I thank Scarlet Warhawk for helping me finish this sixteenth chapter of Soul and Property. I am grateful for this help because I want to post a chapter of a story a day and thanks to this help I got it.
"Okay." He was still curious, but seeing as how the other meister was obviously not going to keep discussing the matter.
Blanc stood up and moved towards the door. Before he left, he turned over his shoulder and said, "Good luck, you two." Then the door closed and Ian was alone with a sleeping Ali. He sighed and went about making the weapon girl comfortable. Having nothing else to do, he decided to take a walk. It was still early morning, but the fog made it feel like pre-dawn. Ian walked down the dirt road, hands in his pockets until he reached a small clearing. There, he looked around carefully before closing his eyes and concentrating. He waited, silent. Raz's word's floated back to him.
'Just picture yourself putting on the ring, and it'll appear on your finger.'
Ian took a deep breath and began to visualize. It was less than five seconds before he felt the weight of something small appear in his hand. Opening his palm, Ian saw the ring resting there, waiting for him. He trembled, taking it between his fingers. This could be it. This could give him the strength to fight with Ali. Then he heard a growl and his stomach lurched. Turning around he saw the Werewolf emerging from the gloom, not a scratch on it. Ian couldn't understand how it was there. He'd done his research; werewolves only underwent their transformations under the light of the full moon. Then he glanced up and his jaw dropped. There, hanging in the sky, was a full moon. Early in the morning, clearly visible through the fog.
"Wha-" was all he managed before the werewolf backhanded him across the clearing. Ian sailed behind a line of bushes, his ring vanishing into mist.
Snarling, the werewolf began to pad after him, but hesitated when it felt something emanating from the underbrush where the meister landed. Then Ian rose back into sight.
Except it wasn't Ian anymore.
Red eyes glared back at the monster, adorning a countenance twisted with hate and fury. The boy's whole body trembled with uncontainable rage. Then he took off running, charging the werewolf with an inhuman scream.
"WaaaAAAAAIIIIRRRRGGGHHH!"
Grunting, the werewolf swiped at him with a clawed hand. The possessed child didn't even bother to dodge, instead taking the hit with arms crossed before launching a wild strike of his own. The punch landed like a sledgehammer, causing the beast to roar in indignation, but the meister wasn't finished yet. Another blow struck the werewolf, then another and another, faster and faster as the demon snarled and screeched. Feeling something snap, the monster lashed out at the boy desperately, the strike snapping his head to the side.
The red-eyed child didn't even pause. Instead, he slammed a roundhouse kick into the beast's side, sending it sailing away across the clearing. The monster quickly regained it's feet, but it's foe was already there, slamming a vicious uppercut into the werewolf's chin that actually launched it upwards. Even the sky held no reprieve, as the soul possessing Ian's body kicked off of a tree to hurl himself towards the enormous creature. Seizing it by the matted fur of it's neck, the demon swung it down into the earth with a crash, before landing on it's stomach. As the beast groaned and whined in pain, Ian growled, stomping down brutally on the werewolf's torso. He lifted his foot, then repeated the action, over and over and over until the downed beast wrapped it's claws around his ankle and flung him away, where his head struck a tree. The red faded from his eyes, and Ian blinked, staring at the battered form of the now very pissed off monster in horror as it lifted itself back up.
Ian had to use all the power he had as a meister if he was going to survive against this werewolf and that meant using the ring. Closing his eyes, Ian willed the ring to appear, slipping it on when it did. Ian was now going to have the energy he would need to stop the werewolf. Feeling the power fill him he braced himself against the sensation of takeover, but it never came. Instead, the rush of strength made him feel... complete. More whole. It was if he'd reclaimed a part of himself that he didn't know was missing. He was jarred from his contemplations when the werewolf lunged at him. Immediately, Ian threw himself to one side.
