Hello again! Welcome to chapter 13!
To kick it off, reviews!
Imperial warlord: All I can say is that I intend to kill Wild Hunt off before the incident with Bols family. Other than that, the moment I read your review I had this image of Champ going for Harry and Ran stopping him and then Esdeath teaching Ran how to properly torture someone as a reward. With Champ of course.
Jashava: Well…that was blunt. Can't say I don't appreciate it though. I never really thought about it like that and, now that you've pointed it out, I really does seem like that. Luckily I haven't done anything with the gemstone yet, though what about an incomplete, failed, or corrupted Philosopher's Stone? Something they have, but can't use without doing something very difficult to complete/purify the stone? Thanks for the review and pointing that out either way.
Muratira: Thanks for pointing all that stuff out for me. I've gone back and fixed the grammar/spelling/sentence structure mistakes you pointed out and rewritten part of the sentence to make the three's knowledge more believable. As for their ages, I was actually going off their wiki page images since they have a lot more detail. Anyway, thanks for pointing that stuff out and feel free to point out anything else that can be improved. Thanks again!
Jonnywolf: While it took a bit to translate what you were saying, I admit that the idea is rather intriguing, though instead of a sword I'll probably give Fal some kind of gauntlets, as I think she has more of a brawler's personality. Thanks for the suggestion and idea!
And now that that's out of our way, onwards to chapter 13!
I do not own, in any way, shape, or form Akame Ga Kill or Harry Potter.
-T.G.O-
Chapter 13: The Coming Chill
Harry winced as he watched Fal crash into the ground for the umpteenth time, followed quickly by Air and Luna. While it was nice to see someone else suffering through Esdeath's training, he wasn't entirely sure if the three girls were quite ready for it.
Esdeath had given them a week of hard physical training to try get them in better shape and, not overly surprisingly, it had worked to a degree. They weren't at the fitness level of even the lowest of Esdeath's army, but they were in far better condition than they were when they had first started.
Esdeath was a cruel, sadistic, homicidal maniac, but let it never be said that she didn't know how to train the troops efficiently.
Right now she was standing looking rather bored as she held of the three exhausted girls off with her rapier, giving them thin slashes across their bodies. Thin and easily healed in the long run, but Harry was aware of exactly how painful they could be.
Esdeath was very good a torture for a reason.
Though, as he watched more cuts and bruises appear on the three girls, he couldn't help but feel that he was forgetting something. Something important.
Luna fell backwards with a slash across her side.
Ah, he had the ability to regenerate pretty fast. They didn't.
Oops?
Standing from where he had been watching them, he began to walk towards the group.
"Esdeath!"
She lowered her rapier, allowing the three girls to collapse on the ground in exhaustion and pain as she turned to face Harry. If anyone else had interrupted her training then they probably would have had to have join in.
"Harry?"
He walked over, ducking his head slightly in embarrassment.
"Ah, we may have forgotten that, well, they can't regenerate like me. They can only heal at a normal pace."
Esdeath looked at him for a moment. Then she looked over at the three girls who were crumpled on the ground from the days training, watching the two. She looked back at Harry.
"That's…true. Hmm, I forgot about that."
She peered at the three girls as Harry walked over to help pull them to their feet.
"I'll have to change my training method for them then. I've spent to long training you that I forgot most people don't heal at your speed."
She flicked the remaining blood off her rapier before sliding it into the sheath at her side.
"I suppose that will have to be a day. Harry, get them patched up and then come see me. We have matters to attend."
Harry nodded, grinning, before leading the exhausted girls back into the Jaegers home base.
Returning to the Jaegers common room, Harry hunted down a first aid kit and returned to where the three girls were sitting painfully in their chairs.
"Here we go."
He began patching them up with a deft hand, the three just sitting quietly and letting it happen as he started on Luna..
Luna was the first to break the silence as Harry dressed the wound on her side.
"Was that how you train with Esdeath? How do you survive that every day?"
Harry grinned up at her.
