Cayo, Alvis, and Yoruichi in her cat form, currently found themselves in a carriage on their way to their next assignment. Much to their surprise, said assignment came from Cayo's father, and required them to go to Cayo's original home, where his family still resided. As rain came down, Yoruichi and Alvis sat on one side of the carriage, while Cayo sat alone, with his attention on the scenery outside of the window.
"So... Anything we should know before we get there?" Alvis hesitantly asked, the whole feel of the situation being completely new and awkward to him.
"..."
No answer came. Cayo was still focused on the raindrops hitting the window, which made Alvis unsure if he should continue speaking or remain silent. Looking at Yoruichi, she nonchalantly scratched the back of her ear, before then and jumping onto Cayo's lap, startling the Espada out of his trance, before returning to her seat.
"W-What? What happened?" Cayo asked in surprise, looking around.
"N-Nothing. I just asked if there is something we should know." Alvis awkwardly replied.
"Hm. Something..." His partner mumbled, pausing for a moment before continuing.
"...Well, if my sister's still home she should be fine. We always got along after all..."
"That's... good to know. What about your father or mother?"
"Tsk... I doubt my father's there. If the assignment is to protect the estate, it's most likely because he did something. Something he won't be there to witness." Cayo replied matter-of-factly, with a hint of annoyance.
"Your father sounds like a troublesome man." Yoruichi flatly remarked.
"He is."
"What about your mother?" Alvis asked, getting Cayo's attention via side-glance.
"My mother... She... can be difficult. She never really agreed with me taking this path in life, so she may not be all that welcoming." Cayo replied, now visibly worried.
"We'll we at least have a place to stay?" Yoruichi plainly asked.
"We will... I hope."
As they approached the gates that led to his family's manor, it was necessary for Cayo to exit the carriage first. Not only to present the guards with the reason for their presence, but to also ensure they recognized him, which helped them getting in more than the quest. Eventually they arrived at a circular area that led to the front doors of the manor, with the center being a small garden with a statue of one of their ancestors displayed.
The manor was surrounded by a forested area, with a small lake to its left that could be seen from the windows in that side of the manor. The building itself was understandably large with an inner garden. Cayo started making his way towards the front-door, with Alvis and Yoruichi quickly following after him.
Once there, Cayo was about to knock, but was taken by surprise when one of the double doors flung open, revealing a woman that seemed to be around his age, a little shorter, with long blonde hair, blue eyes and a well-shaped body hidden under a blue and white dress. This was Mabel Ozzik Gantz, his older sister.
"Brother!"
Mabel excitedly declared with pure happiness, as she jumped on him, embracing Cayo in a tight heartfelt embrace, with tears beginning to form in her eyes. For a moment, Cayo was taken aback, unsure of how to proceed with his comrades present. Still, he knew it would be wrong of him to not reciprocate, as he return her embrace.
"Hello, Mabel... It's been a while." He softly said, prompting her to push away from him.
"A while!? It's been years! I was so worried... Especially when your letters became fewer and fewer as time went on." Mabel quickly argued, using her hands to clean her tears.
"What... You got those? I was certain mother would've taken them away... Heh." Cayo said with a chuckle, just for his sister to speak over him.
"Don't be like that! Mother cares, and she knows I care as well."
"Could've fooled me. She nearly disowned me when I decided to leave." He remarked with a weary sigh.
"She was upset. As was I to be honest. You were not meant to leave us. You were meant to stay and take over... She was upset, but as the letters started coming in, and showed how happy and fulfilled you were, things changed."
"I-I'm sorry... I can't send so many of them because I've been all over the place lately." Cayo apologetically explained, as he stepped aside to show Mabel his companions.
"Alvis Kavaro. Yoruichi Shihōin. This is my sister, Mabel Ozzik Gantz." He informed with a surprisingly serious and dignified poise and tone.
"Greetings." Alvis politely said, taking a quick bow, along with Yoruichi letting out a meow.
"Hello..." Mabel greeted with a nod, before looking down at Yoruichi.
"...And a cat with two names. How exotic.~" She said in a tone of amazement and wonder.
"So, we're here to protect the manor from one of father's messes." Cayo informed in barely concealed snark.
"I know why you are here. And try to be polite when you speak of father."
"Is he here?"
"He isn't."
"Heh. Knew it." Cayo chuckled.
"Be polite. And come in." Mabel said in almost a pout, motioning them to enter.
Entering the manor, Alvis was greeted by a large area dominated by mostly white tile walls with several paintings. A large chandelier was suspended on the ceiling, with two staircases leading to an upper level. It was from there that another woman appeared, with several servants following after her.
She seemed to be in her 40s, with long dark-brown hair held in a bun, light-brown eyes, and an enviable body covered by an impressive red colored dress. However, it did not do much to cover her considerable cleavage and neckline. As she rained-down upon them an intimidating and stern look, it was obvious this was the family matriarch, and mother of Cayo and Mabel.
"Welcome, Espada. I am Myra Udy Gantz, the Mistress of this House." She proudly announced, stopping on the last step.
"Mother, Cayo has..." Mabel went to say in her excitement, but was quickly silenced by her mother as she raised her hand.
"I can tell, sweetie. Now Cayo, come forth." Myra instructed, descending from the final step.
"Mother." Cayo greeted, kissing her right hand as he gave her a small bow.
"Cayo."
