Episode Two
A Dream to Become a Death Weapon, Will Hammer and Nail Be Un-Expelled?
A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.
"This is it, Hammer. This is the last soul we need. Ninety-nine Kishin souls and one Witch soul," Nail said.
The words of his Meister echoed in his mind as he solemnly approached the floating purple orb. He took hold of it and held it in his hand, admiring their accomplishment.
"Once I devour this soul I will become a Death Weapon. I did it, Nail. We did it," Hammer said, beaming.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Eat it!" Nail urged.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Hammer said with a chuckle. The change was instantaneous. The power welling from inside of him increased ten-fold. When he got back to the Academy all of the pretty girls fell at his feet, awestruck by his power. People lined up for miles to get Nail's autograph. The two of them were promoted to be Lord Death's lead assassin team, working to quell the evil in the world and teach others that had come after them to do the same.
Hammer's lifelong goal had come into fruition and he lived happily ever after…until he woke up.
He lay flat on his back in his bed and had apparently kicked the covers off of him in the middle of the night. It was no small wonder. He and his roommate lived in a shack on the outskirts of Death Valley. It was always hot there. He stared up at his ceiling fan, swirling at the highest speed, offering small relief from the sweltering heat and let out a heavy sigh. It was such a good dream, and his reality was so far from it.
He groaned as he rolled himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, disrobed, turned on the shower and let the lukewarm water rain down on him. He just stood there for about five minutes without moving a muscle, his head hung low as he watched the water swirl down the drain, just like his dream to become a Death Weapon. He let out another sigh and turned off the water.
After drying off and dressing in shorts and a muscle shirt, he walked out of his bedroom and into the living room. It was a disastrous mess. He and his roommate had not cleaned in...well…ever. Nail was just where he knew he would be. Glued to the TV, nose-deep in video games.
"Morning, Nail," Hammer said woefully.
"Morning, Hammer," he replied, never taking his eyes from the screen.
He fixed himself a meager breakfast of cereal, milk and a glass of orange juice and came to sit down on the couch next to his roommate. His roommate had formerly been his Meister, but had not wielded him since…
Ugh…it's too painful to think about.
"What are your plans for the day?" Hammer asked, drowning his sorrows in a mouthful of cereal.
"Hang out, play video games, do whatever," Nail replied. Their morning ritual had become so mundane that Hammer could almost finish Nail's sentences before he said them.
"You going outside to train again today?" Nail asked, right on cue.
"I always do," Hammer replied.
"That's a waste of time, man. You should play video games with me. This game does have a two-player mode, you know," Nail pointed out.
"Thanks. Maybe next time," Hammer said. He finished his cereal, tossed the bowl and spoon into the sink and made his way outside. He spent his entire morning working out and smashing boulders with his fist. He had to transform his fist into a hammer to do it.
After that he split some logs that he had chopped down from the nearby forest by transforming his hand into an axe. That's what kind of Weapon he was: an axe-hammer. A strong one too. He just had the bad luck of pairing with the laziest Meister in the world.
He loved his Meister like a brother, but he had to be honest: Nail was holding him back, and always had been. It had nothing to do with talent. There were better Meisters out there, but Nail was strong enough to wield a Weapon heavy as an axe-hammer. Most of the students at the DWMA couldn't lift Hammer if they tried. The problem was motivation. Nail had exactly zero. He didn't care about becoming a great Meister, making his Weapon into a Death Weapon, defending the world from the evil of the Kishin and Witches. He just floated through life, carefree and nonchalant.
Angry thinking about the predicament, Hammer pounded the stump he used to split wood with his hand transformed as a hammer, and it disappeared into the ground. He supposed it was a good problem to have: being frighteningly strong, but it still did have it's inconveniences.
He decided to end his training a little early. It was a particularly hot day and he was getting thirsty. He walked back inside and gulped down three glasses of water. Nail was exactly where he was hours before, nose stuck in a video game.
"You know what we could do today?" Hammer said, stuck by an idea he knew his Meister would shoot down.
"What's that?" Nail called back. His eyes never left the screen.
"We could go hunt some Kishin like you said we would," Hammer pressed.
"Maybe tomorrow. I'm busy right now," Nail said.
"Busy? You're playing a video game. You can pause it and it will be waiting for you when we get back," Hammer argued.
