Sajin felt unsure of what he should do, as his attention went from Sabre, to Pantera, to Cesar and back. He could tell how strong Sabre currently was, and also had a pretty good idea of how strong Pantera is. The difference between them was considerable. He could also tell the difference between Sabre and himself, which only served to feed into his current predicament.
Should he take Sabre on in his own? No. He couldn't simply do that. After all, he had not been given any orders to go all out. Especially with witnesses around to see him do so. Then perhaps he could convince Pantera do join forces and attack Sabre together? While not his preferred option, it would help to hide his power, and make sure she was safe. Having made up his mind, his attention went to Pantera, just to see that it was already too late, as the former-Queen of the Beastmen was already charging at Sabre.
Pantera had easily closed the distance between herself and her opponent, jumping at Sabre with the intention to attack her eyes. Sabre calmly side-stepped to her right, before bringing up her closed fist, landing a devastating uppercut on Pantera. This sent the older female beastman onto the ground, along with blood and a few teeth.
"Pitiful." Sabre said with a scornful tone, looking down on Pantera.
Quickly rolling back to all fours, Pantera briefly raised a hand to her face to examine the extent of the damage, before she jumped away from Sabre. She always preferred to have some distance between herself and her prey, before then going on the offensive. All the while Sabre nonchalantly picked up a small rock from the ground, going as far as taking her eyes away from Pantera as she did so.
"So, what's it like livin' like a rat~?" She mockingly asked, looking back at Pantera.
"Silence! Younglings like you should know their place." Pantera roared back, taking a stance.
"Like you under Cesar~?" Sabre asked with a grin and head-tilt.
Letting out an infuriated growl, Pantera activated her [Tiger Step] art to enhance her speed and agility, as she once more went on the offensive. Using this momentary advantage she quickly went around Sabre, placing herself in the perfect position to take out her spine. However, this meant she had to deactivate her [Tiger Step], so she could use an ability that could actually damage the stronger Sabre.
This left her open to an attack. Something she knew would happen, but when Sabre lifted her left hand with the rock facing Pantera, she didn't think much of it. That was until the rock shot out of Sabre's hand. Had Pantera kept a more active lifestyle, then perhaps she could have dodged the blow, but as she was now, past her prime, she could do nothing as the small projectile struck her in the gut, and exited out her back.
"Boring." Sabre said, as she whipped around, striking Pantera in the face with her fist.
Pantera was sent onto the ground, with her consciousness already fading. Her body was unresponsive as she saw Sabre pick up the same rock as before, obviously readying for the final blow.
"I'd neva' let weaklin's… like Cesar… touch me…" Pantera mumbled as she choked on her own blood.
"So?"
"... shows… how you're still… that same brat… Tomo should'a killed…" Pantera remarked, motioning to her opponent's scar.
"Kehehe... 'Seems I can't learn my lesson.~" Sabre chuckled, preparing the final blow.
"..."
At this point Pantera had allowed her consciousness to drift away. Something that somewhat irked Sabre, as she wanted to see her reaction when the rock went through her head. As she went to "fire" her projectile, as massive hand fell on her wrist, quickly wrapping around it with enough strength to force her to drop the rock.
Looking at the being that now stood next to and over her, she was faced with the strange beastman that was standing next to Pantera when she arrived. He was strange due to the fact that while he seemed a wolf-type beastman, he was far larger than any she had seen before. In fact, his size reminded her of Tomo.
Sabre had no idea when he got so close to her, demonstating a speed that completely contradicted his size. She also was taken off-guard by his strength. Though it still wasn't anything she could not handle, as she pulled her arm hand away from his grip, and spoke with genuine curiosity in her voice.
"And you are?"
"Sajin Komamura." He stocially replied.
"Sabre.~ Now, why don't ya' step aside? I'll kill you later."
"I will not allow you to do as you wish, Sabre. That is my duty." Komamura announced, drawing his large, katana-like blade.
Sabre grinned, stretching her limbs and drawing her claws, which seemed to glow as she activated her own special ability she called, [Wolverine's Claws]. Her senses were telling her that this would be an interesting battle, and had knowledge enough that she knew that any who wielded the type of weapon that this "Sajin" did would be quite skilled.
Growling with bloodlust, she went on the offensive. An act that was met in kind by her opponent who brought his blade down with a mighty swing. She managed to avoid it, gaining a much needed opening to try to claw at his eyes with her right hand. This attack was blocked by Komamura's left gauntlet, but he wasn't finished. He then managed to grab onto her arm, and easily send her flying into the direction of the camp.
Managing to ram her claws into the ground, Sabre stopped her momentum, preventing her body from being sent into something. Going back into a vertical position, she took another stance, revealing the fact she had picked up several small rocks when she stopped her body.
Presenting them to Sajin, she concentrated her Ki, revealing to him her [Monk] abilities. Embedding Ki into the rocks and her fur, this allowed her to make them change into the shape of springs, before releasing the tension on them, and firing the rocks at him. Sajin wasn't fazed by this, as he shot towards her with surprising speed. Using his free hand's gauntlets to block the improvised projectiles, this left his other hand free to attack Sabre with an upwards swing.
Sabre herself was more than happy to accept the challenge, then bringing her right hand down on the rising blade. It was a seemingly perfect move, had not Komamura slightly changed the trajectory of his weapon, so it went under her hand, and then sliced her arm in half.
Letting out an agony filled cry, her left hand wrapped around the stump as she stumbled backwards, her mind racing through everything that happened so far. It should be impossible for someone like him to be that strong, that fast, and to be able to move so well with that size. It reminded her of when, in her youth, she decided to challenge Tomo. However, in that case she was only left with a scar. There was just no way that he could compare to Tomo. It was simply impossible!
