Alright. The ending for the fight. If i had actually combined the last chapter and this together(what i originally thought of), this would be 11000k words, rounding off. So not bad.*not bad face*
Thanks to Ban3 for working on this and the reviewers for making my day every time they post a comment. RNR will be helpful.
Youkai market
Arena
Battle ring
Dutch had trained to fight any target, anywhere and with any weapon.
That didn't mean that he had to like it. Like all humans, he would have rather preferred certain conditions over others. A big wide open space for one. Like a battle ring in an arena.
That gave him little comfort as he avoided a sword aimed at his head. After all, he was trained to fight any human target, not magical constructs that apparently refused to understand the concept of out for the count. A well-placed burst where the neck met the head of the golem sent it crumbling onto the ground, it's orb lying on top of the pile of inanimate rock..
Reloading his carbine, Dutch kept the golem in his eyes' periphery. The rock pile with the orb on top shuddered and started to rise, molding itself as it climbed into the air. Soon, Dutch was looking at a carbon copy clone of the golem he just vanquished.
See? His point exactly.
A roaring swoosh gave him just enough warning to dodge the deadly arc of his opponent's war fan. Mekan tsked as her fan whistled through the space her opponent had occupied mere seconds before. Dutch returned her attack with a burst from his carbine which she blocked with the flat edge of her fan. The kappa grinned as she gestured with her fan again.
The attacking golem fired off a small fireball from the larger one on its shoulders. Dutch slipped out of the way of the fire projectile, his elusiveness akin to a fish in a stream, his proximity to the moving flame almost singed his hair. A quick burst of fire at the fireball made the compressed flame explode, taking the arm of the golem with it. The rock construct shrugged off the damage and continued after its target, armless.
'Does not regenerate damage. But regenerates to full combat capacity when struck down. Hmmm, interesting.' Dutch mused about this newly acquired piece of information as he ducked under the erratic blade of the golem. Without its other hand to hold it properly, the golem swung it around like some amateur swordsman.
Aiming at specific spots on the golem, Dutch dismembered the rock construct. The limbless golem dropped onto the ground, unable to do anything in it current state. It shook with artificial frustration as it lay powerless on the cracked floor.
Dutch reloaded his carbine. Turning his attention back to Mekan, he fired off a burst at the kappa again. Again it was blocked by the flat edge of the war fan.
"Interesting toys you brought." He said.
Mekan grinned. "They are giving your partner a run for her money."
Dutch shifted to Tenma. The silver haired youkai lord was holding her own against the combined force of two golems and Death-legs.
One of the golem slashed with its massive, wicked claymore. Tenma merely parried the blade with her katana and then in one stroke bisected the golem. Spinning on her heel, her katana moved in tandem with her body to block the swinging staff of Death-legs. Metal rang against metal. Tenma then pushed away the staff and stabbed backwards, catching the golem behind her with her blade. She pushed upwards, slicing the golem in half.
Hardly a run for her money.
'It appears that she is as good as she said she is. I don't even think I need to watch her back.'
These thoughts rolled around his mind as Dutch watched the display taking place before him. He noticed how Tenma's sweat gave her skin a gleaming quality and glinted in her hair, amplifying the silver. How her eyes shone with joyful concentration.
'Wait you idiot! There is still a battle going on!' Dutch reprimanded himself. Shaking his head, he cleared the fog from his mind, only to see the thin edge of the war fan heading towards him. Instinctively ducking, he felt the war fan take off the small top portion of his fringe.
Striking out with his hand, Dutch slapped the offending fan and it's attached hand away from his head. He switched to his pistol knife load out and went for a strike with his knife. The metal war fan deflected the diamond blade with a ping.
Mekan scowled as she got into melee combat with Dutch. Since she was using the fan to fight and control the golems at the same time, she could only do one of the above at any one time. She retreated, either blocking or parrying Dutch's persistent attacks.
Dutch feinted a strike with his knife. Mekan took the bait, striking out with her fan. However instead of a blade to meet her fan, Dutch sent out his pistol, trapping the fan between the structure of the pistol and the trigger guard. With his other hand, he slashed with his blade.
