towards another tree.

The young teen crawled and leaped his way towards the yeti, slowly closing the distance between them with each passing second. But when as he crawled along another branch, his weight caused it to snap in half, sending him falling. Thinking fast, he shot two web lines towards the closest tree and pulled himself into its crown.

Hearing the commotion, the Yeti stopped eating and jerked its head towards where it came from, red flesh dangling from its teeth. Seeing the broken branch and the slight rustling of one of the trees, it slurped the meat into its mouth and got up to investigate, making low booms with each step it took. Stopping in front of the tree, its gaze it travelled across it for anything suspicious. Its eyes soon landed on something orange hidden among the foliage. The yeti let out a curious growl and leaned in close for a better look. The orange thing turned to it in response, looking back at the yeti with large white its patches.

'Crap,' Tatsumi thought. The yeti snarled and Tatsumi had to jump out of the way of a punch that splintered the tree he was on. Landing on the ground in a crouching position, he watched the yeti roar and pound its chest with both fists.

(God of War 2108 OST - Magni and Modi

"So much for stealth..." Tatsumi muttered. Toxin chimed in, saying, 'Ah, who cares? It's way more getting up close and personal.'

'Speak for yourself. I like having my bones not broken,' Tatsumi told them as he backfliped away to avoid getting crushed from the yeti's fist.

'Well if you're not feeling up to it, I could handle it for you,' Toxin suggested.

Seeing the yeti coming for another attack, Tatsumi's left hand started to morph. His fingers fused together, elongated, and flattened. Making a quick swing to test its weight, Tatsumi said to Toxin, 'I told you, I can handle this.'

The yeti roared again and charged at Tatsumi like a runaway train. But despite the behemoth making a beeline for him, Tatsumi just crouched low to the ground. When the hunter was in range, the yeti raised its fist over its arm and swung it down like a hammer. But at the very last second, Tatsumi jumped out of the way and fired a stream of webbing at the hand while it was still connected to the ground. The webbing completely enveloped the yeti's and kept it restrained no matter how much it pulled and clawed at it. Tatsumi then leaped towards the yeti's head with his sword arm pulled back, shouting, "You're mine!"

When the yeti saw Tatsumi heading for it, it stopped its struggling and used its free arm to swat him away. The hunter was sent careening towards a tree and painfully bounced off it on impact.

The yeti switched its focus away from Tatsumi and back to its hand. The yeti inaled and blew a white mist onto the webbing. In a few seconds, the substance was frozen. And with a quick punch, it was shattered, freeing its hand.

The yeti turned back to Tatsumi and saw him staggering around with a hand on his head. The hunter shook his head to get his bearings and glared at the yeti as he got back into a fighting stance.

The yeti inhaled deeply, puffing out its chest before it blew out a fog that raced towards him. Deciding dodging would be futile due to the size and speed of the fog, Tatsumi changed his blade into a shield bigger than his entire body and held it in front of him. When the fog reached the shield, it blew past him, preventing Tatsumi from seeing anything other than the fog itself. As Tatsumi struggled to keep his shield upright against the ice breath attack, the sound of crackling was barely able to be heard over the roaring wind. He looked at the edges of the shield and saw ice quickly spreading from the front of the shield to the back. Thinking fast, Tataumi grew some claws on his free hand and slashed at the bio-mass holding him and the shield together, just before the ice could reach him.

'Oww!' Shouted Toxin in pain.

"Sorry, sorry!" Tatsumi quickly apologized as he grabbed onto the now frozen shield to use as protection. Eventually, Tatsumi felt the force start to decrease and the fog dissipate, prompting him to look past the shield. While the area around him was covered in layers of ice, that wasn't what he was focused on. What he was focused on was the yeti, which was inhaling for another ice breath attack.

"Oh no, you don't!" Tatsumi lifted the frozen shield over his head and chucked it at the yeti, full force. It quickly soared through the air and collided with the yeti's forehead, shattering upon impact. The danger beast roared in pain and clasped the point of impact protectively with both hands. While it was distracted, two web lines connected with its legs and pulled its own feet from under it.

"Let's try this again," Tatsumi said. He leaped high into the air and dived towards the yeti's head. The danger beast inhaled air to use its ice breath, but Tatsumi was prepared for this and fired a glob of webbing that splattered over its mouth, preventing it from doing so. And with a sword shoved through the head, the yeti was finished.

(Music End)

Tatsumi pulled the sword from the yeti's head and morphed it back into a normal hand. He jumped off the body and gazed at his kill with a hand on his hip and a smile on his face. "Man, what would've taken an entire group of hunters to kill, I did it in a few seconds."

'You know, I'm actually impressed. I thought it would take you at minimum of twenty years to learn how to use our powers. Yet you already killed this thing in just a few minutes,' Toxin said.

The young man gave at laugh "Haha, thanks... Wait, why twenty?"

'You haven't had the best track record.'

"What are you talking about? I have a great track record."

When Tatsumi's head involuntarily turned to the yeti, he slouched over and groaned as he said in an annoyed tone "One time."

'Still happened. If it was me, I would've killed it in half the time it took you to kill this one.'"No you wouldn't," Tatsumi denied, nearly shouts as he did. "You would've played around with it for like half an hour before you'd end it,"

'Yeah, but I COULD finish it. And there's a difference between would've and could've.'

The two went back and forth, arguing with one another over who could do the better job. This was by no means new to them. Despite the time they've spent together, they tended to butt heads due to their different ways of doing things.

'I'm just saying things could've gone better had I... what the?' Toxin trailed, something catching their attention. When Tatsumi was going to ask what's going on, Toxin shouted in his head "Incoming," just as a shadow covered Tatsumi.

The hunter leaped away just in time to avoid a boulder from crushing. He landed in a crouching position and looked at boulder before looking towards where it came from. Stomping towards him was another yeti, snarling and glaring at him.

'Oh, of course there's two of them,' Tatsumi thought with a roll of his eyes.

'Probably a mate, or brother, or something,' Toxin said. 'Ready to repeat those little tricks of yours and not spend time as an ice sculpture?'

Ignoring that last comment, Tatsumi reformed his blade and glared at the yeti. "You know what? I am. Let's do this!" And with a battle cry, he charged for the yeti, which retaliated by charging at him as well.

A good while later, Tatsumi, in his snow gear, drags the one of the yeti's with his webbing while Toxin, pulled the second Yeti with its tendrils. While it was easy for Toxin to pull it's weight, Tatsumi was somewhat struggling due to the beast's large weight. As the teen continued pulling, Toxin said to him, 'You know you can just use my full strength to pull these things, right?'

'I know, but I want to be able to do things myself,' Tatsumi replied.

'But then what's the point of having powers if you're not gonna use them?'

'I don't wanna get too reliant on you. Obi always says a sword is only as good as the person who wields it.'

'Clearly he didn't take symbiotes into account.'

'There's also the fact that I have to keep my body in peak condition. You said it yourself that the better I am, the better you become,' Tatsumi pointed out. 'Anyway, we should be close to the village now. Try not to make a big show like last time.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

Tatsumi scoffed and replied 'Really? Cuz I still remember how you made a bunch of those weird tendril arrow things pointing at our kill with the words "Property of Tatsumi" written on them while we dragged it through the village.'

'I still don't see why you have a problem with that. You didn't complain about it at the time.'

'That's because you retracted them every time I turned around. The others had to tell me about them.'

'Still don't see the problem. I thought they made you look proud.'

'More like self-absorbed,' Tatsumi replied with an eye roll.

After about a minute or two later, Tatsumi and Toxin reached the black wooden gates that lead into Sahne Eis. Standing in front of it, he looked up and saw one of the hunters inside a tower as he observed the distance for trouble through his binoculars.

"Hey, can you open the gate?" Tatsumi yelled out, which got the hunter's attention.

"Oh, hey Tatsumi," he greeted. His gaze then travelled to Tatsumi's kills and was stunned. "Holy s, you got two Yetis?!"

"Yeah, found one while it was eating and the other wasn't far off," Tatsumi explained as he jabbed a thumb towards the yeti's.

"Man, the things you do with that symbiote still surprise," the hunter said with a chuckle.

An orange head resembling Tatsumi's mask appeared on his shoulder and said "Aww, you're too kind."

"Anyway, can you let us in already? I wanna get to the butcher's shop so I can cash this in as soon as possible," Tasumi said.

"Sure thing," the hunter said. He then climbed down the ladder that lead to the tower, disappearing from sight. After about a couple seconds, the large doors parted and allowed Tatsumi to drag the yeti's through them before they closed again.

"Thanks!" Tatsumi yelled out.

"No problem," the hunter replied as climbed back into his post.

Sahne Eis Village, Twilight

Tatsumi continued walking through a path for a couple seconds until he reached his village. Sahne Eis. Eveything looked completely normal as everyone there were doing their own thing. Peope were selling their goods to others, farmers were checking and planting new plants for vegetables and bread, and the children were all playing with each other without a care in the world. Tatsumi felt good to be back home. "Okay, before we head back home, we need to take dead Yetis to the butcher first and get you your food," Tatsumi said to Toxin, still on his shoulder, as he replied with, "Alright then, let's go."

Tatsumi walked passed many cabins and greeted some of villagers. Though there were a few odd looks given to him, but he did his best to ignore them. It had been four years since Toxin's presence was made public. As expected, the villagers all went into a complete panic. It was only thanks to the elder and his friends that everyone managed to calm down enough to at least have him be in close proximity to someone without them either running in the opposite direction or aiming their weapons at him. That didn't mean people where completely hunky dory with the fact there was an alien amongst them though, oh no. Even to this day, people are unsure wether or not Toxin was friend or foe. But at the very least, he's glad he can still maintain SOME sort of life, despite his "unique" companion.