"Damn… it...!" She growled in between gasps of air.
Trying to recompose herself, her mind went over those same thoughts again. It was impossible for him to be that strong. Of course, how could she have thought otherwise? After all, when she fought Tomo, he didn't even try. There was no way this was also the case here, could it?
"[Wolverine's Courage]!"
The change in her was immediate, as the technique she had called forth allowed her to calm down, and regain her composure and focus. To the point she could even ignore the pain of a missing arm. Focusing her Ki, she managed to stop the bleeding as she prepared her next move...
"[Claw Edge]!"
Taking on a stance, Sajin saw how her claws began to glow as the sunlight reflected off of them. While he wasn't exactly worried, this told him that he has held back for long enough. Now was the time to take her out, since Sabre was preparing for what seemed to be her ultimate blow. Sajin placed a bit more speed and power into his swing, as he then shot forth in a burst of speed that caught Sabre by surprise, and sliced through her chest, resulting in a bloody explosion as she fell on her back.
Sajin sheathed his blade after a few forceful, abrupt swings to dislodge whatever blood remained on it. Looking down at a dying Sabre, he decided to show respect towards the fallen Beastman Lord after seeing her skill in battle. He knew she was dying, bleeding heavily from her wound, which strangely overlapped with her old scar. He did nothing when her eyes went to him, and she lifted up her shaky arm, pointing at him.
"Geh, hehehe… Pretty good...~"
She mumbled with a blood soaked chuckle and strange smile. Her arm then fell upon her chest, her eyes went to the sky, and a final breath escaping her before life left her body.
Turning his attention away from the dead Beastman Lord, Sajin looked at the fallen Cesar and Pantera, making sure his initial assumption was right. Even from the distance he was certain that it was. Both of them were dying, in severe shape, and while it seemed like Pantera could be saved with normal healing potions, he wasn't sure about it. In Cesar's case, it wasn't even a question. He was beyond normal healing potions.
Now, there was only one option. Namely, using the Espada's green healing potions, which Komamura knew was a decision that he could not make alone. Luckily, he had his ring, which allowed him to communicate with the rest of his team. In this case he made contact with the being that had chosen him as his head servant. Nazz, or the Cero Espada, Naz'da'gar Cyddrunarth.
[Naz'da'gar-sama, are you there?] He asked, waiting for a response.
[I am, Sajin.] "Nazz", replied in a neutral tone.
[I have defeated one of the Beastman Lords, Sabre.] Sajin informed, leading to a brief pause before Nazz replied.
[How did it go?]
[She was strong, but nothing I couldn't handle. I believe that if the rest are like her, they shouldn't be much trouble.]
[Understood. Still, we cannot ignore the fact that there might be a significant difference in power between those ranked as "Beastman Lord".] Nazz sternly pointed out.
[Of course. There was also something else I must ask. Am I allowed to use our healing potions?]
[Was someone injured?]
[Yes, and I fear that normal potions won't be enough.]
[Hmm... Very well. I have faith in your judgment, Sajin. Do as you see fit.] Nazz said in a calm, reassuring tone.
[As you wish.]
With that their link was cut, and Komamura was quick to act. Materializing two green potions from the pack on his hip, a magic item that allowed all members of the team to carry over 100 items, he gave Cesar and Pantera each a potion. In Pantera's case, the potion healed the current injuries she had received from Sabre's attack.
Meanwhile Cesar, much like Nato, benefited from not only the healing of his current injuries, but also the ones he had suffered in the past. His missing fingers grew back, his scars vanished, and eyesight returned to his left eye. After a few moments, he began to return to full consciousness with a weary groan.
Cesar sat back up, feeling a sudden rush of vitality going through him. His hands quickly went to his body, scanning for any injuries, and it was then that he felt the difference. His motions stopped as he noticed that he could see the things through his once blind left eye. He froze, unsure of what to feel, or what to think, and while he was in this state his right hand went to the groud, allowing him to feel the sensations of his newly reformed fingers. Shock once again froze him as he saw his reformed digits.
"W-What did you do to him?" Pantera's shocked voice rang out.
Cesar's attention went to her, his face still frozen in a dumbfounded expression, while Pantera's expression was much like his as she saw him completely healed, like nothing had ever happened.
"I healed him and you both." Sajn stocially replied, empty potion bottles still in hand.
"W…" Pantera went to speak, but Cesar spoke over her.
"That's enough, Pantera. Sabre's dead?" He asked, getting back up as he looked at Sabre's fallen form with a blank expression.
"She is."
"Good. Get rid of her body. Wrap her in whatever you can find, and take her away from here."
"She could give us some good meat. She owes us as much for this attack." Pantera argued. with a growl.
"No. If her smell lingers, it might get us more unwanted attention." Cesar calmly argued, getting an annoyed growl from the female.
"Is it that bad?" Sajin calmly asked.
"You might've defeated her, but among our strongest, she's the weakest. We can't risk it."
Sajin gave him an understanding nod, and began to gather whatever he could to wrap her body to take it away. Of course, he didn't plan to bury it. As soon as he got far enough away from the camp, he would send the body back to Las Noches. While he was gone, Cesar was still going through the latest events in his mind when Pantera then confronted him.
"Are you going to ignore this!?" She hissed.
"Hmph! I'm ignoring nothing." He dismissively replied.
"He killed Sabre. I saw her body. That was not a true fight."
"It's good to see your eyes are still sharp." Cesar said, with with a dismissive tone as he began to walk away from her.
"Don't mock me, weakling! How strong are these Espada supposed to be?" Pantera asked with clear aggitation.