He ended up crashing into a tree, unused to the new boost to his physical abilities. Groaning, the meister pulled himself back to his feet just as the hulking beast charged him again. This time, he jumped at the werewolf, swinging his fist at it wildly. His attack was dodged, but he succeeded in driving the monster back. Emboldened, Ian started sprinting, jumping above a lethal swipe and kicking down with a satisfying impact. He did a little flip and landed on the other side, deftly hopping back out of the way of the werewolf's counterattack. A smile split Ian's face.
"Wow," he said out loud with a little giggle. "Winning is really fun!" The rush was indeed exhilarating. Ian felt stronger, better, more confident even! "I feel invinci- OW!" His elation was cut short when a muscular forearm clotheslined the religious boy, sending him tumbling away.
"Okay," he admitted, wincing. "Maybe not invincible. But this is still great! YAHOO!"
XXX
"T-choo!"
"Black*Star, are you alright?"
"Of course I am, Tsubaki! Now how long has it been?"
"One day."
"How long until I can leave the hospital, then?"
"At least another day."
"UrrrrrrrrRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"
XXX
"Hah!" Ian yelled as he dodged another flurry of attacks. "Come on, is that the best you've got? My sister can hit harder then you! ...A lot harder, actually. As in, she could probably kill you by sneezing or something like that. Or me, for that matter. This is a really bad comparison, isn't it?"
"Gwwwwwrraaaawwrr!"
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought you'd say." Ian was having the time of his life. Dimly, he noticed how the extra confidence boost had really affected how he was acting.
Ian could tell looking at Blanc's eyes the conversation they were having was over. Soon enough, Ian saw an opening; the werewolf had overextended itself on a punch. Lunging, the meister unleashed a powerful drop-kick to the creature's head, knocking it it back to crash to the ground in a heap–out cold. Ian eyed the beast carefully for a while before slumping back against a tree. The ring disintegrated, prompting Ian power returning to normal. As he felt his manic exuberance fade away, Ian found himself still smiling. He had done it! He was finally to the point where he could fight alongside Ali! If he hadn't been so tired, Ian probably would've jumped for joy.
"I did it!" he said to himself, closing his eyes contentedly.
"Did what?"
Ian's eyes snapped open as he heard someone approaching through the trees. Looking around the clearing, his eyes fell on the werewolf just as Ali emerged from the tree line.
"What exactly are you-" she broke off, eyes practically bugging out of her head. Ian watched, powerless to stop the events unfolding as Ali noticed the brown, furry lump.
"HOW THE HELL IS THAT THING STILL ALIVE?!" she yelled, tripping backwards. "AND WHY IS... it... beaten up?" The weapon girl blinked. "What the hell?"
"I-I-Um..." Ian stammered, prompting Ali to whirl around to stare at him.
"Ian," she said very quietly, noticing the damage that her partner had sustained, as well as that all around the clearing. "What exactly happened here?"
XXX
Ian bit his lip nervously, then opened his mouth to answer.
Soon enough, Ian saw an opening; the werewolf had overextended itself on a punch. Lunging, the meister unleashed a powerful drop-kick to the creature's head, knocking it it back to crash to the ground in a heap–out cold. Ian eyed the beast carefully for a while before slumping back against a tree. The ring disintegrated, prompting Ian power returning to normal. As he felt his manic exuberance fade away, Ian found himself still smiling. He had done it! He was finally to the point where he could fight alongside Ali! If he hadn't been so tired, Ian probably would've jumped for joy.
"I did it!" he said to himself, closing his eyes contentedly.
"Did what?"
Ian's eyes snapped open as he heard someone approaching through the trees. Looking around the clearing, his eyes fell on the werewolf just as Ali emerged from the tree line.
"What exactly are you-" she broke off, eyes practically bugging out of her head. Ian watched, powerless to stop the events unfolding as Ali noticed the brown, furry lump.
"HOW THE HELL IS THAT THING STILL ALIVE?!" she yelled, tripping backwards. "AND WHY IS... it... beaten up?" The weapon girl blinked. "What the hell?"