Mekan tried to avoid the diamond blade but she was too slow. The knife caught her shoulder, tearing a rip in her clothes and cutting a groove into her flesh. She let out an involuntary yelp of pain.
The cry caught Death-legs attention. She stopped herself in mid-swing and backed out of the fight. Tenma took the welcome reduction of opponents and used the welcome reprieve to bring all of her prowess down upon the golems fighting her.
Dutch concentrated on his target. Once she was hit, Mekan changed to a defensive approach, only moving to block attacks, never attacking. Dutch pressed his advantage, raining strike after strike upon her. She continually blocked his attacks, her youkai body easily shrugging off the small knife wound.
A sudden strike from a metal staff on his arm made Dutch drop his pistol. The staff let out a spark of energy that entered Dutch arm. He let out a hiss of pain as his nerves flared with far more pain then normal. Realizing the disadvantage he was at, he switched his weapon load out again, swapping his knife for the wrist blades. He returned the attack, his other arm numbed and pained by the attack to do anything.
The hiss of pain caught Tenma's attention. Striking down the two golems yet again, she hurriedly put them out of action before moving to help. She stepped in just in time to stop another strike from Death-leg's staff. Sharpened blade met hardened metal in a screeching clash of sound. Dutch used that moment to simultaneously fire off a scarlet strike. The laser shot past Death-legs by inches and exploded against the ground.
Sensing danger their youkai opponents stepped back from the reunited duo.
"It seems I underestimated you." Dutch said as he gave his arm a thorough once-over. It burned from the strike but was of acceptable condition to continue on.
"How is your arm?" Tenma asked as she focused in on her targets. Death-leg's strike on Dutch's arm made her sharpen her resolve against the honey-haired youkai. She would not be leaving the arena without something painful as reminder if Tenma could help it.
"It has seen better times." Was all that Dutch was willing to offer as the he readied for yet another attack.
Mekan grinned. She waved an intricate pattern with her war fan, patterns on the fan coursing with light. A sound, as though wind sighing through trees echoed throughout the arena. A cloud of dust rose throughout the arena. Unheard by the fighters, the audience murmured in confusion.
Dutch and Tenma moved back to back. Both scrutinized the dust, trying to spot any sign of their opponents. Enhanced eyes worked together with youkai eyes.
"Is this what you mean by watching your back?" Dutch said as his eyes failed to pierce the dust cloud. This, in combat situational terms, was the worse place to be.
Tenma smiled despite their situation. "Maybe, you cheeky human."
A disturbance in the dust made Dutch snap up his wrist-blades and fire off a scarlet strike. The red laser broke through the dust cloud, the beam blasting aside the dust particles, blowing a infinitesimal corridor for Dutch to see. It was very small and the red laser occupied most of the visible space but Dutch noted a quick flash of surprised amethyst eyes.
A surprised yelp issued from the dust cloud and echoed around the arena.
Dutch allowed himself a short victorious grin.
The dust cloud started to slacken. Visibility returned to a small area around Dutch and Tenma. The duo checked the seemingly impenetrable dust wall spinning around them. The wind howled gently.
Death-legs appeared out of the dust wall. The youkai was grinning although her honey hair had a black singe in it. Evidence of her battle with Tenma was all over her clothing. Rips and tears decorated her cape and shirt. A strap of her leather armor was completely sliced in half, a line of liquid red covering her skin.
Her opposite on the other hand was completely untouched by the earlier combat. But closer inspection showed that she held her katana with a slight tremble and her breathing was ragged. It seemed while Tenma's skills may have not have degraded, her stamina had.
"You know, this is the first match where an opponent matched us move for move. I'm really impressed. But I will defeat you. You can be sure of that." Death-legs stated, her voice brimming with confidence.
Dutch laughed out loud. "There is more than one version of victory. What you seek is far different from mine."
Death-legs grinned. "Care to show me?"