"Obviously they're stronger than we could've predicted. And since most of them are human, I'd say we're lucky."
This took Pantera aback, as she truly did not know that the rest of these Espada were humans. She had assumed that their number would have more turncoat beastmen like Sajin. This revelation however, almost made her go pale, as she knew what humans thought of them. Even if some of it was warranted.
"H-How can ya' be so calm!? They're goin' ta' kill us all!" She shouted in a state of near panic.
"They won't. Of that I'm certain." Cesar firmly declared, with an intensity that left Pantera in stunned silence.
"..."
Meanwhile in Asodosia, the entirety of the human forces had made it to the front gate, and the area cleared so that a camp could be set up, and soldiers could be healed and rested if need be. Out of the original force of 7,000 sent through the pass to liberate the city, only 4,371 had survived.
Though the losses could have been much worse, were it not for the timely intervention of the Espada. They who brought someone who could shockingly tame a Gigant Basilisk, which was now watching over their camp like a sort of guard dog, and assisted in clearing the area of enemy corpses by eating them. An irony that was not lost on the humans to be sure.
Naturally, it was a massive shock to the human forces when they saw the city basically emptied by only three individuals. This coupled with the actions of Inon and Carmyn, had almost immediately raised the Espada to the status of heroes. However, even the most eager of them knew, that now was not the time for celebration. While the Espada was instrumental in freeing the city from the grip of the beastmen, they had still not thoroughly searched through it. Thus came the need to look for human survivors.
To search the city, several groups were created, these being made up of at least five individuals, with at least one individual skilled at tracking, and at least one healer. In the case of the Espada they were split in duos, with only Grimmjow ending up alone. Their groups were the smallest since they had showed to be capable fighters on their own.
Carmyn and Inon were placed in a group with Captain Abel Cujo, as well as a ranger from Grimmjow's group, and Harribel to lead another soldier. They didn't have to go far to find some sign of human survivors, as they stopped at a rundown looking building, whose second floor had completely collapsed, and windows had been boarded up. On top of the entrance was a wooden sign with the word "Meat" sloppily written upon it.
While the ranger took the lead, Inon and Abel followed him closely, taking the true lead when their guide stopped in front of the door. Giving the group a nod, Inon placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed the door inwards causing it to collapse on the floor. This prompted a beastman to lunge at him from the dark. The Espada didn't even take its features into account, delivering a single deadly punch to it, before taking the time to examine its features. The attacker was a hyena-type beastman that wore an apron made of skin, and had a large cleaver in his right hand.
Not long after the door was opened, did the group smell the pungent aroma of flesh, with those more experienced recognizing it as human. Inon and Abel took the lead as they walked inside the darkened room, which was soon lit as the other soldier in the group removed some of the boards from the windows, allowing them a clearer look at their surroundings.
This had at one time been a type of shop, but it was now a shell of its former self, with trash in the corners and several pieces of human bodies displayed upon the counter. However, the smell did not come from here, but from a door that was behind the counter, slightly opened so the smell could escape.
"I would suggest those who are weaker of stomach to go outside and keep watch." Abel gently suggested.
With that the soldier and ranger excused themselves, opting to patrol the area instead of having to see what lay beyond that door. Especially when both were rather young, and probably were not used to seeing such things.
"You two?" Abel asked in a neutral tone.
"We're here for this." Inon said plainly.
"What he said. Come on. Let's get this over with." Carmyn added with a gruff.
"If you insist." Abel replied, as he then pushed the door open.
The sight was much like that of a butcher shop, however in the place of pigs, or some other animal, there were several humans. Men, women, and even children all types of ages and body types. While the room was colder than the outside, it was nowhere near cold enough to maintain human flesh. Perhaps because whatever magic was in play was not fully understood by those that had taken over this establishment.
Naturally Abel was the first one to go in, as he had seen things like this with some regularity for a considerable amount of time. Second was Carmyn, taking a few steps in until she stopped, turning around after noticing Inon was not going after them into the room. She looked up at him, his eyes were on the floor as he actively did what he could to not look at the bodies, while his own was rather stiff.
"Abel, go on ahead, I'll catch up." She calmly said, getting a nod from him as he walked away.
"What's wrong?" Carmyn asked her comrade.
"… I'm... sorry but… I don't know if I can go any further." Inon replied, his voice wavering.
"Is it the smell?" She asked with an understanding tone.
"No... I just don't think I am able to see anymore of this. Not now."
This was surprising, shocking even, to see Inon show so much of his feelings. To show so much of himself. This in itself was enough to affect Carmyn to some degree. After all, there had always been a reason that she liked to go around on his shoulder beyond the convenience. He was tall, strong, and almost unmoving, but now she finally saw him move.
"Fine. Wait outside then. We shouldn't be long."
Having said this, Carmyn walked after Abel, leaving Inon behind. On his face a somewhat lost expression formed as he saw her lack of a reaction. Perhaps it was for the best. Perhaps this was just another way for him to understand why she was the leader of their duo, beyond the respect he had for her as an elder, her skill, and knowledge.
As Carmyn walked further into the room, she saw that Abel had stopped, and was waiting for her to catch up to him. Meaning that he probably heard the conversation between her and Inon.
"You were waiting for me?" She asked, with a somewhat annoyed tone.
"Ah, sorry about that. I couldn't help but listen in. I found your reactions interesting." Able replied, continuing his walk.
"How so?" She curtly asked.
"Well, I've been seeing things like this for a while now, so I'd like think I've seen almost all reactions. However, there's still something refreshing in seeing a child consoling a giant, and managing to keep her wits above her when he couldn't." He casually replied, his eyes still looking through the room.