"In the same respect, there are plenty of Kishin souls out there. They'll be waiting for us when I feel like hunting them down," Nail said. His logic was hard to argue with, though he was missing the point.
"When do you plan on feeling like hunting Kishin?" Hammer demanded.
"Well, not right now. I'll let you know when I do though; I promise," Nail replied. This time he gave Hammer a quick look over his shoulder and half-hearted smile.
"Right. Cause you're so good at keeping your promises," Hammer said with a verbal stab.
"Let's not have this argument. You're breaking my concentration. I've been trying to get pass this level for the past hour and I'm closer than I've ever been," Nail said, getting defensive as soon as Hammer called him out.
"How else are we supposed to get back into the DWMA?"
"You really wanna go back there, bro? Why? That placed sucks," Nail said.
"Because it's a place that will give us the opportunity to hunt Kishins and help me become a Death Weapon. Not to mention there are teachers there who have devoted their lives to training up Weapon-Meister teams to stop the growing evil in this world," Hammer said. Part of him knew it was no use. He and Nail had this argument almost every day and it always ended up the same.
"Let someone else stop the growing evil in this world. Just sit down and relax. We have it easy here—a lot better than classes and tests at some stupid school," Nail said. Hammer opened his mouth to say something, but he knew that it would be completely pointless.
He made his way back to his bedroom and plopped down on the bed. He was so angry he thought he might have to choke back tears. What could he say? What could he do to give Nail the motivation that he needed? Was it all pointless? Should he do as Nail said and give up the pointless dream of becoming a Death Weapon? He was starting to wonder.
Tsarevich and Merios were on their way back from retrieving the tool, crossing the hot sands of Death Valley, when Tsarevich noticed something in the distance. It was a tiny little house with a wooden fence around it.
"Hey, Professor? See that house in the distance?" Tsarevich pointed.
"Hm? Ah, yes," he replied.
"I wonder who lives there," Tsarevich pondered aloud.
"Actually, you know who lives there. It's your former classmates: Hammer and Nail," the professor explained.
"Really? Those two guys who got expelled last semester?"
"Two and the same," he confirmed, "now they live out in that house wasting their talents."
"Why were they expelled? I mean, I heard the rumors but you know how that goes. What was the official reason they were expelled?" Tsarevich asked.
"On paper it was because of their grades. Neither one of them are very good students. As far as why I expelled them—,"
"You expelled them?" Tsarevich asked in bewilderment.
"Oh, yes. I thought that was common knowledge around the Academy. It just goes to show how far removed you become from the social end of things when you become a teacher."
"Go on with what you were saying; why did you expel them?" Tsarevich asked.
"They didn't like my teaching style so they attacked me," he replied.
"You're kidding. Tell me how that went! Hammer is one of the strongest Weapons I've ever seen! And Nail is no pushover," Tsarevich said.
"Well it kind of happened like this…"
"The two of you are going to have to start doing better," Merios scolded. He looked at the Weapon-Meister student team before him. If there was one thing in the world that irked him, it was to see potential go to waste.
"What do you mean do better? We crushed everyone else in our class when you had us spar. None of them could hold a candle to us," Hammer gloated. He gave Nail a haughty high-five.
"That's not what I mean and you know it. Both of you skip class habitually, you never turn in your homework assignments and if you show up on testing days, you usually sleep through it," Merios pointed out.
"Don't you think you're being a little hard on us, Professor? Can you cut us a break since we're so amazing?" Nail asked. He and Hammer exchanged another ridiculous high-five.
"You're in the bottom of your class Nail. The very bottom," Merios said.
"Don't be so hard on him. Nail's not book-smart. He's just the best Meister in his class. He doesn't need to do homework to be a good Meister," Hammer said, coming to his defense.
"You're one to talk, Hammer. The only person in your entire class who you rank above is Nail. You two are literally failing every one of your classes," Merios said.
"So what? Do you think becoming a great Meister comes from reading nonsense in a book? Maybe some Meisters need the extra help, but I'm a natural," Nail said.
"Natural talent can only take you so far, Nail. At some point in your life you're going to have to grow up and take on some responsibility. You're the strongest pair in your class, but eventually you're going to watch all of your classmates surpass you and it's going to be a hard pill to swallow," he said.
"That's your theory, Professor. I'll stick to what I know and I'll still be a great Meister," Nail countered.
"And he's going to make me the strongest Death Weapon ever!" Hammer added. The exchanged on more high-five and Merios found himself angrier than he meant to be.
