SEASON TWO
Episode One
Three Years Have Passed, Whatever Happened to the B Team?
A sound soul,
dwells within a sound mind,
and a sound body
Run! Run! Run!
Three girls in their late teens ran frantically down yet another dark and winding path leading them deeper into the Forsaken Forest. It was just outside of the haven and a known breeding ground for kishin-spawn and other foul things. They weren't supposed to be there; young girls were supposed to stay away from the forest and inside of the haven. It wasn't safe after dark when the shadows were free to roam. Weaving between the trees, shrieking bloodthirsty laughter from behind, the pack pursued them. A twisted blend of wolf and man, made evil by the power of the Madness. It reeked of witchcraft.
They averaged at seven-feet tall when standing, and were armed with claws and teeth strong enough to rip flesh and crack bones. There were countless packs roaming the forests of what had once been the Ardennes, but each of the smaller ones belonged to one of the seven greater packs. Named after the seven deadly sins, each pack was bound by blood and spells woven by the Witch Vraska. This particular pack belonged to Lust.
The three girls ran themselves against a dead end. The wolves had weaved braids of thorns between the trees ten feet high leaving them nowhere to run. They turned around and faced them.
"Awooooo! Look at we have here, boys!" one howled.
"They look delicious," a she-wolf growled seductively.
"And not one, but three!" another added.
"Only flesh can satisfy flesh," the alpha male snarled darkly. He strutted closer to them, licking his lips as he looked them over head-to-toe. As he eyed their curves greedily, the rest of the pack repeated his words as if it were some sort of prayer.
Only flesh can satisfy flesh.
"Stop right there!"
There was a long silence that passed. The voice came from the girl in the middle, who let go of her companions' hands to throw back the bright red hood of her coat. She was nineteen, five-four, and had an athletic build. Her short, black hair was tapered close to her face. The other girls threw their hoods back as well. Both were dark of hair, blue of eye, so petite their cloaks swallowed them up like blankets. Those two were sisters. All three wore the same grim expression.
"Or what?" demanded the alpha. He reared back on his hind legs as if preparing to strike.
"What are you gonna do Little Red Riding Hood?" added another.
"I'm not Little Red Riding Hood! My name is Kimiko, rank-two Death Dealer, and these are my Weapons: Mei and Misato!"
"And we're certainly not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf," Misato snapped.
"You should be," the alpha said with a sneer. And then he leaped straight at them, his pack chomping their teeth behind him. Three sly smiles tugged at the corners of the girls' mouths, their eyes gleaming. Kimiko reached down to take their hands in hers again. She could feel their souls flowing into hers.
"Ready?" she asked them telepathically. They connection the three of them shared did not require them to use words communicate. Mere thoughts were more than sufficient. In her mind's eye she saw them both nod as they transformed into twin chakrams.
She moved her hand, tracing the path of the chakram with her mind, and Mei slashed through the air with a snap. Quick as lightning, she sailed in a loop catching the wolf in midair across his flank. Twirling like a ballerina, Kimiko sidestepped before turning to launch Misato telekinetically with her other hand. The spinning, circular blade caught the alpha under the chin and took his head off cleanly. Using her wavelength, she called the sisters back to her hands in turn.
"Who's next?" Kimiko shouted, challenging the rest of the pack. They all charged her at once, and her smile widened. Time to dance. She met their charge, dancing between them and parrying their strikes with her Weapons. With flicks of her hands, she would send one or the other flying, cutting down anything in their path. The pack slashed and snapped after her, panting hungrily with insatiable hunger, but she and her Weapons were an elusive flurry of steel and soul wavelength.
"Hold still!" one of the she-wolves hissed. She lashed out and her claws caught Kimiko across the arm, ripping her sleeve and drawing blood. She grimaced and looked inwardly to touch the souls of her weapons.
"These guys are starting to bore me," she said with her thoughts.
"Me too. Let's finish this," Mei suggested.
"Agreed," Misato said nonchalantly.
"—Let's go! Soul resonance!"
"—Let's go! Soul resonance!"
"—Let's go! Soul resonance!"