Myra allowed her son to rise, just to slap him across the face with her left hand. A blow Cayo saw coming but did nothing to stop it. Instead he angled his face to where she wouldn't hurt herself doing so. After all, she was a normal human woman. According to their new information from Cthalpi, a normal adult human averaged between levels 2-5, depending on a number of factors. In contrast, the 8th-Espada Cayo whose level would be placed not too far behind level 75 Jillur.
"What a troublesome child you are. Surely you could have continued a steady supply of letters. Or am I meant to stay here and worry about what you do next?" She asked in an admonishing tone.
Cayo was taken aback by this, his eyes going to his sister as he understood that her words were true. His mother's anger towards him for his choices had subsided. Or at the very least, been placed to his lack of communication.
"There was no need to do this in front of everyone..." Cayo mumbled with a sigh, his head low and a hand on his cheek.
"What did you say? I am still your mother, and this is still my house. As long as you are here, you will behave as I see fit. Surely you remember that much?"
"Right... Sorry... And I was busy with my new role in the Espada, so I neglected a few things."
"Is that so... Very well. Now, can you introduce your fellow Espada to me?" Myra asked, looking at Alvis.
"Of course. This is Alvis Kavaro."
"It's an honor to meet you, ma'am." Alvis greeted with a bow, stifling how awkward he felt at the previous scene, along with a meow from Yoruichi.
"And a cat... Is this all the Espada could manage?" Myra asked with a raised brow.
"That's all father asked for."
"Of course, it was..." Myra mumbled between gritted teeth.
"...All of you are dismissed." Myra then instructed, to which all the servants obeyed.
"Now, something to keep in mind before Mabel shows you to your room... Your father brought something in a crate to this house that he kept under lock and key in his office like usual. Perhaps you will want to concentrate your efforts in that area."
"Understood..." Cayo coolly remarked.
"Good. Now, dismissed."
With that Mabel led the Espada to the rooms they would be occupying during their stay. All the while Myra left them with the question of what this crate was, and how to keep it and the manor safe from whatever force would come for it.
The Yasei no Kari had been in the north for a few days now, having decided to make a stop in a small inn, where they were now sitting at a table. The group had already called some attention to itself, since when three of them had covered their faces in one form or another. In the case of Yama and Vali this was expected of their usual outfits, as well as the foreign design. Arisuke was also covered, always doing so while under sunlight.
As a vampire, it not only made him feel uncomfortable, but the light of the sun sapped away a portion of his strength, speed, agility, and imposed feelings of fatigue. So he used special cloaks to negate this as much as possible, but its odd appearance naturally drew attention. Kusumi's presence had also gotten them a lot of attention. Despite now wearing clothes that better fit in with the area, it still highlighted her exotic beauty.
"Yare, Yare. Why do we have to stay in a place like this, boss?" Kusumi asked, visibly displeased by their current location.
"I have to agree with her. I believe that even our worst inns are better than this." Arisuke remarked with disdain.
"We'll have to live with it for the time being. Our resources can only afford us so much. Especially since our currency is so different from theirs." Vali stoically pointed out.
"It's not that bad, Kuchuki-san. I've been in worse." Yama said in a relaxed tone.
"No offense, but your kind doesn't have exactly the highest of standards. Also, we don't use honorifics while here." She tiredly argued.
"Right! I'd forgotten. That must mean it's much easier for you to speak boss." The Oni casually remarked, with a certain amusement to his tone.
"..."
"Why not find a job?" Kusumi suggested, seeing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere.
"Where would we find one?" Arisuke asked, to which she gave a confident smile.
"Well, from what I managed to gather from my sources, there is a nearby plantation that may hire us as guards."
"How do you know it's nearby?" Yama asked in curiosity.
"Do you know who's offering the job?" Vali asked in a serious tone.
"Oh, do you know that clearing we went through? The one with that strange twisted tree? I was told that if I saw one of those in a general area, it would lead to a plantation belonging to Eight Fingers." She calmly replied, keeping a low tone so only her table could listen.
"And they are?" Arisuke asked with a tone that implied a perked brow.
"Criminal organization. It's a drug plantation." She explained, as Vali leaned back on his seat with folded arms.
"Nothing else?"
"This is the one that will pay the best."
"Hmph... Very well. We're leaving." Vali curtly instructed.
Having decided on their next course of action, the group soon found themselves back on the road. Eventually they arrived at a large village surrounded by sturdy wooden high walls, which they had actually seen in the distance before they arrived at the inn. They stopped in front of the gates, and while Yama took in the surprising size of the walls themselves, the rest of the group had their eye on the closest watchtower where four guards were located.
"What do you want?" One of the guards aggresively shouted, while the others seemed ready to take aim at the newly arrived group.
"We understand that you have a job. We would like to take it." Vali plainly announced, causing the guards to laugh.
"Don't we all!? Why don't you bums keep walking. We've had enough of you no-name, good-for-nothings come here and waste us money." The guard spat back.
"Rude creatures, aren't they?" Arisuke hissed in anger.
"Why don't you let us in?~" Kusumi playfully asked, getting the guard's attention.
"I wouldn't mind letting you in." He replied with a lustful smirk.
"We could be of great use to you. We're all considered high-tier fighters. Why not let us in to let us prove ourselves?" She suggested in a placating tone.