"Starting tomorrow, the two of you will attend every class on time or I'm expelling you both," he stated simply.
"You can't do that!" Hammer protested.
"I'm an executive faculty member; I assure you that I can. I will not watch idly by while your potential is going to waste," Merios said.
"You're a bastard!" Nail said through gnashed teeth.
"Watch your tone, Nail, or I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget," Merios said calmly.
"Hammer, Weapon-form, now!" Nail said.
"What? Really? We can't fight him; he's a teacher!" Hammer said. Merios was glad to see that at least one of them had good judgment.
"You said you wanted to teach us some responsibility, eh, Professor? I think that this is going to be a little bit of role reversal. We're about to teach you a lesson," Nail said. Hammer reluctantly transformed and Nail stood before him.
"There is no version of this that ends well for you. No matter how this ends up, you're going to lose," Merios said.
"I doubt that," Nail said. With that he was swinging Hammer through the air and slashing wildly. Merios easily dodged. Strong as they were, they would never match his speed.
"You don't even have a Weapon! You're the lesser Meister! Admit it!" Nail said as he struck again and again. Hammer was starting to leave huge indentions on the school grounds as Merios continued to easily evade each attack.
Nail got desperate and swung with his fist after Merios dodged an attack. He wasn't expecting it so it connected with his cheek, sending him stumbling back. It didn't take him long to regain his balance. He watched as Nail approached, swinging Hammer down axe-first and aiming for his skull. Merios caught the blade between his hands and fired a powerful soul wavelength directly into Hammer, rendering him temporarily useless.
Nail tried to lift the heavy Weapon but found it too heavy since Hammer's wavelength was temporarily incompatible his. Merios lunged forward and placed both palms into Nail's chest.
"Soul Pulsar!"
He looked down on the defeated team, bleeding and broken and took no pity upon them whatsoever.
"You're both expelled. You have until the end of the night to clean out your dorms and get off of the property."
"So that's what really happened? I can't believe nobody knows about that," Tsarevich said.
"I didn't tell anyone. Not even Lord Death. I just said their grades were too terrible to remain enrolled. Which was true," Merios conceded.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"If word got out that they had attacked a teacher, they would never get a second chance at the Academy," Merios explained.
"You think they'll ever come back?" Tsarevich asked.
"Maybe with the right push," Merios said. He was suddenly struck by an idea. "Go ahead to the Academy without me. I will catch up with you later. Take that tool to Lord Death and tell him that I had some unfinished business to attend to."
"You're going to go talk to them, aren't you?"
"I'll see you later, Tsarevich."
There was a noise outside of the window that roused Hammer from his afternoon nap. He groaned, rolled over and looked out the window. He had to rub his eyes a few times to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Once he was sure he was awake, he looked again and nearly jumped out of bed with fright.
"Nail! Nail! You're never going to believe this!" he stammered as he burst into the living room. Nail paused the game and looked up at him, wondering what was going on.
"What's wrong?"
"There are three Kishin-spawn going through our garbage!"
"Ugh…they're back again? They'll go away in a while. Just leave them alone," he said, returning to the game.
"Wait? What? You knew about them? They've been here before?"
"Yeah they must have strayed from whatever group they were with and are now scavenging the Valley looting through people's garbage," he said.
Hammer promptly walked over to Nail, transformed his hand and bashed him on he skull as hard as he could.
"Ow! What the hell did you do that for?" Nail demanded. He was on his feet and shaking his fist at Hammer.
"There were Kishin going through our garbage and you didn't tell me? We could have killed them real quick and I would have been on my way to being a Death Weapon!" Hammer said in a rage.
"They're just three Kishin. You have to collect ninety-nine, remember?" Nail asked.
"Yeah and you get to ninety-nine one soul at a time, Nail. Don't tell me this time away from school has caused you to forget how to count!" Hammer shot back.
"If there were ninety-nine Kishin out there I'd go with you to help collect their souls. I'm not interrupting my video game for three lousy Kishin going through our garbage," Nail said resolutely.
"Fine! I'll go and get their souls myself. I don't need your help," Hammer said.
"Fine! Go! Don't come crying to me when you get your ass kicked," Nail shot back.
"Fine! I'll turn myself into a Death Weapon. I can't believe I wasted a year of my life partnering with you!" Hammer stormed out of the house in a rage, running full-speed towards the nearest Kishin. He transformed his hand into a hammer and dealt the closest one a swift uppercut.