She let go of her Weapons and they started orbiting her, circling endlessly, fueled by the power of three soul wavelengths in perfect harmony. The wolves hesitated. Staring warily at the glowing blue blades, they came at her again. The sisters acted as another pair of eyes for her as she guided them back and forth, looping out towards their enemies before returning to her side. She could see the wolves and thwarted their every attempt to reach her.
"They can't stop us all. Take them together!" one of the males bellowed. They rushed her all at the same time. It's all over now.
"Storm!"
Projecting her wavelength to its limits, her Weapons amplified it a hundred fold. She stopped using her thoughts to guide their path, and let them spin uninhibited. Steel severed flesh, slicing through skin and bone as limbs bounced this way and that. It happened so fast, the wolves did not even have time to vocalize before there was nothing left of them but floating red kishin eggs.
Mei and Misato slowed the path of their revolution, coming to nearly a standstill before they returned to their human form. The resonance link between them severed and the liquid lightning surging through Kimiko finally subsided. They would never be truly disconnected, especially when they were in such close proximity, their wavelengths intersecting each other.
"That was amazing! We really showed them!" Mei exclaimed.
"It wasn't as if they stood a chance against us. It wasn't even a challenge; it was boring. This is a waste of time," Misato complained.
"No it's not," Kimiko interjected. The other two looked at her as she fished for the ovular handheld mirror she kept in her purse.
"We were able to find out who has been luring the girls out of this haven, how they've been doing it, and probably offered some relief to this area by exterminating those wolves. Lord Death will want an update."
She held the mirror close and breathed on it until an even layer of steam collected on the surface. As she traced the numbers with her finger, she said aloud," Four-two-four-two, five-six-four…"
"Whenever you wanna knock on Death's door," the sisters finished with her in unison. The reflection shone with a bright, pale green light until the silhouette of a man appeared. He was tall and lanky, dressed all in white and black finery. His hair had three white stripes encircling half the circumference of his head. His yellow eyes burned with determination as he calmly gave his greeting.
"Hello, Meister Kimiko. Mei, Misato," he said in turn.
"Hey, Lord Death!" the sisters said in unison. Mei's tone was excited while Misato's was less than enthusiastic. She pulled out a file and began to shape her fingernails as Kimiko gave her report.
"Hello, Lord Death. We're reporting from inside the Forsaken Forest. We've solved the mystery behind the missing girls from the nearby haven. Wolves from the Lust pack have been luring them in with enticement spells, and devouring them, body and soul."
"That's grim news, but it's good that you were able to figure out what is going on," Lord Death replied.
"What are our orders, sir?" Kimiko asked.
"Your orders stand: seek out and destroy the Witch Vraska," he said darkly. Kimiko gave an affirmative nod and Lord Death continued. "A talented Meister like yourself should have no problems defeating her. I'm sure the symmetry you and your Weapons have helps a long way with that. How many more souls do you need before you're ready to make them Death Weapons?"
"We're almost there! I've eaten seventy-seven kishin eggs, and Misato has eaten eighty-two!" Mei piped up. Lord Death's left eye began to twitch as an expression of annoyance appeared on his face.
"It would be more ideal to split the souls evenly between your Weapons, but I suppose the end result is still the most important thing," he said, smoothing his tie.
"Give it a rest, Kid!"
From behind him, a beautiful woman who could have been in her late twenties or early thirties put her hand on his shoulder. He started to growl, his lips curling around bare teeth.
"Yeah, Kid! They're doing just fine! Girls, you're doing great, okay?"
Another woman, just a few years younger than her sister came alongside him and tucked her arm between his. She leaned closer to the mirror and gave them a wink and smile. They were Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson, personal Death Weapons of the Grim Reaper. Both were dressed in matching black suits and ties that were polarized to Lord Death's.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Kid? You are to refer to me as Lord Death!" his arms and legs flailed as he hung suspended in midair a few feet above his chair. Mei started giggling, Kimiko's face contorted as she tried not to crack a smile, and Misato just sighed in annoyance.
"Well excuse me, Lord Death! You should seriously cut these girls some slack. They've been working hard!" Liz scolded.
"Yeah, not every feels the need to have perfect symmetry all the time," Patty added.
"Enough! Girls, even though your methods are different than mine, you know good and well that the formula must be exact," Lord Death interjected.