"You talk nice, but..." The guard was saying, when she spoke over him.
"Either that, or we're going to have to force our way in. It would be a shame if we had to destroy this gate...~"
At this the guards exchanged a few quick glances, before seemingly looking at something deeper into the village.
"Someone will open the gate for you." He seriously informed.
"Thank you.~"
"You are all welcome.~" She added with a charming smile, looking at the rest of her group.
It didn't take long for the gate to open, with the Yasei no Kari being greeted by a sizable group of guards. Their leader looked at them with a keen, scrutinizing gaze, as he made no attempt to hide the fact he was sizing them up. He was a tall, well-built man, bald, and wearing equipment that seemed to have been gathered from several victims. He was also wearing earrings made out of gold adventurer plates.
"Interestin' group you've got here." He coldly remarked.
"We came here to work." Vali calmly pointed out.
"They all do. But first, I need ta' make sure you're actually worth it. One of ya' will fight me. The strength of the party will be judged by whoever ya' choose."
"Can I take him?" Yama eagerly asked.
"I'll do it, and get this out of the way quickly." Vali said in a weary tone as he stepped forwards.
"Hah! Your funeral. Got a name?" The leader asked as he calmly prepared his battle axe.
"Vali Kaas. You?"
"Axel."
Vali gave him a nod, and then became a blur in the eye of the guards. He had easily closed the distance between himself and Axel, before delivering a quick kick to their leader's chest. The impact was extremely audible as all air left Axel's lungs, and his body was sent flying into the guards standing behind him. This allowed them to catch him, but fell onto the ground themselves, given the speed and force of impact.
"Kuhuhu... Do we get that job now~?" Kusumi mischievously asked as she barely stifled her own amused laughter.
"..."
No one replied, as all of the guards present were in a state of shock, seeing Axel's unconscious body. The strongest among them defeated with unprecedented ease and swiftness. As this went on, Arisuke's keen eyes picked up on an incoming carriage.
"Someone else is coming."
"They're mine if we are to fight." Yama eagerly said.
The carriage stopped, this getting the attention of the guards, who immediately did their best to recompose themselves. The carriage door opened, revealing a woman with blonde hair, and was dressed in such a way that gave her the air of a decadent high-class prostitute. With her were two imposing looking guards, who had a similar air to them as Axel, which Vali had just easily disposed of.
"What happened here?" The woman asked with a serious tone as she eyed the group of strangers.
"L-Lady Hilma, this people came in here asking for a job. Axel tried to test them, but he was easily defeated, as you can see." One of the guards nervously replied.
Hilma lightly bit her lip as she understood that her eyes did not deceive. Her luck was seemingly turning for the worse as something else got in her way. It wasn't enough for her to be losing plantations to Blue Rose, but now she had to deal with this? She took a deep breath, doing her best to compose herself, as she looked at the fact that this group was here for a job, not to make her life harder.
"You want to guard this place?" She asked in a calm and smooth tone while looking upon Vali.
"Correct."
"And? How strong would you say you are?" Hilma pointedly asked.
"We are equivalent to adamantite-ranked adventurers." Kusumi quickly replied, having learned of these rankings from her sources.
Hilma had to do her best to remain composed and not give away the feelings of true relief that washed over her. She could tell that this group was not lying, even if it was clear that they were hiding something. The woman in particular giving off a similar air as her, only stronger and more potent. Their leader in particular made her skin tingle from his presence alone.
Finally, it seemed like she was going to be rid of her troubles. To the point she didn't even care if this plantation was attacked. Not with this group around. It also prevented her from having to go to Zero for help. Something she had at times considered, even if she did not like the idea.
"Ah, very good. Give them proper quarters. They will be working here." Hilma announced with a relaxed smile, making her way back to her carriage.
"The boss has spoken. I hope you lot are as good as you say you are." A nearby guard skeptically said as soon as Hilma was gone.
Eventually night fell, and the Yasei no Kari had dispersed itself throughout the plantation. Kusumi remained in one of the cabins, infesting the area with her snakes, while Yama was working alongside the guards to patrol through the plantation. Vali stood atop the guard-tower closest to the center of the walls, affording him the best field of vision, while Arisuke patrolled along the wall.
All team-members carried with them an item which allowed for instant communication, much like the [Message] spell. It was through this item that Arisuke was informed by Kusumi that one of her snakes was killed, and that whoever killed it was not too far from his area. Stopping in his tracks the vampire, whose head was now completely uncovered, examined the area as keenly as possible. Eventually, his senses picked up on the smallest disturbances in the plants.
Jumping over the wall in a single leap, he went into the plantation to go after the intruder, and for a moment there was silence. Then suddenly, two women jumped out from the tall grass that lined the dirt path normally used by guards. Arisuke appeared shortly after, seemingly not drawing his weapons in the attack that had forced them out of hiding. At a glance he could tell that they were specialized in stealth and assassination. Not the best suited for a face-to-face confrontation with someone like him.
"Evening." Arisuke greeted in a surprisingly cordial manner.
The women, who he could see were twins, took a stance in preparation for attack. Arisuke responded by reaching for the shortest of his blades, and with that the women charged. With their daggers at the ready, both of them unleashed a highly coordinated attack on the vampire.
