Next X-mas chapter! Little helpful before-something, Arro's name is pronounced R-O. Like Jell-O, only with an R.
December 25, 2013, (Christmas Day)
"The one thing worse than death is to avert your eyes from it. Look straight at the people you kill. Don't take your eyes off them for a second. And don't ever forget them, because I promise that they won't forget you."
-Solf J. Kimblee
Kage's POV:
They were very hesitant, and I growled in frustration, readying a shadow from the ground to goad them into movement. Suddenly Rowan darted toward me, his hand glowing with the familiar crackle of a Soul Force, and I sighed, leaning into the solid hit as his eyes went wide, feeling the sensation of a basketball hitting a steel wall as the blood in my abdomen hardened, stopping almost all of the physical force. He quickly fired off the Soul Force, making my head snap back as I was sent backwards, my stance exactly the same as before, little furrows leading from my previous spot to my feet as his eyes widened. "Not bad kid, not bad at all." I said truthfully, narrowing my eyes at the soft crunch of leaves behind me. "Mew mew meow meow mew 'mow mew! SABER TEETH!" I grunted as a force slammed me to the ground, melting away and reforming to see a spiky, cat-like creature that was glowing a faint gold, it's light blue "skin" shaped in short, deadly spikes, much like a Black Blood attack. "Tch…A Witch and a Meister don't make a team. Where's the rest of you? Where are your allies? A battle is won by multiplicity, not strength." I told them condescendingly, shaking out my tingling arms.
I was suddenly warned by a soft breath of air, tucking into a roll and coming to my feet as the air above my head was sliced in two, Linden stepping back nervously as the small spear in his hand twitched a little, the blue-haired girl staring at me with her small purple eyes. "She's got the reflexes of a panther!" I grinned, moving to knock the meister's legs out from under him as he hurriedly jumped back, looking panicked. "And the muscles to come with it!" I chuckled, whipping around to block the swipe of the Saber Cat, it's spiky paw cutting deeply into my wrist as Black Blood began to flow down. "Now children…what should you never do with someone who has Black Blood? Bleeding only makes me stronger." I purred, and they all screamed in shock as the pillars hit them, my mind carefully controlling the blows so they hurt, but would do no lasting damage.
They slowly came to their feet, panting and staring at me in vacant shock. "When the Cat hit her…it was like my magic was made of paper." Birch whispered in shock, and I chuckled as the blood dripped slowly down my hand. "My hand still hurts from when I tried to attack her with the Soul Force." Rowan grumbled, shaking it out as I smirked a little wider. "Even with Linden's special pinpoint accuracy we still didn't even scratch her…" Berry whimpered, and as one they breathed "What the hell are you?" I began to laugh, chuckling to myself for a few mental seconds before abruptly stopping. "What I am, children, is the results of centuries of depraved humans and desolate spirits all working towards ultimate power. Every aspect of me has been enhanced to be stronger, faster, smarter, MORE. This is the path we are leading you onto. Be warned, once you take that final step and relinquish your human soul, there is no turning back. A Nightstalker can never again regain that which makes us human. This is the price of our strength." I said softly, and they all looked down, as if mulling over that.
"Lock, please take them around the school. Lord Death deserves to see the possible new students he has, and they can decide if they want to stay here or come with us." Rowan and Linden both looked slightly shocked at that, and I chuckled. "What, you think we're going to press-gang you into the clan? Unwilling members are worse than no members at all, so why on earth would we force you? We would very much appreciate it, but then again it is your humanity. Giving it away is a very big life decision. You guys have about two or three months to make it; All new members are sworn in on Halloween night. The new leader will be chosen that night as well." I said, musing after them as Lock started leading them away. "So…what do you think?" I asked empty air, and Akuma sighed as he dropped out of the tree he had used to watch the match. "Rowan will stay if he thinks we're the strongest there is. He's got a lot of ambition and pride to match it. Birch will stay if her friends do, same as Berry. Linden is the telling point; if the two males stay, the two females will as well. He's also the one with the least amount of motivation to stay with us." he said, and I sighed. "Of course…so then, let's hope he decides to stay with us."
***Time Skip***
"Oy…watch where yer sitting girly." I bared my teeth at the drunkard as he scowled at me, my shoulders tense as the stench of beer and unwashed bodies washed over my sensitive nose. I whistled softly, and soon enough an old woman hobbled up to the stool, her left eye hidden by a ragged strip of cloth, repeating the whistle back to me. "Aye then girly, what's the business?" she croaked, and I swallowed a long draft of the contents of my mug, then wiped my lips with the back of my hand. "Kidnapping. A bunch of out-clanners taken in by some organization run by people in white labcoats, right in the Thousand-Dead territory." As a Nightstalker, it was both morbidly amusing and mockingly repentant to name a certain area after past crimes committed in it, the "Thousand-Dead" a clan of humans DK had taken out a few centuries back. "Took 'em in to maybe broaden our gene pool. Problem is, they don't know who caught them, eh? So that's where the informants come in. We got a bunch, Weapons, Witches, Meisters, all of 'em locked in for maybe two to three years in a base in the woods. Think you can work with that?"
