Of Knights and Windmills
"Oh come on Roland! Please?"
"No Alexa, I'm trying to do homework." Roland was leaning back precariously in his chair, not looking up from the hefty textbook he held in his lap. It had been a month since their victory over the Miner, and it had been a month full of missions as the two tackled their soul collecting with gusto. They had spent little of it at the Academy, instead traveling directly from one mission location to another. The taxing tactic garnered them a dozen souls, but their time away from the DWMA had left them with a sizable amount of make-up work to do upon their return.
Alexa slammed a fist on the kitchen table, pointing an accusatory finger at her Meister. "Bullshit! You've been reading that same page for the last fifteen minutes!"
He shot the Demon Sword an annoyed look. "Well it's kind of hard to concentrate with you constantly badgering me. Don't you have homework to do?"
"Homework can wait until we're done. A girl's got needs you know." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Consider it an exercise in trust."
Roland heaved a sigh of defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If I say yes, will you leave me be and do your homework?" She gave a quick nod and he dropped the textbook on the table with an unceremonious thud, bringing his chair back to all four legs and steepling his fingers. "All right, but I get to go first."
"Um..." Alexa hadn't been expecting this, but she figured it would be unfair of her not to play along. "How about we take turns?"
"Fine by me." She found herself fidgeting under his gaze as he gently tapped his index fingers together in thought.
"Where are you from?"
"A little town by San Francisco." She answered. "How about you?"
"New Mexico. My parents owned a house and some land up in mesa country. When did you figure out that you were a Weapon?"
She smiled at the memory. "About a year ago. My older sister had just left for the Academy when me and my folks figure out I was a Weapon to, so they made me stick around for another year before sending me off." Roland nodded slowly as Alexa let her eyes wander to the book shelf that dominated a whole wall of the study. "Where did you get all these books?"
"Hmm..." He tilted his head forward slightly, the sunlight streaming through the kitchen window reflecting off his glasses and hiding his eyes from view. "They were a gift from my father." He scratched his head, considering his next question. "Do you have any other family involved with Shibusen?"
"Nope, just my big sister and me." She beamed. "How about you?"
"My parents actually met while they were students at the DWMA." He sunk imperceptibly into his chair. "Right now my mom is a Three-Star Meister working in the Europe Branch."
Alexa let out a low whistle. "Talk about having big shoes to fill. What about your dad?"
There was a moment of silence. Roland frowned, eyes still hidden by the sun's glare. "He left when I was seven."
Alexa grimaced. Damn it.
"Shit, Roland I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
He cut her off with a wave. "Don't worry about it." Scooping up the text book on the table he resumed leaning back in his chair as Alexa struggled for words. "Just do your homework. We've still got school tomorrow."
Alexa felt like a total ass. The guilt of inadvertently bringing up the painful memory sat heavily in her gut, but she couldn't think of any way to immediately improve the situation. So she sunk into her seat and plucked her notebook and pencil from the table, listlessly scribbling doodles just to occupy the awkward silence the followed. Damn it.
"Damn it Patty!"
Liz's groan was muted by her sister's hysterical laughter and Kid's curses as she doubled over to clutch her stomach. A few strange fish looked up at the distraught Weapon as she tried to focus on the gently churning waters of the Babuto Seashore, seeming to mock her from their sanctuary beneath the waves. She scowled at the fish. I hate this so very much.
"This is unacceptable Patty!" A smile tugged at the corner of Liz's mouth as Kid reprimanded the younger of the Demon Twin Guns. About time he talked some sense into her. "If you're going to ram the ship..." The color drained from Liz's face. Please, if there is a God, save me. The Shinigami planted a foot high on the prow of their little row boat. "You have to ram it in the middle!"
Liz clutched desperately at her hat as their boat lurched away from the Nidhog, circling the ship with surprising speed as Patty worked the oars with a fury, making exuberant engine noises to accompany the roar of frothing water. She almost fell out of their dinghy as it broadsided the immense ghost ship.
"Well ladies, aboard we go."
"YAY!"
Knees quaking, Liz stood, clinging to the sides of the tiny boat for dear life as she moved to follow her Meister and younger sister. I need a new hobby...