Arisuke found himself being bombarded with slashes that seemingly came from every direction, showing just how skilled his opponents were. He was somewhat surprised by this, having never really thought much of the fighters from the north. Still, he knew they were at a disadvantage, and he was certain they also understood this as he was only using one of his weapons to block their incoming attacks, all the while managing to get in some attempts of his own in.
Suddenly, the vampire's senses picked up on an incoming projectile, leading him to jump away from the twins. A second later an acid-based projectile splashed on the spot he was standing in. Skillfully landing on his feet, Arisuke saw that someone else had arrived in the area; a small girl wearing a mask and red cloak, and speaking in a voice that sounded both old and young in tone.
"Tia, Tina to my side. I believe he is a vampire."
The twins did as instructed, using this small break to fully examine the man, and finally dawning on them that their companion was telling the truth. This man was an undead vampire, and a powerful one at that.
"Shall we attack together?" Tia stoically suggested, taking her stance.
Arisuke ignored her, as he took in the newcomer. She was small, likely human, and could sense her great power and nature as a magic caster. Indeed, she was noteworthy. Especially when compared to the other two, even if they weren't that bad themselves for their level.
"Give up. It will be much quicker." Arisuke said in a neutral tone.
"We will decline." Evileye hissed back.
"As you wish." He replied, giving her a small, respectful nod.
He prepared to attack when he saw someone else approach the trio from behind. Thanks to his keen vision, he quickly saw that it was Vali slowly approaching the women. He made no attempts to hide his presence as they also quickly picked up on his approach, turning so their eyes were on Vali and Arisuke.
"Leave now, and you may live." Vali frankly said.
Vali made little-to-no effort to hide his nature. So when the eyes of Blue Rose fell on his, they were quick to pick up on his threatening and rather hostile nature. However, from the three of them, Evileye was the one most affected by it. As if a hold had been placed on her undead heart. It felt familiar, but not in an outright good way. She was honestly unsure how to feel, and was unsure of how to act in this familiar presence.
"On your guard!" Evileye commanded, raising her hand towards Vali.
"Are you nervous?" Tina asked with a raised brow, looking down at her comrade.
"N-Nonsense..." Evileye mumbled.
Vali focused his attention on Arisuke, both exchanging a nod and then lunged. The sisters found their attention going back to the vampire, both using their blades to slice at him, preventing him from getting closer. Meanwhile Evileye, who was in the process of calling upon a spell, was frozen mid-sentence when Vali suddenly closed the distance between them, now towering over her, with their eyes locked on each other.
"Do I know you?" He hissed with a certain hint of anger in his voice as he narrowed his vision upon her.
"[Crystal Wall]!"
The spell immediately placed a barrier between them as Evileye took a step backwards. When her eyes fell on the newly formed, and then destroyed wall, where Vali calmly stood, with his arms crossed and his eyes still analytically examining her.
"Do you have a name?"
"You first." She argued as he jumped back and landed to the side.
"Vali Kaas."
Evileye froze in place at the mention of such a familiar name, and the fact her image of him did not fit what was currently standing before her. She would have remained like that, if not for the sudden swing of the black and dark-blue [Kilineiram] sword, which had snapped her out of her stupor. To which Vali deftly avoided by throwing himself back.
"Are you alright?" Lakyus asked in concern.
"Don't go dying on us now, shorty.~" Gagaran laughed, as a swing of her warpick [Fel Iron] forced Arisuke back.
"I'm fine! How are you here?"
"We used those teleportation items you gave us." Their team-leader calm replied.
"Why!? Those were meant to be used to escape, not this!"
"Is it that bad..." Lakyus went to ask, taken aback by Evileye's frantic reaction, when a low growl from Vali got their attention.
"Where did you get that sword?" He asked, pointing at it with his right hand.
"Why did you ask?" Lakyus cautiously asked back.
"Answer me! Are you a descendant of the Black Knight!?" Vali shouted, his voice distorting in his rage, getting the attention of all those present.
"Boss." Arisuke warily mumbled.
"Perhaps we should handle her?~" Kusumi suggested, approaching with Yama in tow.
"Silence!..." Vali roared back.
"...Now answer me!" He then demanded, looking back at the young adventurer.
"I was gifted it... I'm not related to the Black Knight."
Lakyus replied not just to comply with her opponent, but also as a way to appease the agitated and violent presence that stood before her. As if she was doing him a favor by doing so, and to ensure the situation didn't spiral out of control, now that they had more adversaries to worry about. Having heard this, all saw Vali quickly calm down, going back to a more pleasant mood than even when he first appeared.
"Good... Good... Very well. We shall split up. Whoever wins gets their way." Vali suggested in a surprisingly sportsman like fashion.
"W-Why just not kill us right away?" Evileye asked in shock, surprising her comrades.
"We are not monsters. Our job is to guard not kill." Vali replied with a look of pity and annoyance in his eyes.
"Fine." Lakyus said in agreement, thinking that one-on-one combat would be better than an all-out brawl in this tense situation.
"I'll take the twins." Arisuke promptly informed.
"The masked one." Vali flatly said.
"I will take the pretty one." Yama informed in a tone indicating a smile.
"Then... I guess I will take the tall one." Kusumi said, surprising Yama.
"But I said she was mine."
"...Oh...I guess." Kusumi mumbled, turning her attention to Lakyus.
Coming to this strange understanding, the different pairs walked off in different directions, with only Vali and Evileye remaining where they were. As Yama and Gagaran walked, her warpick resting on her shoulder, the member of Blue Rose let out a chuckle and decided to break the silence between herself and her opponent in a friendly tone.