The spinning dust wall suddenly sped up and condensed into three golems standing in front of her.
"They are yours." Dutch said as he charged Death-legs. The youkai was shocked as the human charged past the the wall of the three golems, sidestepping the swing of the golems claymores. He went for a downward slash, his fist guiding the wrist-blades.
The blade clanged against Death-legs metal staff. The two stared into each other's eyes. The once playful fire in Death-legs eyes was replaced by a determined burn. Both sides challenged the other.
"I will win." Death-legs said as if it was a fact.
"So will I." Dutch answered.
The sound of crumbling golems heralded Tenma's entry into the stare match. She placed her katana close to Death-legs neck, the blade almost touching the skin.
"Forfeit." Tenma ordered, visibly panting.
A swoosh of air made her remove her blade and block Mekan's war fan. The four stood there in that position, all locked in their blocking or attacking stance.
Death-legs lips turned up into a victorious smile. Under her cape, movement rustled. The cape billowed outwards.
From her cape, four blurs of movements shot forward. Dutch jumped backward onto a pile of crumbling golem material, his eyes widening in surprise.
Four spider legs, each of them colored light brown hung in mid-air. Unable to find their target, they retreated nimbly into the cape, disappearing under the cloth, perfectly hidden.
"A Tsuchigumo. No wonder you have that name." Dutch said, his voice nonchalant. That reflected the total opposite of what he felt. If he hadn't jumped back, those legs would have struck him very hard. While it was unlikely they would have speared him, the pain from the strikes would probably have left Death-legs an opening for him to be taken out.
Death-legs pouted, disappointment evident on her delicate features. "Not fair~ How come you were able to avoid my legs?"
Dutch only smiled grimly as he changed his view of his opponent. Despite her playfulness, she was far more dangerous than any opponent he had fought previously. At least he could predict the attacks of the golems, their weapons were clearly visible. This youkai with her blurringly fast spider legs hidden under her cloak would be a monster at close-range combat and he wouldn't even see them coming. He could see how she got her reputation.
In fact, why hadn't he even guessed that she was one? Her reputation already hinted at it and the fault was his that he had not asked Ushi about it. In fact, Dutch realized that for a large portion of the time he spent in Gensokyo, he bumbled into his enemies. While the golems and mountain youkai could be excused, he should have asked more about Flandre and Death-legs. In fact, one could say he left it to chance, a death wish for any soldier.
'Murphy is not your friend.' Dutch thought. Indeed he was not. He really had dulled.
Perhaps a journey would sharpen it. And he knew exactly who to refer to.
Tenma eyes widened slightly at the missed strike at Dutch. She was hardly surprised by the appearance of the spider legs, her experience from dealing with youkai of all types armed her with the knowledge to expect anything. Combining said knowledge with Death-leg's title and she had already predicted the appearance of the sudden attack with the spider legs.
What surprised her was Dutch's impressively fast reflexes. Even most youkai could not react as fast as the human did.
"Hey, wrong person." Mekan taunted as she closed her fan around Tenma's katana. She jerked the fan aside and the katana flew from Tenma's hands. Taking advantage of her opponent's now unarmed state, Mekan went on the offensive, sending out a flurry of attacks.
Tenma deftly avoided the attacks. She tried to reach her katana but Mekan blocked her at every move, drawing her further away from her weapon. Her situation was dire, she noted as she sent a spray of danmaku back.
Dutch saw the trouble his partner was in. As he tried to get up, a shudder from the pile of golem material beneath him made him pause. The pile of stone start to rise, moulding it around the obstruction of the human in its path. Dutch cursed as the rising stone lifted him up and trapped him.
Death-legs simply stopped and laughed at her opponent's predicament.
When the golem was complete, it looked like something out of a badly created horror film. Sticking out of its torso were the rapidly flailing legs of the trapped human. Dutch protruded from its back, cursing repeatedly at his rather awkward situation.
