Episode 2: Kill the Legend
"Tatsumi, watch closely!"
"Yeah…" The younger boy yawned, drooling into the hand he was using to prop his head up. The rock he was sitting on was cold, and uncomfortable. The air around him was cold, too. It was really cold.
"And there you have it. Did you see?"
Esdeath's powerful and mystifying ice powers weren't helping, either. After skewering several Danger Beasts with icicles and encasing others in solid chunks of ice, the air around them felt unnaturally frigid. Every summer breeze now carried with it the sting of winter, and Tatsumi shivered. Esdeath looked over to him, eyebrow raised.
Taking note of his half-lidded eyes, her lips gained just the barest hint of pout. It wasn't enough to really wake him up, but a twinge in his heart reminded him to tear his eyes away from that look.
She placed a hand on her hip, eyes narrowed. "You weren't looking! Tatsumi, how can you learn from me if you do not watch? By the time we run out of Danger Beasts, you had better be able to demonstrate this technique to me."
Tatsumi gulped and nodded, eyes wide at her chastising tone. He suddenly felt more awake, something that may or may not have been influenced by her proclivity for punishment. In a flash her pout was gone, replaced with that radiant smile he knew was now reserved only for him.
Truthfully, he wanted to change her. Sure, she was a savage fighter and delighted in her sadism. But she was still a human being. Despite everything, despite every facet of her personality that had made his instincts scream otherwise, Tatsumi wanted to bring her over to Night Raid. All of that strength, fighting for the right cause…
Another Danger Beast, this one a massive boar with glowing red eyes, charged out of the trees and ran to Esdeath. Without faltering, she tightened the grip on her blade and waited. She repeated the technique, a move that consisted of sidestepping the foe and deftly cutting them down with the same movement. A flash of silver beneath the full moon was all it took, and the monster crashed to the dirt in a shower of blood. Esdeath casually flung her rapier off to the side and cast off all blood from the steel, and Tatsumi's eyes found the entrails that were now hanging freely out of the beast's stomach.
He watched quietly as she sighed, returning her weapon to its sheathe and beckoning to him with one finger. Slowly climbing down from the rock, Tatsumi approached her with a certain degree of caution. Some might have called it paranoia, but in just a day he had learned to stay on his toes around this woman. Her sudden and almost inexplicable attraction to him was worrisome enough, but every time she called him over was another opportunity for her. Another chance of being wrapped up in those arms, or being forced to hold her hand, or…
"Tatsumi, I want you to show me what you've learned."
Just then, a loud squeal echoed through the clearing. There was a crunching up ahead, the sound of underbrush being trampled beneath giant feet. And it was getting louder with every second.
"The mate, no doubt," Esdeath pondered. "It's likely to be enraged upon seeing the corpse behind us, so do be careful. I will be watching intently."
Esdeath started walking away from him, right as the beast came crashing through the trees and bellowed furiously. Judging from its size in comparison to the mate, this one was clearly the male.
"Ehh," Tatsumi began to sweat, looking over to her. "I don't think I can-"
Her hand immediately found his cheek as she turned, and any further complaints died in his throat. Her expression was one of profound gentleness, something unbefitting of a general. It certainly seemed out of character for someone with such a reputation for cruelty.
And yet, her eyes practically glowed beneath the moonlight, and the blood coursing through his veins began to burn. The fire in his body intensified and his heart went wild, almost slamming against his ribcage with renewed vigor.
"I have faith in you," she cooed, gently stroking his cheek and ignoring the beast ahead. To her, it was as if all the world had been cut off from them. Their own little dimension, sequestered away from everything.
"Don't disappoint me," Esdeath smirked and withdrew her hand, leaving Tatsumi to his battle.
Another raging squeal from the boar brought him back to reality, and Tatsumi spun around to face his new enemy. The beast was drooling heavily, eyes aglow with crimson. Its teeth were grinding, its paws were digging deep into the earth below. This thing was at least five times his size!
Esdeath stood some distance away and crossed her arms, watching intently. Unfortunately there seemed to be a lack of Alpha-Class Danger Beasts out on this night, leaving her with no impressive kills. Any one of her previous victories could've just as easily been won by Tatsumi himself. If a creature of exceptional strength didn't show up before morning, she'd never have her chance!
Despite her frustration, the general watched with eagerness as Tatsumi quickly danced around the boar, dodging its every attack. His expression belied his fear, and she was careful to note that weakness. Surely, fear was something that would fade with time.
She'd be sure to spend every waking moment with him, in order to eliminate it.
Tatsumi blinked, the green in his eyes growing dull. He crouched low, blade at his side as his entire body went tense. Esdeath felt a familiar heat rush from her heart and flow through her entire being, and it took all of her willpower not to tackle him to the ground and make him hers right then.