Inside the butcher's shop, Torr diligently sliced up the pork laid on the table in front of him. He stopped when he heard someone behind him call out, "Hey, Torr". Turning around, he was greeted with the sight of Tatsumi, sporting a big grin on his face.

"Hello Tatsumi. I'm guessing from the look on your face, you have something to trade to me?" Torr said, stabbing his knife into the table and removing his stained apron as he walked around the counter.

"Damn right I do! You won't believe what me and Toxin got from our latest hunt," Tatsumi chirped.

Toxin gave a big smile as it added, "Though I think you're gonna need to make some room."

Seeing Torr raise his a brow, Tatsumi told him, "It's better if you see for yourself," while motioning outside. The old hunter went outside to see what was brought and was completely taken back by the sight of two yeti's.

"I'll be damned..." Torr muttered.

"I know. Crazy, right?" Tatsumi said as he walked up behind him and leaned towards the door frame.

"Crazy doesn't even begin to describe this," Torr replied.

"Sooo, how much would these bad boys fetch?" Tatsumi asked while rubbing his knuckles against his coat, still keeping his grin.

"Well, taking into consideration their rarity, size, fur, taste and all that, I'd say around fifty gold pieces each," Torr said as he examined the dead danger beasts.

"Cool, I thought as-WAIT, WHAT!?!" Tatsumi's little act dropped and he snapped his head towards Torr with absolute shock. "DID YOU SAY FIFTY EACH!?!"

"You heard me," Torr said as he looked back to Tatsumi with his arms crossed. He put on a playful smile and added "'Course, if you don't want it, that's perfectly fine."

"Oh no, I want it, I want it!" Tatsumi hastily said while nodding his head vigorously.

"I thought so. Now do me a favor and move them into the storage over there while I get the money. Most of the staff already left for home and I'm nowhere near capable of dragging these things by myself."

As Toxin covered Tatsumi, the boy asked "Why aren't they here? It's too early to be going home."

Torr looked completely dumbfounded by the question. "Too early? Boy, have you even looked up?"

Tatsumi blinked in confusion from under his mask and looked towards the sky. Instead of being blue, it was a pinkish purple, signifying the coming of night. "Whoa, how long have we been out there? I left before noon!"

'We probably could've gotten here sooner if you had just used our powers, you know,' said Toxin in his mind.

Tatsumi frowned and said to them 'Can it.'

Tatsumi then dragged the yeti's to the storage. And after a good ten minutes of trying to shove them through the entrance due to their size, he eventually succeded, collected his money, and waved goodbye to Torr as he left the shop. After that, he made a quick stop at a market to buy a few things with the money he earned and went home.

Tatsumi's House, Nighttime

Stopping at the doorstep of one of the cabin that was his home, Tatsumi pulled out his key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Upon entering, he was greeted by Obi, who was sitting on the couch along with Ieyasu.

"Hello, my boy, you're finally back." Obi said.

"Hey man, where have you been?" Ieyasu asked as he waved at his friend.

"Dragging a few danger beasts through the forest for hours," Tatsumi answered plainly, earn a look of surprise from the two. "I'm not even kidding. Then I stopped by the butcher's shop to trade them. And after that, I went to the market to buy some things for Toxin," he explained while removing his snow gear and gloves to reveal his normal clothing. A white high collar jacket over a tan sweater vest, a pair of black pants, and combat boots.

"And what did you and Toxin get from your hunt?" Obi asked.

"Oh, you won't believe what me and Toxin got today," Tatsumi said with a big smile. "But before I tell you, where is everyone else?"

"The girls and my uncle are in the kitchen right now making dinner," Ieyasu explained.

"Oh, it's their turn to cook today?" Tatsumi asked, with his friend replying with a simple, "Yup."

"Sweet. I can never get enough of their pork chops."

Just then, the orange slime that was Toxin oozed out of Tatsumi and onto the floor. "Toxin, where are you going?" Tatsumi asked.

The small head of Toxin looked up at Tatsumi with an innocent smile. Well, as innocent as they could, considering the teeth-shaped goo made the smile look more menacing than innocent. "Just going to say hi, is all."

"You're going to try and eat before its ready, aren't you?" Tatsumi asked with a deadpan expression.

Toxin pouted and said indignantly, "No. You should know me better than that."

"It's because I know you that I can tell what you're planning."

"Pah, the respect I get from you is so little, it's almost nonexistent. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go to the kitchen and not get accused." With that said, Toxin slithered out of the room and towards the kitchen.

"You think Toxin's gonna actually gonna manage to swipe some grub?" asked Ieyasu.

Tatsumi scoffed as he plopped onto the couch. "With how protective Tsubaki is over her cooking, he'll be lucky to get anywhere near the food."

Meanwhile in the kitchen, the girls and Tokugawa were busy preparing the food.

"How's the rice going over there, Sis?" Tsubaki asked while tossing the salad.

"Almost done just need a minute or two," Sayo replied.

Tsubaki then turned to Tokugawa and asked, "How about you, Tokigawa? You finished with the pork chops?"

"This is the last batch. The rest are in here to cool down a little," Tokigawa said as he pointed to the basket with the rest of the cooked meat was while cooking the last of the meat in a pan over the fire.

"Good, looks like we're about done. We'll just get Obi and Ieyasu to set up the table," Tsubaki said.

As the three continued talking, Toxin slithered across the ground, zipping under and behind whatever they could to avoid getting spotted. What were they after? Obviously the freshly cooked pork chops.

When they reached the counter, they travelled up it and came face to face with their prize. Just staring at the meat made them drool.

'Oh, yeah. Come to Toxin,' they thought, inching towards the pork. They opened their mouth wide and were ready to take a bite. But just before they could make contact, a loud clanging caused them to reel back and screeched. Toxin fell to the ground and screamed, "Stop that horrible racket!" as they writhed around.

Seeing that the symbiote had enough, Tsubaki placed the metal pot and spoon back on the table and glared at the symbiote.

"What are you doing here, slimeball?"

Toxin looked up at her with a sheepish smile. "Just wanted to come by and say 'hi."

"Riiight. Well now that you did, why don't you go back to the living room before I shove you into the fireplace?" Tsubaki said in a sweet tone that still managed to carry her threat.

If Toxin could, they'd most likely be sweating. But being a prideful individual, they decided to act nonchalant to hide their nervousness. "Fine, fine." They said as they slithered away in a noticeably quick pace.

On their way out, Tsubaki them, "Oh, and tell the others to set the table, will you?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Toxin said and grumbled under their breath.

"Sis, was all the noise really necessary? You know how much it hurts him without Tatsumi," Sayo said.

"That bastard's always trying to get on my nerves. If anything, he deserved it," Tsubaki tried to justify. "I'll never understand why Tatsumi puts up with him."

A while later, everyone gathered around the set table and ate the freshly made food, which consisted of pork chops with white rice and salad on the side. As they enjoyed their dinner, they each told their own stories. The most interesting one was undoubtedly Tatsumi's, who recounted his battle with the two Yetis.

"Two Yetis?!" Sayo said in disbelief. "I knew you and Toxin were strong, but I never thought you could do something like that."

Obi chuckled and patted Tatsumi on the back, "I'm proud of you, Tatsumi. Your skills have jumped leaps and bounds in no time at all. I have no doubt that your parents would be proud."

"Thanks, Obi. But don't forget that Toxin's been helping me along the way. Right, Toxin?" Tatsumi said as he turned to Toxin.

Toxin looked at Tatsumi with a mouth full of meat. "Mmm? Mo, meh," they muffled an agreement and continued to eat

"Man, you're lucky," Ieyasu said jealously. "You have a really powerful symbiote that gives you powers that makes mincemeat of anything you fight while we have to use normal swords and bows."

"Oh come on, Ieyasu. It's not that great. Sure, I get a major power boost, but when you have an alien that just talks and talks all day long, sometimes the powers don't seem all that worth it," Tatsumi said. He then yelped in pain when a pair of fangs closed on his wrist.

While Tatsumi tried to pry the angered Toxin from his wrist, Ieyasu continued, "Still, you're so powerful, I'll be lucky to ever be half as good as you."

When he finished, Ieyasu was smacked in the back of his head by Tokigawa. "Ow, what the hell, uncle?" Ieyasu yelled at his caretaker.

"Stop comparing yourself to Tatsumi," Tokigawa said firmly to his nephew. "You're not Tatsumi. You'll never be Tatsumi. But that doesn't mean you won't get stronger. You and Tatsumi have your own strengths and weaknesses that make you different from one another. You both have something that makes you two strong in your own ways. And with your strengths, there are also weaknesses. Tatsumi and Toxin are incredibly strong when they are bonded together, but that's only when their together," he explained.

"He's got a point," Tatsumi said, who was rubbing his pained wrist while glaring at Toxin, who was also glaring back. "We're probably around the same level. And Toxin is pretty much helpless."

"I'll have you know I can fend for myself just fine."

"Riiight, I'm sure slapping them with those silly strings of yours would do some mean damage," Tatsumi said with a roll of his eyes.

Toxin growled and said, "You want me to bite the other wrist?"

"Try it and I'll chop off that head of yours!" Tatsumi threatened.

"There's also their tendency to argue," Tokigawa added. "Ieyasu, you're pervert, you're overconfident, and make some of the most boneheaded decisions I've ever seen," he stated, which ticked of his nephew. But what he said next surprised Ieyasu. "However, you have improved a lot over these past few years. You think about your actions more often when in battle, your knowledge as a zoologist is almost unparalleled by anyone in this village, and you're able to take down high ranked danger beasts on your own. Even if your not on Tatsumi's level, you have improved a lot. I'm very proud of you for that," he finished with a big smile.