"Of course not. She was going easy on you because it was you first day doing that kind of training. I normally get sliced to ribbons. As for how I survived, I had a pretty powerful regenerative factor, and it's only gotten better with Esdeath's training. Plus, you have no idea how many bandages and salves I've been through in the last few years."
Luna winced in sympathy as he moved over to Air. It became blindingly obvious when she watched him dressing their wounds that he was someone who knew his way around combat healing.
Fal just watched and wondered how it was that the ten year old boy he had been then, even with a healing factor, had managed to put up with that for so long. Though she couldn't deny that Esdeath's method worked, it seemed more than a little cruel.
She gazed at Harry as he finished dressing Airs injuries.
"Isn't that a bit, I don't know, excessive? I mean, weren't you only a kid when you started training?"
Harry nodded as he moved over to her.
"Kind of, but for Esdeath? Not really. The first time we meet she lead me out to a random field and tried to kill me. Back then she wasn't as invested in me so if I died because of training, it simple meant I was too weak in her eyes. By the time she had become invested in my continued survival it had become a kind of ingrained habit and my regenerative factor was powerful enough to keep up."
Finishing wrapping up Fal's injuries, he stood up.
"Well, you should be mostly healed by tomorrow. While painful Esdeath generally tries to make sure that any injuries can be healed quickly so they don't interfere with training the next day. Though she still knows how to cause lots and lots of pain."
He shuddered slightly and the three looked over at him in concern. Grinning at their expressions, he elaborated for them.
"Not long after the Jaegers first formed we were looking for a way to get a capable user for a Teigu the Imperial Police Force acquired off Night Raid. I suggested a tournament and because no one else had any ideas, we did it. And then we had to spend hours watching brain-numbingly boring fights. Esdeath didn't forgive me for a week."
He shuddered again before grinning at them again, slightly amused by their expressions.
"It was fine in the end. I can handle pain pretty well."
Somehow, that didn't seem to reassure them the same way it should have, but they just nodded anyway and Harry let out a genuine smile.
He was grinning a lot in the last month.
"Anyway, I need to leave and meet up with Esdeath. You three should have the rest of the day to yourselves."
With that he turned on his heel and left, not really noticing how all three watched him until he was out of sight.
After all, he was used to people watching him.
-T.G.O-
Far away, in a great, stone fortress that looked eerily similar to their last one, Night Raid was currently gathered in the fortress' massive hall.
"So is there anything else to report? No contracts?"
Najenda gazed around the room, eyes stopping when they reached Leone, who was holding her hand up.
"Yes, actually. There was an event down in one of the seedier districts of the Capital. A building known as the Crescent House was burned to the ground."
Behind her a certain pink haired girl, Mine, cut in.
"I fail to see how this is important to us though. Fires happen all the time, so what's so special about this one?"
Leone looked at her reproachfully for a moment.
"I was getting there, if you would let me explain. The Crescent House was a dealing site for a group of people who called themselves the 'Enthusiasts'. They are a group of men who find pleasure out of breaking and degrading young women. Apparently the building was burnt down when they were meant to be doing a deal."
She looked around the room for a moment.
"The three slaves were missing room the building, not that they could have been identified anyway there was just three charred corpses missing, and the person most likely to be responsible matches the description of the boy we reported hanging around Esdeath."
Najenda looked up at her sharply.
"Have you confirmed this?"
She shook her head.
"It had been a few days since it happened so the information is dodgy, but what I've managed to get is that some poor fool tried to get the kid to take some drugs and lost his arm for it. The kid was then seen asking directions to the Crescent House on two separate occasions, rather forcefully at that. The final fact that points to it being him is that it wasn't a normal fire. Water had absolutely no effect on it, and they had to wait for the fire to die down by itself, which apparently took over two days. Some people swear they saw creatures of pure fire wandering though the building."
Resting her chin on her metal palm, Najenda adopted a thoughtful look.
"So a fire Teigu of some kind, one I don't know about. What do you think, Akame?"
Akame looked thoughtful for a moment before becoming serious again.
"Something the man who lost his arm said or did set him off. A former slave that Esdeath took an interest in perhaps? She has been known to have a few 'pets' that interest her, though they are normally dead within days. Do we have any further information on him?"