Roland and Alexa were sitting in class, listening to Stein explain the collinear relationship between butter and the Japanese game show "The Last Banzuke", when Sid opened the door and poked his head in.
"Roland, Isabelle, and Kyla, Lord Death wants to see you and your Weapon partners in the Death Room."
Alexa shot a puzzled look at Roland, who shrugged and stood up. A few rows ahead of them a blonde girl with a bun and a boy with rusty brown hair also stood, while several seats away from them two more girls rose from their seats. They all filed out of the class room and, with Sid nowhere to be found, made their way down the hall towards the Death Room on their own.
One of the girls, who wore an orange pull-over hoodie and sported dark blue shoulder length hair, fell into step beside Roland, giving him a sideways glance before speaking.
"You have any idea why Lord Death wants to see us?"
Roland shrugged. "Not the slightest." She gave a bored sighed. Roland buried his hands in his pant pockets, trench coat rustling as they continued down the hall. "What was your name again?"
"Kyla."
A girl with eyes of glittering teal and wavy brown hair appeared at Kyla's shoulder, speaking quickly to introduce herself.
"I'm Sonya, Kyla's Weapon!"
Roland nodded to her, a little put off by her eagerness. "Nice to meet you two. I'm Roland."
Alexa took the opportunity to chime in. "I'm Alexa, Roland's partner."
The blonde at the front of the procession interrupted them in a severe tone. "Come on, enough chatter. We don't want to keep Lord Death waiting."
Kyla rolled her eyes. The rusty haired boy dropped back to walk beside Roland as the girls pulled ahead, Sonya giving Roland a shy glance over her shoulder before a cool look from Alexa sent her eyes to her feet.
"Hey. The name's Jackson. Don't mind Isabelle, she can be kinda up tight some times." Roland nodded, and Jackson smiled, eager to build a good rapport with his new acquaintance.
"Well shit, it's nice to finally have another guy in the group. Not that I don't like being surrounded by women, but they can be kind of hard to relate to sometimes, you know?" His comment elicited a chuckle from Roland and a reprimand from Isabelle. Jackson gave Roland a playful nudge. "Hey, maybe we'll get to do a mission together. How's that sound?"
Roland smiled.
"That sounds good. But it must be a pretty risky mission is Lord Death wants to send all six of us."
Jackson frowned. "Yeah, you're right. But it's probably nothing we can't handle working together."
"That's such horseshit." Alexa pouted. "I'm still sore from our last mission and he's gonna send us on another one? What are they trying to do, kill us?"
They arrived at the door leading into the Death Room and Isabelle opened it, the rest of the group quietly following her inside. They walked through the path of guillotine gates and soon found themselves standing before the Grim Reaper himself.
Sid was talking to Lord Death when the group arrived, and the two turned to face them.
"Hey hey hey, how's everybody doing?" The Death God's enthusiastic greeting was a bit jarring so early in the morning, but he got the muttered affirmative response he had been fishing for anyway. After all, who could deny Death?
Isabelle spoke for the group.
"We're all here, Lord Death. What did you want to see us about?"
The Shinigami sighed. "Always so serious Isabelle. Well, if you're in such a hurry to find out, I have a mission for all of you." Death waved a comically large hand at his zombie subordinate. "Sid will fill you in on the details."
Sid stepped forward.
"We've had reports of a string of killings in Ireland, and we have reason to believe that they are being perpetrated by an organized group of... well... things that have had the misfortune of being placed high on Shinigami-sama's shit list." Isabelle's hand shot into the air, and Death cocked his head to the side curiously as Sid cleared his throat. "Yes Isabelle?"
"What do you mean by 'things'?"
Sid scratched his head. "Well... what few eyewitness accounts we have only described them as humanoid, so we're no entirely sure."
Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest. "So we're probably dealing with monsters, not pre-Kishin?"
Kyla slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she addressed the pale Knife Meister. "And these souls gonna count towards our ninety-nine either way?"
Sid nodded. "Yes Kyla, you'll be able to keep any souls you collect during this mission. These monsters, if they are monsters, are now on Shinigami's list, so consider them fair game." He turned to address the rest of the group.