Ieyusa was left absolutely stunned. Just a single compliment from Tokigawa was a rare thing for him. To hear him say all this, to hold him in such high regard, he honestly didn't know what to think.

Ieyasu was snapped out of his stupor by a kiss on the cheek from Sayo. "He's right you know. You really have improved a lot, so don't think any less of yourself because of Tatsumi." The two proceeded to affectionately cuddle with each other.

Yes, Ieyasu and Sayo were a couple. And Ieyasu is super grateful for Tatsumi and Toxin's help. Mostly Tatsumi's.

While the two continued to cuddle, blissfully unaware of how uncomfortable their making the others, they were interrupted by the serious voice of Tsubaki. "Ieyasu, while I'm alright with you dating my sister, being too "friendly" is a strict no-no. Keep it up and you'll be dearly regretting it."

"G-got it," Ieyasu whimpered in fear and pulled away. Tsubaki then grabbed abd Sayo pulled her into a hug, much to her sister's annoyance. "Besides, only I get to cuddle with her in public," Tsubaki said happily.

"Sis!" Sayo yelled in embarrassment.

Tatsumi, Obi, Tokigawa, and Toxin stared at Tsubaki with a deadpan look. "Can we get back to eating, please?" Toxin asked in annoyance.

Tsubaki sighed and let go of her sister. "Fine."

After that, everyone continued to have their feast. They told stories, told jokes, and generally had a very good time. A couple hours later, everyone finished their dinner and said their goodbyes. With everyone gone, Tatsumi and Obi were left to clean up before heading off to bed.

It was midnight and many of the residents of Sahne Eis were fast asleep, those not were mostly night guards assigned to watch for danger beasts.

In Obi's house, Tatsumi slept peacefully in his room, wrapped around in his comfortable blankets. The familiar form of Toxin spread over Tatsumi, enveloping him in themself. When the ooze reached Tatsumi's face, a fanged mouth and a slightly distorted version of the normal patches appeared.

Tossing aside the blankets, Toxin stood up on the bed and said, "Let the fun begin."

Toxin exited out of the room and continued walking until he reached the front door of their house. Toxin was about to open the door until...

"Toxin?"

The symbiote turned around to see a sleepy Obi holding a glass of water. "Oh, hey old man," Toxin greeted.

Obi's eye twitched in annoyance, but let the "old man" remark go. He was too tired to argue back. "You heading out for your free time again?"

"Yup. This is the only time I get full control and I'm gonna take full advantage," Toxin replied.

"Alright then, Toxin, go have your fun. But remember, you only get three hours of free time, so don't dawdle," Obi reminded the symbiote.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the rules. Don't need another reminder," Toxin waved off.

"Good. And make sure you remember to brush your... Tatsumi's... ugh, the teeth you use. Last time you forgot, Tatsumi spent most of the morning in the bathroom," Obi said as he left the for bed.

"Ugh, you make one mistake and nobody lets you forget," Toxin grumbled and walked out of the door. He then proceeded to start leaping and swinging through the village and towards the Snowy Black Forest.

Snowy Black Forest

Crawling around a tree, Toxin sniffed the air noisily. "Come on, come on. Give me something good," Toxin said aloud. Leaping onto the top of a tree, the symbiote continued to sniff the air. When they couldn't find a trace of anything, they snarled. "How hard is it to find a danger beast in a forest filled with danger beasts!?"

Toxin jumped down from the tree and started walking while sniffing the air. Just when they thought they were never gonna find anything, a faint trace of something. They didn't know what it was, but they could tell it wasn't human. And that was enough to make them grin.

"Jackpot."

Toxin jumped into the air and swung through the forest, using only their sense of smell as a guide. It didn't take long for them to spot their target.

Perched upon a tree was a giant owl. It was a large eight-foot tall bird that had white feathers with black specks. It had sharp brown eyes, a long beak, and dangerous looking talons. It was a majestic bird, but definitely dangerous. The owl was currently eating the organs of a deer it had captured on top of a tree.

"Good, it's hasn't eaten the deer's brain yet," Toxin said as they examine the situation, "Okay, let's do this."

The giant owl continued it's meal until the sound of a branch snapping made it rotate its head a full one hundred and eighty degrees. When it spotted nothing, it turned back around to continue eating...

And came face to face with Toxin.

"Hey there, bird brain."

The giant owl screeched in surprise and took off into the air, but the symbiote was quick to react and shot web lines at the bird's chest, keeping it from rising any higher than a few feet.

Toxin began dragging the owl down to ground level. Despite the owl's struggles, it did little to help. When the danger beast was dragged close to Toxin, the owl tried to slash at its attacker with its talons. But the symbiote jumped over the attack and the owl. With Toxin no longer pulling it, the owl quickly flew higher into the air. But before it got too high, Toxin leaped onto its back and bit down hard on its neck, earning a screech of pain from the owl. The neurotoxin quickly took effect, paralyzing the owl and causing it to plummet to the ground. Toxin jumped off the owl just as the beast crashed and landed in a crouching position.

Toxin licked the flesh blood in their teeth and gave a satisfied hum. "Mmm, tasty. Now I want more."

Toxin stood up and approached their prey while forming a blade. They raised their blade into the air, said "Nothing personal, bird brain," and chopped the owl's head in half.

Toxin looked at the owl and then over to the deer. "Hehehe, hope Tatsumi doesn't mind a little extra weight, cuz I'm gonna feast like a king!"

Toxin shot a web line towards the upper half of the bird head and pulled it towards them. They stared at the head hungrily while licking the bits of blood that spilled out, savoring the taste.

"Down the hatch," They said and proceeded to bring the head towards their wide open mouth.

Sahne Eis Village, Tatsumi's House, Morning

Tatsumi tossed and turned in his bed as he tried to fall back asleep. But due to the sunlight entering through the open window, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. Accepting that fact, Tatsumi stood up and stretched his body with a small yawn.

'Good morning, Tatsumi,' Toxin greeted telepathically.

Tatsumi yawned and said morning "Morning, Toxin."

Tatsumi got off his bed and approached the mirror on his dresser. Seeing his groggy and messy haired appearance, Tatsumi opened a cabinet to grab his comb. "I assume you behaved last night?"

'Ugh, of course I did. Can't you ever go one morning without asking that?' Toxin asked in annoyance.

"Toxin, I only ask because I don't want to get into any trouble," Tatsumi stated while combing his hair into its usual style. "The village practically has all eyes on us. One small screw up could be a disaster. The last thing I want is to have an angry mob-"

'Chasing us out of our home with pitchforks and torches,' Toxin said in unison with Tatsumi. 'Yeah, yeah, I heard that before too.'

While combing his hair, Tatsumi unconsciously traced his tongue across his mouth. When he felt something stuck between his teeth, he curiously licked it out of his teeth and was met with an absolutely horrid taste. He quickly spat it out and onto the floor, revealing it to be a piece of raw meat.

"Toxin, I told you to always wash out every bit of meat after eating!" Tatsumi shouted at the symbiote.

'Oh, come on! It was a small piece. How was I supposed to find that?' Toxin defended.

Before Tatsumi could scold Toxin for their carelessness, he started feeling really queasy and quickly ran out of his room towards the bathroom. He passed by Obi in the hallway, who greeted him "Good morning", but he ignored him and entered the bathroom, closing the door with a loud slam.

Already knowing what was going on, Obi shook his head. This wasn't the first time Toxin had made this mistake, unfortunately. And he doubted it would be the last time. The hunter was then brought out of his thoughts by the knocking coming from the front door.

"I wonder who that could be..." Obi muttered to himself as he went to greet the visitor. When he opened the front door, he saw Ieyasu.

"Good morning, Obi," he greated.

"Good morning Ieyasu. You need something?" Obi asked.

"More like someone. I came to ask Tatsumi and Toxin for a favor. Is he awake yet?" Ieyasu said while looking past Obi for any sign of his friend.

"Yes, he's awake. But he's a little preoccupied at the moment," Obi said while rubbing his neck uncomfortably.

Back with Tatsumi, the young was scrubbing his mouth intensely, trying to get rid of the atrocious taste. He grabs a cup of water on the sink and sips from it, swirling water around his mouth before spitting it into the sink. Tatsumi then traces his tongue all around his mouth to make sure he got everything. He licked around his mouth to make sure his job was done and cringed when he was met with a familiar bad taste.

"Why won't the taste go away!?" Tatsumi shouted. He grabbed his toothbrush, added some toothpaste, and started scrubbing once again.

"You wanna come inside? He might take a while," Obi offered.

"Sure, I've got some time to kill," Ieyasu accepted and walked through the door.

A while later, Tatsumi sat down on the sofa with a leg over the other. Across from him was Ieyasu who was sitting in a chair

"What's up man? You needed something?" Tatsumi asked.

"This," Ieyusa said and puts a piece of paper on the wooden table between them.

Tatsumi grabs the paper and reads it. While he read it, Ieyasu began to explain, "Recently, an artic mammoth danger showed up and has been attacking anyone that crosses its path. Not only that, it's been hanging around a pathway that most merchants and hunters use, causing problems for the businesses around here. Since no one has taken it down yet, I thought, with your help of course, we could take it on together."

Tatsumi folded the paper and looked at Ieyasu with visible concern, "Ieyusa, are you sure about this? I mean, this is a very high ranked danger beast. Things could get hairy."

"C'mon, what are you afraid of? If you can take down two yetis by yourself, I'm sure this'll be a cakewalk for the four of us," Ieyasu said confidently.