"While I'm flattered by what you said, I hope you understand that won't help you.~"
"I don't do flattery. You're very beautiful. Well, when viewed by the standards of my kind." Yama remarked, getting her attention.
"Your kind?"
"Ah, I wasn't supposed to say that... Eh. Shouldn't matter. I'm an Oni. My name's Yama."
"I'm not familiar with that race. Oh! I'm Gagaran."
"Maybe it's because you're from the north." Yama mumbled, which caused Gagaran to stop.
"You are from the southern nations?"
"I am."
"South... Oni... Aren't you a type of giant?" Gagaran asked with a raised eyebrow.
"As wise as she is beautiful." Yama proclaimed in fondness towards her.
"Hey... Aren't you kinda short?"
"I'm not short, Gagaran-chan. I am in disguise. If I remove this cloak I'd return to full size, but that will not be necessary."
"Hah~!"
Gagaran's free hand went to her forehead as she began to laugh. She simply couldn't bring herself to react any other way. Truly it felt like a complete shame and waste that they had met like this.
"You may not be a cherry, but had we met under different circumstances, I would've rocked your world." She proudly proclaimed.
"Many have tried..."
Yama began, when Gagaran brought her warpick down on him. He managed to avoid it by throwing himself to the side as the warpick crashed onto the ground, with Yama proceeding to put his foot on top of it.
"...None have succeeded." He finished, with a large grin under his hood.
In another area of the plantation, Arisuke and the twins were still walking, until they reached an area close to the wall, where the vampire stopped.
"This will do." He said in satisfaction, looking at them.
"Tia. Tina. I am S-... Arisuke Sengoku." The vampire added, with a polite bow.
"He is very polite." Tia remarked, looking at her sister.
"Very surprising." Tina added.
"A vampire I am, but I'm not some kind of fiend." Arisuke pointed out, looking and sounding somewhat offended.
"That aside, let us continue. I'm very interested to see what you can do. I have seen and met several elite assassins in my time. I want to see how you compare."
Having said this, Arisuke seemed to lose focus for a moment at memories of his lost lover, which left him open to a dual-attack from the twins. They meant to slice his head from his shoulders, but when they got close, they found their daggers being stopped by his short blade as he drew it with lightning speed and master precision.
"That was very unbecoming of the both of you." He hissed, anger clear in his words.
As the ladies stopped near one of the cabins, Kusumi turned to face Lakyus, her eyes quickly looking over the young adventurer. Even licking her upper lip at a point, before frowning, and then speaking with a mischievous smirk.
"I'm very surprised that someone as appealing as you is still a, 'pure maiden'.~"
"H-How do you know that?" Lakyus asked in surprise, blushing slightly.
"Oh... It's not that difficult.~ I can tell many things just by looking at you.~ Smelling you.~" Her opponent replied, maintaining the same tone, with a hint of lust even.
"..."
Lakyus felt her skin crawl in response to this. Her opponent truly was a strange one. However, something helped her to keep relaxed in her presence. To the point where she didn't even mind having Kusumi's presence in her presence, even having to continue this conversation, which she didn't fully understand but was glad to feel this since she didn't particularly like the idea of having to face an opponent as creepy as Kusumi seemed to be.
"So, how about we not fight?..." Kusumi asked, confusing Lakyus.
"...It's just that I'm not really a fighter." She added.
"Then you give up?" Lakyus asked, still keeping her guard up.
"Well..."
Kusumi paused, as then from nearby bushes snakes lunged at Lakyus. While she could have easily killed some of them, she was faced with ridiculous numbers of them, counting into the dozens, until ultimately she was overwhelmed by them.
"…I'm not a fighter, but no one said I was going to let you go.~"
Vali and Evileye were still starring each other down, as he had his arms crossed, showing no clear signs of hostility. His eyes still focused on Evileye, while she kept herself in a rather tense stance.
"Name?"
"Why don't you tell me." Evileye defiantly replied.
"Still as sharp-tongued as ever, Keeno Fasris Invern." Vali said, his voice carrying a certain hiss to it.
"It's Evileye now. Still, how could you tell?"
"The voice inflections. Your overall body structure. Parts of your attitude. Still, last time I saw you, you were a vampire."
"I found ways to hide my nature. Unlike you." Evileye informed, carrying a certain hint of disgust to her words.
"Don't you dare judge me, Keeno. You've no right to do so!"
"Then how am I supposed to react!? We all thought you were dead, but in the end it turns out you're alive and well, as some kind of demonic hybrid."
"I never heard you, or anyone else, judge the Black Knight for being a half-demon." Vali argued in a disdainful tone.
"That's different. I'm sure you understand even that."
"Of course. How could I not? That idiot did nothing wrong. All the while, you all were all too keen on accepting that I was dead!" Vali roared in fury.
"How could we not? Back then, people were dying everyday. We thought you were among them."
"You bastards... You're as much to blame as he is. Do you think I wanted this?" Vali hatefully asked, in such a manner that Evileye was taken aback by it.
"It's not so easy to talk now is it? You want to know what happened to me don't you? I get it. I'll tell you..." He hissed, doing his best to regain his composure.
"Are you aware that I have a [Talent] that allows me to use almost any magical item without race limitation?" Vali asked, yet Evileye was silent.