That was the look she had been waiting for, that was his true self. The warrior within!
The boar charged again, and this time, Tatsumi finally struck back. A flash of steel and a bellow of fury, but neither came from the Danger Beast. One swing of his blade and an elegant sidestep later, and the male boar was sent crashing into the dirt with its body cleaved in twain.
Overcome with excitement and pride, Esdeath gave him a little clap as he approached. "Very good! I expected nothing less from you. This night may not be a futile effort, after all."
"Futile?" Tatsumi raised an eyebrow, sheathing his blade. "I thought we came here to kill Danger Beasts?"
The thrill of battle, that steely gaze...Esdeath's eyes grew half-lidded, her fingers clenching into fists as the apple of her eye continued walking. The sheer potential that remained locked within him was tantalizing enough, nevermind all of the other qualities that called her to him. It was not the right time or the right place, but her lust for him was driving her mad. If she didn't release all of that pent-up tension soon…
"Well...in any case, we should do some backtracking," Esdeath cleared her throat, avoiding that handsome face for as long as she could manage. "I've intentionally left the bodies of my previous victims untouched, in the hopes that they would draw a much more powerful foe to the area. The stench of dead bodies can be quite alluring for some of the rarer beasts in our world."
"As usual, the stuff you say leaves me feeling nauseous," Tatsumi rolled his eyes. It was about time he started being more open with this woman, particularly when it came to his disdain for her sadism.
"Ahh," Esdeath's eyes twinkled, "but you feel it in you right now, don't you? The thrill of combat, the sheer pleasure of the kill."
Tatsumi looked away. "I don't feel anything like that."
But Esdeath was not convinced, and turned her back on him. "Come with me, we will return to the area where Kurome and I amassed our first offering. Hopefully, something interesting has taken the bait."
"Aaaaaah! This just won't end!"
From one armored punch to another, Wave struggled through a whole slew of Danger Beasts, all of them varied and none of them familiar to him. Thankfully, the ever-reliable Grand Chariot had protected him from most of their devastating blows, but he could feel even its durable plates starting to give. Time was their ally in a battle royale that would only last until dawn, but time seemed to abandon them once the moon had reached its zenith. They just kept coming!
"Try not to die," Kurome offered dryly, slicing her way through her enemies as if they were nothing. At the sight of her elegant massacre Wave began to cry, comical tears flying out of his armored face.
"What do you think I'm doing?! I'm over here busting my ass and you're just swinging that sword like it solves every problem in the world! It's not fair! If we were back on my home turf, I'd be the one leading the show!"
"Behind you," Kurome pointed, and Wave spun around with a swift roundhouse kick that shattered nearly every bone in the giant lizard's body.
"Oh, thank you. Thank you SO much for your help!"
"Stop whining," Kurome replied, walking through the trees even as a new group approached to overwhelm Wave. "I'll wait for you up ahead if you're still alive."
"Wait, damn it!" Wave yelped, driving his fist into another bug-eyed giant lizard before turning on his heels and sprinting after her.
"As I thought," Esdeath smirked, leading Tatsumi to yet another clearing at the base of the mountain. "What do you see here, Tatsumi?"
He tried to focus on answering her question, but it was a little hard to think when she insisted on holding his hand. So instead he bit his lip and looked away, bashful. Esdeath chuckled at his expression and reached for his chin with her free hand, bringing his eyes back up to meet her own.
"Cat got your tongue?" She teased. Tatsumi gulped and shook his head, clearing his throat.
"N-no, I...I don't see anything. Am I supposed to see something here?"
"No," Esdeath affirmed, releasing his hand and stepping out of the shadows and into the clearing herself. "Look at the blood, the stray scraps of flesh and the lack of bodies. Something has already come this way and devoured every beast Kurome and I had left behind."
"How many Danger Beasts did you kill?" Tatsumi scratched his head.
When Esdeath looked at him, her expression was filled with such morbid glee that it shook him to the very core.
"Many, Tatsumi. We had slain a great number of them and left them as bait. Piles of bodies, mounds of stinking, dead flesh serving as the ultimate bait. One can only hope that such bait will attract the ultimate prey."
"And when I slay this monster," she thought to herself, "you will not be able to deny me. You will be mine."
"Well, maybe that's enough for one night," Tatsumi laughed nervously, taking a slow step backwards.
A terrible roar pierced the sky, and every hair on his body stood straight up. For a brief moment, he was truly paralyzed with fear by that sound. Even Esdeath looked surprised, hand slowly reaching for her massive rapier as a deep growl rumbled from up ahead.