While the situation was a rather uncomfortable one, Carmyn couldn't simply let go of the fact she was just called a "child", her face twisting at the sound of this. Something Abel was quick to pick up on as his lips curled into a slight smile.
"No need to say it. I know you're not a child."
"How'd you figure?"
"The way you act. Your eyes…" Abel began, when she spoke over him.
"What about my eyes?"
"They lack something a child's eyes should never lack." He replied with a rather somber tone.
"Still, I am surprise you're taking this so well. Even the most hardened of individuals falter from time to time. It is common for it to happen to those that come fight this war. After all, not many can interact with beastmen after being in this type of environment."
Was her reaction that surprising? That was the question going through Carmyn's mind. She had always viewed death as freedom. Freedom from the things that might affect a person in life. Of course, sometimes that was not the case, depending on if that person died because of a certain spell, or was for some reason still attached to this realm.
Even so, as she looked at these poor people, she knew that they, at the very least were free from whatever things the beastmen did to them when they were alive. Though dead, they were free. It made her think back to how she was before she met Aizen. Someone that was living her life waiting for death, finding ways to pass the time with research and experimentation.
"While I understand why people would react like that, I only see flesh around him. There isn't much we can do for them. Even if we could bring them back, I doubt many would want to come back after what they went through. I believe that it's too late for them. Some might want to honor them for what they have done, and what they are, and I have no problems with that. However, I believe that we cannot let this affect us, and we should focus on making sure this no longer happens to others." Carmyn firmly informed, getting her a curious look from Abel.
"Huh. I couldn't have put it better myself. Which makes me wonder, have you ever been part of a war or similar conflict?"
"No. Why you ask?"
"I was curious. I've met and heard of people with similar view points to ours, but I saw them crumble when faced with situations like this. In my case, I started off similar to your partner, Inon. Perhaps a bit more open than him, but with time and all our failures I ended up like you. I was wondering if it was similar for you." Abel replied, his eyes falling on a large metal door in front of them.
"Actually, for the most part I had always cared little for the dead. Or the living for that matter. Then, I met the Espada and that eventually changed…"
Carmyn's words eventually drifted to silence, as she pondered on the slight lie she had just told Abel. The change wasn't so gradual as she had made it seem. It was actually much more abrupt, and surprising to the point she was taken aback by it at first, even if she never talked about it. With time, as she looked at her fellow Espada, especially the Dragon Lord, she ended up coming to the conclusion this change came from some kind of influence the female elf she had been fused with had on her.
"… That aside, what's behind this door?" Carmyn asked, finding herself wanting to change the subject.
"Again, if you want you can go outside, I'll call you back in a moment." Abel said, as he went to open the door with a somber expression on his face.
"I already told you I'm fine with dead people."
"I know. But even people like you, like us, are not entirely ready for the terrors of life. So, if you are going to stay, step aside."
Right away Carmyn understood what was beyond the door. It was not the dead bodies of those that had suffered horrors at the hands of the beastmen. It was those that had gone through said horrors, and were still alive.
With a large groan the metal door was forcefully opened, revealing to Carmyn a small room, from where an even worse smell emerged. The only light came from a small source of light on the ceiling, showing there were ten humans inside, three women, two man and five babies, with two of the women still pregnant. All of them were either wearing rags or were naked, and some were visibly malnourished. Their eyes were empty, vacant, not even reacting to the new arrivals.
Carmyn felt an invisible force wrap around her heart as it began to race inside her chest. She had expected this, but in the end it seems like her preparations were for naught, as she felt her mind race through all kinds of emotions upon seeing this. She now more than anytime before though that the Beastmen were something that needed to be punished, and that this war had to come to an end.
All the while feeling massive amounts of pity and concern for the people that were not killed by them, her eyes briefly went to Abel, who was slowly breathing in and out. Now regaining his composure as best he could, in order to maintain the image he should as a captain. His attention was fully on them, as he straightened his posture and spoke.
"We are here to free you. The beastmen are dead. You're safe now."
Some of them looked at him, before looking back at whatever their eyes were focused on before they had opened the door. For the first time in a while, Carmyn felt unsure of what to do, feeling the situation simply overwhelming her. Then she felt Abel's hand on her shoulder, and for a brief moment, her brought her a measure of warmth and comfort to her.
"This is Carmyn. She will heal you, and make sure you're all healthy. I'll go and make sure the beastmen are all gone."
Having said this, Abel began to walk away, leaving Carmyn alone with the group. Upon hearing his words, they finally began to move, as those that were carrying the children, started moving towards her like zombies.
"My child is sick. Please help him. They beat us if the children die."
"..."
In another section of the city was the group of Nazz and Leinas, accompanied by Elim, Hissa and a healer. They had made their way to a stable that was connected to a small building, and it seemed like during the city's better days, one could have arranged trips around the city in horse pulled carriages.
Having looked through the building first, they found several emptied out rooms, with either mattresses, blankets, or straw on the floors. All of them drenched in a certain smell that did not seem all that foreign to them. Finding nothing else, they decided to move to the stable, via a door that connected it to the building they were currently in. The stable was massive in size, with about 12 sections on each side, where one to two horses would normally be kept at a time.
The smell was unbearable, along with low sounds that came from the sections, which were followed by the groaning of chains from time to time. The first to be affected by this was the healer, who placed a hand over her mouth before she ran back into the building. Hissa seemed somewhat unaffected, while Nazz for the time being was an impossible read. Leinas was doing her best to wave the smell away, while Elim was also starting to feel nauseous.
"Try not to puke on any of us." Hissa said in an empty tone as she looked at her leader.
"Ugh... Don't mock me." Elim angrily said, despite the fact he looked pale.