"Hold on, four?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yeah, you, me, Toxin, and Sayo," Ieyasu explained.

Tatsumi was taken aback. "Sayo agreed to this? Seriously?"

"Yeah, but only if you come," Ieyasu said with a sigh. "Come on, Tatsumi. You're always talking about becoming a famous hunter. And what better way of getting your name out there than to take on powerful danger beasts?"

Tatsumi sighed and crossed his arms and furrowed brow, giving a slight hum as he thought it over. Toxin, wanting to give their own two cents on the matter, told Tatsumi telepathically, 'I think we should go. This thing looks like a real fun challenge for us.'

'Normally, I'd be fine with it. But if Sayo and Ieyasu come, I don't know if I can,' Tatsumi thought while glancing over to Ieyasu, who had his hands clasped together while giving Tatsumi puppy-dog eyes.

"Pleeeease." Ieyasu pleaded.

'What are you afraid of? They can handle themselves,' Toxin said.

'Against average danger beasts, sure. But this might be something out of our league.'

'Aw, stop worrying. They'll be fine."

Tatsumi was still a little hesitant. This was a very high level danger beast. While he could take it down on his own with some effort, he didn't know if he could do it AND keep Ieyasu and Sayo safe at the same time. As Tatsumi kept thinking, Ieyasu spoke, "Come on, man. You've been doing so many solo missions lately that we barely spend any time together."

Tatsumi sighed and said, "Alright, fine. I'll join."

"Yes!" Ieyasu shot up from the chair and fist pumped in victory.

"So, when do we leave?" Tatsumi asked.

"We'll be leaving today at noon. We meet at the front entrance of the gates at the forest. Got that?" Ieyasu said as he went to the door.

Tatsumi nodded and said "Got it."

"Good. I'll head back home and get ready for our hunt. See you later."

Waving Tatsumi goodbye as he closed the door, Ieyasu left to get everything prepared.

After Tatsumi waved back and closed the door, he heard someone asked "So, you're heading out for another hunt?"

Tatsumi looked towards where the voice came from and saw Obi standing by the doorway. "Yeah, Sayo and Ieyasu need my help to hunt an artic mammoth," he explained.

'Was he just standing there the entire time?' Asked Toxin.

"An artic mammoth? I haven't heard of that species in a while. I remember taking one down a long time ago," Obi said.

"Oh yeah, you told me about that before," Tatsumi recalled. "You, Mom, and Dad took it down along with Tokugawa and Tsubaki."

Obi nodded "Aye, It was a struggle to remember. The beast's sheer size and weight made it difficult just to approach. It took us over an hour, but seeing the mammoth fall made it all worth it."

"Man, someday I hope to be as good as you guys used to be," Tatsumi said.

"You'll get their eventually. An important part to become a great hunter is the experience you build over years on the job. And the other part?" Obi chuckled and said "The other is your equipment. Which reminds me, I have to go get something. Wait right here."

Tatsumi stared confused at his caretaker, who left the room to do whatever he was gonna do. Moments later, Obi came back holding a box in his arms. He placed it on the table and motioned towards it. "Go ahead, Tatsumi. Open it."

While Tatsumi approached the table. The box itself was rectangular and made of wood. While it was well made, it was obviously worn down by age. Engraved in the wood was the word "Kayusaiki".

When Tatsumi reached to pull the lid, Toxin said 'I hope it's chocolate,' in his head.

Tatsumi stopped his hands over the box with deadpan look. 'What kind of chocolate would be kept in an old box?'

'Exotic chocolate?'

Tatsumi just shook his head and pulled off the lid. And his jaw dropped.

It was a medium length sword, with a bright yellow hilt and black leather around the grip. In the center of the guard was a silver "K" engraved on it. The blade's length was around four, maybe five feet long. And most notably was the blade's color. One side was a soft shade of sky blue while the other was a bright shade of fiery red. Tatsumi picked up the sword and marveled at the craftsmanship.

Obi laughed softly at the sight of Tatsumi at a lost for words and asked, "Well my boy, what do you think of your new sword?"

"Obi, how on earth did you get this sword?" Tatsumi asked in awe.

"Well, that would be because of Kasai and Yuki," Obi responded.

"Mom and dad made this?" Tatsumi said surprised as he face Obi.

"Well, more like they got material to get it made," Obi told him. "Let me explain. When you were about two years old, Kasai and Yuki went on a hunting trip like they usually did. As they were heading home, they discovered a cave through the side of a cliff. As they looked through the cavern, they found a deposit of a metal ore called orichalcum."

Hearing the name of the material made Tatsumi quickly turn to Obi with shock. "They found orichalcum?! I thought that metal was extremely rare!"

Obi chuckled and continued, "At first, Kasai and Yuki were thinking thinking on selling the materials for some decent cash. After all, they were perfectly content with their current gear, so why craft another weapon? But then Kasai remembered that although they had weapons, you didn't. He figured that they could craft a weapon for you when you were old enough. Yuki agreed, so they took the orichalcum and brought it to me, since I'm a skilled blacksmith. They also added some extra materials in for reinforcement. I worked hard for months to craft the perfect weapon. The end result was the sword you hold know. I called it Kayusaiki on account of its coloring. After I had finished crafting it, I kept it with me for when your parents decided it was the right time."

Obi's expression became more sorrowful as he remembered his deceased friends. "After they died, I kept it with me and waited till the time was right for you to have it," he explained. "Since you're going up against a mammoth and you lost your old sword, I felt now was the time."

"I... I don't know what to say. This is amazing. I don't feel like I deserve something like this," Tatsumi said happily as he was touched by Obi's words.

Obi went up to Tatsumi and patted him on the head. "Tatsumi, your parents had this weapon made so you can use it when you were ready. And you have proven to be a capable hunter, with or without Toxin. You've certainly earned that sword."

Tatsumi looked at his new sword happily and said, "Thanks, Obi. I'll treasure it for as long as I live.

"No problem, my boy," Obi said as he ruffled up Tatsumi's hair a bit before heading back into his room. Just before leaving, he stopped at the doorway and said, "You should start getting ready for your hunt now, or you'll be late. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay Obi, I will," Tatsumi replied as he took the sword with him and began to prepare himself.

Snowy Black Forest, Noon

Tatsumi stood at the entrance of the village as he waited for his friends. He wore his typical snow clothing with his sheathed Kayusaiki sword on his back.

'What's taking them so long? I want to go hunting already,' Toxin complained in Tatsumi's head.

"Well, we did get here a bit early," Tatsumi said.

And as if on cue, Ieyasu and Sayo came into view, waving at Tatsumi as they approached.

"Hey man, hope we didn't make you wait too long," Ieyasu said.

"No, not at all," Tatsumi said, "So, you're all ready?"

"Yup, let's get go. Time's a wasting," Ieyusa said and they all went on their way to begin their hunt.

Artic Tundra

An hour after that, the three traveled together through the snowy lands, conversing with one another. The plain land covered in snow, with only a few scrubs providing any sort of contrast. This land was known as the Artic Tundra, a place many travelers pass through for the fastest and easiest path to Sahne Eis. It was here that Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo were to hunt down their target.

As they were walking through the tundra, Ieyasu swung around Tatsumi's new sword while admiring the handiwork. Raising up the sword to the sky, Ieyasu said, "This thing's incredible!"

"And it's so beautiful," Sayo commented.

"Thanks guys. I'm surprised how much work Obi put into this sword," Tatsumi commented.

"Man, you've been getting lucky lately. First you slay two Yetis, and now you get a brand new sword made of Orichalcum, no less," Ieyasu pointed out. "Man, I'm getting really jealous of you."

Sayo smacked Ieyasu in the back of the head and said, "Do I have to drag you back to the village and make Tokugawa repeat his speech?"

Ieyasu waved his hands around as he shook his head with a nervous smile. "No, no, I promise that's the last time you'll hear me say something like that again, I swear!"

Sayo glared at her boyfriend intently before sighing. "I can't stay mad at you."

"That's just part of my charm, babe," Ieyasu chuckled. "But you're right. I should focus less on Tatsumi's accomplishments and more on making accomplishments."

Sayo gave Ieyasu a quick kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush a little. "That's the spirit, darling," Sayo said with a giggle.

"Since when did you guys start giving each other nicknames?" Tatsumi asked.

"Oh, we started doing it last week. Since we're dating, we thought we would give it a try," Sayo explained as she held Ieyasu's hand.

"You a little jealous, Tatsumi?" Ieyasu asked teasingly.

Sayo hit her boyfriend's rib with her elbow. "Ieyasu, behave," she scolded.

"Come on, I was only joking," Ieyasu grunted.

Tatsumi chuckled at his friends' behavior. Even when they were dating, they barely act any different than usual.

The group continued their search for the mammoth, Ieyasu and Sayo began to talk to each other while Tatsumi walked silently ahead of them.

'How come I don't have a nickname?' Toxin asked telepathically.

'Probably because everyone is fine just calling you by your name,' said Tatsumi.

'But I wanna have a nickname too!' Toxin whined.

Tatsumi groaned and said 'Tell you what? If you can come up with a good nickname for me, I'll think of one for you.'

'Deal!' The symbiote quickly accepted. It hummed in thought before proclaiming, 'I got it! How about I call you "Tatsum"?'

'That's just my name,' Tatsumi deadpanned.

'No it isn't. Your name is "Tatsumi" and your nickname is "Tatsum".'

'Try again, Toxin,' Tatsumi told the symbiote.

'Ugh, fine. How about "Tatsu"?' Toxin suggested.

'That's almost as bad the first one.'