"Tatsumi, stay back," she ordered in a low voice, purely authoritative. Taking the hint, Tatsumi did as he was told and took a few more steps back, until he was pressed against a tree and hidden from sight.
Louder and louder the growling became, until it was a deafening roar that filled his ears with pain. Snapping tree limbs and trampled underbrush yielded before this new creature as it revealed itself, stepping through the gaping maw of the forest and into the clearing. Rising above even the trees, it fully revealed itself and bellowed into the night sky. Tatsumi's hands went to his ears in order to protect them, wincing in pain as it continued to cry out.
The full body didn't even fit in the clearing! The front half seemed to burst through the forest and reach out to them, with the other half still hidden from view. It was a Danger Beast he had not seen before, and its appearance didn't ring any bells, either. Scaled and lizard-like, it reminded him of a Basilisk but with some very notable differences. Its fangs were distended and razor sharp, rising beyond the lips as its nostrils flared aggressively. The scales were a brilliant and fluorescent green, casting off a strange blue glow as the moon above reflected off of them. Large protrusions jutted from its back at odd and seemingly agonizing angles, also casting off a faint glow. They looked almost like crystals, and as his eyes traced the rest of its form, Tatsumi noted that similar (albeit smaller) protrusions ran down the creature's arms and even rested atop its clawed hands.
Esdeath smiled. "An Ultra-class, here at Fake Mountain? I'll admit, this is far better than I had hoped. Surely you'll last a bit longer against me than the others."
The creature's response was a rapid swipe with one of its arms, an attack that Esdeath flipped over with grace and precision. Landing on its arm, she drew her rapier swiftly and lashed out to sever the limb. The creature roared in agony and she jumped down, watching curiously as its arm sagged and blood fell to the ground in a torrent. Only a few strips of flesh kept the limb from falling off entirely.
"Not very tough," Esdeath sighed, waiting for the next attack.
"It's an Ultra-class?" Tatsumi called out to her, tentatively stepping forward.
"A safe assumption," Esdeath replied, turning around as the beast slumped forward and wheezed pitifully. "Though so far, it's nothing but a disappointment. Cut off one arm and the pathetic creature just waits to die…"
Its eyes went wide and Tatsumi opened his mouth to cry out, to warn her as the flesh reconnected and the savage mouth reached out to claim her. But jagged teeth met only with air, and Esdeath sharply leaped away.
"Playing possum? Strangely intelligent behavior for a Danger Beast," Esdeath mocked, her eyes lighting up once again with the thrill of combat. "Maybe you won't be such a disappointment, after all!"
Rushing forward, Esdeath rolled beneath another swipe of its massive arms and lashed out with her sword, delivering a flurry of stabbing strikes that Tatsumi could neither follow nor count completely. The fear in his gut began to grow, however, as he watched each and every wound regenerate after a time. Esdeath did not appear to be disheartened, leaping backwards again with a laugh.
"This one has endurance, for certain. But I am a patient woman. Let's continue to enjoy ourselves!"
Tatsumi sweatdropped. Watching her go at it once again with the strange monster, it still baffled him how a woman of such strength would suddenly turn her eyes to him and profess her undying love. The more he thought about it, the sillier the idea became! He'd definitely need to clarify things with her sometime soon, and see if maybe there wasn't a way to twist things in his favor…
Tatsumi swallowed, remembering with clarity the fate of his friend and brother-figure, Bulat. He, too, was an assassin and a force of justice. He had taken lives to preserve that justice, and even if it meant throwing his lot in with her, he could not back down.
Tatsumi clenched his teeth as he watched, eyes narrowed as the bitter sting in his heart festered and grew.
His decision was made. He would deceive this woman, hold out his hand to receive her heart...and then he would rip it away as she watched. Bulat deserved that much.
"TATSUMI!"
He blinked, suddenly pulled back into reality as the giant creature swatted Esdeath away and advanced on him.
"Eh?"
Why was it...coming for him? He didn't do anything.
"Tatsumi!" Esdeath screamed again, kicking off of a tree with tremendous speed and throwing her body into his. Thanks to her they narrowly dodged those frightening teeth, and those teeth quickly eviscerated the area where he had previously been standing.
He blinked, watching in astonishment as the forest flew by them in a blur. Dashing ahead with all of her strength, Esdeath held him carefully in her arms as she ran. Those sapphire eyes were wider than he'd ever seen them, and his hand…
His hand was currently on her chest, and beneath it, he could feel every frantic beat of her heart.
"Is she afraid?"
"Thank goodness."
He blinked again, and to his surprise, she was staring down at him. Smiling.
Her eyes looked like they were watering.
"I made it in time."
He couldn't reply. He just stared back up at her, grasping for words that simply would not come.