"What are you two talking about?" Leinas asked while looking back at them.
"He has a weak stomach." Hissa nonchalantly replied.
"Really?"
"Not you too… Yeah, I do. When I'm in combat, the adrenaline and some potions help, but without them some things just get to me."
"Then, why not take more?" Leinas asked.
"I used up all of mine in the battle."
"Silence. We have other things to take care of now." Nazz firmly said, his attention on one of the sections.
All eyes went to the same place as his, and there they all saw a space that could comfortably keep two horses. There was still hay on the floor, a few foul-smelling buckets in a corner, and six women inside. They were either naked or in rags, with most of them having claw and bite, marks on them, along with chains connecting either a wrist or neck to the walls around them.
Some were laying on the floor, others were sitting together in the corners, while some had turned their focus to the newcomers. These had begun to approach them with what one could say to be carnal intent, if said person was into the most depraved, twisted, and inhuman things in existence.
They stopped only because the section had low gate to keep them inside, along with the chains, yet their arms reached out, calling out for them, saying all kinds of things that degraded them and the group. The looks in their eyes was not unlike that of a haze, or a trance. Like it was something that they were doing without being consciously aware.
Elim found himself slowly stumbling backwards, not noticing he was approaching another section, he did this until his back eventually went up against the gate of said section. Now, there are beings that always act in the same way, as long as a certain routine is kept. However, at the times that routine breaks, the being acts out. Elim found himself now doing something no beastmen had ever done when they were in charge; breaking the routine and allowing someone to act out.
A scream echoed throughout the stable, as Elim felt a woman bite his neck, with one of her arms going across his chest. Her strength was impressive, forcing Elim to elbow her away from him, not noticing that her other arm had swiftly taken his sword away from its sheath. However, he failed to notice it right away, as his hand went to his neck where some blood had been drawn. His own scream, not only got the attention of his group, it had in fact brought the entire stable alive. Filling it with screaming, crying, and all kinds of degrading shouts.
"What did you do!?" Leinas loudly asked, looking at him.
"I-I didn't do anything. It was her." Elim replied, motioning to that specific section.
Leinas' attention went to where he was pointing, and in that section there were eight women. One of them seemed to have died recently. Probably right after the beastmen were taken out, while the rest, expect for one, were all sitting in their corners hugging each other, while looking on with empty expressions.
The final woman had a savage look in her eyes, holding Elim's sword in her right hand, while her left hand seemed mangled from her having forced it out of her chain. The woman's posture was not unfamiliar for Leinas, as she had seen cats protecting their litter. So this woman, while not their mother, she had taken on the role of leader in this group.
"Should I kill them?" Hissa coldly asked, looking at Nazz.
"What did you say?" Nazz asked, his voice sounding surprised at her words.
"Kill them. Isn't that better than what they are now? I'm an assassin. I can live with it."
"..."
Before Nazz could reply, a loud roar-like sound echoed throughout the area, which then seemed to cower all of the women into silence. Even calming down the one that had attacked Elim. This sound also gained the group's attention, given it's animal-like characteristics. However, these worries when a human voice followed it.
"I'm in the last section to the left." Came a man's voice.
"I'll go. You examine the rest of the sections." Nazz instructed as he began to make his way to the source of the voice.
Making his way there, Nazz turned to look in on the section, to see that there was only one individual there. It was a man, with a sizable beard, pronounced muscles, and was completely naked, with chains connecting his wrists and neck to the walls around him. His eyes seemed to have real life in them when compared to the rest.
"Apologies if I startled you all, but after some time being forced into living like an animal, acting like one becomes easier."
"So, that sound was you then?" Nazz asked, making sure he was understanding things properly.
"Yes. These women have been forced into living... Shall we say, a very specific kind of life, and are prone to acting out from time-to-time. When that happens, normally a shout or a roar stops them. That's what I tried to do."
"I see... Then what about you? What did you do here?"
"Well… I sometimes was used to create some children. Other times I was forced to fight other prisoners to the death, and a few times I was even 'lucky' enough, to share a floor with my captors... Hah!" The man replied, with a desperate and mad sounding laugh at the end.
"Well, we have cleared out the city, and are here to take you home…" Nazz began, pausing since he did not know the man's name.
"Captain Virgo Sacerdos. I was part of some of the teams unfortunate enough to be sent to explore this area a few months back."
"Hold on for a little while longer. People will be here soon enough."
"Oi. Could you at least remove my restraints?" Virgo asked with a slightly annoyed tone.
"Of course. My apologies." Nazz said apologetically, before then cutting the man's restraints with blindingly quick slash that left the man speechless as he walked off.
Much like Nazz had said, eventually another larger group from their base camp showed up, taking on the duties of helping the poor women. However, Nazz's group didn't move right away, as they were still recovering from what they had seen, and thinking where they were going to go next.
Feeling better, Elim decided to go check on Leinas to see how she was doing, and perhaps get a conversation going. However, his plans were put to a quick end when he saw her approach Nazz, who simply stood in place watching the city.
"What's wrong?" Leinas asked while approaching her partner, and getting no reaction.
"Hey. Don't tell me this got to you too? I need at least one of us to keep it together..."
While Leinas had dealt with beastmen before, she had never seen anything on this scale, and even for her it was starting to be too much. She felt disgusted with everything around her. To the point it reminded her of the early days of her curse, leading her to feel somewhat lost.
This made her hope that at least the Dragon Lord would work as a pillar of strength for her, like what Aizen eventually was when he freed her from her curse. However, as she felt the air swirl around him, and saw his clenched fists, she could see things were not going to go her way.
"I could end this..." Nazz finally spoke in a low, venomous tone, pausing for a moment before speaking again.