"Ninety-nine kishin souls, and one Witch soul," the girls recited for perhaps the hundredth time.
"Very astute," Lord Death replied with a smile, as if he had actually not expected them to know the answer. "I am still holding the soul of Witch Lorena here at headquarters until your Weapons are ready for their transformation. Collect your remaining kishin souls, slay the Witch Vraska, and report here when you're done."
"Yes, sir!" the girls said excitedly.
"Lord Death is signing out," and with that the image in the mirror disappeared. The light from the sneering moon was the only light in the Forsaken Forest. The sounds of wolves howling in the distance gave a bone-chilling reminder of where they were and what they were doing. They took the time to gather the souls from the pack they had slain. Most were given to Mei so that she could catch up to her sister.
"It's time to move out. We need to clear those thorns," Kimiko said, tucking the mirror back into her back.
"I got this," Misato said. She transformed into her Weapon form and hung suspend in the air. Kimiko grabbed her, spun and sent her sailing towards the trees. She let the Weapon decide the path for herself, but powered her flight with her wavelength. After a dozen slices or so, the thorns fell to the ground revealing a path that led further into the forest.
"Ready?" Mei asked. Her sister returned to her human form and brushed the dust off her hands.
"Let's go," Misato replied, and the girls threw their hoods up and started down the path.
"Ah!"
Takashi hit the ground with a thud, doubling over in pain. He coughed and noticed that there was some blood mingled in with his saliva. Things were not looking too good. He thought about just staying there on the ground, accepting defeat, but he knew that his trainer would never let him get away with something like that.
"Stop being a big baby and get up!"
Black Star. He was the most dangerous Death Dealer in the Grim Reaper's employ. Takashi had requested him specifically, mostly at the prompting of his weapon partner Ayame. He could feel her shame and embarrassment radiating into his being from her Weapon form.
"On your feet! I won't say it again. You want to be a Death Dealer, don't you?" Black Star demanded. He did. He did want to be a Death Dealer. It was harder than his studies had ever been at the DWMA, but like so many others, he had nothing left. The whole world had descended into darkness and Madness reigned. Only a few havens remained where people were safe from its lure. Even there, they kishin-spawn preyed upon them.
Territory wars broke out among the Witch covens and many of them had taken to using magic to bind the kishin-spawn to their will. They brought them up as their soldiers and used them to do their bidding. If one of the havens was in the way of their march, they killed the inhabitants and burned it to the ground. Only the Death Dealers dared to oppose them. Under the direction of the new Grim Reaper, these Witches were hunted and eliminated, the innocent, protected.
Takashi and Ayame were born in Japan. The journey from Death Valley to their homeland had been a treacherous one. Government and transportation had shut down. Rioting and looting had overrun nearly every city from the Academy to Tokyo. It was fortunate that they had each other and were capable enough to defend themselves when they were attacked. The journey had taken a year and a half, and when they arrived, they found the city was in ruins, the inhabitants slaughtered. Ruled by an evil Witch, their proud land had fallen to the growing Madness.
They had decided to die, to give up together. They knelt, took the knives in hand, looked each other in the eyes and were just about to plunge the blades in when the wandering samurai intervened—Mifune. The Witch that he had spent the last decade defending had died and he had failed. He too, had climbed the lonely hill to take his life. It was him who had given them hope. It was him who had led them through the blasted lands safely to Oceania. He told them that the son of the Grim Reaper had taken up his father's place and was raising an army to fight against the darkness. Weapons and Meisters had the opportunity to be members of his elite task force: the Death Dealers.
"Yes! I will be a Death Dealer," he said. Though every movement made him wince in pain, he pulled himself to his feet and squared off against his opponent.
"Good. Defend yourself!" Black Star bellowed. Faster than should be possible, he closed the distance between them and struck. Takashi didn't stop to think, he let his instincts take over. With Ayame clutched tightly in his hand, he slashed and retreated, advanced and dodged, rolled and countered. It was a futile effort as it had always been against a foe so swift, so powerful. Soon a combo of punches hit him in the solar plexus and the ribs. A sweep took him at the ankle and he fell to the ground, defeated again.