"You're all fairly seasoned at this point, so together you should be fine. But monsters are even more unpredictable than the stuff we normally pit you kids against, so it's important that you all watch each others backs. Am I understood?"
They nodded. Shinigami waved a hand dismissively at Sid.
"Don't let Sid get you down, you guys are gonna do great! Now go get 'em!"
The students filed out, and Sid shook his head.
"I've got a bad feeling about this one, Lord Death. I don't like sending students into dangerous situations. That's not the kind of man I was."
Lord Death laughed.
"Don't worry so much Sid. They'll be fine."
Three days later, the three Meisters and their Weapons found themselves standing in an open field, looking at a crumbling windmill. Somehow its great wheel had remained mostly intact, but stone had fallen away from the structure here and there while a few wooden beams jutted out from its sides. The whole structure seemed to sag like a wet clay pot.
The night was cool and the sky was clear but a thick mist was beginning to cover the ground around their feet. The woods that surrounded the field and mill looked forbidding, the trees' limbs twisted into unnatural shapes. Isabelle broke the silence.
"This is the place."
The others nodded in ascent. It looked ominous enough. They made their way across the field to the old windmill, and were halfway there when Kyla raised her hand for them to stop.
"They're coming."
Roland's eyes darted to the tree line, seeing nothing through the thickening fog. Alexa's voice was a livid whisper.
"How many do you think there are?"
Kyla looked around, frowning. "At least three dozen. And they're surrounding us."
Isabelle reached out for Jackson.
"Get ready everybody."
Jackson, Alexa, and Sonya took their weapon forms, and the three Meisters stood back to back in the center of the field, eyes scanning the trees for movement. Roland wished desperately that he could feel the souls of their enemies, the suspense was wreaking havoc on his nerves.
And then he saw them. Countless glowing red eyes stared back at the group from across the open field. Then one stepped into clear view.
The creature was at least seven feet tall, with gray skin, but it didn't appear to have fur or to be wearing any clothing. Its head was vaguely canine, though it had no visible mouth, with conical ears that extended diagonally up and away from its head. It had slit like nostrils, which occasionally flared open as it took in the scent of its prey. Disproportionately long arms ended in three fingered claws, with one positioned so that it might act as a thumb. The creature's legs were jointed like those of a dog, and each ended in two toed claws. The creature, though large, seemed to be utterly emaciated, ribs plainly visible as its chest rose and fell with the rhythm of its breathing. Others stepped out of the woods, some walking on all fours using their knuckles in an apelike manner.
The two groups stared each other down for a full thirty seconds. The Meisters were all on edge, waiting for the attack, and this time it was Sonya who broke the silence, voice shaky from within her weapon form.
"What are these things?"
It happened in the blink of an eye. Somewhere a gut wrenching howl sounded and the creatures charged, some running on all fours while others ran on two legs, pumping their arms like Olympic sprinters. They closed the distance with frightening speed, and within seconds they were on the outnumbered Meisters.
Isabelle chopped one in half at the waist. Roland deftly lopped one's arm and head off. Kyla, in a few quick blows, cut one's major arteries in it's inner thighs and armpits before slitting its throat and knocking it away with a kick to the chest before engaging another.
Roland felt a claw graze his shoulder, tearing at his trench coat before he split the monster's face with his sword. Somehow, the creatures were vocalizing, letting out yelps and barks as they joined the fray, and soon the Meisters were completely overtaken by the tide of gray monstrosities.
Isabelle swung her axe from side to side, hacking with almost mindless fury at the wall of gray limbs that assaulted her. A clawed foot connected with her shoulder, knocking her off balance, but Isabelle recovered in time to chop the monster in half. She used the momentum of the chop to lodge Jackson in another's chest, matching its disembodied roar with one of her own. She kicked it back and decapitated it, letting her axe continue to connect with another one's side.
Her vision took on startling clarity as adrenaline flooded her system. Droplets of crimson monster blood sprayed through the air in high definition as she freed Jackson and took the beast's head with a single swing.
Die.
"Isabelle, pay attention!"