"I've reduced much stronger countries to ash for less. I could do it again."
"Don't you say that. Just think of the problems that'll get you into with Aizen." Leinas argued in a cautionary tone.
"I know that! But I never thought this would affect me this much. In the end the fusion affected me more than I expected." Her partner angrily remarked, crossing his arms.
"Good. Let that part calm you down, because while I agree with burning them for this, I will not risk the mess doing that will get us into. Got it?" Leinas firmly said.
"I've already decided to approach things differently. You know that! But deep down, I want to reduce all of this to ash. That's not so easy to let go of!" Nazz nearly shouted, to the point some of those nearby heard him.
"What now? Are you going to do it? Or are you going to move on, get your head back in the game and continue this? I have no need for a partner and a leader who doesn't know what he wants." Leinas calmly informed, doing her best to be the calm one.
"Huh... Since when are you the voice of reason? Hehe." Nazz asked with a sigh and a chuckle.
"J-Just get ready to go. We've got a job to do." She replied, throwing her arms in the air and beginning to walk away.
"Fine. I'm right behind you."
These groups continued throughout the city, and by the end of this search they came to a reasonable number of how many people had survived since the city was taken over. Before the beastman invasion, the city was occupied by almost 121,000 people, and out of those, about 4,000 managed to escape, while 30,000 others died during the attack or the following days. At the end of the current search, the human forces were able to estimate that there were at least 14,000 people still alive in the city. This painted a grim picture that made them wonder as to what to expect in the other cities...
Not too far away from the city was a force of about 11,000 humans. These being the force whose objective was to look after the city after the main force had liberated it. It is composed of 10,000 soldiers from the Dragon Kingdom, 300 from the Slane Theocracy, and 700 from the Baharuth Empire.
They were making their way there via the main path to the city, with the soldiers from the Dragon Kingdom taking the lead, followed by those of the Baharuth Empire, and finally the ones from the Slane Theocracy. The positioning wasn't exactly done for the sake of strategy, as the forces loaned to them by other countries were ordered by the amount the Kingdom had to pay for them. With those that had cost less placed in front of the others.
Leading the forces of the Dragon Kingdom was General Ezekiel Ross himself, having taken on this role to see for himself the liberation of the city his family had once called home. Even if he had long grown past being on the front lines, or was determined to see it free from the beastmen himself.
Leading the forces of the Theocracy was a former member of the Sunlight Scripture, and a man known for his intelligence and ability to earn an easy victory against any type of non-human filth. However, he was a known as an extreme racist, even against other humans. His name was Noah Kai Roth, and was a man of singular beauty, with sparkling blue eyes, and short cut blonde hair.
On the side of the Empire, there were two people taking the lead, even if only one of them was seen as the true leader. That being Commander Jean-Peire Picard. He was a tall man, with short brown hair, green eyes, and a goatee, and wore the Empire's signiture armor without a helm. On the horse next to him, was Iris Joy Pernet. She was an average sized woman, with a medium sized bust, blonde hair held back in a bun, and her eyes were a piercing blue.
While the most of the Empire's forces visible around her, including Picard, were wearing the Empire's armor and usual green and blue colors, she wore light-weight armor which had a greater focus on speed and mobility than protection, and her colors consisting of dark navy-blue and black. This showed right away that she did not exactly fit with the rest of them, as well as a small contingent of a few hundred behind her.
The one sided tension between the duo was palpable, as Commander Picard felt nothing but disdain for her. After all, he was a career military, being part of a family whose main influence had always been there. He began his service when he was 16, and climbed his way up to the role of Commander at 36, with no signs of retiring anytime soon. His disdain came from the fact Iris came from a completely different path in life.
She had started off as an adventurer, until her team decided to move on to the role of workers given the added freedom they had. Then she ended up going into a more quiet life when her entire team died on a job. Knowing this, Picard failed to understand what use she could have, let alone understand why his Emperor would give this women a chance to work in association with his army, and train a select group of soldiers. At the moment, Picard found himself looking at the road in front of him, while peering at Iris who was slightly behind him.
"Keep your eyes on the road, Picard." Iris stated in a calm tone.
"Same goes for you, Pernet." Picard spat back.
"You are nearly in front of me. It is to be expected that I would be able to look at you." She calmly pointed out.
"Keep that to yourself, woman. I have enough to deal with, with the presence of a traitor in this mission." He growled back.
"You shouldn't let her get to you. You have more important things to deal with, than worrying over Leinas Rockbruise."
"Of course, you would say that. Someone like you can't understand what it means to protect our Empire. To have real patriotism."
"Is that how you see things? I will not ignore the fact that you have spent most of your life devoting yourself to the Empire, via your actions in the Imperial Army. However, it is childish for you to say such a thing about me, all the while ignoring the fact that me, and my former team, even as adventurers and workers have always favored our country first. Never did we decide on something that could impact the Empire. And when it comes to Leinas, you should let her go. Whatever the case may be, she is an ally here."
"Bah! You did that for yourselves, no matter how you try to explain it. Adventurers and workers in the end do everything for their own benefit, never that of the people. And you are a fool to have faith in Leinas. People like her are just waiting for the next chance to stab you in the back." Picard argued with venom and spite clear in his voice.
"Isn't it the same with you? We are not saints, Picard. Or am I to believe that you would willingly give up on your rank, reputation, status, and money, all of it for the people?" Iris asked, still with that cool, calm tone that only seemed to fan his anger.
"...!"
Picard went to answer, however he was cut-short when a messenger came from the front, informing them that they were getting close to the city. Something that even Picard understood meant that this conversation could be concluded at another time...