"We're done. I can't stand to watch you make a fool out of yourself anymore," Black Star complained. He tromped away without offering to help Takashi to his feet. Ayame transformed and took his arm in hers. He looked up at her and when he saw that she took pity on him too, he snatched his arm away and felt the sobs coming, but managed to hold them back.
"You're getting better," she insisted, "we've never lasted that long against him before."
"We've been training with him since the day we got here. I'm getting my ass kicked every day; I'm not learning anything," he complained.
"That's not true," she countered, "We can resonate our soul wavelengths better than we ever thought we would be able to. Merios…"
"Isn't here anymore," he interjected, "He ran off with Soul Eater to find his long-lost partner and only comes back for a few weeks at a time. And we're left with him."
"Maybe you're right. Maybe we're just wasting our time here. We don't need to be Death Dealers to make a difference. Do you know how many havens don't have Weapons or Meisters as guardians? Every day they fall victim to attacks from kishin-spawn. We could leave this place and help those people. That's what Sky and Rain did," Ayame pointed out.
"Sky and Rain went rogue. They got sick of Black Star's shit and ran off. No one has heard from them in months or even knows if they're alive! You do remember what it was like out there, don't you?" Takashi asked.
"Did you really just ask me that? Of course I remember. That's why we're here!" Ayame shot back.
"Kimiko makes it look so easy," he complained.
"You remember when she was the weakest link on our team back in the day?" Ayame asked.
"It's amazing how much a few years can change someone. You know she lost her family just like we did—Mei and Misato too," he pointed out.
"They grew up just outside of Death City, and joined up with Lord Death shortly after the city fell. They had been training longer than we have so far before they were made full-fledged Death Dealers," Ayame said.
"Now she's rank-two," Takashi interjected sourly. The more and more he thought about it, the less and less he liked the situation. He missed the days when the only concern was making sure that his grades were where they were supposed to be. Climbing the ranks and earning stars as a Meister had never been his concern. He imagined that after he graduated from the DWMA and made Ayame into a Death Weapon that he would secure a teaching position at the Academy. That dream had descended into a black hole, the world with it.
"Kimiko is walking down the path that was set before her. I suggest that the two of you stop making comparisons and focus on where you are right now."
The turned and saw Tsubaki was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed. The look on her face told them that a lecture was coming. Time and circumstances had changed her as well. The sweetheart school nurse was still in there, but only under the shell of a hardened Death Weapon. Before they could make objections, she continued.
"Takashi, you came to us saying that you wanted to be a Death Dealer, and that you wanted to make Ayame one of Lord Death's personal Weapons. Do you know the reason why Black Star is so hard on you? Well! Do you?
"Fine! I'll tell you why: because he sees that the two of you have what it takes. Merios saw the potential in you two, and I trust his judgment even more than Black Star's. Kimiko is leagues ahead of you, but you shouldn't be worried about that. You should be worried about walking the path before you. Don't try to be as good a Death Dealer as her because you'll be selling yourself short. Focus on being the best Weapon and Meister that you can be and you will succeed. I know you can do it."
"She's right," Takashi said, moved by her encouragement. He picked himself up, dusted himself off and started running through the kata Black Star had taught him. It didn't matter how long it took him to get there and if it took longer than someone else. The only thing that mattered was keeping his eye on the goal and running as fast as he could. Ayame smiled and started going through the kata too.
Next time we spar, Black Star, I'm going to give you a fight to remember.
Across an endless expanse of scorched earth, Rain led the refugees on horseback. They had miles to go before they found another haven. She could only hope that this one had not been overrun too. The Witch Liliana was building an army of reanimated corpses. They were sluggish, slow, but innumerable. She and Sky had fought of scores of them before they finally accepted that there was too many of them, and ordered the retreat. Half of the town's population had died during the attack, and half of the survivors had died on the long road between Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.
Vegetation was scarce. The once lush land had become all but a wasteland in the wake of the Witch Wars. There was no game to hunt and people were starving. She could not remember the last time that she had eaten. Days? Weeks, perhaps. It won't be long before we're out of clean water to drink. Then what are we going to do?
"Don't look so glum," Sky said. Her weapon partner gave her a half-hearted smile. Even when she worked to keep her emotions from her face, her friend could always tell when she was despairing. It irritated her. She needed to lead these people. It would not due to show anything but strength in the face of adversity, no matter how bleak the odds.
