Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 61
Approaching the medical tent, Robin stared up at the huge, ethereal rib cage surrounding the small structure. He didn't know who such impressive magic belonged to, but he was certain it was a sign of trouble.
He'd already seen a few of Ai's shadow serpents along the way, which he quickly dispatched, but as he got closer, he was horrified to see a swarm consisting of thousands of them descending upon those already wounded.
The accursed snakes angrily attacked everything that moved, even each other.
Gritting his teeth, he wondered just how low Victoria could sink. Sending her curses after those who were already down…
It was despicable, yet as both a demon and an archer, he understood the appeal of an enemy's despair. Nonetheless, her sheer disgust for others was making him angry.
Fighting off a faint shudder of recalled sickness, he could almost still feel her sharp fingernails piercing his belly as they had during the infliction of his second curse.
He also remembered how she had somehow made his blood turn black and and even used it to harm his beloved relative, Bachiko, and prompting even more concern for the others. Yet his own unresolved trauma wasn't a priority right now.
They had both recovered well thanks to Nene and now it was his turn to help. Doing his best to clear his head, he pressed forward, but the focus on his mission was tainted by the fear of what was happening to Lied and the others; Students and allies needed his help. After all, there was no telling what one of Victoria's curses would make a mere student do to their friends.
Knowing an archer didn't have the luxury of hesitating and grateful for the magical skeleton armoring the tent, he rushed to join the battle. He knew his big sis was just up ahead, defending the treasure of Babylus. There was no room for doubt.
Approaching with resolve, he found a pair of misfits already dealing with the situation at hand. Sabnock and Asmodeus were working well together, slaying the snakes in swaths. With a grin, Robin's vision settled on an even more confident figure - Bachiko.
Thank goodness she was there… Her volleys were taking out hoards of the slithering shadows with each shot, giving the young demons a chance to stand their ground.
It looked like the worst of the attack was already over, but panic set in as Robin realized she didn't seem to notice the serpent at her feet, poised to strike her ankle from behind.
Without shouting to distract her, or hesitation, he fired his own bow.
Bachiko froze at the sound of the arrow hitting the earth just behind her. There was no way one of hers would stray so far off her mark, but then that meant - ...
Glancing back, she saw the last of the creature's darkness evaporate and followed the arrow's trajectory back to its source.
Smirking in approval and shyly trying to hide her embarrassment of having missed the snake's presence, she spat out her toothpick as she turned toward her relieved relative.
"About time you got here", she grinned.
Robin smiled bashfully and hurried to her side. He knew he wouldn't get an outright "Thank you", but he didn't care as long as his big sis was safe. Besides, there was work to be done.
"Ready?", inquired Bachiko with an excited smirk. "Ready", grinned Robin, eager to join the fight.
He had a lot to pay Victoria back for. Taking his place, the two archers stood back to back and set off a sequence of combo moves that even made Sabro pause his own attacks to admire.
In his distraction, a sudden flare of flame incinerated the hissing snake flying toward his face.
"Pay attention, you big oaf!", shouted Azz, annoyed.
He was quickly humbled by a small spear grazing his cheek as it impaled another serpent just behind himself.
"You, too", smirked Sabro.
The rest of the living curses were wiped out quickly between the four of them. As the dust settled, Bachiko gave her cousin a gruff pat on the back with a proud smile, nearly knocking him onto his face. He grinned back as he regained his footing, but quickly turned his attention to the students present.
Rushing forward, he began looking them over from every angle possible. The sight would have been comical if not for the situation.
"Are you two alright? You didn't get bitten, did you?? No curses???", he panicked.
Azz twitched at the sudden intrusion to his personal space, but still offered a small, appreciative smile as he dismissively held up his hand, signifying he was alright. Meanwhile, Sabnock smirked, thankful for their teacher's help.
"We're fine, sensei! Barbatos-dono took good care of us", he grinned.
Seeing that confident smile, Robin finally relaxed with a deep breath of relief. "Thank goodness."
Turning back toward the tent, he stared at the dissipating magic enveloping it. It seemed whoever had cast it was somehow aware that the threat was over. Still, his heart grew heavy as he wondered how those inside had fared.
Bachiko stepped close and put a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"Wipe that dopey look off your face. Shax is fine; He's just asleep", she assured.
Behind them, the teens still seemed a little sullen despite their victory as the adrenaline began to fade, and she understood why without asking.