Shaking her head, Najenda let out a sigh.
"Nope, not even his name. The Revolutionary Army set some people to try dig up information on him but it's hardily the top of their list of important things to do, so it'll take a while."
She gazed around the room.
"For now, if you encounter him just observe as best you can. At the moment we have more pressing tasks than gathering data on a child, even if he appears to be close to Esdeath."
Night Raid nodded as one.
Far away, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get a whole load more complicated, very soon.
-T.G.O-
Harry fell silently into stepped in behind Esdeath as she swept out of the room where she had just been meeting with the Prime Minister, a bloodthirsty grin on her face as she explained the situation to him.
"The Jaegers are being deployed to deal with the latest danger beast problem. I trust you are already informed on the danger beasts themselves."
Harry nodded with a small grin when she looked down at him, her twisted smirk widening.
"Good. General Budo wants them all dead, however the Prime Minister wants some to be captured and retrieved for study. So of course, that's what we will be doing.
Esdeath strolled into the Jaeger common room, Harry a mere step behind her as she called for the attention of all present.
When she had all the Jaegers, plus the three girls' attention, she spoke, first nodding towards the three.
"You three aren't needed for this, since you aren't part of the Jaegers yet and need to recover so we can continue training. The rest of you, prepare to move out. The Emperor has deployed us to wipe out the danger beasts infestation near the Capital. I trust you are all ready to move?"
Receiving only nods of confirmation she again turned to leave the room.
"Good, now follow me. We will discuss tactics on the way."
The Jaegers began to follow after her, Harry shooting a grin at the three girls as he passed.
"Make sure you don't do anything silly, okay? Esdeath will be…annoyed, if she can't start training you again tomorrow."
The three nodded in unison, Air being the first to speak up.
"Stay safe, Harry."
Fal nodded.
"Yeah, it would suck if our benefactor died because he did something stupid."
Luna just nodded silently as Harry grinned.
"I'll be fine. I've taken worse thing on."
Spinning around once more, he hurried after the rest of the Jaegers, shooting a goodbye over his shoulder as he took his place beside Esdeath.
Once again, he never noticed them watch him until he was out of sight.
-T.G.O-
Humming quietly to himself, Harry walked beside Esdeath with a small bounce in his step, Kurome walking silently on Esdeath's other side.
Esdeath stopped for a moment, looking around with a sadistic grin.
"Bols and the rest should have encountered the danger beasts by now and be driving them in this direction. I'll be capturing three or four, but the rest will be for the two of you to kill."
Her two companions nodded in agreement. It was an easy enough plan. Bols, Wave and Seryu were all hunting a pack of the odd humanoid danger beasts using Ran to provide tactical support while Esdeath, Harry and Kurome would play clean up, killing or capturing any that managed to flee.
At that moment small vibrations began to flow through the ground, announcing the arrival to the stampeding danger beasts several seconds before their hulking forms came into view.
They were ugly things, large and squat with grey skin and randomly placed rusting metal parts thrown together to form a parody of a human body. Each was around five metres tall and almost as wide in the shoulders as they were tall, heads attached seamlessly to their torso's, completely lacking in necks.
The first three were frozen solid by Esdeath, their companions thundering past them towards Harry and Kurome.
Charging to their deaths.
Darting forward as she swept her katana from her sheath, Kurome killed the first to arrive, hacking it cleanly in two as Harry shot forward beside her, drawing his two swords as he went and flashing past the second of the danger beasts.
The danger beast fell backwards, a massive x cutting across its chest from shoulder to hip, releasing an explosion of blood as it crashed to the ground.
Kurome and Harry were already gone, dancing to the sound of singing steel and agonized screams.
They moved through the group of fleeing danger beasts as twin whirl winds of blood and steel and death, hacking apart everything unfortunate enough to come close enough for their blades to reach. Less than a minute later, they both stood on the other side of the clearing, corpses, and bits of corpses, littering the ground behind them.
