Chapter Six: The Templars Strike Back

His eyes widened as the world came to a complete stop. The Grandmaster…dead? But that meant!

"SPEAR!" he yelled, shoving past Shay and running to the Compound. He pushed and shoved his way through the halls, using every ounce of power he had to move as fast as he could. Spear had to be okay…she had to be!

He threw open the doors to the Grandmaster's private study and felt his legs almost give out with shock. Torres, Haythem, Woodes, and Elise all stood around a sight that would be burned into his eyes forever.

Two figures lay on the floor…with white sheets covering their faces. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they wore.

"No," he whispered, hot tears running down his face. "No, no, no, NO! SPEAR, NO!"

"Tatsumi!" Elise gasped as he roughly threw her aside and knelt next to the smaller figure. With a shaking hand, he reached out to the top of the sheet.

"I wouldn't do that, Tatsumi," Woodes warned him, but he paid no attention to the man.

He pulled back the sheet and gasped in horror. It was Spear…or what was left of her. Her face had been ripped away down to the bone, bloody scraps of flesh barely clinging on to the ivory surface of her skull. Surrounding the wound was a razor-thin and precise cut, made by a tanner's knife. Her face had been skinned off. He pulled she sheet down even further, searching for the cut or bullet wound that had ended her life…but he found none. Which meant whoever had killed her had skinned her face while she was alive. He looked back towards the remains of Spear's face, seeing her eyes unblinkingly staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't even close her eyes…

His stomach suddenly turned and he clasped a hand over his mouth. Right away, Haythem grabbed him up and pulled him over to the balcony as he vomited in disgust. He retched for a good twenty seconds before stopping.

"Who…who did this?" he panted, his blood beginning to boil with hate.

"We're trying to pin this down now," Haythem said, his voice eerily calm. "As for who killed the Grandmaster, that is. The identity of the one who killed Lady Spear is crystal clear."

"Nyau," Torres said, pointing to the photo on the wall. "According to our spies, he is under the protection of Esdeath, operating as one of her "Three Deadly Beasts."

"But what was even more surprising was that we found this at the scene," Elise said, pulling a flyer from her pocket.

The paper bore only a few words: Heaven's Justice Delivered by Night Raid, as well as a picture of the assassin group's insignia.

"So we are at a crossroads here," Woodes said. "The flyer points to Night Raid killing the Grandmaster…but the wounds on Lady Spear point to the Three Beasts. Either Night Raid is framing the Empire, or vice-versa."

"It's the Empire," Shay said, walking into the room. "I've talked to many of our spies in the Revolution. They're saying that Chouri was going to replace Honest when they overthrew him. Killing the replacement Minister now doesn't make sense."

"Honest has been looking for a chance to get rid of his enemies for a while now," Torres said, stroking his beard. "With Esdeath's Beasts as his hitmen, he could do so without it coming back to him."

"But we can't discount the possibility of Night Raid being the ones to kill the Grandmaster," Haythem said. "From what I've heard, Shay and Tatsumi have run into them several times…if they were somehow able to discover the Order, the Grandmaster would be a prime target."

"Uh, Master Haythem," he said, straightening up. "I believe it couldn't have been Night Raid."

"And why is that?"

"Because…when Master de la Serre, Master Cormac, and I were sent to kill Iokal, Akame said they wanted to bring one of us back alive to talk about an alliance," he said. "They were more interested in working with us than killing us…which leaves me to believe that the Empire was behind this killing."

Haythem's brow furrowed and he cupped his chin thoughtfully. "If what you say is true, then we can assume the secret of the Order's existence is safe," he said. "Which leads me to our next move…revenge."

Haythem turned to the assembled Templars. "Torres, find out Honest's next target. I want to know when and where he'll be…as well as the identity of the other two Beasts."

"Of course," he said, turning and shuffling off.

"Elise, arrange transport for Tatsumi and Shay," he continued. "Money is no object…I want them there as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," she bowed and sprinted off.

"Woodes, the weapons you recovered," he turned to the sailor. "Bring Shay and Tatsumi up to date with them…if the targets show up, they will need them."