"She's not afraid of the Danger Beast, she's scared of losing me."
It was like a virus. Her own affection seemed to be flowing over to him, and Tatsumi fought the urge to embrace her. It wasn't just that she was beautiful, or gentle to him, or protective of him. It felt instinctual, it felt almost right.
He thought of Bulat again, and it was almost like there was bile in his throat. Feelings like that would betray the man's memory, would betray everything the two of them had fought for. He would not surrender to them.
They would make it out of here alive, and from there, he would make it his mission to bring them all down. That could not change, no matter how much time they spent together.
No matter how much she insisted on holding him.
Esdeath slowed down as they reached another clearing, gently setting Tatsumi down before falling to her knees and gasping for breath. Clutching his arm and feeling awfully nervous, he watched with surprise as she gratefully accepted every mouthful of air.
She had worked hard to bring them here, but where were they?
"How far did you run?" Tatsumi asked quietly, looking all around. They still appeared to be at the base of Fake Mountain, but the scenery was foreign to him. He didn't see any familiar landmarks.
"As far as I could with as much speed as possible," Esdeath sighed, rising to her feet. "We might be on the opposite side, for all I know. You're not injured, are you?"
"...I'm fine. Actually, I'm a little worried about you."
Esdeath blinked, her cheeks dusted with a sudden rosy hue. She looked away, scratched her ear, mumbled something.
"Eh?" Tatsumi blinked. "I, uh...I couldn't hear you."
"I'm fine," Esdeath said with a little more volume, still looking away. Was his hold over her truly that powerful?
This couldn't be love. This was an obsession, nothing more. But he had to play his role.
Tatsumi smiled again, and did everything in his power to hide the bitterness in it. He tried to show her the same smile as before, a real smile that showed his happiness. It had the desired effect and she appeared mesmerized, unable to tear her eyes away.
"I'm glad," Tatsumi lied, offering her a hand. She accepted it slowly, still locked on his eyes as he pulled the woman to her feet. "Without you, I'd probably have died back there. Guess I should pay more attention…"
She shuffled her feet, lower lip bitten. Tatsumi swallowed and this time he was the one who looked away, unable to maintain visual contact with such a cute expression.
"Ehh...ehhh? What's with all this tension in the air? This really isn't the time…"
And yet, those lips of hers were so full and so soft...so warm…
Tatsumi shook his head frantically, forcing himself to look at her again. When he did, she was smiling.
"This is turning out to be quite the adventure, don't you think? That Danger Beast is certainly more interesting that I initially thought it would be. High intelligence, decent regeneration capabilities...and I swear I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't think of its name…"
She continued to look him up and down without shame, much to his obvious displeasure. Tatsumi randomly covered up parts of his body nervously, narrowing his own eyes back at her.
"What's with that casual explanation while you stare at me…? Stop staring!"
"So sensitive~!" Esdeath teased, pushing against his shoulder. Tatsumi pouted and tried to think of a comeback, but a great tremor threw him off his feet and he landed roughly on the ground.
"What the hell is that?!"
The rumbling quakes continued, and Esdeath remained firm in spite of them. Turning on her heels, she wordlessly faced the edge of the mountain and reached for her rapier once again.
"Persistent little beast," she growled.
The base of the mountain shattered and great chunks of stone and earth went flying, with a particularly large piece heading right for Esdeath. A burst of glowing blue was the herald of winter, and a massive barrier of ice rose up to deflect the debris. Steeling herself, Esdeath lowered the wall and was once again face-to-face with their wretched foe.
"I'm done playing," Esdeath hissed, sword-arm lowered with her left palm raised defiantly at the monster. "Even you will learn your place, Ultra-class! Prepare yourself!"
"So cool…" Tatsumi watched with wonder as she summoned a great storm of icicles, massive shards that rained down on her opponent and embedded themselves in its flesh.
"Alright!" Tatsumi cheered, pumping his fist as the creature howled in agony. "Show him what you've got!"
"Tatsumi…" Esdeath swallowed nervously, blushing again at his sudden praise. The feeling started to overwhelm her before she cleared her mind, focusing entirely on the situation at hand. "I won't disappoint you! And perhaps this time, once we return to the palace…"
"In any case," Esdeath spoke aloud, "this is where you die! Winterhauch!"
The embedded crystals tore away from the Danger Beast's form, crashing together in the air above and forming a much larger shard that immediately plummeted downwards. Blood and powdered snow scattered into the air as the Ultra-class crumbled to the ground, utterly motionless. A massive icicle now joined with the other shards sticking out of its back, a silent and cruel mockery of its appearance as blood continued to seep into the dirt below.