The golem stumbled around in confusion, it's simple magical mind unable to comprehend the strange nature of it's problem. Thankfully, it's confusion was quickly cut short as Dutch stabbed his wrist-blade into its head and scarlet struck a hole though it. The human landed on the ground in a pile of crumbling soil.
Death-legs was wiping the tears from her eyes, smiling away. "Gods, that was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time."
Dutch kept silent as he judged the implications of what had just happened. If the golem built itself around any obstruction in its way, that meant a lot of things. Like how he could win this fight for example.
Pulling himself out of the pile of stone, Dutch left a little something behind. Something powerful. As he moved to help Tenma, a staff blocked his way.
"Im your opponent." Death-legs said with a smile, her eyes daring him to ignore that statement.
Dutch smiled a bright smile before jumping back. Death-legs spider legs shot forward, striking air where a body once stood. The spider legs automatically retracted back to their hiding spot.
"You shall not pass." Death-legs intoned as a pair of golems blocked Dutch from behind. Dutch gave the two golems a stony look before attacking, his wrist-blades cutting through the air. It appeared that Tenma would have to handle Mekan alone.
The tengu lord was having a bad time. While she was successfully avoided Mekan's attacks, her instinct was to attack but with what? Her danmaku against the war fan? The fan blocked all of her shots.
Then her foot struck something. Tenma looked down upon the pistol that Dutch had dropped earlier. Seeing no other choice, Tenma picked up the outsider weapon. Inspecting its strange shape, she put her hand at what appeared to be the weapon's version of a hilt. Her index finger slipped into a strange square ring with some sort of hook inside it.
Getting the feel of the strange weapon, she also took the time to avoid another swing from Mekan. Tenma pointed the outsider weapon at Mekan and pulled the strange hook.
Bark!
While she had heard the weapon and it's shots from earlier, the kick of the weapon surprised Tenma. It jumped in her hand, rising as the complex mechanism in the M9 pistol did its job, taking the gases from the expended cartridge to work the slide and bring a new round. The expended round flew out, the entire process happening faster than a blink of an eye.
The badly aimed shot somehow flew true, grazing the side of Mekan. The kappa hissed slightly as she felt the bolt cut through her shirt.
Tenma looked at her weapon with surprise. The weapon seemed to fire really powerful and fast danmaku but also seemed to require the use of ammunition to do so. The jump of the weapon did not surprise her however. Gensokyo's relatively young age meant that before its inception, firearms had already gained some level of recognition in the realm.
Mekan moved back cautiously. Since she was not telepathic, she was not privy to Tenma's thoughts and so assumed that the shot was a well aimed one. Instead, she used her fan to signal the remaining golem to attack for her. It lumbered forward, swinging it's claymore.
Tenma took the switch of opponents with ease, avoiding the massive sword before going for her katana. She took full advantage of Mekan's retreat. Only when it was too late did the kappa realize her mistake as the Tengu lord scooped up her weapon and held it ready. With pistol and katana in hand, things had soured very quickly for the kappa.
Mekan and her golem backed away from Tenma, the golem always facing the silver haired youkai. The golem stayed close to its controller, ready to mindlessly take any damage.
Tenma took the initiative, walking forward. Slowly,the three edged closer to Dutch and Death-leg's fight.
On his end, Dutch finished placing the last of his special presents on the piles of golem material. His plan now complete, he backed away from them, having disguised his planting of the items as a simple crouch to regain his energy. Death-legs went on the offensive assuming that the human was weakening.
Dutch dodged her staff before phasing out a flashbang. Pulling the pin, he counted to the correct time before throwing the blue non-lethal grenade at his opponent.
Death-legs stared at the innocuous blue cylinder, unsure of just what it was capable of. Then it exploded.
Bang!
The explosion wrecked Death-legs perception. She stumbled back, her spider legs lashing out in blindness to prevent Dutch from taking the advantage. But no attack came, the human instead taking the time to prepare a far stronger attack.
When full sensory function returned to Death-legs, she was facing Dutch lying prone on the ground, the black arrow ready to fire. Wasting no time,Dutch took aim and unleashed 12.7mm worth of energy into his opponent.