"By your command," Woodes spun on his heel and left.

Haythem turned to the two of them, his gray eyes showing nothing but cold anger.

"Shay Cormac and Tatsumi," he said. "As acting Grandmaster, I am assigning you a new mission. Kill the Three Beasts…and make sure they suffer for their crimes!"

He nodded and bowed. "With pleasure, sir."

"Aye," Shay said, bowing as well.

"Tatsumi, a moment," Haythem said as the two of them turned to leave.

"Sir?" he asked as Haythem knelt next to Spear's body and took something from her arm.

"Spear would have wanted you to have this," he said, tossing him the object. "Make sure it is used well."

He caught it and looked down at it. It was Spear's hidden blade. He quickly nodded and fastened it around his left arm, flexing his wrist to make sure the blade was working properly. He looked back at Spear's body, still feeling the burn of his tears.

"I'll make sure they pay for this," he whispered. "I'll take revenge in your stead…"

He turned back to Haythem, bowed again, and left the room, heading to the training grounds. Fighting with a single hidden blade was one thing…two would require some changes to be made to his style.

THREE DAYS LATER

IMPERIAL CAPITAL, CANAL DOCK

The air was hot, despite the early hour. Noblemen and women of high status were complaining about the heat, their servants (or slaves) desperately fanning them to avoid a beating. But he wasn't focused on that. His mind was on the mission.

"Nothing out of place yet," he mumbled to Shay.

"I don't know about that," he shrugged. "I can see plenty of things wrong with this situation."

"Yeah, well I'm not as tall as you," he snapped, stepping around a group of nobles who stood a good six inches taller than him and obscured his vision.

Shay chuckled but didn't say anything back. He kept his head on a swivel, scanning back and forth across the crowd for any sign of the Three Beasts.

According to Torres, the next person Honest was likely going to want killed was the minister of agriculture; an elderly man who had long since argued for reduced grain prices. The minister was not a Templar or even affiliated with their spies inside the government. But he was someone who they had to use to draw out the Three Beasts.

"They'd either be on the docks or already on board the ship," he said. "And since they're not here, that means we're behind schedule."

"Then we follow them," Shay said, walking aboard the massive cruise ship Ryussen.

"Split up?" he asked as they arrived on the main deck.

Shay nodded. "If you find them, don't try and kill them all at once," he warned. "Separate them and then take them out. Use the poison if you have to."

He nodded as his hand drifted to the small balls in his jacket pocket. These balls contained the poisons that Woodes had managed to liberate from Baen's warehouse, specifically the toxin that paralyzed. The balls were set to break on contact, dispersing the poison within a three foot radius of the impact. Shay had refused the bombs and instead coated his air-rifle darts with the venom. He had six bombs on his person at the moment, and each of them would help serve the purpose.

He turned and walked below deck, navigating his way towards the minister. The old man was surrounded by a squadron of elite bodyguards, each of them reminding him of Ogre in terms of size and muscle. But those guards would be worthless when faced with three Teigu.

Torres had also managed to reveal the identities of the other two Beasts. The first was a man named Daidara. Nothing much was known about him, only that he had come from the cage fighting rings like Shay had. The two of them had never met, but the man was supposed to be a terror with his ax-Teigu, Belvaac. The second came as a bit of a shock to some of the Masters. The third member of the Three Beasts was a former Imperial General named Liver, noted for his impressive victories against southern rebel armies in the past decade. However, the man had been imprisoned by Honest eight years earlier on false charges. His Teigu's name was unknown, partially because he was never seen using it by the spies.

"Perhaps I'll get lucky?" he wondered aloud as he grabbed a drink from a passing waiter.

He wandered around the grand room, making sure that none of the Beasts were anywhere close to the man before heading even deeper into the ship. Most likely they were planning an ambush…but to do that, they would have to eliminate all the witnesses.

That's not going to be a problem with three Teigu, he thought dryly, putting his glass down and pulling his collar and hood up. So if you're not coming to me…I'll come to you.