Wiping the sweat from her brow with a swift wave of her hand, Esdeath immediately spun around and tugged Tatsumi into a crushing embrace, jumping up and down a little as he gasped for air.
"Es...dea-!"
"We did it, Tatsumi! We killed an Ultra-class together!"
Prying himself away, Tatsumi smiled weakly up at his captor. "Really, it was all because of your hard work. I didn't do much…"
"I was stronger because you were here!" Esdeath reassured him, sweetly tugging on his ear. He yelped a bit which elicited a slight chuckle from her, and suddenly he was back in that crushing hug he knew so well.
"I know we'll make a great team, Tatsumi. We'll be lifelong partners, in this and everything else."
He started to sweat profusely, now, not at all liking that insinuation. "Listen, I-"
His eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to scream, but his brain simply could not move fast enough. His muscles contracted on instinct and he tugged the both of them back towards the ground, but not before a lightning-fast talon slashed through Esdeath's back and made her cry out in pain.
And it was such a genuine plea, a true and powerful sound. It reached down into his heart and nearly tore it to pieces, looking at her face as the two of them crashed into the ground.
"Esdeath!"
The Ultra-class roared with fury and rose once again, the large chunk of ice in its back suddenly sinking deeper into its flesh. The ice expanded and spread rapidly along its back like a virus, healing its wounds and coating the other crystalline protrusions with a light frost.
"Tatsumi," Esdeath gasped, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes.
"It can't be helped!" Tatsumi thought with resignation, reaching for the blade at his back. At this point, the two of them were going to die anyway. He had nothing to lose from revealing his secret, not if it meant their survival.
He withdrew the blade and brought the pommel slamming into his hand, eyes blazing as the Teigu filled him with its rage. "INNNNNCURSIOOOOO!"
A powerful gust of wind nearly blew Esdeath away as the apparition of the Demon Armor appeared behind its master, arms crossed and monstrous face staring down at him. Esdeath watched, stunned, as the love of her life donned the armor of a traitor.
Demon Armor: Incursio, one of the stolen Teigu now in the possession of the enemy. A weapon that belonged to the traitorous Night Raid, the assassins who threatened the peace of the empire that she served.
"Tatsumi, you're…"
"I'm sorry, Esdeath."
Her eyes widened as he turned to face her, slowly scooping her into his arms. He carried her bridal-style, and though his Teigu was infamous for its brutal strength, she had never felt such gentleness.
"I didn't want you to see me like this," Tatsumi admitted. He knew that what he meant and what she would interpret from the statement were two different things, but that didn't matter. Even in spite of her crimes, he wouldn't begrudge her some shred of the truth.
And with his enhanced strength, Tatsumi leapt away from their enemy, sprinting into the darkened woods with all the fury he could muster. Behind him the Danger Beast gave chase, and its own speed was incredible in comparison to his.
"What the hell is that thing?!" He cried out. The trees were splintered and uprooted behind him, and the monster's howls grew louder and louder as it closed in…
"Leviathan," Esdeath suddenly gasped out, looking up at him.
Tatsumi looked back down at her, careful not to run into anything as he did so. "Leviathan?"
Esdeath nodded, wincing with pain as she did so.
"The Ultra-class Danger Beast, Leviathan...a creature on-par with the fabled Tyrant, the one that was used to create the Incursio you're wearing...as well as the Grand Chariot that Wave uses," Esdeath gasped out, wincing again as she continued to explain. "It seemed so familiar to me, and yet its nature eluded my memory. This is not an enemy that I can defeat in my current state."
Esdeath looked away, eyes half-lidded and hidden in shame. "In fact, my arrogance seems to have made it stronger. That is what confirmed my suspicions, that is why I now remember its name."
"What is it?" Tatsumi insisted, leaping up to a tree branch and maintaining his course as he avoided the ground below.
"Maybe if I don't leave any tracks, it'll lose us…"
He suddenly stopped at the next tree and turned left, attempting to double back as the Danger Beast's cries nearly doubled in volume and frequency.
"The Leviathan," Esdeath continued, her breathing labored, "is an Ultra-class, as we both know. What's notable about it is its survivability, which is almost at the Tyrant's level...as well as its incredible resistance to cold weather."
Tatsumi gulped, not at all liking where she was going with this.
"The bait Kurome and I left behind, it drew the Leviathan out of its dwelling. It was probably hiding within the mountain, away from the heat...from what I can remember, other intelligent Danger Beasts brought this particular species the food that it required, since it would rarely venture out of its own domain to hunt in this weather. But our excessive killings deprived it of that sustenance, and it became impatient…"
"Wave, Kurome...please be safe. I need your help!"