Glancing over her shoulder, she said, "Good work, you two…and don't worry about Valac. She's in good hands."
Sabro nodded faintly in acknowledgement while Azz stared pensively at the ground. He was still deeply concerned for both of his soulmates. The look of barely repressed angst on his face even shook Robin.
It made sense, though. Of course Asmodeus was worried, even angry. Ai had messed with all of them and Iruma had already nearly died during the earlier attack at the school, something the young teacher was sadly a part of.
While Robin had abundant faith in the abnormal class to last the night, the duo was still inexperienced and Victoria was both cruel and calculating, even by demon standards. There was no telling what grim news may come with the morning sunrise, so he knew he had to distract his students from dwelling on the worst possible outcome.
Resuming his usual, cheerful personality, he approached his students with a grin and applause.
"You two were amazing!... So, which one of you managed to dispatch more snakes? You were counting, right?", he asked with feigned ignorance, knowing it would spark a debate between the young rivals.
As the two started to quarrel, he smiled innocently, glad his plan had worked. Now they had something else to focus on besides worrying for their friends.
"Pfft…Good work, Robbie", mumbled Bachiko in a low tone as she passed by.
Leaving him to oversee the ensuing argument, she headed back inside the tent to see how things were going with Akiyama and the fallen.
She knew she could trust Robin to keep their wards safe and occupied in her absence. Smirking to herself, she gently shook her head at what she overheard as she walked away. Iruma sure had an impressive amount of patience to deal with those two…
"Don't be stupid! Clearly, I won!"
"Ha! You need to retake math!"
"At least I saved your sorry hide, you giant idiot!"
"That bleeding cheek of yours says we're even."
"You - !!!"
A sudden flash of heat filled the air behind her and she heard Robin rush to break up the escalating fight. It seemed his plan had worked a little too well.
Those two truly were hopeless. Still, it renewed her respect for both Balam and Kalego. Their patience and dedication to their students were admirable, though the thought of the missing teacher still put her on edge.
This mission had better succeed. She didn't want to think about what his loss would mean to Babylus, her allies, or his students.
Inside the tent, Xiu seemed focused on her work as she leaned over Clara's unconscious form. Bachiko, still sorting her thoughts, wasn't intending to interrupt her examination, but she still needed an update, so she quietly strode forward.
Several sharpened bones suddenly curved up from below the ground around her, stopping her instantly. One particularly pointy one barely stopped just shy of the vital artery in her throat.
"You really shouldn't sneak in like that", chided Xiu, glancing across her shoulder in mild annoyance.
Before Bachiko could speak, the bones receded. Watching them closely, she could tell they extended from the stern healer's own body, exiting near her ankle and down the back of her heel.
Her face must have given away her thoughts because Akiyama grinned faintly, returning to her work.
"You learn to ignore the pain. As for minerals, I consume a lot of calcium… Does that answer all of your questions?", she ventured with a smirk.
Bachiko's pink face stared at her back, both surprised and impressed. This woman was no joke. It was no wonder that both Nene and Sullivan had complete trust in her abilities.
"Not all of them", replied the archer, coming closer. Her tone was a little grim as she looked at the blood soaked towels around Clara's leg.
Xiu fully understood her concern. The archer was responsible for the safety of everyone currently under treatment and she wasn't about to let one of Iruma's soulmates or Robin's precious student slip away. She'd never be able to face them again otherwise.
"I know it looks bad, but this child will be just fine. The other merely needs a few days rest", stated Xiu, closing up the hole in Valac's flesh.
Clara was a little pale from blood loss, but both teens actually looked pretty good all things considered. Valiant, however…
"And him?", asked Bachiko, coyly glancing over.
Xui paused as she tried to glean more information from the younger demon's tone. Hiding the faintest of smiles, she answered calmly.
"Vincente-kun is rather incredible, isn't he? He's been draining this girl's pain and that boy's exhaustion, even in his sleep, likely since they arrived", replied the healer, bandaging her patient.
Bachiko stared at Valiant's sleeping face with reddish cheeks and subdued concern. She wasn't exactly surprised, but it was still dangerous considering his current state and she could see him twinge faintly with each stitch applied to Clara's wounds.
"While rare, such empathy is certainly admirable, but rather foolish. He's really in no shape to be pulling such a stunt", grumbled Akiyama, snapping the archer from her thoughts.
