Grendel: Devil Tales #4
悪魔物語
Chapter 4: Cruel Land
An Oddity was a strange being, no doubt. Especially one such as the Sawarineko, so it wasn't much of a surprise that within a couple of more minutes her leg had been fully healed. She stretched herself for a short time.
"Nyaaaaa….That's better, meow. I must say, human, your medicine worked really well, meow." Black Hanekawa said as she jumped and began to walk in her four limbs, like a cat, through the branches of the trees. Grendel kept walking from the ground.
"It was a medical recipe my wife taught me." His pace was steady, he cared not if Hanekawa walked too far from him. As for the cat, she jumped from branch to branch but didn't stray far from Grendel.
"Oy, human…" She began as she took a small glance back at him, the masked devil directed his gaze towards her.
"What?" Grendel's response was quick but blunt.
"I know why you do what you do, meow…but why bother? The entire world is corrupted by selfish people, meow. Your crusade might as well take so long, you could never end up killing everyone you consider corrupt, meow." Hanekawa's comment had a good point, taking on the world, worlds in Grendel's case, would be a never ending war. Corruption was always a concept present through any form of life. For every Yin, there's a Yang.
Corruption began as an idea
How can you stop an idea?
"Maybe…but I care not. I have nothing to lose, and due to my vampire features, I have an extended life span." He said as he kept walking steadily.
"Nyahahaha! Those are present facts, human. Not exactly a reason as to why continue your plan, meow." The cat laughed as she laid on one of the branches, her breasts pressing down on it making them very noticeable. The devil looked up as he saw her giggle. Whether or not Grendel took a glance at them, she wouldn't know.
"A reason? Maybe it's vengeance for losing my wife, maybe a desire to achieve the impossible, I care not…I may be broken, but still I do something about it rather than sit on my ass and do nothing." His response was very blunt and direct. Black Hanekawa felt the response sting a bit, as if what he said was indirectly said to her case. But then again, he wouldn't understand what happened to her and her master.
"Meow, you're very focused on your goal, aren't you? She remarked with a rather cute smile.
"Yes." He said before he kept walking.
Yes
I am patient
I am directed
I am Grendel
They reached Naoetsu town after some time, they were near the ruins of Eikou Cram School. Grendel took a look at it and he was indeed curious. How on Earth did a Tree grow inside and through a building? Black Hanekawa jumped through light posts and stopped on top of one of them before she began to smell the air.
"He's been through here, meow. Makes me mad he had to walk through here, meow." Black Hanekawa hissed at what she discovered.
That creep
Dared to pass through my master's last home
"This place…is it important to you?" Grendel asked, the cat turned around and let out a meow.
"Meow." She pointed towards Eikou Cram School.
"That is my myaster's and my home." Grendel took a look at the ruins again before looking back at her.
"Your…" Grendel began but Hanekawa let out a small meow.
"It's just me and my myaster, meow." Black Hanekawa laughed but the devil could tell she was faking that laughter.
"Your…master. She's part of you?" He already knew it, but he wanted to hear her say it to confirm it. Her ears twitched and she placed her hand on her chest, between her breasts.
"Meow. She and I share this body, But we are different personalities. Follow me, human." Black Hanekawa moved inside into the ruins of Eikou school. Grendel sniffed again, he narrowed his eyes as he followed her inside.
Again
She isn't
Is she lying?
Or is she oblivious to the reality of her existence?
They entered inside the building, Hanekawa narrowed her eyes as she heard some scratches echoing inside the halls near the classroom where she usually resides now. Grendel followed behind her and turned his attention towards an empty classroom. Most desks were piled up in small mountains, the windows and walls worn out and some broken. The devil took notice of a ragged school bag, he walked up to it and took it. Inside the bag he found a pair of glasses, broken and filled with dust. A hair pin with the shape of a white cat's face alongside yellow stripes on the side; and finally, a worn out school I.D. of Naoetsu private high school.
The picture in the I.D. was of a beautiful Japanese girl, she had black hair with dark purple eyes, she wore the same glasses he found inside the bag, her hair was styled in braids and they wore two of the same white cat hair pins. Grendel read the name.
"Tsubasa…Hanekawa." Grendel noticed the physical similarities between this girl and the cat girl he met. It'd be stupid to think of them akin to relatives in any way. They were obviously the same person.
She insists as if they're different beings
But what I smelled of her
She's a single being
As if both
The human and the cat…
Black Hanekawa kept hearing some scratches close but not close enough, she turned around and saw Grendel walking behind her. The devil was indeed fast for checking Hanekawa's items without her noticing.
"Oy, human…" Her voice echoed lightly through the halls. The devil just looked at her.
"You told me your name, meow. But you never asked for mine." She said as she walked calmly.