There was still a chance. If they regrouped with the other two, there was no way this Danger Beast would survive the ensuing attack. If the four of them worked together, they could win!
His resolve alive once again, Tatsumi dashed through the trees with renewed vigor and visualized the next meeting area.
"Please be there, please be there…"
"I was a fool," Esdeath confessed.
Tatsumi blinked, looking down at the woman in surprise.
"I should've known," she hissed, eyes shut tight. "It was a Leviathan! My Teigu was the absolute worst possible match-up for this situation. My attacks won't have any effect."
"Then I guess it's my turn," Tatsumi said confidently, looking forward. Esdeath looked up at him, eyes wide.
"You already know what I am, now. So you know that I'm no pushover, right?" Though he knew she couldn't see it through the faceplate, Tatsumi smiled down at her regardless. "I won that tournament like it was nothing! I think I can handle one Danger Beast, even if it's an Ultra-class!"
"That's ridiculous," Esdeath smiled slightly. "I'm a highly-trained general of the Imperial Army, and even I couldn't kill it. Granted, I was caught off-guard...its immunity to my Teigu is the only problem! The Incursio is a powerful defense, to be sure, but to withstand the blows of an Ultra-class? No, we should regroup...regroup and return to the capital with all haste. I won't risk the lives of my subordinates, not even for a worthy battle."
"As much as I'd like to do that," Tatsumi admitted, sweating again, "I think it's a little too late."
He stopped in the clearing where they had initially fled, with the sound of giant feet pounding in the dirt right behind them like always.
"It kept up with my speed the whole time," Tatsumi marveled, setting Esdeath down over by a tree and kneeling in front of her. "But at least I have the advantage."
Her eyes went wide. "You weren't just trying to flee."
"Bingo!" Tatsumi laughed, brushing a stray hair from her face. "I have a Teigu that increases my stamina, but the Leviathan doesn't. That thing should be nice and worn down by the time it arrives, and when it does, I'll kill it."
Rising to his feet, Tatsumi fist-pumped the air again and felt a familiar rush in his veins. "I'll give you a good show, General!"
Esdeath sighed, smiling right back. "There will be no need for selfless heroics, Tatsumi. I can still fight."
"I know, but that doesn't mean you need to be the center of attention," he insisted, walking out to the center of the clearing. "You're probably tons better when it comes to strategy, so I'll follow your lead if you have a plan."
"No plan," she admitted, rising to her feet and brushing herself off nonchalantly. "Just survive and kill it before it kills us, that's all."
Tatsumi blanched at her cool face, hands balled into fists. "You were perfectly fine this whole time?!"
"The wound was rather shallow," Esdeath smiled innocently.
"YOU JUST WANTED TO BE CARRIED!" He pointed to her accusingly, and Esdeath giggled while staring up at the moon.
"It was like a dream~"
"You are unbelievable!"
Just then, the Leviathan ran into the clearing and roared at Tatsumi, almost covering his entire body in saliva. He shivered and tried wiping the stuff off, fighting off the urge to hurl.
"Gross."
"Here it comes," Esdeath interjected, her expression now utterly serious. "If we can just reach its heart, then no amount of ice resistance will matter. It will die just like the rest."
"That's reassuring," Tatsumi yelled out with sarcasm, leaping backwards as the Leviathan tried to devour him whole. "Just play with an Ultra-class until it conveniently shows us its heart, and then stab it when it isn't looking!"
"If it was easy, then it wouldn't be fun," Esdeath cackled.
"YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE HAVING FUN!"
"Oi, oi," Wave called, driving his fist into another Danger Beast's skull. "Did you hear all that howling? Sounded like a pretty big one, to me."
"The General's prey," Kurome responded coolly, slicing her way through an entire group before Wave had even finished his next opponent.
"Eehh? How do you know?" Wave quickly brought his fist up to stop an enemy dead in its tracks, not even watching as it slumped to the ground and remained motionless.
"It sounds like an Ultra-class. The General would definitely go for an enemy that strong," Kurome replied, stuffing another treat into her mouth even as a Chamele leapt from the shadows to devour her.
"Look out!"
With his enhanced agility, it was child's play for Wave to tackle that Alpha-class to the ground. He drove his armored fist into its chest again and again, pounding and slamming and driving that mystical metal into the ribcage until the heart burst in the monster's chest. It quietly coughed up blood and fell still, and Wave rose to his feet.
"You need to be more careful," he sighed, crossing his arms.
"I'm not afraid of dying."
Wave blinked at that, unable to form a response as she walked away.
"Well, maybe there are people who don't want you to die," he thought, following closely behind. What he said was significantly less profound or personal.
"Should we head to the meeting point?"
"No. We will follow the sounds of the Ultra-class."