Flicking the blood off their blades, they both turned back to where Esdeath was examining the carnage as they sheathed their blades.
Walking back towards Esdeath, Kurome a step behind, Harry examined the corpses around him. It was obvious who had killed which of the danger beasts, with Kurome coming out on top with how many she had killed. He wasn't surprised. She had years for experience and training than him after all.
He noted that most of the ones killed by Kurome were often sliced in half, or hacked into multiple pieces, whereas the ones he killed had large slashes across their body and heads and the odd missing limb.
With a sigh he walked over towards Esdeath, who had turned her attention to the frozen danger beasts. Really, he needed to improve his physical strength.
Walking over to stand beside her, Kurome having already joined her while he examined the corpses, Harry turned his gaze to the monstrosity before him.
"Interesting, this really is a type of danger beast I've never seen before."
Harry turned his eyes from his examination of the danger beast over to Esdeath.
"Really? Could it be a new breed? Or something that was living beneath the earth? The reports did say that they were first seen around mines."
Esdeath just nodded.
"It's possible."
Grinning, Harry turned his eyes back to the creature before him only to stop and glance over at Kurome.
He sweat dropped.
Kurome was staring up at the danger beasts face with a kind of blank eyed intensity, the drool gathering in the corner of her mouth clueing Harry in on what exactly she was thinking about.
He shook his head.
"Kurome…if you eat that, something horrible will happen to your stomach, cast iron or not."
Esdeath glanced over at Kurome, amusement dancing in her eyes as Kurome flinched slightly, looking away from the danger beast almost embarrassedly. Harry just grinned, before turning around to look at Ran as he landed softly behind them.
"Hey, Ran, what do you think of them close up?"
Once again, Esdeath interrupted her examination of the danger beasts to glance over at Ran as he walked over to the one Harry was in front of before turning back.
The blonde man looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I think…that these are rather dissatisfying to the eye. Fascinating, but they are most definitely not going to win any beauty contests."
Harry gave an amused grin before glancing up at the man, making sure Esdeath hadn't already left out of the corner of his eye.
"'Rather dissatisfying to the eye'? Why do you say it like that? Isn't it easier to simple say that it's ugly?"
Ran looked down at him for a moment, a soft smile flickering across his face as he turned his gaze to look at the sky.
"I used to be a primary school teacher, you see. Some habits never quite die."
Turning his gaze to the older man once more, Harry was about to ask he why he stopped, instead swallowing the words as he saw the look on the man's face. It was an odd combination of grief, happiness and what he thought may have been rage, tinged by something darker. He decided to leave it alone.
Best not to poke the sleeping dragon. And while Ran wasn't exactly the most scary thing Harr knew, he still wasn't going to risk it.
Ran would tell him if and when he felt like it.
Instead Harry turned his eyes back to Esdeath were she stood talking with Kurome about some unknown subject and began to walk towards them, Esdeath glancing up as he approached and turning toward him.
"Good timing, Harry. We will be travelling back to the Capital to inform the Prime Minister that we have completed the capture part of the task our task. The rest of the Jaegers will guard the specimens until the Imperial army picks them up and then continue the extermination."
Harry nodded and she turned he gaze to Ran who was walking over a few meres behind him.
"Ran, you will be in charge until I return. I trust that you can do this."
Ran gave a soft smile and nodded.
"Of course. Everything will be fine."
Esdeath nodded at him in acknowledgement before turning to Harry.
"Alright, come along Harry. We need to get back to the Capital."
With that, she turned away, Harry following behind as they walked from the area.
A storm was coming, and no one had seen the black cloud amassing in the distance.
Probable because of the already far bigger blizzard that had already taken over, but the point remained.
-T.G.O-
And that is Chapter 13 complete! I really hope you enjoyed it!
I'm sorry that it's a bit shorter than my last few, as I was kind of stuck with not wanting to start the whole abandoned island part that comes next until next chapter.
As always, any and all constructive criticism, ideas, advice, likes, dislikes, or mistakes that need correcting are all welcome!
Please review!
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you have enjoyed the story so far!
Goodbye and see you next chapter!