Meanwhile, in an area not too far from the city, the group lead by Crystal Tear were taking a break, after having finished up with the last beastmen encampment on their "hit-list". Having finished their assignment with little to no casualties, the group had decided to rest before making the trip back, doing so not too far from the fiery remains of the enemy encampment.
This naturally led to different conversations between the several subgroups, and while Crystal Tear normally stuck together, they found themselves one person short, as Emma had decided to go speak with Labrax. The rest of the team was left to sit near a large tree, using this as an opportunity to get something to eat. Except for Bane, who seemed to be rather distracted.
"Finally, we can go home." Their arcane magic caster, Afonso Orbeck remarked with a tired sigh.
"Aye. Agreed." Their divine magic caster Diogo Villa said, his attention then on to Bane.
"We have been out here for too long. Not to mention we have a lot to report when we get back." Cerabrate added, with a slightly eager smile.
"Ah, of course. How could I forget? You and the object of your affection. Hehe." Diogo said as he chuckled in a good natured manner.
"Huh. Look who's talking. What about you?" His leader argued with a wry smirk.
"Yes… My nights have been rather lonely..."
"What about you, Bane? What are you looking forward to when we get back?" Diogo asked in a friendly tone.
"What?" Bane asked, showing how he had been paying little to no attention to their conversations.
"Oi... Why don't you just go after her?" Cerabrate nearly shouted, getting his full attention.
"I-I can't, she…" Bane began, when his leader spoke over him.
"Is probably being seduced by that old man." Cerabrate interrupted with a mocking tone.
"B-But he's from the Theocracy. He wouldn't do that."
"Eh, who knows? I mean, on the battlefield sometimes the lines blur, and things just happen.~" Diogo added with a somewhat mischievous chuckle.
"You're joking." Bane argued with a deadpan tone.
"Well, either way shouldn't you try to talk to her and tell her how you feel?" Afonso asked innocently.
"Yeah... I should. But, it's not that easy."
"I mean, what's the worst that can happen?" The young magic caster asked, looking at the two members of the team.
"She rejects him." Cerabrate plainly answered.
"Still, better then risking Labrax getting her." Diogo mumbled nonchalantly.
"But he's an old man!" Bane argued.
"Doesn't move like it." Cerabrate pointed out, with a very calm and knowing tone.
"T-That doesn't mean anything."
"Doesn't it?" Diogo asked with a smirk and head-tilt.
"I-It doesn't… And I'll prove it to you." Bane declared, beginning to walk away.
"Aye... Honestly... I don't know what he sees in her." Cerabrate mumbled with a sigh.
"Oh? Why's that, leader?" Afonso asked with a curious head-tilt.
"She... isn't really to my taste, but I guess everyone's into different things."
As this conversation went on, Emma found Labrax sitting at the edge of their camp. His attention was on the burning enemy encampment, seemingly so focused that he didn't even feel her approaching him.
"Labrax." Emma called out to him.
"Have you ever seen anything more beautiful? I can just feel the death emanating from the warm of those fires." Labrax said, with a certain perverse emotion in his voice.
"That's not why I'm here." She pointed out, showing little to no interest in anything that was not the reason she was speaking to him.
"Then what do you want?" Labrax asked, getting back to his feet with an audible groan.
"You seem to be in worse shape than you look." Emma said, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"I'm not as young as I used to be. Not to mention it's been a while since I've been this active. Especially during this long. However, I doubt that's what brought you here."
"Yes... Indeed. I have interacted with several people from the Theocracy during my life, but you were the first that treated me as a being on the same level as them. An equal. I'm curious as to why."
Labrax simply raised an eyebrow at her, before scratching the right side of his chin. His eyes keenly examined her. To the point Emma seemed to feel his gaze piercing through her, making her rather uncomfortable. Naturally she didn't let this show, being able to live through something like this, no matter how strange it felt.
"Hehe. I see now. You're from the Elf Country. Is that it?" He asked with a slight chuckle.
"And what if I am? How does that help you answer my question?" She coldly retorted.
"Well… I think it helps explain why you asked me something like that. And when I take a better look at you, I see the color of the rag you use to cover your eyes, which seems to be the same color as the armband used by the elite forces of the Elf Country. Not to mention the fact that you hide your eyes, which if I assume you are from there, then it probably means that…" Labrax explained, before she spoke over him.
"That's enough! And not what I asked of you, Labrax."
"Yeah. I get it. You don't want people to know. That's fair. Now then, why I don't act like a 'typical' Theocracy, it's simple. I was simply raised like this." The human elder calmly replied.
"... Is this a joke to you?" Emma asked in a low, almost menacing tone.
"Oi. Listen…"
However, Labrax had no time to speak, when her hand went to his neck, her expression turning to one of clear rage as she spoke.
"Don't play with me. All of you are raised to be racist pigs. Elves should be no different to beastmen to you. So what makes you so different!?" She shouted, getting the attention from some people not too far from her.
"It's fine people, move along." Labrax said, in a somewhat threatening tone so people would go back to their own things.
"Now, for you…" He began, his hand going to Emma's.
"… You are right. We are all raised according to a very specific set of beliefs. However, what makes me different is the fact my family is not originally from the Theocracy." Labrax informed, before pushing her hand aside.
"What do you mean?"
"My family came from a nation to the south. They... made some mistakes, and had to leave their country before they got caught. After some time, the Theocracy took them in, and while I was raised under the Theocracy's beliefs, my parents made sure I knew what they stood for."
"But then why would they have taken you in? What makes your family so special? Was it your [Talent]?" Emma asked, her question visibly catching Labrax off-guard.
"That…"
"Emma." Bane called out as he approached the duo.
"What?" She asked, with an annoyed tone.