Wave blinked, surprised at this response.
"Isn't that going against the plan?"
Kurome did not respond, opting instead to increase her pace and nearly leave Wave behind. With an irritated grunt he matched her speed, following closely behind as the two of them pursued the echoing howl.
"Looks like you really DO care."
"GAHH!"
He had mistimed the leap, and paid accordingly. The massive claw of the Leviathan slammed into his armored form, and although Incursio mitigated a great deal of the damage, it still shattered on contact and sent Tatsumi crumbling to the ground.
"Tatsumi!" Esdeath cried, running forward as the Leviathan reached for him with outstretched talons.
She was faster. Throwing her body over his in a protective gesture, Esdeath raised her left palm in defiance of its own. "KALTENWAND!"
A thick dome of ice erupted all around them and rose up to meet those claws, stopping them dead in their tracks. Furious, the Leviathan screeched again and drove its vile claws into the ice again and again, each strike causing Esdeath to wince. Held together entirely by her will alone, it took all of her strength to protect the boy beneath her.
And she would protect him, no matter what. Against all odds, and at any cost!
Tatsumi opened his eyes, staring weakly up at the woman who would so readily sacrifice for him.
"Es...death…"
"It's okay."
He blinked, unable to see her face as she looked forward.
"It's going to be okay, Tatsumi. I won't let you be hurt."
She looked at him, and so tender and kind was her expression, that the shame he felt within his soul was almost indescribable.
The circumstances were all wrong, the cause wasn't right. None of it made sense, and yet...the look in her eyes, the smile she displayed, all of it was real.
No matter how warped her perception might have been, or how different their perspectives were, this woman truly did love him. And it hurt.
It hurt him to repay her honest affection with treachery, even for the sake of a man he idolized and cared for.
"Tatsumi, this is the first time I have truly felt as though dying were a possibility."
He blinked, unable to respond. The Leviathan continued to grind its claws into the ice, slowly tearing away at the barrier she was giving everything to maintain.
"Strength and power are lovely things, aren't they? A little similar, sometimes mutually exclusive and at times so very far apart...and yet, all it takes is one unforeseen circumstance for them to abandon you completely."
The words still would not come. It was as if he had thousands and thousands of words to say, but they would not obey him. His mouth would not move. His heart could only struggle, writhing in agony as she made herself vulnerable before him.
"An Ultra-class that is immune to ice, and even absorbs it...what are the chances?" Esdeath laughed, wincing as the barrier continued to falter. "But even before an enemy of this caliber, even when my strength is transformed into its strength, my knees will not bend. I will stay with you for as long as I can, and when the opportunity presents itself, I want you to run."
Tatsumi reached for her, his weakened state almost paralyzing him. And for this reason, panic set in. True fear gripped his heart, and it took all of his strength to continue reaching upwards. The grudge didn't matter anymore.
The feelings were there, that furious passion had infected him. Her feelings had corrupted his own.
"What are you doing? What are you saying? Why can't I reach you? Why...why is this happening?"
"I never thought I would die in such a deplorable situation, and overcome by such wretched weakness...but strangely, having you here seems to make that bad feeling go away. Almost as if it is worthwhile. Like it's not pointless."
He wanted to cry. The guilt, the pain of it all was tearing him up inside. Tatsumi watched helplessly as Esdeath looked over to him, the barrier weakening with every vicious strike.
"Please, believe in me. Believe me, Tatsumi. You are…"
She reached for her heart with one hand, and his own seemed to tremble in response.
"You are everything to me."
The barrier shattered, and something within him snapped. Fire spread throughout his body, it filled his veins with wrath and his very soul was alight with a new thirst. He had felt it several times before, at key moments in his progression through Night Raid.
It was there when he had slain Ogre. It had coursed through him when he battled with Zank the Executioner. Even when he had fought in the arena, back when his combat prowess had been observed by Esdeath herself, that desire had sunk its claws into his very heart.
The thrill. The power. The desire.
The hunger for battle.
Esdeath turned to face the Leviathan, glaring defiantly up at their enemy as it raised its scaly hand one more time to gore them. Unbeknownst to her, Tatsumi slowly rose to his feet.
Burning within his tunic, the wooden idol throbbed and shivered. It called. It beckoned.
Tatsumi withdrew the strange artifact and stared at it coldly, watching as a blinding light enveloped the object.
"God will help you," he recited, paying no heed when Esdeath looked back over to him in astonishment. Undeterred, the Leviathan brought its hands slamming down on them.
Tatsumi blinked, lost in eternity. Time was diluted and escaped his grasp, and the idol within his hand transformed.