She snickered at me, showing lots of missing teeth. "You're an unfaithful wench! On so much information? Consider it done ducky." She pinched my cheek fondly and waddled off into the crowd. "Hent. Informants are so friendly…" I muttered in annoyance, sipping again at my drink as another was slammed down next to me. "Hey there beautiful, this spot filled up?" I glanced to the side, seeing a young, thin kid with black hair and dark clothes. His eyes were an intriguing dark grey with a friendly sparkle to them, his lips set slightly in an inviting smile. I shrugged silently, letting him perch on the stool next to mine. "All alone are you?" I glared at him. "My brother's here too, and you don't want the trouble it'll take to con me." I snapped, and he held up his hands defensively as I tried to stifle a smirk. I was getting to like this guy. "Whoa whoa, don't bite my nose off! I was just interested in-" His voice suddenly got dark as I felt a familiar tingle of danger. "An outcast such as yourself, Nightstalker." Shadows were whipping at my hands, but suddenly an arm was wrapped around my throat from behind and something reeking familiarly of chloroform was shoved down my throat, making me instantly black out.
***Time Skip***
I came around, slowly, to find myself bound to a chair, inside a room that was covered all over with ocean-blue tiles, the chair in the center of a pentacle mosaic. My jacket was gone, baring my arms and shoulders to the world and showing the pale brand on my upper left shoulder. I was bound in a combination of normal ropes and some kind of cuff, the metal a strange blue-tinted steel…I hoped. Otherwise I has no clue what it might be. "So, this is the famous Kage, Demonmeister. You're taller than I expected." My eyes narrowed as I saw the same young man from the bar I had been kidnapped in waltz lazily into the room, a riding crop dangling from his hand. Gone was the simple black clothing; now he wore a full nobleman's outfit, complete with ornate chains and expensive fabric, a ridiculous hat perched on his silky black hair.
"What are you exactly? No NORMAL human would wear such ridiculous clothing even in the sanctity of his own lair. This is your lair I assume." I said calmly as he approached, stopping at the very edge of the mosaic as he grinned at me ferally, then stepped over. "You're also just as clever as they say. Yes, I am not human. You may call me Arro." he said slyly, tilting my chin up with the riding crop. "Mm. And what exactly possessed you, Arro, to kidnap me? Aside from my own vengeance, my friends and family are all nothing to be trifled with. The instant your guard slips even a little, you are as good as dead. " I replied, tilting the chair back a little to move my chin away from the leather as I stared him straight in the eye, hearing a slight chuckle as his eyes gleamed at me, still inviting, but much more dangerously so. They weren't friendly at all now either, glittering with unseen purpose and slight insanity.
He meant business.
"Because I am confident, Kage, that they will be no match against me. Look how easily you yourself fell into my hands, and you are the most powerful of them all. Even though the…misunderstanding…left you clanless." he chuckled, his soft fingertip gently touching my scar as I flinched, the skin throbbing a warning as his eyes grew wide and he pulled his hand back, grinning insanely at me as he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped off the offending finger, as if I had dirtied it. I felt a strong urge to spit on his face, just to see what he would do. "Yeah…so? I can tell them a million miles away what happened." I snapped, and he laughed, putting the scrap of lacy fabric back in his pocket. "Go on, try. Try anything." he said smugly, and I frowned, mentally flexing my will to tell the shadows to move. Nothing. Not even a flicker. Slightly startled, I tried again, reaching out for the tiny mental thread I shared with Akuma, only to find it neatly snipped in half, as were all my connections to my family, Kid, and even my meister friends.
I was utterly and completely alone.
But I was not afraid.
I wasn't.
I wasn't.
"I'm impressed Arro. I haven't run across this thorough a spell in…four months." I said quietly, and he grinned wider. "Ah! You mean Jack's attempt to seal you away? That was a masterpiece. I've taken a few things here and there from it to form your helix. So then, do you want to know why you are here?" he said proudly, and I shrugged soundlessly. The best way to deal with his type of person was to let them boast and ramble until they revealed something fatal. His grin was back, and he slowly reached up and tilted my head back, as if exposing my throat for execution as he trailed the riding crop across it. "I'm going to find out everything there is to know about you. I'm going to kill you until you're almost dead. I'm going to break you until you're almost shattered. I want to know about your kind, Kage the Nightstalker. And I'm going to do that by dissecting you until you're nothing more than the failed experiment you really are." he purred, and I growled faintly as he laughed and suddenly let me go, walking away without a second glance in my direction.
"Pleasant Nightmares!"
Ooh a new character! How exciting for you guys! *evil grin* Arro, kidnapper of awesome people and non-human mystery spy-eavesdrop-knows-all guy. If you already aren't precisely "fond" of him, that's intentional, he's supposed to be a jerk.