"Am I that obvious?" she asked, returning the smile.
"No. I just know you well enough to know when you're faking it," Sky replied.
"Be honest, do you think we're going to make it?"
Sky grimaced. She wasn't very good at hiding what she was really thinking either. There was no need for a reply; they both knew the situation. If they failed, they would have doomed these people. All of the hope that they had given them would be false and they would have failed. As valiant as the efforts from Lord Death's forces were, their arms could only reach so far. When they started, there were less than a dozen Death Dealers to try to help the whole world. Even numbering in the hundreds now, there were too many places that they could not go, could not reach. There were too many people that were left to their own fates.
Once Sky and Rain left, found their home town intact and safely secured their families inside a well-protected haven, they decided that it would be too selfish to let their talents and strength go to waste. They had travelled to Oceania thinking that the Grim Reaper would make Death Dealers out of them, but they had been mistaken. It was endless training, a daily ass-kicking from the freakishly strong Black Star, and more orders and rules than her free spirit was willing to follow.
"We can't wait until we have the stamp of approval from the Grim Reaper before we start trying to make a difference," Rain had determined. They kept count of the people that they had saved, kept a running tally. It wasn't a score to boast about, but it served as motivation to keep them moving.
1,223: that's how many people would be dead right now if we hadn't left when we did, she thought to herself. That number was what reminded her that she had made the right decision. It was that number that kept her motivated to persevere even when facing dire circumstances. Things had never been quite this bad though. They had hundreds of mile behind them and hundreds of miles ahead of them. The havens were too far apart to take untrained civilians across contested enemy territory.
"What's that?"
"Look!"
"Up there! Over the hill! It's people!"
Rain snapped her head in the direction of the commotion. A dozen horses and riders were approaching at a breakneck pace.
"Maybe they have food!" someone said hopefully. She knew better than to hope for something that serendipitous. The binoculars in her saddlebag confirmed her suspicions and she felt her heart sink into her stomach.
"What is it?" Sky asked. Rain handed her the binoculars and stared into the distance. Bandits, and a lot of them. They roamed the land looking for vulnerable travelers, preying on the weak. They would take their provisions, by force if necessary, and leave them to die. There were no soldiers among the refugees following them, and it was doubtful that the two of them could fight off a dozen. It was not uncommon to find Weapon-Meister pairs among the bandits. Many of them had refused to join the Grim Reaper's resistance, and some had even sided with the Witches.
"Everyone stay together, and get behind me!" she commanded. Fear and panic broke out among the people, but they obeyed. They brought the caravan to a halt and waited as the bandits closed in. They brought their horses to a halt about fifteen feet from where Rain and Sky had dismounted. One of them held a banner with a sigil of a blue soul clenched between bloody red teeth and hatred stirred inside her heart.
"You're members of the Chaos Clan," she said accusingly.
"Guilty as charged, pretty lady," their leader said. She was a stocky, ugly man whose arms were marked with hideous red scars. He was a Meister, or had been. The woman beside him with the shaved head and branded tattoos must have been his Weapon. Both of their souls were a tainted red color as a result from devouring innocent human souls.
"I think you know what's about to happen," the woman taunted, "It'd be in everyone's best interest if you didn't resist."
"Yeah, we'll make this as painless as possible. All we want is your souls," the scarred man sneered.
"You can't have them! Sky!"
"Right!"
Sky transformed into a halberd, spinning gracefully into Rain's hand. She leveled the spear point at the ugly man and waited for his next move. He laughed as if he were pleased to see that they were going to resist. His Weapon transformed into a flamethrower and he aimed her straight at them.
"Round em up, boys!" he commanded. The rest of his posse gave their reigns a flick. There were two more Weapon-Meister pairs among them. The rest of them wielded tridents with wicked points. The fight was on.
The flames came at her in a torrent, but she was too swift. She stood in her saddle and jumped up and away from the flames. Her horse gave a pained cry as it withered and died. Every time she attempted to get close, she had to roll out of the way to keep from being swallowed by the fire. She slowed down the approach of the other Weapon-Meister pairs by bringing the legs of their mounts out from underneath them with a mighty, circular swing.