Moments began to meld together incoherently as Jackson's blade revealed her enemies' steaming anatomy to the cool night air.
Die!
"Are you listening? Isabelle!"
Form and technique were of no object, recklessness of no consequence, discipline immaterial in the heat of battle.
DIE!
"ISABELLE!"
Jackson's voice wrenched Isabelle from her violent stupor. Her vision focused on the monster in front of her, and with a grunt she punched it as hard as she could, succeeding in making it stagger back a few feet before Jackson started to shout again.
"ISABE-"
"WHAT!"
"About fucking time! You're gonna get yourself killed going at it like this!"
She snorted derisively as she felled a charging monster. "I've got it under control."
"At least let me help."
Isabelle seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering. "Fine. Let's show them what we've got." She closed her eyes, concentrating on matching her partner's wavelength as monsters rapidly closed in around her.
A beast raised its claw to strike just as Isabelle's eyes shot open, her voice crying out in unison with her partner's.
"Soul Resonance!"
She felt her body fill with strength as her wavelength meshed with Jackson's.
"Fimbulvinter!"
Jackson took on an almost halberd like appearance, handle extending and double blades growing until their edges were a full four feet apart. A fine mist began to gather around his now frigid blade as she swung him over her head, cutting a monster in half down the middle. Before the severed halves could fall away from each other the creature's body was eviscerated by several jagged icicles that erupted from its already mortal wound. She roared as she waded into the remaining enemies, swinging Jackson back and forth to reap her bloody harvest.
Kyla wasn't even holding her weapon any more. She'd given that up after her second kill, when they became to close for her to swing the hoop blade like a sword.
Instead she was inside of the hoop, contorting and gyrating her body to send the hoop spinning around her, cutting enemies who came close to ribbons.
She saw a claw descend at her, and with a slight adjustment to the rhythm of her gyrating body sent the hoop to her outstretched arm, where it severed the claw and tore the creature's throat out. Another approached from her right, and she sent the hoop down her body to her foot as she kicked the beast, the blade lacerating its face and chest. Her breathing was steady as she cut a monster's head off with a casual flick of her wrist, the hoop blade moving around her so quickly that it hummed. She almost smiled. You can't even touch me.
She noticed that Isabelle had activated her soul resonance, wading off into the crowd of remaining enemies. Roland was holding his own several feet away, but she could tell he was beginning to falter against so many foes. His trench coat was torn in several places, and he bled from a gash in his shoulder. But despite that it seemed certain that victory was at hand.
Kyla reached out with her soul perception, smirking. Looks like we've just about wrapped this up.
At that same moment she felt two new souls reveal themselves at the edge of the fray. The Hoop Meister was so shocked by their sudden appearance that she gasped, a monster almost clawing her in her split second of vulnerability. With a curse she cut its arm in half, her until now tranquil heart racing as one terrible word resonated in her head.
Witch.
She could positively identify one of the souls as a witch of formidable strength. That alone would've been cause for distress, but it was the second soul that made her heart beat fast with unwelcome fear. It was unnatural. Her Soul Perception was painting a terrible and contradictory picture of a foe whose power eclipsed their own. Even the witch's soul was dwarfed by this second presence.
Kyla quickly found herself grappling with the possibility that their mission wouldn't be the success they had first envisioned.
"They're slaughtering my children like animals..." The witch's knuckles turn white as she clenched her hands in rage at the scene of carnage before her.
"It is of no consequence." Reminded her companion.
She grabbed desperately at him, eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "But-!"
"Enough." His voice was cold, vaguely metallic. "You will fulfill your duty or I will end you." She recoiled, cringing at the threat. The rasp of metal plates was barely audible over the dying sounds of battle as her ominous protector stepped forward, a dark wraith in the thick fog. "Retrieve what you need from the mill and leave the rest. I will occupy the intruders."
Panting heavily, Roland staggered away from a slain monster.
"Sweet, looks like that was the last one." Quipped Alexa.
"I sure hope so." The gash in his shoulder stung every time he moved his arm, but other than that he seemed to be in one piece. Dragging the back of his hand across his forehead he turned to look for the others.