'Natsu?'

'How does that nickname even relate to me?'

'Sleeping Dragon!'

'That's just a translation of my name!'

'But it isn't, so it counts,' Toxin defended.

'Even still, that's way too long.'

'When did length have anything to do with the nickname!?' Toxin shouted in Tatsumi's head, making their host wince from the volume. 'Stop making excuses so you don't have to give me a nickname!'

'I'm not making excuses. I already told, you that I'll give you one if you give me a good one. It's not my fault that you're so bad at thi-'

"WOAH!!" Tatsumi was cut off when his foot met air where there was supposed to be ground and fell into a big hole.

Tatsumi stood back up and rubbed his head. "Ow..." he muttered.

"Tatsumi, are you alright?" Sayo asked in concern as she and Ieyasu run up to him.

"Yeah, just fell into this hole is all," Tatsumi waved off.

"Tatsumi, I don't think that's a hole," Ieyasu said.

"What'd you mean?" Tatsumi asked as he climbed out.

Ieyasu pointed at the hole and said "Look."

Tatsumi turned to hole and was shocked. The hole wasn't a hole. It was a footprint. A big one at that. Meaning whatever made this must've been huge.

"I think we're on the right track," Ieyasu said.

"What makes you say that?" Sayo asked rhetorically.

Ieyasu observed the footprint and compared it to what he remembered of the artic mammoth prints. "No doubt about it. That's our target." He looked over to his girlfriend and asked, "Sayo, can you tell how long ago this was made?"

Sayo jumped down into the foot print and removed a glove so she could feel the ground. She placed the glove back on and said, "Judging by the condition of the dirt, it looks like the footprint was made about a couple minutes ago. That means the mammoth shouldn't be too far from our location."

"That's good to hear," Ieyasu said. He turned to Tatsumi and asked, "Tatsumi, do you think you can get a scent from this footprint with Toxin to help us find the mammoth?"

"No problem," answered Tatsumi as the symbiote suit formed over him. He then got on all fours and sniffed the ground, searching for any trace of their target. After a couple sniffs, Tatsumi picked up a scent that undoubtedly belonged to the artic mammoth. He crawled along the ground like an animal, following a certain direction. He looked back at his friends and pointed ahead of him. "The scent is coming from over there, near that moutain."

"That's good to hear, but it looks like it'll take us about twenty minutes to walk there," Sayo said as she looked at their path.

Tatsumi's mask formed a monstrous mouth filled with fangs and a long tongue, signifying that Toxin was in control. "Fuck that, I've been itching for a fight since I heard this thing existed. So..." With that, Toxin wrapped their tendrils around Ieyasu and Sayo's waists. "Let's skip the journey and get straight to the destination."

Sayo and Ieyasu were a little worried by Toxin's words.

"Toxin, what are you-" Sayo tried to ask, but when Toxin began to dash at a ridiculous speed, she and Ieyasu could only scream while they hung in the air like flags to a pole. Though they were quickly shut up by some webbing to the mouth.

Artic Tundra, Cliffside Cave

After less than two minutes, Toxin, Ieyasu, and Sayo finally made it to their destination. They were at some kind of cliffside near the mountain they were heading to.

Once coming to a stop, Toxin released Ieyasu and Sayo from their tendril, leaving the two to stagger around in an attempt to regain their bearings. Once they did, they ripped off the webbing and hissed at the stinging pain it caused.

"Tada!" Said Toxin. "I got us here in two minutes flat. And you wanted to waist time walking."

Toxin laughed loudly, but was cut off by Sayo smacking them in the back of their head and snarled out, "Never. Do that. Again."

"What's your problem? I got us to our target," Toxin said as they pointed to a cave with footprints like the one from before leading inside it. "The mammoth is in there, probably resting or something. If we act now, we can catch it by surprise. You're welcome, by the way."

The three of them approached the cave and stared at the entrance. The cave was really big, bigger than many of the houses in their village and would definitely allow the mammoth to reside in. However, despite the size, the cave didn't seem to have anyplace to allow light to come in except for the entrance, meaning that they couldn't see the deeper parts of the cave aside from the wall of black.

"We can't fight it in there, it's too dark and confined. Someone needs to bring it out," Ieyasu spoke out.

"I'll do it," Toxin said with a toothy smile that showed their excitement, "I can see in the dark and I'm the strongest here, so it'll be a pinch."

Before Sayo or Ieyasu could even get a word out, Toxin ran straight into the cave. Deciding it would be best to be ready for the coming fight, Ieyasu pulled out his two axes while Sayo readied her bow in preparation. A couple minutes passed, making the two wonder what Tatsumi and Toxin were doing. Just then, a loud trumpet-like roar echoed from inside the cave. Soon after, they heard a loud boom. And then another one. And another. There was a second of delay between each one, the latest always being louder than the one before. Something was coming. Something big.

(God of War 3 OST - Hercules)

Ieyasu and Sayo quickly moved away from the entrance. A wise choice because had they not, the ginormus creature that charged out of the cave would've reduced them to stains on the ground.

The behemoth was about thirty-five feet tall and stood on four legs that could seemingly squash anything that unfortunately came under it. It had long and sturdy tusks, big floppy ears, a muscular trunk, a bundle of fur on its head, and a big scar over its right eye. The danger beast was none other than the artic mammoth.

As Ieyasu and Sayo watched the beast stomp around trumpeting, they noticed something was on top of it. It was Toxin, riding the danger beast while laughing as they stabbed its back with a sword they formed.

The mammoth continued to thrash around in order to shake Toxin loose. But no matter what it did, the symbiote's natural sticking ability kept them from budging in the slightest.

However, because Toxin was distracted by how much fun they were having, they were caught off guard by the trunk, which reached back and grabbed them before throwing them off it with all of its strength.

Toxin rocketed through the air and crashed not too far from Ieyasu and Sayo. The two friends quickly ran towards the symbiote to see if they were fine.

"Toxin, are you okay?" Sayo asked in a worried tone.

Toxin groaned and stood back. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"Dude, your arm!" Ieyasu shouted.

"Huh?" Toxin glanced down at their arms and saw that the left one was bent at a horrible angle. "Oh, that. One sec." The symbiote pressed their bent arm against their body and forced their bent arm back into alignment with sickening crunches as they did so.

"There, good as-"

'OW!'

The symbiote winced from the cry of pain coming from their host.

'Oh, shut up. It's not your first time getting hurt.'

'It still hurts like hell!'

Toxin decided to just ignore Tatsumi and turned back to their target. The mammoth gave a trumpeting roar and charged at the three hunters. Luckily, Toxin grabbed Ieyasu and Sayo and jumped out of the way, letting the mammoth charge past them.

Toxin glanced towards Ieyasu and said, "Okay, zoologist, give me an info stat before it comes back around."

"Well first and for most, the mammoth prefers to deal with opponents by charging at them to either trample or impale them. Its muscles are super strong and-"

"Can you tell me something actually useful?" Toxin cut him off, watching the danger beast charge right at them.

Ieyasu frowned at the interruption. "Let me finish. Its muscles are also thick, so we have to put in a lot of power in our attacks to even scratch it."

Toxin grabbed Ieyasu and Sayo again and jumped out of the mammoth's path, the danger beast trumpeting loudly as it passed them.

Toxin's mouth got covered by their orange mass, signifying Tatsumi taking control. "Okay Sayo, you hang back and fire your arrows at it while me and Ieyasu try to weaken it. Once it's tired, we'll all move in to kill. Got it?" Tatsumi explained, earning a nod from Ieyasu and "Got it," from Sayo.

"Good, let's move," Tatsumi said and charged at the mammoth alongside Ieyasu, said danger beast trumpeting again as it charged at them. While Sayo prepared to fire, Tatsumi told his friend, "Ieyasu, you focus on the back of the mammoth while I confront it head on." His friend nodded in agreement.

With the orders given, Tatsumi ran ahead of Ieyasu and straight towards the mammoth. Toxin's voice rang in head, 'What'll the weapon of choice be this time? A pair of swords? Some axes? Or maybe some maces?'

"Actually, I was thinking that I use my new sword. Hope you don't mind," said Tatsumi. He then made a huge leap towards the mammoth, soaring through the air before landing right in the middle of the mammoth's face. The danger beast itself didn't slow its charge in even the slightest.

'Really? Okay...' Toxin mumbled while pulling out the sword from inside the suit with a tendril and placing it in Tatsumi's hand.

"Thanks," Tatsumi said and shoved the sword through the mammoths head with surprising ease. While the blade didn't get deep enough to damage anything important, it still caused a great amount of pain to the mammoth, making it stop its charge and start stomping around while trying to shake off Tatsumi.

As Tatsumi kept attacking the mammoth while trying to keep his grip, Ieyasu circled behind the beast, and slashed at the closest leg, splattering blood onto the snowy ground.

'Thank god uncle gave my axes an upgrade before we left,' Ieyasu mused.

However, while the attack was successful, the pain made the mammoth stomped around even more. The force of its stomps caused the earth to shake, making Ieyasu lose his balance and fall on his back. The hunter groaned and started getting back up, but stopped when he saw a massive foot heading straight towards him. Before he got turned into jelly however, a tendril wrapped around his waist and pulled him away and up towards the side of the mammoth, where Tatsumi was clinging to. He looked over his back to Ieyasu with a frown while slashing at the mammoth. "I leave you alone for a few seconds, and already I have to save your butt."

"I could've dodged it myself, you know," Ieyasu grumbled while crossing his arms.

"Or you could've died," Tatsumi said while leaping up onto the mammoth's back to avoid the trunk.

"Or I could've lived. Either of could've happened."