"I don't need to." Grendel's response was direct.
"Meow, human...that's cold." Hanekawa et out a small laugh
"Is it? We aren't friends, we share a common goal but nothing more." His words were true, besides she herself wasn't too fond of making friends, especially since what happened to her 15 years ago.
"Purrrhaps. But because I feel like it, you can call me Black Hanekawa, meow." She declared as she looked at him before she closed her eyes and smiled at him. He just looked at her.
Black Hanekawa
Tsubasa Hanekawa
Now it begins to make sense
Two minds
Fused
Hanekawa stopped in her tracks as her ears perked up and her eyes looked into one of the classrooms at the end of the hallway. Hissing whispers and growls echoed from it, the creature both Grendel and Black Hanekawa were hunting…was inside that room.
The devil creeped slowly towards the corner close to the classroom's entrance, the feline girl close to him but avoiding touching him so she wouldn't drain him of his energy. She would not be able to see but her enhanced he took a peek inside and found the creature he had been hunting curled up, holding something in his arms and whispering to itself.
Hissssssss
"We prevail, holy one. We shall raise the followers of the many armed god and lead him towards this world! Salvation is nigh…."
His words were madness in the ears of Black Hanekawa, she raised an eyebrow as she heard that.
What a strange creature
She took a curious glance at the devil next to her. He was stern, calm…or maybe a lack of emotion.
Some say
Murderers lack any form of emotion
Before the kill
Such thoughts were becoming true, he readied his spear. The eyes of his mask narrowed. He crouched momentarily before making his move. His armor began to wheeze as small portions of propelled fire ignited on his back, below his cloak. His armor performed a thrusting move towards the creature, his spear pointed forward for a devastating strike. The monster quickly turned around and managed to move any vital point out of the way, as well as whatever it was carrying in its arms. However, one of its arms got mauled by the strike. Tendrils of ravaged meat and nerves bloated out of the arm before it was completely severed.
"You've escaped me for the last time, Genestealer cultist. This will end once I vivisect you". The masked devil declared, there was a tone of a growl in his voice as he spoke, such a thing wasn't undetected by Hanekawa, who kept peeking from the door.
The creature growled in pain before it hissed at Grendel, the devil narrowed his eyes in contempt against the mutant.
"Unclean! Devil! You have brought ruin to our salvation in the past! You shall not deny us our ascension into the stars!" The creature snarled, Grendel said nothing. He aimed his spear at his target's heart and charged forward, as if his anger was the fuel of his movement.
The cultist was faster than usual. It evaded the strike at superhuman speed, as well as the upcoming slashes. It took a large step back before it charged back at Grendel, effectively knocking down the devil into the ground and snarling at him before clawing at the devil, tearing off a piece of cloak due to his enhanced senses.
Grendel regained his footing and traded slashes and blows against the abomination, none landed a solid, deadly hit to the other, their speed was difficult to be catched by the human eye.
Black Hanekawa was struggling to keep her sight on them. They were swiftly fast, perhaps not as fast she could be but it was the disciplined and focused movement of Grendel during the fight.
Swift
Never stopping
Never hesitating
As if it was a dance
Dance of death
And he was the main performer
There was no hesitation in the devil's moves. He knew when to be on the offensive and when to change into defense. The cat could tell, his main skill wasn't raw power. Even she would be able to take him down were it only a match of power…but he possessed a flexible and disciplined offensive.
The claws of the abomination clashed with the blades of Grendel's spear, both were pushing to overrule the other in this display of strength and endurance. Whoever fails would receive death as a gift.
"The false angels cannot aid you now! We are eternal, we shall rise again and again! You are alone…" The Genestealer cultist hissed but Grendel let out a faint chuckle.
"I am not alone…" His gaze turned to look away from his target, towards something behind the abomination. He looked straight at Black Hanekawa
It's obvious
He wants me
Wants me to attack
He remembered I wanted to hurt this thing
He kept his word
The devil does fulfill his bargens.
The devil's a gentleman.
The cat wasted no time as she quickly prepared her position to lunge herself towards the beast and she did so. Her strength for her launch was so powerful it cracked a hole on the floor.
The cultist felt a chill run down its spine, the small hairs in its twisted flesh captivating the feeling of a danger speeding towards it. It turned around and Hanekawa was already a couple of inches away from the cultist. She quickly took a strong hold of the side of its head, Pinkish lightning was unleashed alongside a snarl of pain from the creature as Hanekawa drained his energy.
Grendel managed to let go of the cultist just in time as the cat lunged at it. However, his armor lost some of its energy shields due to his proximity to Black Hanekawa's Energy Drain, it would be some time until they recharged.
The cat let go of the cultist, a smirk on her face was formed as she saw how the creature was curled up in pain, bleeding out from the severed arm wound he suffered from the devil's blades, and unable to move because of his energy being drained.