"Prepare to die, Kishin!"
Tsarevich wasn't as nervous to see Lord Death again. He figured the years had turned him into the jovial cut-up he was now. Still, Tsarevich could not be fooled. Most of the Meisters in the Academy had not seen Lord Death in action; he had. When he was just a little boy, living in Death City with his parents, the Kishin Ashura was awakened. When the wicked thing burst from beneath the city, it was on Tsarevich's street that it happened.
He and his sister peered out of the window and watched the battle unfold. Ashura used the bandages covering him to assault the Reaper, and Lord Death proved just how powerful his Reaper Chop was. They leveled some of the nearby houses. Tsarevich and his family had been lucky.
Still, the expression on Lord Death's face as he swung his powerful hands through the air to thwart the Kishin left an impression on Tsarevich that he would never forget. He knew that one could not judge a book by its cover. Lord Death would seem to most to be a smiling idiot, but Tsarevich knew without reservation that he was the most powerful being on the planet.
"Oh! Hallo! Hallo! Welcome, Meister Tsarevich! Back already?" Lord Death asked as Tsarevich approached. He could hear the sincerity in the Reaper's voice and found a smile creeping onto his face. Whoever thought one could be happy about staring Death in the face. Tsarevich bowed in respect and approached with a smile.
"Hello, Lord Death. The Professor asked me to give this to you," he said. He took the mechanical cube and held it out for the Reaper to take. He noticed that Soul Eater was standing at the edge of the Death Room, staring out into space. Soul Eater was Lord Death's personal Death Scythe. Supposedly, he never left his side, but Tsarevich vividly remembered that he was not there during his last visit.
Lord Death took the cube and held it in his hands for a while. Soul, without being summoned, came and took the mechanical cube from Lord Death opened a red chest with a key that he wore around his neck, put the cube inside and locked it again. Tsarevich realized that whatever it was he had retrieved, it must have been important to keep it under literal lock and key with a Death Scythe guarding it.
"Thank you, Meister Tsarevich. I can't tell you how much it means to the Academy that you were able to retrieve this. Merios was right about you; you're going to go far. Speaking of which, where is our dear professor?"
"We were on our way back and he said that he had some unfinished business to attend to and told me to go on ahead," Tsarevich explained simply. He wondered if Lord Death would be able to tell if he was keeping the whole truth or not.
"Well, I'm sure that whatever it was it was important. Merios always has a good reason for doing the things that he does. As reward for your successful mission, you've been given a free pass on all of your exams this semester. I've already talked to your other teachers. You have straight A's anyway," Lord Death said with a smile. Well, at least it looked like a smile. The skeleton shaped mask really only changed at the eye sockets, which was a little unnerving, but Tsarevich thought he heard a smile in his voice.
"Thank you, Lord Death!" Tsarevich was elated at the idea that while the rest of his peers were busy studying, he would have time to relax and do other things. Maybe he would look for a Weapon partner. It would be nice to finally find the right one for him.
"You're welcome, and unless you have anything further to report you are dismissed," Lord Death replied. Tsarevich bowed and turned to leave and as he did…
"Oh! Meister Tsarevich, I almost forgot! There's a new student on his way right now. His name is Vyse Rosemont. Please meet him at entrance of the DWMA and make sure that he is giving a proper greeting our tour of the place," Lord Death said. Tsarevich nodded with a smile and started on his way. He stopped halfway through leaving again and called back to Lord Death.
"Lord Death!"
"Yes, Meister Tsarevich?" Lord Death asked. When Tsarevich turned around, Soul was at Death's side and whispering something. Tsarevich didn't realize he had interrupted. Neither one of them looked like they were too offended, but Tsarevich hated the idea of being a nuisance.
"This new student…Vyse…is he a Weapon or a Meister," Tsarevich asked.
"He's a Weapon, and a very interesting one at that. I think the two of you are going to get along just fine," Lord Death said, smiling with his voice like only he could.
Tsarevich smiled and thought that this new student would be a good opportunity with a fresh start. None of the other Weapons in his class would pair with him because they all thought he was inept. This new Weapon didn't know him. He started preparing his speech as he ran through the halls eager and determined that this new student would be his Weapon partner whether he liked it or not.