"I-I-Um..." Ian stammered, prompting Ali to whirl around to stare at him.
"Ian," she said very quietly, noticing the damage that her partner had sustained, as well as that all around the clearing. "What exactly happened here?"
XXX
A short distance away, a pair of eyes watched the clearing intently. The being that they belonged to–cloaked in a haze of invisibility–felt a stab of frustration. He had hoped that this procedure would go uninterrupted, but it seemed that was not to be the case. Everything had been going perfectly at first–with experiment D-47 engaging experiment B-120 and the weapon as arranged–a fortunate turn of events considering the string of failures that had preceded it. Even when the reaper had attempted to stick his bony fingers where they should not meddle, he had been able to prevent the old god's pawns from interfering. But Death proved more tenacious then anticipated, diverting active agents to aid their stranded comrades and almost enact D-47's premature termination. Of course, that by itself was not significant. What WAS was the particular assets that the reaper had utilized in thwarting him.
Experiments A-375 and A-376. Two of his greatest miscalculations.
The figure resisted the urge to snarl, even as it considered this troubling development. Death had chosen those two in particular despite everything that had been done to tarnish them. Why? Was it truly just proximity–an unlucky choice–or was this intentional? Was the reaper calling him out, threatening him? A shaking hand gripped a length of cord–colour darkening from mottled violet to whitened puce. Then it relaxed.
No. There was no reason to worry. Even if the old god had–for some reason–chosen to act against him, there were still many options. He would not allow a cadaverous husk of long-gone power to hold an ancient mistake over him like it meant anything. He had already taken steps against 375 and 376. But B-120...
Seeing B-120 defeat D-47 was...interesting to say the least. This merited further inspection. And if that meant dancing under Death's nose, then so be it.
The figure raised a hand aloft. In the sky above, the false moon flickered and faded.
He jerked on the reins of his steed and then vanished into the mist.
XXX
Ian bit his lip nervously, then opened his mouth to answer, but before he could utter a word, he saw the werewolf's form shift and shake. It shrunk away until there was nothing left but a man lying in the dirt.
Ian knew waking the man now would be bad for him. He would be forced to walk a long way to get a shower, hot food, and a warm bed. It was only through his love of all God's creatures he would make sure this man wasn't lost in these woods dirty and scared.
Who would join him right now then his weapon Ali. She saw the man on the ground and could tell he was a werewolf.
" What do you plan to do now that you won?"
Ian was now calm and yet sweat was drenched over his face. Ali looked at him and thought he was resonating with new feelings inside him. But they had to get back to the house.
" Ali...take me home."
XXX
Ali wanted to be in her real home not this cabin in the woods. She also didn't like spending all this time having to talk to Ian because he was on a journey trying to find how their partnership stands. Right now though Ali needed time before talking to Ian.
' This stupid Meister better look me straight in the eyes when I talk to him.' She thought to herself.
It was finally time for her and him to speak. Ali would have liked him to be standing when she talked to him but he was sitting down with a plate of cookies and milk in his hand.
" Your an idiot and aren't you too old to be eating mint in the middle cookies?" She growled at him.
" I use to have two of these cookies everyday when I lived with my sister," he replied.
Ali sighed. She would have to get him to stay away from cookies at a later time. " I guess the reason you want to stay here is you want to make sure no more werewolves come back to attack your family? Well too bad, I want to be in Death Meister Academy and I hate the smell in this forest."
Ian blinked.
"No, it's not that," he said cautiously. "It's... well, do you remember back when I... changed?"
Ali didn't just remember but felt irked by the thought of that other guy.
"Yeah," she asked slowly. "Why?"
" They've been taunting me nonstop they cannot help me until I fulfill something..."
"Wow, hey wait." Ali's nose scrunched up in confusion. "Who the hell are 'they'?"
" It's all different emotions trying to take over my mind."
The weapon blinked. "What?"
Ian was gritting his teeth trying to fight the loud voices inside his head.