Boom!
Death-legs had no time to even do anything. The bolt struck her point blank and exploded. She was sent flying through the air, landing on the far side of the arena.
Mekan abandoned her careful retreat once she saw her partner sailing through the air. She ran to the impact spot, her fan calling all of her golems to protect them. They obeyed the call, retreating to form a defensive semi-circle around the two.
Tenma took the welcome break to head to Dutch. The human was getting up from the floor, phasing away his massive weapon. He gave Tenma a welcome grin.
"Was this a planned part of your journey?" He asked as he accepted his pistol from her. Working the bolt, he noted that the weapon had one less bullet than when he had dropped it and phased it out.
"No. I actually haven't planned for anything in this journey at all." Came the answer.
Dutch grinned. "Would your journey welcome an unplanned tag-along?"
Tenma's heart sang an angelic choir. "I would be glad to." It seemed that her little detour was not a waste at all.
Death-legs rose unsteadily, using her staff for support. While not lethal, the black arrow shot did leave its mark on her, as noted by the large hole burnt in her tunic. She bled from a gash on her forehead and her blackened face grimaced in pain.
"I cannot lose." She said as she stumbled. Mekan hurriedly supported her, lifting her up.
"I cannot lose, not now!" Death-legs shouted again.
Dutch gave her a questioning look. "I'm afraid that is out of the question."
And then he pressed the button on the detonator.
The packs of Semtex hidden inside all three of the golems received their message and obeyed it. They ran power to the fuses in them. It caused a cascade reaction as the Semtex exploded outwards.
BOOM!
The three golems blew up, a shock wave rushing out forcing Dutch to steady himself by crouching down. Pieces of golem struck everywhere like some kind of natural shrapnel. Smoke drifted from the site of the deadly explosions , shrouding the whole arena.
Dutch got up from his crouch. He coughed from the smoke as he searched for his partner in the cloud, the poor visibility hindering his job.
Then his foot found a body. Crouching down, he checked. It was Tenma, lying on the floor and she was unconscious.
Checking for the cause of it with his eyes, Dutch spotted a patch of soil covering her forehead. He allowed himself an embarrassed grin as he realized that Tenma had been taken out by a piece of flying golem. Friendly fire had done what two youkai could not.
Oh she was going to be so mad when she woke up.
It appeared that the explosion did more than just jar her into unconsciousness. Dutch noted with surprise that Tenma now sported a pair of glossy black wings.
'A crow tengu. Who would have known?' Dutch thought.
Staying by her side, Dutch did the appropriate first aid procedures until the smoke cleared. Then he got to where his opponents lay on the ground, too weak to continue any further.
"I lost." Death-legs said, both her eyes releasing a river of tears. Mekan was completely unconscious.
"Are you ready to forfeit?" Dutch asked as he knelt down beside her.
"Yes I for..."
"No, you misunderstand my question. Are you ready to forfeit?" Dutch asked again, cutting her off before she could complete her sentence.
Death-legs gave the human a disgusted look through her tears. It appeared that now the human wanted to insult her by skirting around the question.
"Yes, I am ready." Death-legs forced out. At the moment, she had little choice. But she swore, one day, she would defeat the human for the insult.
Dutch smiled thankfully. He had accomplished his goal.
"Good because I forfeit." He announced loud and clearly, the thrill of victory coursing through his veins.
Death-legs was stunned.
"Victory, Death-legs and partner. Condition. Forfeit of battle by Tenma pet human and partner." The announcer exclaimed, his voice indicating his own shock at the sudden turn of events.
Dutch winced at the title. He got up and returned to Tenma, where he picked up her sleeping form and headed toward the now opening exit doors, a crowd of attendant youkai rushed out to do their jobs.
"Wait!" Death-legs called as she lifted herself painfully to a sitting position. Dutch stopped, his back facing her.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Hakashi. My name is Hakashi Utsudo." Death-legs or now Utsudo said before being surrounded by a crowd of attendants.
Dutch nodded before leaving the arena.