Nail could hear the scuffle going on outside and decided to sit down and continue enjoying his video game.
Stupid Hammer. Now he's on my case? Of all people? He blames me for us getting expelled, but he helped me fight the professor too. He skipped class too. He calls me the lazy one, but he's just as bad…or almost as bad.
It was becoming harder and harder for him to enjoy his video game, but he had resolved that he was not going to help Hammer fight the Kishin. He just didn't feel like it. Fighting was hard work. Video games were fun. That's really all there was to it.
"I see that nothing has changed over the months you've been gone. How is expulsion treating you?"
The voice coming from nowhere startled Nail. He dropped the controller and spun around. There was something familiar about voice. There was also something unpleasant. Finally, he saw him. Sitting at his kitchen table, reading his paper and eating his food was none other than Professor Merios Aurion.
"Oh. It's you. How did you get in?" Nail asked.
"I walked right through the front door. You and Hammer were so busy arguing I didn't bother to introduce myself. I figured you would notice me eventually. After I waited another five minutes I figured I should says something," he explained.
"Oh…well…uh…what are you doing here?"
"I think the more important question, Nail, is what are you doing here? You're living in a dump house at the edge of the Valley, wasting your day playing video games. What kind of life is that?"
"It beats the hell out of going to school; that's for sure," Nail said. Hoping the professor would get the hint and leave, Nail turned around and continued playing his video game.
"Can I ask you a question?" the professor asked.
"I suppose," Nail replied. He knew that most people who had a history like the two of them did would chase him out of the house, but he just didn't feel like it. If he showed enough disinterest, maybe he would leave.
"Why did you originally join the DWMA?"
The question rang through Nail so much he stopped playing again and forced himself to pause the game, turn around and confront the professor. He wasn't sure how to react because of the mixed emotions it stirred up, so he resorted to honesty.
"I wanted to become a great Meister and create a Death Weapon. I wanted to be like Maka Albarn, and Black Star. I wanted the opportunity to do something great in the world. I had proved to be a natural Meister. Once I met Hammer I knew we could go far and then…" he trailed off.
"And then, what?" the professor asked.
"And then we started school. I was excited about it at first, but it didn't come easy to me. Not like fighting did. No matter how hard I tried, most of the kids in my class were smarter than me. Seeing failing grade after failing grade made me think that it wasn't worth it, so I stopped going," Nail explained.
"And when you stopped going…" the professor said. Nail realized it. He had never seen it before, but now he saw it clear as day.
"Hammer stopped going," Nail filled in the blanks.
It was true. Hammer wasn't the best student, but he had been doing moderately well with his classes. He always showed up, and even took notes. He was always willing to help Nail with hard homework assignments. He said they could do anything together. He started skipping class with Nail to try to make him feel better, to try to motivate him. Before long, his grades started to suffer as well and they were both facing the possibility of expulsion.
"I see what you're trying to do," Nail said, suddenly angry at the professor all over again.
"What's that?" he asked with a coy grin.
"Wipe that stupid look off of your face. I may not be the best student, but I'm not stupid. You came here to rub it in my face that it's all my fault that Hammer and I got expelled! You're trying to make me feel guilty for ruining his life too! Well, don't bother. I already know that and I feel bad enough about it already," Nail said.
"That's not what I came to do, Nail. You're right about something. You have a natural gift as a Meister. And we both know that Hammer is a powerful Weapon," the professor said.
"So why are you here?"
"I'm here to help you."
"Help me what? What could I possibly have to learn from you?"
"I could fill a library full of things that you could use to learn, but we will start with something really basic that, if I remember correctly, you said was unnecessary for a Meister to learn," the professor said.
"I'm dying to hear this," Nail said.
"Soul perception," he replied simply. Nail scoffed at the notion.
"Soul perception? Really? I'm sorry that not all of us Meisters can be like you or Tsarevich. Some of us don't see souls as well as others," he replied.
"I understand that. Just like so few Meisters could wield a Weapon as powerful as Hammer, only a few see souls as naturally as I do. It is, however, a skill that can be learned if you have the time and the patience to try," the professor explained.
"Give me one good example where soul perception has ever helped you in a real-life situation," Nail challenged.
"Although you are obviously oblivious to this fact, your Weapon partner is losing sorely to those Kishin out there. Even while you and I are speaking, I can see their souls contending for victory as if there were no wall there at all," the professor explained.