He found them easily enough. The only problem was that they were not alone. Kyla and Isabelle stood side by side, facing a solitary figure.
"We've got no reason to fight. Just let us leave unmolested and we'll forget we ever saw you." There was only the subtlest hint of fear in Kyla's voice as she addressed the newcomer. What? Roland approached, confused.
His jaw went slack. Before them stood a man. At least, Roland thought it was a man, but it was impossible to tell. He, if he was a he, was encased head to toe in bulky ebony armor, a jagged black cape that was thrown around his shoulders flapping listlessly in the wind. Beside him stood an immense sword, blade lodged in the ground with his armored hand resting lazily on its hilt.
The Knight had no intention of responding to the blue haired Hoop Meister. The silence that followed her words seemed to stretch on for eternity, only punctuated by the crunch of wet grass under Roland's boots as he edged towards Kyla.
"Where did he come from?" He whispered.
"Came outta the fog when we were fighting those monsters." She responded. "There's a witch around here to, but she hasn't made an appearance yet."
Roland glanced back at the Knight, who stood at the edge of the forest like some immovable obelisk. "So... what's the plan then?"
"Well, it doesn't look like he's going to attack us, so I figure we can-"
"DIE!" Isabelle's voice shattered the quiet, Jackson's frigid blade leaving a trail of faint mist behind them as they charged.
"Isabelle no! He's too-!" Kyla never finished her warning.
Isabelle blinked. How did...?
Jackson was practically frothing at the mouth within his weapon form.
"That's fucking impossible!"
It didn't make any sense.
But there they were, weapons locked, the Knight holding Jackson at bay with his sword.
He held his massive rectangular blade with only one hand.
Impossible...
Without so much as a grunt, the Knight flourished his immense weapon, knocking Jackson aside and sending Isabelle staggering back. The stunned Axe Meister could only gape as the Knight pulled his sword back to strike. Impossible...
Kyla was a blur as she darted past, hoop whistling through the air. There was a dull metallic clang as the Knight blocked Sonya with an ebony gauntlet, forcing the lithe girl to spring back to avoid the blow meant for Isabelle. Kyla lunged to launch a dizzying flurry of slashes, snarling as Sonya's blade screeched harmlessly against the Knight's armor. An ebony glove shot out with blinding speed, coiling around the girl's pale neck and tossing her aside.
Once again it was Jackson's voice that snapped her back to reality.
"Don't just stand there Isabelle, let's get him!"
She shook off her doubt, eyes steely. "Right!"
Jackson's blade drew a trail of ice across the grass as Isabelle swung him towards the Knight in a brutal uppercut. Inky cape billowing, the Knight sidestepped the blow, reaching out to grab the Demon Axe's haft even as jagged icicles erupted from the ground around him.
"Flash Freeze!" Veins of ice spread from Jackson's haft to the armored glove that he had wrapped around the Weapon, quickly encasing his entire arm and shoulder in a freezing block and immobilizing it.
They stood for a moment, tangled, Isabelle panting. With the Knight's hand frozen onto her Weapon, there was little she could do to press the offensive. What had at first seemed an opportune attack now left her completely at his mercy.
"Foolish child." There was a resounding crack as the ice binding his arm shattered, and a dull thud as Jackson was thrown out of weapon form and to the ground at Isabelle's feet. Her eyes went wide. A wavelength attack? The Knight's expressionless helmet was all the more menacing as he shook off the few shards of ice that still clung to him. An armored hand reached out for the blonde. "I will show you the power of my will."
"Keep your hands off her!" Jackson rose, face a mask of rage, one of his half moon axe blades protruding from his forearm. He roared, smashing the blade into the Knight's chest. The screech of straining metal rang out in the night, but the armored figure seemed oblivious to the Weapon's desperate attack.
"I am unmoved by your loyalty. Begone." He knocked Jackson aside with a thunderous backhand, sending the Weapon tumbling gracelessly across the open field.
Fear's cold fingers ran down Isabelle's spine, making her shiver involuntarily as the Knight loomed over her. She cursed as she fell to her quaking knees, unable to look her killer in the face.
Will it be quick?