"Thought as much... You see, our 'dear friend' the Black Knight also didn't know about this. So one day he decided to give me a small souvenir in the form of a healing item that was meant to be used by demons. I saw nothing wrong with this, until I was alone and decided to examine it, just to have it react to me and activate. Now, had I been a demon it probably wouldn't have done anything, I wasn't injured at the time, but me being a human, you could say that it had no real idea what to do with me. But it did know one thing; I wasn't a demon, and that it should try to fix that..." He continued when finally, she interrupted him.
"Y-You can't be serious... You're telling me the item changed you?"
"Correct! The item changed me into what you see before you. Not only that, but it also fused into my body, making sure that I would not die, so long as I found suitable 'methods' to do so..." Vali replied, pausing and grimacing, as if recalling difficult memories.
"At first, it wasn't easy. Killing others so I could use them as spare parts. Even tried to kill myself at some points... Never really had the courage to do it. So, with time, it simply got... easier, I guess. Especially when those you saw as friends and comrades so easily believed in my death, or saw me as just another abomination to be killed."
"Is that why you went into hiding? Thinking that it was better for us to think you dead? Then, why come back now?" Evileye asked, with hints of sympathy and sadness in her voice.
"A coincidence. We're mercenaries, and our current assignment just happened to bring us here."
"Is that what you call it? You were a hero, and one of us. You risked your life countless times against the enemy. Why work for Eight Fingers? Do you even understand what they're doing here?"
"I don't really care to be honest, but this is not my current assignment. This is just an extra job to make some extra coin, since some of my subordinates are used to better living conditions than you people provide."
"You people? Where have you been?" Evileye asked in daze at the endless stream of revelations.
"In the south. They are more open to the presence of nonhumans. Of course in my case, I still have to keep myself hidden. That aside, let's begin." Vali said, taking a simple stance.
"Is this really necessary?" Evileye asked in uncertainty, but taking her own stance.
"This is a rare opportunity to see how fighters from this area are doing. Why not take advantage of it?"
Without further preamble, Vali swiftly attacked with inhuman speed as he threw a kick, which Evileye avoided by using [Fly] going up into the air to gain some distance between herself and her former comrade. The impact of his attack kicked up dirt and debris with a thunderous booming sound that echoed in the compound.
"[Shard Buck Shots]!"
Calling upon her spell, she looked on as several small crystals rained down on her masked opponent, who proceeded to either dodge or swat away the several projectiles, with only a few of them managing to scrape his clothing. With her attention focused on how to possibly come out on top, Evileye failed to notice that after a time, Vali had stopped swatting them away, and began to snatch them in his hands.
When her attack stopped, Vali spun around like a living tornado, and threw eight crystal shards back at her which luckily, she was able to avoid, with only a few managing to cut into her robe. As she stabilized herself in midair, Vali leapt straight up, using his advanced, inhuman physique to reach almost as high as she was, allowing him to grab onto her right leg and force her back down with him.
Falling back onto the ground, Vali proceeded to smash her down in full force, before lifting her and doing the same thing again. The second time around he let go, before raising his right foot with the intention of bringing it down on her. However she was able to counter with another volley of [Shard Buck Shots]. This time she was able to land a clean blow on him. Yet it was only able to cut through the softer parts of his outfit, his actual body being completely unharmed.
"Keh! [Fly]!"
Once again Evileye took to the air, now positioning herself high enough that she felt he could not reach. In her mind she cursed this entire situation, almost forgetting the fact that he had been a skilled [Monk] in his time. It was only to be expected that he had reached new levels as he was now. Lifting her hands towards him, she called upon another offensive spell.
"[Maximize Boosted Magic: Crystal Lance]!"
The 4th-tier spell created a large crystalline projectile that was sent flying at Vali, who simply let out a low sigh as he clenched his fist and punched the incoming projectile. The two forces collided, causing an audible boom that echoed throughout the area. The elongated crystal lance began to crack, but from her point of view Evileye she couldn't see what was happening to Vali. That was until it eventually broke apart from the force of his punch. However, it still managed to pass by him, scraping his arm and the right side of his face.
The explosive impact resulted in a large plume of smoke, which obscured the area and gave Evileye time to gather her thoughts. He was physically superior to her obviously. His speed and reflexes were also incredible, easily avoiding her [Shard Buck Shots]. She tried to overpower him with her [Crystal Lance] which at best resulted in a standstill, and at worst, she felt that he was holding back on the lion's share of his power.
Winning did not seem like an option. He was incredible. Terrifyingly so. To the point that along with his demonic nature, she was reminded of the Evil Deities they had fought so long ago. When the dust settled, she could see Vali still standing there, and as she expected he had taken no form of physical damage. Well, he had taken more damage to his clothing, if that counted for anything.
His right sleeve and glove were destroyed, leaving his arm and hand completely exposed. His slightly pointed fingernails were almost like claws, and black in color. His skin was reddish and was decorated with black tribal-like tattoos, that went up his arm and seemingly onto his chest. Part of the right side of his face was also exposed, revealing to her medium-length white hair, and the same tattoo-like markings that stopped at his chin and mouth, seemed to be wider than a normal humans.
"What will you do now, Evileye? You can't stay up there forever." Vali growled in impatience.
"..."