In a flash the Leviathan was howling again, but in pain. Blood burst into the air and returned as furious rain, descending upon the earth and clogging the dirt at their feet. Great and mangled bits of flesh, remnants of the Leviathan's scaled fingers, crashed to the ground all around them as Tatsumi lowered his arm. The serrated katana seemed to ooze blood like a living creature, the Leviathan's lifeforce almost gliding along its rusted surface.
Esdeath watched in astonishment as Tatsumi cast the blade off to the side with a single ruthless movement, mirroring her own from hours before. The blood was immediately purged from the steel, and Tatsumi glared viciously up at the Ultra-class who opposed him.
And he winced, crying out in agony. The midnight sheath in his left hand seemed to beckon, while the newfound blade in his right hand tried to tempt him.
"Get...get out! No! I won't!"
He cried out, struggling to remain standing. In a flash, he sheathed the blade and fell to his knees, gasping for air. Esdeath struggled to reach him, practically crawling to his side in her weakened state.
"Tatsumi, what's wrong? Where did you…?"
The weapon seemed to have been pulled from thin air. All she remembered was a white light, and…
Her eyes widened. "The idol!"
She stared at the fearful boy, watching as he inhaled deeply. The monster behind her was still overcome with sudden pain, crying out and paying them no heed as it bled.
Tatsumi heaved a great, slow breath. And rose back to his feet once more.
"God has protected me," he mumbled, staring at the sheathed sword. The Incursio was all but forgotten, lying at his feet while he had eyes only for the new weapon in his hands.
"My whole village is with me!" He cried, pulling the blade to his side and staring viciously up at the Leviathan.
The name was engraved in his psyche, burning within his very soul as the Ultra-class bore down on him with jagged fang and outstretched claw.
"Masamune!" He cried, lifting the sheathed sword in defiance of the incoming attack. The speeding hand was immediately deflected by an unseen force, crashing into the ground beside them.
They were unharmed. They could not be reached.
The Leviathan pulled back, infuriated, and instead chose to exhale a burst of deadly crystallized air. Winter given form, the cloud rushed to them both and sought to freeze them in place.
Tatsumi again lifted the sheathed sword, watching impassively as the cloud scattered around them. It did not reach them.
Esdeath was stunned, mouth agape as the Danger Beast's attacks were deflected by some unseen force...a force that was clearly summoned whenever Tatsumi raised the new weapon in response.
"Masamune," she thought, blinking. "The name is unfamiliar to me, yet clearly…"
Her eyes narrowed as Tatsumi reached for the grip of the blade, his entire body tensing up in preparation.
"Clearly," she thought, "this weapon is a Teigu!"
The Leviathan swiped at them again with its good hand, the other slowly regenerating in the background. Tatsumi drew the sword at lightning speed and severed it at the wrist in an instant, and the Leviathan roared with pain as he landed some distance away.
"Muramasa," he whispered into the freezing wind.
"We are drawing near," Kurome called back to him, speeding on ahead as followed. Wrapped in his Grand Chariot, the country boy had no trouble keeping up with her. Rather, his main concern was trying to understand what was going through the creepy girl's head as she ran towards what they assumed was General Esdeath's current location.
"Hey, are you sure we shouldn't just turn back? She might be offended if we suddenly show up and offer our help. Y'know, it might insult her pride...piss her off, maybe?"
Kurome did not reply, and continued to run.
"You know, you could at least say something in response. Even if it's something simple, like 'Shut up, Wave.'"
"Shut up, Wave," Kurome replied.
Once again, the youth's tears streamed behind him as he ran forward. "That doesn't mean you should repeat it! I just want you to communicate! Sheesh!"
She remained silent as he rambled, hand on her Yatsufusa as the roaring grew louder.
"Come on, we're supposed to be a team! How can we get to know each other if you don't say anything? Especially when we're on the battlefield! I mean, we're supposed to be the best of the best! We're the secret police, we're the Jaegers!"
"I'm concerned."
"We're supposed to be held to a higher standard, we're a…"
Wave trailed off as he caught her last words, plucking them from the wind as the two of them continued to move ever forward.
"I'm concerned."
He blinked, further complaints dying in his throat as they dashed through the trees.
"Are you worried?"
She didn't reply, but it was enough. Within the suit of armor, Wave smiled.
"Well then!" He called, rushing up to run beside her. "We'll just have to go even faster. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can be yelled at for worrying needlessly."
He saw her smile as she ran at his side, but decided not to tease her about it. That could come later.
"I hope it's all for nothing," Wave thought, eyes narrowed as the two of them circled the base of the mountain. "But if I'm wrong, then that's fine too. Just…"
The roars were deafening as the two Jaegers closed in, fists clenched and eyes blazing.
"Just let us make it in time!"