The sound of boots trampling wet grass. She caught a splash of dull green out of the corner of her eye as Roland swept past her, trench coat billowing ominously around him, Alexa's blade glowing as it caught the light of the cackling moon.
Or will there be pain?
With a cry, Roland caught the Knight's sword with his own, the immense blade forcing him to one knee. He coughed as he struggled to hold up his defense, just blocking the blow had been enough to knock the wind out of him.
"Remember the plan!"
With a grunt, he tilted his sword sideways, letting the Knight's blade slide harmlessly into the moist dirt. Roland winced as his knuckles met the cold steel of his cuirass.
Even if their Weapons couldn't pierce his armor, Alexa had reminded him that his soul could.
The Knight stiffened as the boy's soul crashed against him, waiting in silence as Roland's wavelength tried in vain to overwhelm his own. The smile that tugged at his lips was well hidden by his ebony helmet.
"You have not known pain until this moment" His metallic voice rasped.
Roland hadn't thought that someone wearing that much armor could move so fast. An open palm smashed against his solar plexus, knocking him onto his back and grinding him into the earth. The blow alone was enough to make him spit up blood.
The Knight's wavelength was less merciful.
The world around him was drowned out by the all consuming conflagration of pain that radiated from his chest. Every nerve was a rivulet of the purest fire, searing every fiber of his being, scorching his very soul. The ground around him shattered under the onslaught of the Knight's soul, crumbling to dust as his immense wavelength saturated the tall boy's body and sent him into the cold embrace of darkness.
The Knight stepped back from the crumpled Meister, doing nothing as his scarlet headed Weapon fell to her knees at his side. Isabelle still sat dumbfounded as her partner staggered to his feet, cursing bitterly. Kyla held her hoop at the ready, violet eyes boring into the Knight with violent intensity.
But he paid them no mind. Though the battle had lasted barely thirty seconds, his victory was unquestionable.
A slamming door caught the attention of the students as the Knight's conspirator burst from the wind mill, arms overflowing with yellowed scrolls.
"All right, I got the-" She blinked at the scene before her, then scowled at the Knight. "I thought we weren't going to kill the kids."
The witch had a shock of deep brown hair with a white stripe that ran from her forehead to the nape of her neck. She wore a form fitting black leather jacket, matching leather pants, and knee high black boots. A half-dozen studded belts hung from her waist, several more wound tightly around her arms.
"We're not." The Knight shouldered his immense blade, armor plates hissing against each other as he crossed to the witch, giving the students a wide berth. "Do you have the necessary materials?"
"I grabbed as much as I could carry, but I'll be able to pick up where I left off." She shifted in obvious discomfort as the Knight drew near, reaching into a pouch that hung from his belt and scattering a fine purple powder at their feet before turning to address the teens.
"Consider this a warning. The next time we meet I will not stay my hand."
He waved his hand over the dust at his feet. "Warp Powder!"
With a flash of light and a plume of hazy purple smoke, the two vanished.
Kyla let out a ragged breath, muscles uncoiling as she slung Sonya over her shoulder. Jackson stumbled to his partner, helping her to her feet.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded, taking a moment to level her breathing.
"I'm fine."
The Hoop Meister strode with purpose towards the wind mill as Jackson and Isabelle staggered past, the latter of the two shooting Kyla a confused look.
"Where are you going?"
"We need to know what they left behind." She responded over her shoulder.
Isabelle nodded grimly as Kyla jogged towards the decrepit structure, a feeling of foreboding replacing the paralyzing fear that sat in her gut. But there would be another time to dwell on that.
Right now she had to make sure Roland returned to the Academy alive.
A/N-And so the great adversary appears.
Whatever could their nefarious plans entail? Will this question be forgotten in an upcoming chapter devoid of monster-face splitting violence as characters are forced to interact with one another in a non-combat environment?
*Strokes his handlebar mustache suggestively, jelled eyebrow cocked*
Below this author's note you will find a button, and inscribed on this button are the words "Review this Chapter".
Upon clicking this button, you will be presented with a blank box, which you are encouraged to fill with your thoughts regarding this story.
And with that, my chickadees, I bid you adieu.
-TheManInTheHat