He left the grand room and headed further down towards the less-glamorous parts of the ship: cabins for those who didn't have enough coin and the kitchen area. He decided to start with the kitchen, calmly walking through the rows of tables so as not to cause alarm despite how his black coat stood out against the white uniforms of the chefs. Surprisingly, no one noticed. Once he cleared the kitchen, he made his way to the steerage areas. These were narrow hallways with doors lining both sides. As he walked, he listened intently. If he peeked inside through the portholes, he would be caught right away…or seen as a pervert by any women sleeping in their cabins. No, sound would be his best chance.

He walked up and down each hallway three times, his ears straining as he sought his targets. Finally, he heard something. It wasn't a voice, but a tune…a flute to be precise. Right away he began to feel weak at the knees; his energy slipping away from him as the tune floated through the ship.

That has to be them, he thought. So they're planning on knocking everyone out before killing their target…huh. I thought for sure they'd just kill everyone.

He wrenched his arms up to his face and jammed his fingers into his ears, trying to block out the sound. It muffled it a little but it was still far too loud to completely stop the effect. He grimaced and struggled to his feet. He had to get ready…because if the sound was this loud, that meant the Beasts were nearby. Heavy footsteps shook the floor and he turned to see a hulking figure in black stomping down the hallway. The man's face was unmistakable…blonde hair and white, pupil-less eyes. It was Daidara.

Shit! I can't do much like this, he ground his teeth and pretended to be unconscious. Have to wait until the song stops…

Another two pairs of boots passed by his face and he looked up in time to see Liver and Nyau walking by, the smallest of the Three Beasts playing a flute. His eyes burned with hatred as he looked on at the young boy who had killed Spear. His hand itched to draw his blade, but the music was too strong. The three of them headed up the stairs and then split off, Daidara heading towards the deck while Nyau and Liver went towards the rear of the ship.

"Dammit!" he roared, drawing his knife and slicing open his thumb.

Right away, the fuzziness in his mind vanished like smoke in a hurricane, the sharp pain bringing him back to clarity. He stood up and ripped a piece of his shirt away to bandage his thumb before sprinting up to the indoor cocktail deck above the bow, taking some shortcuts through cabins and restricted areas to get ahead of Daidara. As he ran by, he saw that Nyau's flue had certainly done its work well. All along the sides of the ship were the bodies of the passengers, sleeping peacefully. As he burst onto the deck, he saw Shay standing at the railing, tying a bandage around his left wrist.

"The Beasts are on the move," he said. "Daidara's heading this way."

"We've got bigger problems," he grunted, sliding his glove back on before pointing out onto the deck.

He looked out and swore. Standing there were two familiar faces…from Chouri's wanted board. Bulat of Night Raid…and Lubbock of Night Raid. The two of them seemed to be feeling the effects of the song as well, as indicated by their stooped postures and tired expressions. But nonetheless, both had Teigu and thus were dangerous opponents.

"Do we take them out now?" he asked, hand going for one of his poison bombs.

"No…," Shay grinned devilishly. "I've got a better idea."

Before he could explain what said idea was, Daidara emerged from below decks, his ax in hand.

"Oh, so it looks like Nyau's song wasn't completely effective," he grinned. "No matter…I'll get plenty of experience by fighting you too."

"Yeah, don't count on it!" Lubbock huffed, sluggishly dragging his arms out in front of him. Thanks to his training, he could see the tiny glimmer of sunlight reflecting off the wires of Cross Tail.

"Be careful Lubba," Bulat said, straightening up. "This isn't the type of opponent you take lightly."

"Uh, Shay?" he asked as the battle began. "Are we just going to sit here and watch?"

"For now yes," he said as Daidara demonstrated his Teigu's special ability to home in on targets. "Daidara's not our concern now…if we intervene, we'd be caught between the remaining Beasts as well as those two…lets them kill Daidara…I'll take Liver. I know how badly you want Nyau."

He nodded, gritting his teeth behind pursed lips.

Below them, Bulat activated his Teigu with a roar, the gray armor of Incursio encasing him as a red spear appeared in his grasp. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as two more figures jumped from the upper decks. With a single, almost liquid motion, the former solider slammed the two of them back before slicing Daidara right down the middle. He winced slightly at the sight of the blood, but held himself together.