Yes…
It's what he deserves
What they all deserve…
The feline's cat ears twitched when she heard a small hiss…almost too young compared to the hisses and snarls the cultist usually made. Hanekawa turned her attention to the side where the monster lay defeated, she saw what appeared to be a baby-like monster, with similar features to the Genestealer, as the devil called it.
Ít began to crawl away.
"The…herald…" The cultist whispered weakly, trying to reach for the infant mutant.
A baby
Monster
The small creature made no more than three steps in its path before it screeched in pain as Grendel had walked up to it and stomped it in its head, keeping it pinned beneath his heel.
STOMP!
Ruthless…
The small creature moved its arms and tried to free itself while the cultists snarled and roared at Grendel.
"NO! DEFILER! DEVIL! Release His herald!" The demands were pointless, Grendel pressed his foot harder against the small creature. He returned his gaze upon the cultist.
"This is it? This is what you sought to hide? A creature that would grow and grow your cult once more, hoping to ravage this world? No…I swore I would break you. And everything you schemed." Grendel said before he released his foot from the baby-like creature and quickly stomped it again.
CRUNCH!
The force of his stomping movement completely crushed the infant creature's head, blood and gore splattered in an aggressive motion, painting the ceiling of the classroom and the floor in crimson.
Both the Genestealer cultist and Black Hanekawa witnessed what just happened with their eyes opened wide, the drained monster more out of shock than the cat. There is the ideal of treasuring the little creatures and delivering no harm to them, such was always one of the most common beliefs in society…the devil cares not, he only cares about collecting his due.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAGHH!" Roared the cultist with despair and rage, still unable to move. The devil turned his gaze upon it. It tried to crawl towards him and tore him to pieces. But such intent is null when your body betrays your intentions.
Despair
Horror
Anger
Hanekawa could swear she felt some form of smirk beneath the devil's mask. He raised his foot up from the baby-like creature he had just killed and stomped on it again, and again…and again.
"YOU RUINED IT! YOU RUINED OUR HAVEN!" The Genestealer roared once more, its anger as fuel to move towards Grendel.
"Oy you, meow…" Black Hanekawa said, a somber look on her face as she stomped her foot on the cultist's back, engaging her Energy Drain once more, igniting another screech of pain from it.
"You really want to die, meow? You attacked me, and then you got into my myaster's home? You seriously wish to die, meow?" Black Hanekawa said as she kicked him against a wall, breaking through it.
Grendel walked towards the beaten creature and pulled out his Large-sized pistol before he aimed it at him. The cultist painfully moved to rest on its back and glared at the masked man. He spat some blood onto his boots.
"We can never be undone…our Father shall-" Grendel interrupted by cocking the gun, loading its devastating ammunition.
"I care not for your last words. All I care about is for you to die." He said bluntly.
BANG!
Blood splattered after the shot. The wall was painted in crimson after the deed. The head of the cultist was no more, it detonated with violent strength after the weapon fired.
It was obvious that the round shot was designed to detonate as soon as it hit its target. What was left was nothing more than a torn form of squished and burnt flesh.
"To the devil his due." Grendel's remark was followed by a soft chuckle before he guarded his weapon. Black Hanekawa had taken a seat like a cat on top of a pile of disregarded desks. Grendel headed for the exit, but looked at the cat as he did.
"Thank you for the help." He said before moving away.
"Hey, human!" She called out, effectively gaining his attention as he turned around to look at her.
"Where are you going now, meow?"
Curious cat
"Some business…don't worry. You won't see me again." He said before leaving.
That was the deal, wasn't it? They agreed to help each other to kill the cultist. It is dead now, now there is nothing that makes them share the same space and moment, it is the devil by the deed.
However, Hanekawa felt faintly upset at his departure as she kept staring at him. This human was interesting, he caught her curiosity; both her and her master's, she wanted to know more. He was the most interaction she had in 15 years.
But the devil's departure wouldn't pass for a long shadow emerged from one of the windows, covering the light of the moon outside Eikou Cram School's ruins. Both Grendel and Black Hanekawa turned their attention towards the source of darkening the classroom's moonlight. To the afflicted cat, her face changed into one of worry, fear and anger; for she recognized the figure.
Danger…
Soon it lighted itself in an ethereal, pinkish light alongside red flames of the same kind. Grendel noticed this figure to be what it looked like, for a lack of a better term, a ghostly tiger.
Danger!
His yellow eyes ablaze, its jaw opened slightly and steam emerged from it.
DANGER!
"Found you…" Kako, the Hysteria Tiger growled.
"In a cruel land, you either learned to laugh at cruelty or spent your life weeping." - Robert Jordan