"What? Hammer's in trouble?" Nail marched to the window and gasped. Two of the Kishin were holding Hammer by the arms while the third pummeled him again and again with its fists. Before Nail could do anything else, they threw Hammer through the wall of the house and sent him smashing through the living room destroying the TV and the gaming system.
"My TV! Ah! Hammer, you idiot! You landed on my TV!" Nail said, coming instantly to his Weapon's side.
"Nail…I know you're probably mad at me, but I could really use your help. They are a lot stronger than they look. Hey! When did he get here?" Hammer sat up with a blank expression on his face.
"He's been here for a while. We were too busy fighting with each other to notice that he was here," Nail explained.
"Oh…hey, Professor," Hammer managed. He wiped some blood from underneath his swelling nose.
"Hi there, Hammer. How are you?"
"Not so good right now. There are three Kishin outside and I decided to take them on by myself," he explained.
"Well, you're not by yourself anymore," Nail said. He held out his hand to help his Weapon to his feet.
"What? Really? You mean it?" Hammer asked.
"I do. The professor is right. You were right. I have been holding you back. I haven't been the Meister that you deserve. Those days are over. From now on I am going to start trying a lot harder. I will help you to become a Death Weapon, Hammer. And we can start by killing those Kishin's in our back yard! Hammer, Weapon-form!"
"Right!" Hammer said. He transformed and Nail gave him a twirl. It had been a long time since he had wielded his Weapon, but there were some things that one just did not forget. He marched to the back lawn and got a look at the Kishin.
They had been men once, some time ago. Now they were withered wraiths with filed teeth and evil souls. They were skin and bones, but Nail knew better than to let appearances deceive him. The twisted evil in their souls made the more powerful than they seemed. He still wore a big smile on his face because he knew that even three of them didn't stand a chance.
"I don't even know if you sorry Kishins can understand words and logic anymore, but just in case I'm going to give you a warning. Get off of my property or I'm going to chop you into little pieces," he said.
They growled in frustration, saying nothing of any intelligence and struck. All three of them.
"Here they come," Hammer said into Nail's mind. He was prepared. Their claws and talons were parried easily to the side as he used Hammer as a shield. He swung a surprise attack and sent a Kishin flying. He raised him over his head and brought him down axe-first to try to chop the fiend in half. They were fast little buggers and slithered away before he could land a killing blow.
"Ah!" he cried out in pain as he felt his clothes and skin tare as the claws passed through the flesh on his back.
"Watch your back! They won't pass up an opportunity to strike you from behind!" Hammer warned. Memories of the fight that Hammer had by himself flooded into Nail's consciousness and be began to learn the fighting style of the Kishins faster than words or even thoughts could process.
He swung Hammer down axe-first and was surprised when the Kishin caught the blade between them. It pushed him back with a shove and went for a diving counter-attack. Anticipating this, Nail jumped backwards and upwards, raising Hammer up one more time. He brought the axe head down on the Kishin's skull and listened as it cracked with a satisfying snap.
Its body disintegrated leaving only a floating, red soul in its wake. The others pounced upon him in a rage, screeching and howling at the loss of their fallen comrade. Nail wasn't quite ready for a double onslaught and took a couple of gashes to his arms and side before he was able to get his footing and strike back again.
"Nail, they work really well as a team, but if you can single them out we can beat them!" Hammer suggested. Nail nodded in silent approval. Hammer was right. Trying to fight them both at the same time was pointless. Together they were faster than he was. If he could get one alone…
He charged, looking the one on his left directly in the eye. At the last possible second, he swung Hammer into the one on his right, sending him flying away. He did not waste any time to start his assault on the one on the left. It was still proving to be just a hair faster than he was.
Horizontal swing: miss. Vertical upward swing: miss. Twirl, pivot, wide horizontal swing: miss. He growl as he felt claws dig into his flesh again. He swing Hammer around in a whirlwind, clearing the area around him.
"You have to be faster, Nail. I know you're out of practice, but you can do this. Be faster than they are," Hammer said.
He charged again, in a whirlwind of heavy steel. He felt his pulse began to rush and sweat collect on his brow as he tried, out of shape as he was, to match the Kishin's speed. All he needed was one wrong move on their end and he could take them out with a single blow.