Back with Yama and Gagaran, their fight had carved several craters into the ground, along with Gagaran having been sent flying into a nearby cabin. The Oni was waiting outside with a fire lamp in hand, which he was considering throwing.
"Come on, Gagaran-chan. That was just a love tap." Yama playfully said, as he calmly swung the lamp.
"I'm starting to feel bad for you. I can't be the one getting all the love.~" She teasingly pointed out as she emerged from the cabin, cleaning away blood from her mouth.
"Don't be like that. I am nothing but generous." The Oni remarked in a pleased tone, as the threw the lamp at the cabin.
Gagaran managed to grab it, spun around, and throw it into the distance, where it fell onto the fields, breaking, and starting a fire. This act actually worked to distract Yama, as he turned to follow the lamp with his eyes, even after it had collapsed onto the plants they were meant to protect.
This gave Gagaran an opening, rushing towards Yama, swinging her [Fel Iron] as hard as she could towards the side of his head, landing a clean hit. This sent vibrations through the Oni's body as she stumbled to the side, almost falling over. The female adventurer swung another blow, which was greeted with a foot to the chest by Yama, causing her to stumble back and onto the ground, her weapon falling out of her reach.
"Not bad." Yama remarked in a complimentary tone as he looked upon her.
"Seems like you finally got me on my back.~" Gagaran said with a mischievous smirk.
"Such a temptress you are." Yama replied in good humor, as he approached her [Fel Iron].
Yama chuckled as he was about to pick it up, leaving her able to get back to her feet and go on the offensive with her fists. If she was at a disadvantage before, it had only gotten worse. She was a fighter, but one that specialized in using melee weapons, so her fists were either avoided or blocked by him. Until eventually he caught her fists in his hands, with their fingers intertwining, and now finding each other in a test of strength.
"Come on, Gagaran-chan. Put your back into it." Yama said, as he easily forced her back with minimal effort.
"You could be a bit gentler. I'm a girl after all.~" Gagaran pointed out with a grin, managing to push him a bit back.
"Don't say that. Or I'll start to get disappointed." The Oni growled, pushing her so now their faces were closer together.
"And I don't want to do that now do I?"
As Gagaran said this, she brought her face towards his, their lips meeting for a brief moment in a quick kiss, momentarily stunning him. Enough for her to push him onto the floor. Gagaran followed this by trying to bring her foot down on him, just for Yama to grab on to it and turn over, sending her face first onto the ground. By doing this he placed her within reach of her weapon, which she was quick to grab and swing it, causing Yama to jump back.
"Disappointed?~" Gagaran asked with labored breathing, getting back to her feet.
"I'm starting to get worked up actually. You might even earn yourself a view of my real form."
"Oh... I can't wait.~"
In the case of the confrontation between Arisuke and the sisters, their situation was much worse. The moment they tried to approach using their ninja techniques [Dark Crossing] and [Hide Shadow], the vampire was not only able to keep up with them, but even showed great knowledge of these techniques. He was not only able to block their attacks, but attack them as they emerged from the shadows.
That was the case of Tia, as her eyes were on the blade in her stomach, the vampire's Wakizashi rammed into it. Not deep enough to be fatal, but still able to cause a considerable amount of pain and discomfort as she then cried out...
"[Bursting Flame Column]!"
The resulting explosion was ignored by the vampire as he lunged at Tina with his blade at the ready. To which Tina responded with...
"[Immovable Adamantine Shield]!"
This created a barrier between herself and the vampire, who stopped in his tracks, and seemed to move to the left before vanishing. His speed was far superior, so Tina managed to pick up on his intention to get behind her, turning around as best as she could before invoking another art.
"[Immobility Binding Paralysis]!"
This landed a clean hit on Arisuke, and seemed to froze him in place. Instead of focusing on him, Tina decided to focus on her sister, perhaps it was because she understood truly what her opponent was and that the binding wouldn't last, so she summoned a [Shadow Clone] to keep an eye on him, as she went to Tia's side.
Her fears quickly came true, as even before she could get next to Tia, Arisuke began to march towards them. The clone began her attack, executing a swift combination of dagger slashes, kicks, and knees strike at the vampire, just to have none of them hit, and its head separated from its shoulders by a simple motion of his free hand. Even if the clone had only one-quarter of the original body's battle power, the fact it was child's play to him was unnerving.
"Run! Escape!" Tia earnestly growled.
Tia was on her knees, with left hand on the handle of the blade that was in her stomach, while her right hand pushed her sister aside. While Tina seemed taken aback by this gesture, her attention fully on her. Even if both at this point understood that victory was impossible.
"He's going to kill us, leave!" Tia shouted, almost in a panic.
"He's not. Can't you tell?" Tina argued in a soft tone.
Tia was left somewhat dumbfounded by this. Perhaps the pain had gotten the better of her, but her eyes once more went to the approaching vampire. Indeed, if they were to die they would have done so long ago. He could have easily done more than just stab her. Was he toying with them?
"B-Bastard. What do you want?"
"The boss wants us to see how we do against you people. Still, taking into account how things are going I also think he could have instructed us to put an end to this already." Arisuke replied dismissingly.
"Let me heal her." Tina calmly requested.
"You can heal her?" Arisuke asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"I have a potion."
"If you want. But do not think that won't continue after you are done. I may not like this approach to things, but those are my orders."