Tatsumi jumped off the mammoth's back avoiding the trunk again. Shooting a web line to its side, he swung underneath its stomach, throwing Ieyasu towards a pile of snow mid swing, and let go of the web line once he reached the other side. He ignored Ieyasu shouting at him for the act and fired another web line towards the mammoth's side. Tatsumi then slingshoted himself towards it, using the momentum to stab the sword deeper into the mammoth then usual.

'I need to get this thing off its feet. Any ideas, Toxin?' Tatsumi asked while crawling along the mammoth.

'Use webbing, maybe?' Toxin suggested.

Tatsumi dodged the mammoth's trunk and slashed at it, making the mammoth reel it back while trumpeting loudly. 'I have to add enough webbing to its feet so it doesn't break through. And with how much it's stomping around, I don't think that's possible.'

'Then don't aim at the feet. Aim at the body.'It took Tatsumi a few seconds to realize what Toxin meant. And when he did, he asked, 'Are we even strong enough?'

'Of course we are!' Toxin stated confidently.

Taking Toxin's word, Tatsumi leaped off the mammoth and landed on the ground on all fours, kicking up some snow upon landing. He turns around and fires two web lines at the mammoth. He gripped the webbing tightly, and with a shout of exertion, pulled the lines with great strength. The force behind it managed to pull the mammoth right off its feet and into the air before it came crashing down.

With the beast on the ground and struggling to get up, Tatsumi and Ieyasu charged at the mammoth. Tatsumi slashed at one side of the mammoth multiple times with his sword, while Ieyasu did the same to the other side with his axes, quickly making many wounds across the body.

The mammoth thrashed around violently on the ground, kicking its legs and swinging its trunk around to put up some kind of defense. It seemed to work, though. With the strong limbs kicking around and the ground shaking from its thrashing, it was becoming too risky for Tatsumi and Ieyasu to be this close, forcing the two to jump back from the danger beast.

Unfortunately, Ieyasu tripped after landing and fell on his back. And to make things worse, the trunk was heading straight for him. Artic mammoth trunks were said to be so strong that they could topple trees with a single swing. And a human?

Sayo screamed Ieyasu's name. In contrast, Ieyasu only looked away, awaiting the inevitable.

But nothing came.

Confused, Ieyasu slowly opened his eyes and saw Tatsumi with his back turned to him, holding the trunk over him with both hands. Well, technically it was Tatsumi's body that stood over him. But the one in control?

"Twice," said Toxin, turning their head towards Ieyasu. "You almost got killed twice. And both within a minute. Did you break a mirror before we got here, or did you forget that humans are very squishy?"

The mammoth turned over to its stomach and stood back up to its full height. Blood flowed down the many wounds left by Tatsumi and Ieyasu's assault, and arrows stuck out of parts of its body. Despite this, not only was the danger beast still ready to fight, it was extremely angry. The mammoth trumpeted again and attempted to pull its trunk from Toxin's grasp.

Toxin roared in pain, their body rippling from the painfully loud noise practically blasted in their face. Being so close to its trunk meant Toxin was at the source. And for a creature that was sensitive to sound, that hurt A LOT.

With the pain distracting them, Toxin was pulled off their feet and dragged across the snow by their knees as the mammoth reeled in their trunk. But the symbiote wasn't gonna take this lying down. With a snarl, they made their body stick to the ground, keeping the trunk from going any further, no matter how much the mammoth struggled.

Toxin looked back to Ieyasu, who was now back on his feet and watching Toxin, visibly concerned by the symbiote's current position. Sayo was by his side, likely having gone to make sure her boyfriend was okay after the near death experience.

"Find cover or so help me, I will NOT be held responsible for what happens next!" Toxin shouted at them, clearly pissed.

"Oh boy, he's in a mood again," Sayo groaned at the all too familiar sight.

"Last time he was like this, it took weeks before they fixed their kitchen," said Ieyasu.

With the hunters finally started moving for what felt like an eternity for them, Toxin glared at the mammoth with frightening intensity.

"Alright, you overgrown furball. Your little outburst hurt me really bad. So I feel it's only fair I return the sentiment." The symbiote's grip tightened and jerked the trunk towards them. The sudden action didn't allow the danger beast to brace itself and this time, it was the one their knees. The danger beast tried to stand back up, but Toxin pulled them back to its knees.

"No no no no no, you stay down. I'm not done. You still have a hell of a beating in store for you."

Tendrils wrapped around the mammoth's trunk and twisted it. The mammoth trumpeted in pain, but because the tendrils were so tightly wrapped around the trunk, it only came out as sputtering. While Toxin kept rotating the danger beasts trunk, its head roated along with its trunk to alleviate the pain. It reached a point to where the only way it could keep going was to lie down on its side.

"There, now that you're all nice and comfy, we can get straight to the fun part!" Toxin stated with a wicked smile.

The symbiote proceeded to drag the the struggling mammoth across the ground. They started slow, but gradually gained speed and spun it around in a circle, smashing through all the trees like they were toothpicks hit with a sledgehammer. The mammoth's slowly elevated in the air as Toxin spun even faster, its form becoming a massive blur because of the velocity. When the symbiote released the mammoth, it rocketed towards the side of the cliff, and creating a loud "BOOM!' upon impact. The mammoth stuck to the wall for a few seconds before falling to the ground, showing an imprint of the danger beast surrounded by cracks that spread all around. Some rocks even fell from the cliff and around the mammoth.

Toxin lets out a victorious roar, proud at the display of power. After the small celebration, the orange mass melded over the mouth, meaning Tatsumi was back in control.

'Good job, Toxin. That should definitely have caused some good damage,' Tatsmi congratulated while grabbing his sword, which was on his back and kept in place via tendrils. The symbiote let out a satisfied huff.

The danger beast slowly stood back up, visibly disoriented from the impact. One of the tusks even broke off. Yet despite this, the mammoth was STILL willing to fight.

"Tatsumi!" Ieyasu called out, running to Tatsumi's side and got into a fighting stance. "We have a plan to take the mammoth down," he said. He pointed towards it and said. "If you can make a big tear in its skin, she can deal the final blow."

"Do what I was already doing, got it," Tatsumi said while keeping his eyes on the mammoth, who glared at Tatsumi with visible rage. Yet it didn't charge. Likely all the damage it has taken made it a little more hesitant to just rush in.

Ieyasu shrugged, "Well, yeah, but bigger."

"Bigger by how much?"

"Big enough to shoot at it."

Tatsumi glanced at him through the corner of his eye. "What did you say was the plan again?"

"It's a surprise," Ieyasu said with a wink.

"Well, if it gets the job done."

Both hunters charged towards the mammoth, which the danger beast responded with its own charge. It swung its trunk down on them, but the hunters sidestepped it. Then Tatsumi stabbed their sword through the trunk, pinning it to the ground. The mammoth roared in pain and tried to pull its trunk out, but it couldn't because of how firmly it stuck to the ground coupled with the sheer pain it felt.

"Ieyasu, slice it up!" Tatsumi ordered.

In one single swipe, Ieyasu hacked off the mammoth's trunk. The mammoth reeled back its now free, yet shortened trunk, roaring and stomping around in agony as it splashing blood everywhere.

'Now's my chance,' thought Tatsumi and dashed towards the danger beast. In its thrashing, the mammoth didn't notice Tatsumi approaching until he had already high into the air, buried his blade up to the hilt inside the mammoth, and dragged all the way across its back.

Tatsumi jumped off the mammoth just as its thrashing and roaring intensified. When it finally started to settle down, it glared towards Tatsumi with pure fury and charged right at him, all the pain and agony being pushed to the back of its mind in favor of killing the one that was causing it so much damage.

"Oh, boy..." Tatsumi muttered and quickly hightailed it out of there, the mammoth in hot pursuit. He shouted to his friend, "Sayo, whatever you're gonna do, I hope you do it soon before I go splat!"

Back with Sayo, she pulled back the string of her bow with her arrow ready. The arrows Sayo was using were different from the other arrows she had been using. They had grey packs with lit fuses tied near the tip. Aiming her arrow high, Sayo fired the arrows upwards, soaring high into the air before being brought back down via gravity straight into the big wound on its back. The mammoth roared in pain, but didn't stop its charge.

"Tatsumi, get out of there!" Sayo yelled.

"Kinda already doing that, Sayo!" Tatsumi shouted back, trying his best to stay ahead of the artic mammoth that pursued him relentlessly.

When the spark reached the grey packs, they exploded, tearing apart the mammoth from the inside. Tatsumi shot a web line and zipped away just as the mammoth roared one final time and collapsed, black smoke spreading all over its body.

(Music End)

Tatsumi hit the ground and rolled some distance before stopping on his back.

"Is... is it dead?" Tatsumi panted out.

The black smoke slowly cleared and revealed the mammoth lying on the ground completely still and with a scorched back.

'Looks pretty dead to me,' said the symbiote.

"Yay..." Tatsumi fist pumped halfheartedly and let his arm fall back to the ground.

Ieyasu ran over to Tatsumi with a big smile. He held out his hand for Tatsumi to grab and said, "Dude, we were awesome!"

Tatsumi grabbed his friend's hand and was pulled to his feet. When Sayo approached them, Tatsumi said to her, "Spill, what the hell were those arrows?"

"They're explosive arrows. When I told my sister about our hunt, she gave me a few. She said they would come in handy. And she was right," Sayo explained.

Ieyasu walked towards Sayo and grabbed her by her arms, saying, "Babe, you're amazing." Then he pulled her in for a kiss. This surprised Sayo, but she quickly adjusted and kissed him back. Tatsumi just stared at them while fidgeting around uncomfortably. He looked around the area while whistling a little and said "I'm gonna go over there now."