"Now!" Shay said, drawing his rifle and drawing a bead on Lubbock. "Go for Bulat!"

He nodded and hurled himself through the glass window of the cocktail deck as fast as he could, speeding towards the ground. He landed a solid kick on the armored man's head and knocked him to the ground before pulling out one of his bombs and breaking it open on the man's head. The gas filled the air and would have affected him had he not retreated to a safe distance in the nick of time.

"What…the…?" the large man croaked as the armor slowly receded from his body and he dropped to the ground. "Can't…move…"

"It's temporary," he assured him. "You'll be fine in an hour or so."

As he stood up, he saw Lubbock was in a similar position; draped across the deck with a dart in his shoulder. Shay jumped down from the balcony, slinging his rifle as he drew his sword and knife.

"Who are you?" Liver asked as he and Nyau settled into fighting stances.

Shay said nothing as he approached the former general. He turned towards Nyau, walking to press the boy killer against the wall of the ship.

"Friends of someone you killed," Shay finally said, his tone so cold it could freeze mercury. "And we're here to take revenge."

Liver's eyes narrowed slightly as he made to remove his glove. "You're not part of the revolution, are you?" he asked.

"No," Shay shook his head. "But that doesn't mean…you shouldn't be afraid of us."

He smirked under his hood and turned his attention to Nyau. "You're going to suffer," he said. "Suffer like all your victims, Nyau."

"Oh so you know me?" he said with a grin. "What fun! I'm going to enjoy adding you to my collection."

He growled and flexed his wrists, unsheathing both his hidden blades.

"So that's your Teigu?" Nyau said, not even fazed by the sight of the blades. "What's its name?"

"No name," he said. "It's not a Teigu."

He sprinted forwards and began his attack, slashing and stabbing with his blades at Nyau's face and chest as fast as he could. The small killer responded by blocking with his flute, Scream, which somehow held despite the biting edges of the blades.

"Not bad," Nyau commented as they broke apart, circling each other. "You're much stronger than all my other trophies."

"SHUT UP!" he yelled, dashing back in.

Nyau grinned and blocked his strike before slamming Scream across his face. He grunted in pain and stumbled back, barely managing to dodge a second strike. He wiped the blood away from his now-split lip and barred his teeth.

Can't let him bait me like that again, he thought. I've got to find a weak point.

He started circling him again, his eyes darting over Nyau's form for any indication of weaknesses, past injuries, or hesitation. He found none…his form was practically flawless.

"I'll just have to tire you out!" he growled, sprinting back into the fight.

Nyau tried to counterattack with another flute strike to the head, but he quickly slipped under, slicing at his armpits and elbows. The blonde boy simply smirked and blocked all of them, but he was too slow to slip an attack in otherwise. He smirked back and pressed the barrage even further, feeling Nyau's blocks begin to weaken.

"You rely so much on that flute that you neglect your physical training, huh?" he smirked, slipping easily around Nyau's form to deliver a knuckle shot to the boy's kidney.

Nyau grunted in pain and drew a skinning knife from his belt. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the blade…the same blade that had killed Spear. Nyau noticed his glare and grinned widely.

"So it was someone I killed that you want revenge for?" he asked. "Well, the only one I can think of is that girl who was with the old prime minister."

His teeth bared as Nyau kept talking.

"Yeah, she was pretty easy to kill," he shrugged. "After Liver killed her dad, she stabbed Daidara pretty bad before he knocked her down…then I got to add her face to my collection.

"Shut your mouth," he growled, blood boiling with rage.

"She said something right before she died," he continued, his face scrunching up as he tried to remember. "A name…Tatsumi."

He roared in a mixture of anger, fury, and hatred as he dove back at Nyau, his blades extending to their full reach. The small boy blinked and tried to bring his flute to bear to block the strikes. But he was too slow.