Xiu cleaned her bloody hands before moving on to check on Lied.
"It's really too bad he's so soft - too gentle to handle someone like my Lamya-chan, but perhaps, with a little luck and enough time, a different demon will be able to see his true worth beneath his polished facade", she said, almost as if fishing for a retort. Yet the archer remained silent.
Once the healer approached Valiant, she checked his vitals. He still looked a little weak, but he was stable, no doubt thanks to the small vial of Iruma's powerful, human blood as well as Bachiko's contribution. Yet, his borrowed agony was easily seen in his twitching eyelids. The fact that he was asleep at all under such a strain was rather impressive, if not a miracle.
Bachiko resisted the slight urge to reach out as she wondered what possessed him to go so far for demons he barely knew. Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure if she could resist slapping some sense into him.
Still, that idiot had done this to himself…so why was she so worried? Had her own blood donation somehow messed with her head? Was there some strange chemical in his saliva?...
"Can we help him?", she asked in a muted tone, pushing her other thoughts aside.
Xiu carefully observed every nuance of the archer's expression before responding, "No, only he can deactivate his bloodline ability and attempting to stop it by force is risky even in a healthy demon...But if I could do something, would you be willing to take on his pain?".
Bachiko stared at his sweatlicked face in silence as the bunny from before hid under the cot. She wasn't entirely sure how to respond. It was such a strange question and something about that fool had become irritatingly endearing, as if he'd somehow slipped past her defenses.
Looking closer, the blue tint upon his lips wasn't a good sign. Just how much damage had Ai done to him and why wouldn't he stop using his drain ability? He was sacrificing what little health and stamina he had recovered and the thought of him pushing himself too far made her chest tighten. What if he actually died?...
"Do you have any of Nene's tonics?", asked the healer.
Snapped from her thoughts, Bachiko stiffly glanced at her hip, wondering how many of her thoughts had spilled onto her face.
Thankfully, she had one of each potion left. She hadn't used any herself, but had handed a few off to those who needed them.
"The darker one should be for mana. Give him that and it should hold him over for now… I'll do what I can once he's had a chance to absorb it", instructed Xiu.
Bachiko removed the vial from her waist and sat beside him. She reached to tilt Valiant's head or at least prop him up a little so he wouldn't choke.
Stepping close, Xiu smirked as she snatched the tonic away in mild annoyance.
"Now is not the time to be timid, girl", she chided. Then she drank the contents of the bottle without swallowing.
Bachiko stared in mild shock as Akiyama made her patient take his medicine the only way currently possible. A few droplets escaped from their joined lips as she gently rubbed his throat.
Once she was certain he'd swallowed the tonic, Xiu idly wiped her mouth. "There. Let him rest a while and then I'll see what I can do about those teeth", she said.
Leaving to recheck her other patients, she was perfectly calm. Bachiko, however, had a dark look in her eyes as she settled Valiant back into his cot. He was heavy, but warm. At least there was still that - a subtle, remaining sign of life.
She hated feeling so helpless, especially while also so confused. Just what had that idiot done to her head?! Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves.
"You'd better come back", she grumbled, barely audible.
Honestly, taking on the suffering of the others when he already couldn't even stand? What was he thinking?! When he wakes, she'll be ready with an earful for him.
That was what she had to focus on - Stay mad at him. If she wasn't angry, then those intrusive thoughts started coming up again. Anger, she could easily handle. Whatever else there was? …Not yet.
Back at the defense team's location, Balam arrived on scene amidst chaos. Agares had created a massive pit to contain Victoria's vipers, but he looked tense. Still, a tiny, vengeful smirk crossed his lovely face as he prepared to crush the cursed serpents with one, final move.
Behind them, Gaap was flat on his back with a glowing feather sticking out of his chest - one of Persephone's pinions.
Kerori had frozen the worst of his bite marks, slowing both the bleeding and the venom, but it still looked grim. Even Elizabetta seemed worried as she watched over them.
Fresh blood and several dark spots decorated his normally pale hair, sure signs that multiple curses had successfully afflicted their mark.
Nearby, Balam struggled to keep his balance as Agares pushed another forceful shove of earth below their feet. The boy was clearly angry at the serpents for harming his friend and he'd ensure every last one of them was crushed beyond any hope of recovery.