Tatsumi's friends gave no sign of hearing him, but that didn't stop him from walking away. The symbiote suit retracted back inside his body and sat down on a rock that had somehow avoided getting destroyed in the battle. He felt some pride well up inside him for having been able to kill the mammoth, with help of course. But that was soured a little by the feeling envy. Looking back at the couple, still kissing, Tatsumi couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Ieyasu found someone he could love while he has never even had a girlfriend. But he was still happy that Ieyasu and Sayo were happy together.

'Why are you so depressed?' Toxin asked.

'Just a little jealous. Nothing to worry about,' Tatsumi responded.

'You're jealous of them kissing? Why would you be jealous of that? It's just two people rubbing their lips together.'

'It's more than that. It's the connection you have with someone you really care about,' Tatsumi explained.

'Like you and me?' Toxin asked.

'Not that kind of connection. It's...' Tatsumi tried tried to think of a proper way to describe it. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything, so he just settled on saying, 'It's a different kind of connection.'

A few seconds passed before Toxin suggested, 'Why don't you just kiss her?'

'Toxin, I can't do that. It's a relationship that only two people can have together. Kissing another person's girlfriend would be a completely immoral.'

'That sounds selfish. Why can't people share their girlfriends so no one feels left out?'

'It's not as simple as that, Toxin. In fact, it's one of the most complicated things since the beginning of time, something we still haven't been able to fully understand.'

'I think you're being overdramatic, but whatever. If kissing Ieyasu's girlfriend is a problem, then how about kissing Ieyasu instead?'

Tatsumi cringed at the suggestion. 'That's even worse! Look, as much as I appreciate your "help," I'd rather you drop this and we pretend we never had this conversation.'

'Alright, fine,' Toxin said as the symbiote's voice faded.

Snowy Black Forest

A while later, the three traveled back to their village, the mammoth corpse being dragged behind them by Toxin's tendrils. Currently, they were passing through the Snowy Black Forest.

"Oh man, we're so awesome! An artic mammoth. We KILLED an artic mammoth. Ooh, everyone's gonna be jealous~!" Ieyasu said with a sing-song voice near the end.

'Is he forgetting we did most of the work?' Toxin asked Tatsumi, watching him gleefully celebrate their kill.

'Let him enjoy this. I think he could need a good confidence boost,' Tatsumi told it.

"I can't wait to rub this in Uncle's face! I'd like to see him try and insult me after today," Ieyasu laughed, making his friend and girlfriend sweatdrop.

"Well, I can't wait to tell Tsubaki about this too. I really want to thank her for the arrows," Sayo commented as she pulled out a bomb arrow and looked at it with a small smile.

As the trio continued walking through the forest back home, something caught Tatsumi's attention. Up in the sky, black pillars of smoke arose from somewhere up ahead.

"What the hell?" Ieyasu said aloud. "Is that a fire?"

"Guys..." Sayo called to them, her voice barely above a whisper. Her friends turned to see her visibly worried. She pointed to the smoke and asked with a shaky voice, "Isn't that where the village is?"

Tatsumi's eyes widened in horror. His imagination went wild, coming up with all kinds of possibilities. But he pushed them aside and quickly ran towards the village.

"Tatsumi, wait for us!" Ieyasu yelled as he and Sayo tried to keep up.

While Tatsumi was running, he prayed to whatever force existed that everyone was safe. Seeing the outline of the village gates, Tatsumi's pace slowed until he came to a stop in front of it.

The gate's doors were completely destroyed, with only pieces of scattered about remaining. Laying past the gate was a body facing down on a pile of snow.

Gulping, Tatsumi hesitantly took steps towards it. The closer he got, the more details he could make out, and the more dread he felt. The body showed no kinds of movement, being as still as a rock. Part of the snow around it was red, soaked in what he could only assume was blood. A broken sword laid near it, probably from a struggle.

Tatsumi knelt down to the body and caught a bad smell emanating from it. He shakily brought up a finger and poked it, hoping to get a reaction. But there was nothing. Again, he poked it, this time a little harder. But the results were the same. Bracing himself, Tatsumi grabbed the body and started counting in his head. When he got to three, he flipped it over.

Tatsumi jumped back and screamed at the sight, falling on his back and crawling away.

The face was torn apart to the point of unrecognition. One eye was missing while the other was sliced open. The forehead area was gone, like it was torn out. The lower jaw was gone too. And the stomach was sliced open, exposing the hollow insides.

Tatsumi clamped a hand over his mouth when he felt the contents of his stomach rise up inside his throat and turned away to vomit, Toxin pulling back part of themself from Tatsumi's face. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist just as Sayo and Ieyasu arrived. Like Tatsumi, the were both completely horrified.

"What the hell did this?" Asked Ieyasu.

"I don't know," Tatsumi replied, standing up and turning towards the pillar of smoke. "But whatever it is, it probably went to the village."

Tatsumi took off once again, running even faster than before. Ieyasu quickly followed while Sayo stared at the body for a bit before she too followed.

Sahne Eis Village

Sayo and Ieyasu ran as fast as they could, trying to reach the village. Like Tatsumi, they were scared and worried. They hoped that whatever had broken the gates had been stopped by the hunters. But the image of the mutilated body still fresh in their mind made them doubt that.

The two reached the top of the mountain that overlooked the village and froze when they saw flames engulfing everything in sight. They snapped out of it when they saw Tatsumi running right into the village and followed him. They passed through the flaming cabins and saw Tatsumi standing completely still, the urgency he held before completely gone.

As soon as Ieyasu reached his friend, he asked, "Tatsumi, what's... wrong...?" Ieyasu trailed off when he saw the sight in front of him.

(Resident Evil 4 OST - A Ruined Village)

Bodies. Bodies everywhere. On the street, on the roofs, everywhere. And each one was just as grisly as the one from the gates. The entire ground was covered by crimson snow. The bodies were gutted and dismembered. Limbs and organs littered the place like garbage. The ones that still had their faces intact either held expressions of pain, terror, or a mixture of the two.

The three walked through the ruined village, their faces held complete horror and disgust. Among the carnage, Sayo spotted one particular body. It was a young boy, with his limbs ripped off and chest torn open. The sight of this made Sayo turn away and vomit in the snow.

'Oh god, even children?' Sayo thought with tears in her eyes.

"What caused... "this"?" Ieyasu asked.

"I don't know... but right now, we need to look for survivors. Toxin and I will go search the east side of the village while you two search the west. If something happens, give me a signal," Tatsumi said.

Ieyasu and Sayo nodded their heads and went off to look for survivors.

(Music End)

With Sayo and Ieyasu.

"Any luck?" Sayo asked her boyfriend as he walked out of one of the destroyed houses.

Ieyasu sadly shook his head. "Everyone inside was butchered just like the rest."

The two searched for hours now, yet they hadn't found a single survivor. Whatever did this was thorough.

As the two resumed walking through the streets, Sayo turned to Ieyasu and asked, "Do you think anyone survived?"

Ieyasu sighed. "At this rate, it would be a miracle to find a corpse in one piece."

Sayo opened her mouth to say something, but spotted something that made her scream. "SIS!"

She ran past Ieyasu and towards Tsubaki's corpse. Her lower body was gone, spilling out her organs while arrows stuck out of her chest. Her face held the same pained expression as many others.

Sayo fell to her knees in front of Tsubaki's body with her hands clamped over her mouth. Seeing her sister, the person that had loved and taken care her since she was little, Sayo broke down crying.

Ieyasu approached Sayo and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she immediately slapped it away. Thinking she wanted to be alone right now, he turned around and walked away, leaving Sayo to mourn.

Being alone, Ieyasu was left with nothing but his own thoughts. No matter where they searched, every house, every street, all they found were more mutilated bodies. And many were people he knew. He wouldn't be surprised if he saw his uncle somewhere around this hell. And even if they found survivors, even if there was enough to rebuild the village, things would never be the same.

The situation started to get to Ieyasu. He needed some kind of outlet now. He went towards the nearest house and punched it. And then he did it again. Over and over, he punched the wall as hard as he could, punctuating every strike with a shout for twenty minutes straight, venting out his frustrations the only way he could think of. By the time he stopped, his throat felt sore and his knuckles ached like hell. Panting, he looked over the back of his hand and saw that he had broken skin, causing it to have a thin layer of blood over it. But he didn't care. He wanted to feel better somehow. Unfortunately, he still felt as hopeless as before.

'I better find Sayo,' he thought. He had spent enough time here and needed to get back to searching. Before he left though, he noticed something just as he turned. Now that he was more calm, he noticed a body laid against the wall he was punching. It was a man who was missing both his arms and legs. But that wasn't the interesting part. It was the armor he wore.

Ieyasu knelt down to the corpse and inspected it. Something about it was familiar, but he didn't know why. He reached for the head and turned the face towards him, meeting with a sight that made him feel sick. The person's lower jaw was completely gone. One eye was wide open while the other had some kind of metal object shoved through it. Curiously, he grabbed it and slowly pulled it out to inspect. One half was completely in coated blood while the other, though stained, was clean enough to identify what this was. And he was shocked.

With Tatsumi

As Tatsumi walked through the village, he counted off all the bodies he recognized. Toxin had so far remained silent throughout search, merely observing the surrounding area for anything out of Tatsumi's line of sight. So far, all they saw were corpses and destruction.

Tatsumi leaped onto the top of a house and shouted with hands on the sides of his house, "ANYONE OUT THERE!?"

He swept his gaze over the streets and listened intently for a response. Someone to come running out of their house, or a plea for help. Any kind of sign that there was a survivor. But only silence met him.