They slowly began taking ground, scratching him more and more with each passing moment. He searched down deep inside of himself, past that and dipped into Hammer's soul, relying heavily on his Weapon's strength. He pushed out all other thoughts and let only the bloodlust of the battle take over. Suddenly he was a berserker and the Kishins were retreating from him. He liked it. There was nothing better than having the target on the run.
One of them made the mistake of slashing out at him. While throat was exposed, Nail reached out and took hold of it, squeezing it with all his strength. He slammed the Kishin into the ground. The other tried to jump on his back but he whipped Hammer around so that he sent it flying. With the same mighty swing he brought the hammer-end down onto the Kishin's hideous face and crushed it with a single blow.
He stayed put as he heard the shriek from the third and final one. He listened as the footsteps got closer, jumped to the side and whirled the axe-end of Hammer around. He was satisfied to see it connect with the Kishin's throat and lop its head clean off. As with the others, the flesh disintegrated and left only red, floating souls behind.
Hammer transformed into his human form and was beaming. Nail was pretty sure his face mirrored his partner's elation. The two of them looked over the wreckage that was once their backyard and their house.
"Looks like we have some cleaning up to do," Hammer said. Nail nodded. He did not like the idea of cleaning, but the house was no longer in living condition. Hammer had destroyed a good portion of it when he came crashing through.
Nail watched as Hammer went around and collected the three Kishin souls. He was holding them in his hands like trophies and cheering. Nail chuckled and shook his head.
"Well, what are you waiting for, bro? Eat up," he said.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Hammer said. In three might gulps the three Kishin souls were devoured. Hammer let out a mighty belch that echoed off of the nearby mountains, and raised his hands to flex his muscles.
"You feel stronger?" Nail asked.
"Yeah, dude," Hammer said with a giggle.
Suddenly the sound of hands clapping together sounded from inside of their house. There was only one set of hands clapping and they belonged to their professor. Both of them looked at him, wondering what was going on inside if his mind.
"As usual, the two of you did wonderful work as a team. I trust that you both learned something," he said.
"I sure did; fighting Kishins without your partner is not a good idea," Hammer admitted.
"I learned how foolish I've been," Nail said bitterly. Suddenly, the sweet taste of victory was sour inside his mouth.
"What do you mean, Nail?" Hammer asked.
"When the professor and I were talking inside, and those Kishins were hurting you, I was completely oblivious to it. He was able to tell exactly what was going on just using his ability to perceive souls.
"I never paid attention in class when it was time for the Meisters to learn to see and understand souls. When it didn't come naturally to me like fighting does, I just gave up. Why waste effort on something that you're not good at, right? What if you put all of the effort into it and you still are no good? What then?
"If the professor hadn't showed up, I might have continued playing the video game and never know that you needed my help," Nail explained. Hammer put his arm around his Meister and grinned his cheesiest.
"Sure you would have! You forget that they threw me through the house and I broke your TV and your gaming system. I think you probably would have noticed I needed your help when that happened," Hammer said.
"Which reminds me: you're buying me a new TV and gaming system," Nail said.
"What? No way! I didn't break it on purpose. That was the Kishins' fault!" Hammer protested.
"It's like that time you spilled a pitcher of lemonade on my laptop. I know you didn't do it on purpose, but the fact of the matter is, your clumsiness cost me my laptop…and now a TV and a gaming system, so you owe me," Nail said.
"This is a little different, Nail! I didn't spill lemonade. Kishins showed up in our backyard and threw me through the house because you didn't want to get off your lazy ass and help me!" Hammer said.
"You still broke it; you still have to replace it," Nail insisted.
"If you boys are quite done, I have something that I would like to say," the professor piped up from nowhere. Nail decided to set the argument aside. He was going to win it anyway. He would talk Hammer into buying him new stuff. He was sure of it.
"What I saw today was a brilliant display of Weapon and Meister working together to destroy the growing evil in this world. You took on not one, or two, but three Kishin-spawn and came out victorious. I've always said this, even before I expelled you, that the two of you have potential to be one of the most powerful Weapon-Meister teams at the Academy, if you only applied yourself.
"If you promise to try hard at your studies, read, listen and stop wasting your life and your potential to be great, you can consider yourselves re-enrolled," the professor finished.
"What do you say, Nail? Will you give the Academy one more shot?" Hammer asked. Nail looked up at the professor resolutely.
"Let's do it. Professor, it's good to be back," Nail said.
"Pack your things, you have a lot to catch up to do," the professor said.