One of the Weapons was a spear, and the other a sword. All three closed around her, leaving the dirty work to the rest of their posse. Strike fast and hard! Bring one of them down and help even the odds. She charged like a berserker at the sword Meister, knowing he would have the most difficult time defending against her Weapon with superior reach. As retreated, his foot caught on the charred remains of an old tree root and he fell on his back.
It was not the honorable thing to strike a foe on the ground, but this fight had nothing to do with proving something; this was about survival. The axe-end of her halberd found his breastbone and cleaved it in two. Distracted by the elation of the kill, she felt the spear penetrate her thigh.
"Ah!" she screamed. The spear Meister could not have matched her skill if she were not wounded, but he had nicked an artery. The blood was gushing down her leg. Dizziness and nausea set in and she began to weaken. No! I can't die! Not now! Not like this!
She fell to one knee, leaning hard on her Weapon for support. She tried to apply pressure to the wound, but it was too painful and too late. Sinister laughter came from the leader as he lumbered towards them slowly. A victorious, bloodthirsty smile painted on his disfigured face.
"A strong soul like yours is going to make a fine meal for my Weapon," he boasted.
"We've failed," Rain said sadly.
"We made a difference. Think of how many people would be dead now if not for us," Sky offered.
"We gave them hope, and now we've dashed it to pieces," Rain said. She didn't have the energy to cry. She pulled herself to her feet, deciding she would rather die standing than on her knees. Before the flames could bathe her in an agonizing death, the sounds of screaming and fighting diverted their attention to the refugees.
"What the!" the disfigured man exclaimed. With his attention diverted for just a moment, Rain's instincts kicked in and she brought Sky down on the shoulder of the spear Meister with a savage swing, cleaving his arm from his body with a single blow. He dropped his Weapon and clutched the wound, wailing in shock and pain.
Behind them, a man dressed in a black trench coat swung a scythe through the ranks of the Chaos Clan. Arms, legs, and heads flew into the air with every swipe. He moved so quickly and fluidly, Rain could barely keep up. Then again, her vision was starting to blur and darken as it was getting harder and harder to stay conscious.
"I'm gonna burn you for that!" the disfigured man let a jet of fire come out of his Weapon in a stream meant to engulf the scythe Meister. Though her vision was failing, her soul perception was clear. The Meister's soul was impossibly large, the frequency of his wavelength moving faster than anything she had seen before. She could tell that he and his Weapon were resonating. Only a Death Weapon could manage that much amplification without exploding.
"Legendary technique of the scythe-Meister! Witch Hunter!"
One circular swing sliced through the spear-Miester, his Weapon, the disfigured man, and his flamethrower. All of them disintegrated into nothing more than floating souls. The demonstration of skill and prowess was unparalleled and suddenly she recognized the Meister. His Weapon transformed and confirmed her suspicions.
"Chaos Clan. There's nothing worse. These guys aren't cool at all," Soul Eater said.
"My sentiments exactly," Merios added.
"Professor…?" was the last thing that she managed before she fell face-first into the dirt.
Lord Death sat in his chair and stared into the great mirror before him, his eyes watching the fights that unfolded all over the world. Violence abounded and the Madness had taken hold. It pained him to think of the thousands upon thousands that had been sacrificed of the years and the thousands more that would still have to die. It was a hard job trying to decide who was worth saving, and who had to be let go. Someone has to do it…Father, I wish you were here. You always knew the right choice to make.
The click-click-click of heals against the marble floor caught his attention. He did not have to turn to know who it was. He had sensed her soul when she was still miles away from the haven. Having inherited all of his Father's abilities, he could sense souls from very far away. With his mirror, he could watch events unfold on the other side of the world. Death Weapon soul wavelengths had a specific signature, and this one stood unique among her peers. Her soul perception was unprecedented, rivaling even his abilities.
"Azuha," he greeted without even turning around. "I didn't know you were coming. You're supposed to be scouting with Sid and Nygus."
"You told me to come right away if I ever found him…well he's finally come out of hiding," she explained. He spun around in his chair and raised his eyebrows. There was no need to clarify who 'he' was.
Liir, I've found you at last. Finally…I will have my revenge.