"T-Then give us a minute to heal." Tina said, seemingly surprised by his answer.
"Two. I'll be waiting up there." Arisuke said as he pointed at the top of the nearby wall.
In the "fight" between Kusumi and Lakyus, the young adventurer had managed to save herself from the swarm of snakes that attacked her. However, she had not done so without suffering a few bites. While she could heal herself from this, she needed a moment to do so, and Kusumi wasn't giving her that, as she now had to content with four surprisingly strong Snakemen.
Two had spears, while two others stood near their master using bows and arrows. This was enough to tell her that Kusumi was some kind of summoner, and a strong one at that, since her summons were able to keep up with her rather decently. Still this meant that as long as she managed to get close or use her [Floating Swords] she should be able to win.
Giving the mental command to her blades, Lakyus sent them flying at Kusumi, just to have one of the bowmen use itself as a shield, taking every blade and effectively protecting its mistress. At that moment the Snakeman behind her went to attack with his spear, which Lakyus had managed to avoid as she spun around, managing to slice clean through its waist.
The creature fell and wailed in pain, yet was left alone since his fellow spear user was now fighting his attacker. Although, even if bisected the Snakeman managed to crawl up and grab on to her right leg. Calling back her [Floating Swords], Lakyus was able to shower the half and the remaining fighter in blades, killing them in the process. Yet not saving her from the nervous twitch that led to that half biting down on her leg.
"…!"
Kicking the Snakeman away from her leg, and calling back her weapons, Lakyus charged at the remaining Snakeman and Kusumi, with the several incoming arrows easily being deflected by her expert sword movements and [Floating Swords], until she was close enough to slice off its head. Now, she was alone with Kusumi, her blade rising to the woman's throat.
"You lost." Lakyus confidently declared.
"Not bad. Truly it goes to show how skilled you are, for someone so young.~ I also must commend you on your poison resistance. Even if it seems that holding up that interesting sword of yours seems to be a tad bit difficult.~" Kusumi casually remarked, as if all we fine.
As she spoke, Kusumi slowly raised her hands, a showing of admitting defeat. All the while Lakyus truly was doing her best to remain composed. Her body was feeling different types of numbness. Too late she realized the motion of the arms was not that of surrender, but was just a distraction. This allowed a large snake to emerge from under Kusumi's long skirt, which slowly slithered between both women, and was behind Lakyus before it attacked. The serpent bit onto her right leg, before rapidly using the rest of its body to wrap around the leg.
"What about now?" Kusumi asked, lightly pushing the sword aside with her left index finger, making the smallest amount of contact with it as possible.
Lakyus' arm swung to her side as if carrying an enormous weight, leading to her staggering in place. Her legs grew weaker, and Kusumi simply smiled warmly, before giving Lakyus a small push, causing her to stumble back. With the snake wrapped around her leg, this led her to fall back onto the floor. Kusumi looked down at her, before gingerly presenting a potion, as she began to speak.
"How many potions do you see? One? Two?" Kusumi nonchalantly asked, getting no answer.
"..."
"Please don't tell me it is three." She added with some concern, that could not be distinguished between genuine or not.
"I-I... Can still fight..." Lakyus mumbled, failing to even lift her head.
"I'm sure you can. But this 'pure' body of yours cannot. However, I have taken your spirit into account and I quite enjoyed that. So much so, that I was wondering if you would like to accompany us back? Perhaps join me in my line of work as a high-class escort. You would be surprised how much pull you could get through it. Even more than many nobles."
"N...No..." Lakyus mumbled, her weakened hold on her sword tightening ever so slightly.
"Understood. Drink then." Kusumi said, helping her fallen opponent take the potion.
The change in Lakyus was almost immediate. She seemed fuller, with a healthier expression to her, but was not free from the lingering effects of the poisons. Meaning she wouldn't be able to move for some time.
[Everyone, back to my location.] Vali's voice echoed through her mind.
In no time the rest of the Yasei no Kari gathered in the location they had left their leader. None of them showed any damage. Kusumi brought Lakyus with her by having a Snakeman carry her, in much the same way Yama carried Gagaran in his arms, while Arisuke was carrying the sisters over each of his shoulders. Vali was the only one with damage, even if it was just his clothing, while his opponent now rested in the bottom of a small crater with her mask broken into fragments that litter the area.
"Put the rest down." Vali instructed, which they obeyed.
"What did you think?" Vali asked in a stoic tone.
"Hm. Nothing noteworthy power-wise." Arisuke frankly replied.
"A very good woman." Yama replied in high spirits.
"Someone who might have a future in my field.~" Kusumi softly replied with a smile.
"Hm. Well, I agree with you, Arisuke. Their power isn't noteworthy. This also means our job here is done. Especially when it seems that fire I smelled earlier was taken care of." Vali said in a scrutinizing tone, getting a nervous chuckle out of Yama.
"Heh... It was my fault. I handled it, boss."
"Still, the mission these women were on was a well-intentioned one, and these people are criminals..." Vali contemplatively began, with Kusumi then chiming in.
"I also found out where their currency is kept.~"
"Very good. Arisuke, get the women out of here. Kusumi get our new funds. Yama, you and I will kill the guards and set this place ablaze."
Sometime later, the Yasei no Kari found themselves walking back to their inn, with massive fires eating away at the plantation. Having acquired a decent amount of funds, they could now rest and move on to their real assignment...