Interestingly, Picero was standing on terra firma, himself, while his precious nap cloud was hovering near his fallen classmate in apparent, fretting concern.
Without ever shifting his line of vision or relaxing his defensive stance, he said, "Go. I've got this."
Nodding, Balam moved in without arguing. Elizabetta looked relieved to see him as he got closer while Kerori kept her focus on Goemon.
Meanwhile, Agares never glanced back as he clenched his extended, open hand, prompting the ground to violently close in on itself, and viciously annihilating the snake swarm.
He could relax now, right? The serpents were surely dead. He was certain Balam-sensei would fix everything, and trusted in his fellow misfits to help one of their own.
Besides, he couldn't bear to look again. The sight of the fallen, covered in blood and curses, was too much. Just how deeply had that damned, nagging mop dug into his heart?...
Gritting his teeth, he pushed the limits of his strained mana to ensure he'd destroyed every last snake.
Nearby, their general, Balam-sensei, kneeled beside his students. He was so many things to them at that moment - a higher rank, a trustworthy adult, a caring teacher, and now, their best hope to save Gaap.
Kerori filled him in as they watched and waited for the pinion to perform its miracle. Goemon and Picero had been defending the path to both the medical tent and the captured prisoners, per their assignment, when a massive swarm of serpents appeared from beneath the ground itself.
Both demons immediately began the counterattack to wipe them out when the girls joined in. The combination of earth, wind, and Crocell's beasts was very effective and the living curses were decimated in droves, but to their horror, more kept coming.
Agares' ability confirmed the serpents were in fact emerging from below, but had no idea just how many more were down there. The swarm truly seemed endless.
That's when Elizabetta became the easiest target present. Without the power of the elements at her command and immune to her love drive, the snakes launched themselves at her en masse.
Naturally, the noble-hearted young man who wanted a hundred friends had to act. Running low on mana from the prolonged night of fighting, his options were limited. His last wind blade saved his classmate, but turned the swarm's attention on himself.
Once the others heard Ix scream, the situation quickly became all too real. Agares stared in shock as Kerori dove in to help. Snatching the glowing pinion from his pocket, she shouted, "Snap out it and focus! I'll help him, but you don't defend us, we're all next!".
Moments later, Balam-sensei arrived and now he knew the story.
Looking over his fallen student, he counted five bites/curses. That would be a lot for any demon to handle, let alone one so young. Still, these serpentine spells weren't nearly as powerful as those placed by their master, Victoria, and that gave Gaap a chance.
Balam instantly remembered his reunion with Pandora. She'd also had five curses and looked so hollow because of them. He couldn't let them happen again.
"Sensei, will he be alright?", asked Elizabetta, concerned by the darkness in her teacher's stare.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he resumed a gentler look.
"Those snakes may be living curses, but they're only a fifth as powerful as one inflicted by Victoria herself. He'll pull through", he assured.
Looking closer, Goemon still wasn't breathing. At least one of his curses must have paralyzed his lungs.
"How long since you implanted the pinion?", inquired their master general.
Kerori seemed to think it over. "Maybe two minutes?", she ventured.
Balam narrowed his eyes. That meant half of the window to prevent brain damage from lack of oxygen was already gone. Thankfully, Elizabetta seemed to realize that from her training with Persephone and stepped forward.
She was prepared to attempt CPR, but Balam held out his hand as she knelt beside the fallen.
"Wait", he uttered, staring pointedly at the glowing feather in the boy's chest.
The pinion was ablaze with Agares' mana from before and it was slowly seeping into Gaap's body. The curses were clearly slowing the process, but it was still working.
Reaching into his medical pouch, Balam produced a small wrapped poultice. He'd prepared it earlier for just such an emergency.
He was skilled with herbs and had made it powerful enough to suppress even Kalego's primary curse. There was an excellent chance that it would purify the handful of minor ones affecting his student.
"These curses are all designed to suppress the primary functions of the body - slowing the heart or paralyzing the lungs. If we want the phoenix's power to work, we'll have to remove them….Stay back."
He then unfolded the cloth and applied it to the worst bite wound and largest curse. Smoke began pouring off Gaap's body with a hissing sound as the snake-inflicted curses began to dissolve.
It emanated a strange smell that stung the young demons' noses, but they still watched in fascination. They'd never seen anyone besides Nene and Persephone break one of Ai's dark spells before. Still, Balam was a master herbalist and expert in biology. If anyone could save Goemon, it was their sensei.