"I… Well, it seems we will be moving out shortly. Perhaps you should go back to the rest of the team and get ready."
"Tsk... Fine. We'll finish this later, Labrax." Emma declared as she began to walk away with Bane following her.
In a distant section of a forest, Fale was stumbling through the trees on his way to find some kind of beastman encampment. Especially when his wounds were still in need of treatment. He was dragging his weapon along with him, and in his mouth he was just finishing eating a small rodent-like creature that he had found to appease his hunger.
Fale cursed himself for the mistakes he had made. He cursed the humans that had attacked his city, the White Buffalo for what it had done to him, Nemo for his ramblings, and he even cursed his master for not giving him a strong enough weapon. His bleeding wouldn't stop, he felt weakened and broken by the blow his ego had taken. However, even in this situation Fale was certain of one thing; he would not die.
As he walked, he heard the sounds of a vulture near him. Stopping he looked around as his nerves were at their limit, along with his still gnawing hunger. Scanning the area he finally found the bird resting on a nearby tree. However, he was quick to note that there was something wrong with it. Some feathers were missing, with some flesh and bone being exposed, along with glazed over eyes.
"I-Impossible…" He mumbled, as the realization fell on his mind like a hammer.
The vulture began to convulse, and its beak opened as something seemed to be forcing its way through, until eventually an unhealthy green colored fog began to emerge. It went from the vulture, and into the base of the tree, where it morphed into something humanoid in shape. Its shape was continuing to become more and more defined, until it solidified into the shape of Kana.
"I have no time for you Kana!" Fale growled, his frustration visible as he continued to walk past her.
"Don't you dare turn your back on me!" She hissed.
"I don't have to listen to you, hag. Know your place!" Fale roared.
As he said this, he swung his weapon towards her at full speed, with the clear intention to get rid of some of his frustrations by killing her. However, before his weapon could make contact she did a waving motion, causing it to vanish in a green light. This was followed by activating of a spell...
"[Pain's Hold]."
"GRUAAAAAAH!"
The spell made Fale feel as if every muscle in his body had contracted at the same time, flooring him in with a continuous wave of pain traveling up and down his whole body, every time he tried to move.
"How unruly. Not only did you lose, but you dared attack me? I should kill you now." Kana said with a menacing, and now deeper tone.
"Y-You can't k-kill me!" Fale spat, with clear desperation in his voice as his body spasmed in pain.
"Oh, no? You failed to defend your city, went against my orders, and made it clear for the humans that you knew about their attack. Why should I keep you alive?" She asked, her tone back to normal.
"I-I'm still useful... Argh!... I know about the Espada. H-How they're stronger than y-ya' think… Guhg!" Fale began, when his added motion wrapped him in greater pain.
"Explain."
"M-My warriors r-reported ta' me wha' they d-did... Hurk!... T-Two o' them f-fought off da' 'mbush on tha' human forces... ahk!.. w-while t-three were makin' their way through da' city withou' p-problems. They... c-control this beast. Nemo called it, 'White Buffalo'. O-One o' them... c-controlled the Gigant B-Basilisk I ordered t-to have attack t-the humans." Fale quickly informed between bouts of pain, saying everything that came to mind that could possibly help him.
Kana's posture seemed to soften somewhat, along with the menacing aura he felt around her. Even if the pain still affected him, Fale felt he had said something that was of interest to her, and probably something that would keep him alive.
"Then... they are stronger than you." Kana said thoughtfully, as she continued to process the information.
"A-As a group." Fale informed, even if he didn't sound too confident in it himself.
"Perhaps. Still, you've given me much to think about, if we are to win. However, I'm still unsure if you deserve to live…" Kana began, until he spoke over her.
"I-I need my revenge! They killed my people!"
"Hoh?... A good motivator that it... Then... serve me, Fale. Serve me truly, and revenge can be yours."
"B-But… I already…" Fale tried to speak, just to have her shout in his face, voice deepened and eyes morphing into slitted versions of themselves.
"Serve me! You were given freedom and you failed. Be happy, and grateful that you're still alive as is, Fale."
"I-I will...Guah!... I'll serve you." He quickly declared, causing the pain to be lifted, and for Kana to return to her normal posture.
"Now, to prove your words true."
As Kana said this, she raised her left hand with palm turned upwards, where upon a green-colored smoke formed, eventually taking the shape of a large human hand that soon materialized. It's skin complexion was actually healthy looking, with calluses on the palms and fingers indicating that its previous owner was a hard working individual.
"Now, I will heal you, Fale. In doing so, I will give you this. You'll need a new hand to replace what you lost after all."
"W-What?! No!"
Trashing wildly, Fale pushed himself away from her, trying to get back to his feet, and failing only because of the effects the now lifted spell had left on his body. Indeed he would serve, and at this point he would freely do so. As long as it allowed him to live on and get his revenge, but he could not imagine defacing himself in such a manner.
"Then, you can serve me as an undead." Kana coldly declared, motioning to him with the staff in her right hand.
Fale went pale at the sound of that. He had seen undead, and had always found them to be pitiful things. They were weak, disheveled, and lacking in any kind of free will. He did feel he not deserved that. Ultimately his eyes went to the human hand. His alternative to undeath. When he thought of things in such a way, it didn't seem like the worst fate possible. After all, a hand could be covered up, while undeath meant the end for him, as he doubted, she would offer him any kind of undeath that would enhance him.
"W-Wait!... The hand… I'll take the hand." He managed to say, curling into a kneeling position.
"Wise choice." Kana said, motioning her hand so Fale's weapon reappeared next to him.
"You're allowed to borrow it once more. You'll need it. Now, I'll heal you."