With a swipe of his left arm, he severed the tendon in Nyau's left hand, forcing him to drop Scream as he ripped the tanning knife from his other hand. He retracted his blades and slammed his fist into the boy's face, stunning him. He then dropped low and struck his kneecap out with his elbow, shattering the bones into fine powder. Nyau screamed out as he collapsed, but Tatsumi wasn't done yet. He kept punching and kicking Nyau while he was down, slowly reducing the boy to a broken mass of flesh and bone. Finally, he sat back, panting hard from the blows. Nyau was gasping hard, blood flowing from his mangled lips.

"Time for you to die," he said, unsheathing Spear's hidden blade.

"Wait…" Nyau begged.

He didn't listen. He plunged the blade into the boy's forehead, but not deep enough to kill him. Then he slowly began dragging in down from his scalp to his chin, slicing open his nose and already ruined mouth. Next, he stabbed his right temple and sliced him ear to ear across his face, completing the Templar Cross. Nyau had screamed his throat horse from the pain and could only now silently whimper as the blood loss took its toll on his body.

"Retribution for Spear," he hissed, spitting on the body as the light left the eyes. "You can burn in hell for all I care, Nyau."

The youngest of the Three Beasts gave a final pained gasp before his body went slack against the deck. He let out a deep sigh and flicked the gore from Spear's blade as he stood up and turned to Shay and Liver's battle in time to see the two of them cross swords.

Just from one look, he knew he'd missed a lot. Liver was missing a good deal of his right hand, particularly his fingers. His uniform was tattered and bloodstained, showing a deal of small cuts on his arms and chest. Shay was in a similar stare. His right shoulder had a large slash running down his arm and his coat was scuffed and bloody. Not to mention the fact that he and the area around the both of them was thoroughly soaked. But the two men didn't seem to notice their injuries as they fought.

He quickly retrieved Scream and rushed over to help Shay, running up a stack of crates positioned against a wall to get a better vantage point. He stopped once he was at the top and pulled one of his pistols from his belt, taking aim at the former general's head.

No clear shot, he grimaced. And the bullet's so big I'll hit Shay if I try to shoot through him. Damn.

With only one option left, he holstered his pistol and flexed his wrists before jumping down into the fight, trying to distract Liver. It worked, and the white-haired man's blade flashed up to disembowel him. By some miracle, he managed to catch the sword on his hidden blades like Shay had done, twisting the edge away so he was left wide-open on his front. He twisted his own body away and rolled on the deck to break his fall, hoping his risky move had done something to end the fight.

It had. With a flash of steel, Liver's eyes widened in surprise. He looked down at his chest in time to see Shay's sword embedded in his chest, the hilt jamming into his ribcage as the tip protruded from his back.

"Retribution," Shay grunted, throwing his weight against the blade as he twisted it around, "for the Grandmaster…and all you've killed in the Empire's name."

Liver choked on his own blood as his strength left him. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground as Shay yanked his sword from his chest.

"L-Lady Esdeath," he rasped, his hands clawing at his wound. "Forgive…our failure…"

With a final gasp, the last of the Three Beasts died on the deck, his blood trailing from his wounds across the wooden surface.

"Are you alright?" he asked, picking himself up and running to his teacher.

"Just a couple of scratches," he grunted, wiping his cut arm. "I'll live…how about you?"

"Just a bump on the head," he said, checking his lip. "Nyau's dead…and I made sure he suffered."

Shay took a look at the boy's body and grimaced. "That's a bit…much," he said. "But considering everything, I'd say it's about right. Mission accomplished."

He nodded before turning to Night Raid. "What do we do with them?" he asked. "Kill them?"

Shay's eyes narrowed as he looked Bulat in the eye. "No," he said after a few seconds of silence. "They're not our targets and we're out of time. Grab the Teigu from the Beasts and let's get out of here before the passengers wake up."

He nodded and grabbed Belvaac as Shay pocketed a silver ring from the remains of Liver's fingers. They nodded to each other before running back inside the ship to hide. Night Raid would eventually escape as well, but he had a hunch they would be leaving as well. It would happen eventually, but their fight was not today.

Spear and Grandmaster Chouri have been avenged, he thought as he and Shay sat against some boxes in the hold. But this now leads to a new problem. Who will be the next Grandmaster? And what is our next move going to be?