Tatsumi sighed and jumped down from the house, then proceeded to walk down the street.

'Do you think this was a Danger Beast's work or something else?' Asked Toxin.

"I don't know, Toxin..." Tatsumi muttered. He walked into the inside of one of a house to see if there was anyone inside.

'Do you think anyone survived?'

"I don't know, Toxin..." Tatsumi repeated, walking into what appeared to be a living room. He saw broken furniture scattered about and at least four bodies of varying ages, likely a family, sliced apart like paper. Tatsumi looked away from the scene and left to search in the rest of the house. Finding no sign of survivors, he decided to continue his search elsewhere.

'What do we do if don't find anyone?'

"I don't know, Toxin," Tatsumi repeated again, this time with some irritation in his voice he walked out of the house and continued walking down the street.

'Wha-'

"I DON'T KNOW, TOXIN!!" Tatsumi yelled, stopping in the middle of the street. "I don't know..."

'... I'm sorry'

Tatsumi sighed and said, "No, no, I shouldn't have snapped like that. I was just stressed." Resuming his walk, he went on to say, "Let's just keep looking. We can't until rest until we've searched every nook and cranny for sur-"

After rounding the corner of a house, he saw a house that was separated from all the others, sitting alone atop a small hill. It was his, and it was just as torn up as the other houses.

"Oh no..." Tatsumi whispered. He bolted straight for the house at full speed, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Obi!" Tatsumi called out, running over the busted down door at the entrance. "Obi!" He called again, getting more anxious by the second. Running into the destroyed living room, he spotted a trail of blood, way too much for his liking, leading towards the kitchen. They immediately bolted towards the kitchen, only to be met with a heart wrenching sight.

Obi laid on the floor in a pool of his own blood. His legs and left arm were gone, leaving bloody stumps. And his stomach was riddled with multiple puncture wounds.

Tatsumi ran towards Obi and knelt next to him. He grabbed Obi's shoulders and shook him. "Obi! I'm here, wake up!"

No response.

"Obi, please wake up!" Tatsumi pleaded.

No response.

"Obi please!" He pleaded again.

No response.

"Please..." Tatsumi whimpered.

No response.

All the emotion Tatsumi tried keeping in check since he arrived in the village became too much. With tears streaming down his face, he let out an anguished scream. For what felt like an eternity, Tatsumi just cried, mourning the death of his adoptive parent.

Sahne Eis Village

Several hours later, the sun began to set and the flames died down to only smoke. In the center of the village, Ieyasu held Sayo close to him, stroking her back as a form of comfort while she cried into his shoulder. They heard footsteps approaching and turned towards the source. They saw Tatsumi shambling towards them without the symbiote over him and his head hung low. He stopped a few feet away and lifted his head just enough to let them see his red and puffy eyes, conveying all they needed to know. Ieyasu and Sayo ran towards Tatsumi and embraced him. They spent the next few minutes together crying in silence, letting out their pain and sadness as they tried to comfort one another. Even Toxin joined in, wrapping a pair of tendrils around them to try and provide some solace in this horrid disaster.

When everyone broke, Sayo sniffled and asked, "What are going we do know?" Normally she was the one who tried to guide them and keep everything in check. But now she felt completely lost.

Tatsumi shook his head with a sigh. Like Sayo, he didn't know how to continue from here either. The cause of all this didn't leave any distinct tracks. And any smell he could trace was most likely buried under the stench of blood and smoke.

"I think I might have a clue," said Ieyasu. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the object he had found before. It was a badge with the image of a red serpentine dragon coiling around a shield engraved on it. Traces of blood were visible, but it was otherwise fine. "This badge... it has the crest of the Empire."

Tatsumi eyes widened in shock. "The Empire? You mean the Empire that governs most of the land? The one with the big city placed dead center of the region? That Empire?"

"Yeah, that one," Ieyasu simply replied as he looked it over. "It doesn't belong to any of the veterans. Soldiers that retire are required to hand in their badges. And even if they did have one, it wouldn't be in this good condition. All the veterans retired at least a decade ago. Not only that..." The memory of the corpse he found paced through his mind. "The body I found this lodged into was wearing imperial armor."

"But... but why is it here?"

"We don't know. We always thought our village was too small and far out for the Empire to even care," Said Sayo. "Seems they cared more than we thought."

Ieyasu handed the badge to Tatsumi. "Do you think you can pick up a trace of anything?"

"Let me try," Said Tatsumi. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed. He frowned in frustration and said, "All I smell is blood and death. Which means it smells like everything else here.

"Tsk, thought so," Ieyasu said with a slight hint of disappointment. He had expected this to be the answer, but hoped that somehow it wouldn't be different. He tried cleaning up the badge as best he could in hopes of Tatsumi being able to find something, but he knew that the chances were slim.

Tatsumi however, didn't seem as disappointed. In fact, he seemed determined. "But now I know that seeing this here isn't a coincidence. Whatever happened had to be connected to the Empire. And I'm going to find out why."

"Tatsumi, please don't tell me you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do," Said Sayo.

"If you think I'm gonna go to the Capital and interrogate everyone important for answers, then I won't tell you a thing."

"But that's insane! You're thinking of going after an entire monarchy by yourself to-"

"Our home is gone, Sayo." Tatsumi cut her off. His voice was flat and his eyes showed complete seriousness. "There's nothing left for us here. And the Empire might know something. They may even be directly responsible."

"They might, but they also might not," Sayo countered. "And then what?"

Tatsumi just looked straight at her for a good few seconds before looking down at the ground. "I don't know."

"Sayo..."

Sayo turned to Ieyasu, who looked like he wanted to say something, but was hesitant. Taking a deep breath, he said, "This is the only clue we have. Everyone we know is dead and we don't even know why. Even if it is unlikely they had any hand in this, I want to at least try."

Sayo looked at Ieyasu incredulously and turned to Tatsumi with the same look, who didn't seem like his stance on the matter was gonna change anytime soon. She looked down at the ground and said, "This is incredibly stupid. Stupid and suicidal."

"You don't have to join us. We won't force you to do something you don't agree-" Tatsumi was cut off.

"I DON'T agree with this," Sayo stated firmly. "But... I can't leave you two. We stick together no matter what."

"Then it's decided. But before we head out, we should bury everyone we can. It wouldn't be right to leave all the bodies scattered around like this. Then we gather supplies so we're properly prepared to set out. Is that fine with you two?" Tatsumi asked. Seeing his friends nod, he said "Well, let's get started."

Hours later

(Interlude - Tristan Barton)

Outside of the village, the trio were busy burying all the bodies they found. It was a difficult task, not just because of the amount of bodies, but the emotional pain of having to bury so many people. The community was small, but it was very social. Almost everyone knew everyone. Meaning almost everyone they buried were people they recognized, making this even harder than it already is. When they didn't, it was likely because the body was damaged beyond recognition. Regardless, it was something that they felt they needed to do.

Tatsumi was on his knees praying in front of Obi's grave. It was part of the religion he believed in to pray for the recently departed to find their way to the afterlife.

'Are you sure about this, Tatsumi?' Toxin telepathically asked in concern.

'I have to, Toxin. I need to find out why this happened,' Tatsumi replied back. His knuckles clenched tightly as he added, 'And who's responsible.'

'I guess it's safe to assume nothing I say is going to stop you. Not that I would. In fact, I encourage this. I really liked this place, so I feel obligated to tear apart the people responsible, as slowly and as painfully as possible.'

The symbiote host smiled and said, 'Thanks Toxin, I appreciate it.'

Snowy Black Forest

After collecting everything he needed for the coming journey, Tatsumi laid on tree branch while waiting for Ieyasu and Sayo. In his wait, he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if he had stayed this morning instead of leaving to hunt. Would he have been able to do something? Could Obi, Tsubaki, and everyone else be saved?

'Stop thinking about it. It only makes it hurt more.'

Toxin was right, what's done is done. All he could do now was move forward and treasure what he still has.

Eventually, Ieyasu and Sayo arrived to the spot. They carried large backpacks that were undoubtedly filled with all the necessities they'll need for the journey.

Tatsumi leaped down from the branch and landed in front of them. "Let's get moving. We've got a long journey ahead of us."

"Are you sure about this?" Sayo asked, hoping that maybe Tatsumi would reconsider.

The only reply Tatsumi gave was, "It's the only thing we've got."

The three all looked back to the ruins of Sahne Eis, giving the place they lived in one last good look while they reminisced of all the good times they had with the friends and family they loved very much.

When they were done, the three turned around and walked down the road that lead to the Snowy Black Forest, the place they had to cross for the fastest route to the Capital. They didn't know what awaited them in their journey, but what they did know is that there is no coming back.

(Music End)

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd that's a wrap. Yup. Shit just got real. Now on to the recommendations and questions:

Will Toxin be able to bulk up when angry like in the comics? In due time, yes.

Spider-Man PS4 and akame ga kill crossover from Dcraus. I know you put a lot of though into this one, but I'll have to say no. Main reason is that I haven't play the PS4 Spiderman game yet and don't feel like it. Sorry man.

Attack on Titan and Spiderman PS4 crossover. Haven't played the game and I don't see myself doing this.

Tatsumi was a Jinchuriki and had Kurama inside of him. Addressing this again, I'm not doing any Naruto and Harry Potter fanfics.

RWBY reaction style on Spiderman PS4. I have been thinking about doing a reaction fanfic, but not this one. Nice idea, but no. Thanks anyway.

Feel free to either favorite, comment, or ask me a question and I'll answer it in the next chapter. And Happy Thanksgiving everyone.