As the evaporating curses bellowed out of Goemon as smoke, everyone began to relax. At least until something worse reared its ugly head.
Reacting instantly, Balam used his own body as a barrier to protect his students as the smoke cleared.
Everyone else had fallen to the ground after it shuddered violently and were coughing the dust from their lungs.
It seemed Ai had one more trick up her sleeve.
The young demons were aghast by what they saw. The enclosed pit of vipers from before had spewed a new horror.
The pressure from Agares' attack hadn't destroyed the serpentine curses, but condensed them. Now one giant, three-headed snake stared them down with a nasty hiss.
That sound it had made was even more frightening than the sight because it almost sounded like, "Ai-ssssamaaaa".
Balam grabbed Picero and shoved him back with the others as he reached for his wood dragon, Nigyul. He wasn't about to let Victoria take anyone else away ever again.
Behind him, Agares had returned to the group, completely stunned as he watched Ix cradle Gaap protectively.
Every shared memory with Goemon flooded his head. He was annoying, but comforting, and his constant companionship had become so ingrained in Agares' daily life, he suddenly couldn't picture a day without him.
Clenching his jaw and fist, his eyes shone sharply as he stared back at the giant snake.
"Sensei!", shouted Caim, swooping in via flight, clearly having a plan.
Without exchanging another word, Balam understood and nodded. If the damned thing could speak, Camui had an even better chance of communicating with it.
He tried his best, pleading and asking why the beast was attacking so violently. Yet it wasn't exactly a sentient creature or even a magical beast. It was something entirely of Victoria's creation.
The massive serpent wasn't attacking out of loyalty or even following orders. It was simply magic, given a shape, and therefore did only what it was programmed to do - slow the enemy or kill them.
Caim tried again, but was no use. There was no mind to speak with, not even a hive mind.
It was up to Balam and Nigyul now…
Elsewhere, the small rabbit that had been captured as a sacrifice for Vincente finally hopped out of the medical tent. As quietly as it moved, no one should have noticed it. Yet as soon as it made it outside, it encountered another.
Looking down, Purson wondered if he should return the creature to his master, but it looked at him far more intensely than a mere beast should.
"Let it go, Soi."
Purson froze at the voice in his head. He hadn't heard a thing with his ears yet someone was speaking to him telepathically.
This was clearly no ordinary bunny, but where was its master?
Soi narrowed his eyes as he stepped aside.
"Far be it from me…", he uttered, letting it pass.
Once it had, another form seemed to materialize nearby. A tall stranger with a hood and cloak lifted the rabbit gently into his arms. His face was mostly hidden by a plague style mask, but a few pale blonde hairs were just barely visible.
He seemed intrigued that anyone could see him at all, but then he grinned ever so softly in realization. The demon before him also knew detection warding well.
"I allowed my familiar to be caught to assist your fallen master. You see, Vincente-kun belongs to me. It would be most troublesome if he were to fail his mission", said the man, again communicating directly into Soi's head.
"Who are you?", asked Purson carefully.
Something about this demon was unsettling. His aura wasn't threatening at all, but he held an air of mystery and forbidden knowledge as if you couldn't be sure he even existed at all…and what did he mean he 'owned' Valiant?
Purson's racing thoughts were clearly being received, but the man stared back in silence. Apparently his identity was not to be known.
"Consider me an observer… for now", he said cryptically.
Ignoring Soi's inquiries any further, he continued his explanation for his presence.
"I imbued this creature with a portion of my own blood. It's strong enough to help Valiant, as it has helped his kin for generations, but he chose another path."
"May the consequences treat him favorably... Goodbye, young Soi, and don't worry; You will not remember this the next time we meet."
Purson had a million questions as he watched the stranger vanish into thin air. Just who or what was that? Then a moment later, he wondered why his head felt so strange.
His memory seemed fuzzy, but just what had he forgotten? Looking down, a single singed feather laid at his feet. How strange… It almost reminded him of…???
Upon a closer look, the feather wasn't burnt. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen, some grotesque texture between downy and scales. There was no way something like that could fly…was there?
Shaking his head, he put his unusual thoughts aside. Then glancing at the medical tent, he concluded that he must have made his way back for help. Perhaps he wasn't as steady after his resurrection as he previously thought. His head, especially, felt very peculiar.
To be continued…