Just before Alucard left
"Ohhhhh! Why is it always me that ends up on the hard end?" Seras whined pitifully, her form hunched over like a certain hunchback of Notre Dame as she strode through the mansion's hall looking like life had been sucked out of her. Kind of ironic considering that she had been a Vampire, as well as had yet to drink human blood directly from its source, for her to look like a Vampire's victim under typical circumstances. The way she moved resembled that of a Ghoul mixed with a 2AM drunkard who'd been recently cheated on by his significant other.
When her master had informed her he was leaving to go somewhere, without permission from Sir Integra Seras might add, she had tried to stop him from committing such a mistake knowing that the woman likely would exhibit a harsh punishment like she did whenever Theseus and the guys got too mischievous.
Unfortunately either he was stubborn as a lion or she was a bit too much of a softie weakling (part of her thought both of those could be applied here), but her efforts were in vain in the end. It didn't help that his actions would impact her as well since she's his servant, and in this case the thought of such impacts sent no small amount of chills down her spine. Sir Integra would really throw a fit to her and Seras would have no choice but to take the full brunt of it.
Such was her new life in Hellsing.
Once she was at the double-sided door, she knocked on it. After waiting for a few seconds she heard the reply of come in which she complied. She opened the door and entered the room, there behind her desk was Sir Integra with Walter at her side. The woman looked to be busy with some documents while her butler dutifully stood beside her with a jug of hot tea ready to be poured at any moment
"Police girl, where is Alucard?" She questioned Seras, not looking up from her paperwork, allowing the silence that had previously dominated the room to return. Although the sound of her pen hard at work could still be heard, that wasn't something either of them focused on. The Helsing boss had not heard from her weapon for a while so she wanted to know where he was, it was PRETTY important that Alucard stay by her side with the escalating dangers of assassins trying their hand at her life.
As she stopped in the middle of the room, Seras scratched the back of her head while putting up a nervous expression. "Ahahahah well funny about that, Sir Integra, uhhhh you see…." She tried to complete her sentence but couldn't find the right words for it.
She only got increasingly nervous when she saw how Sir Integra still maintained her stoic gaze without showing a hint of the fury she felt was definitely brewing. It also didn't help that her glasses reflected the light and hid her expression from view, her hands were interlocked while leaning on them.
Inevitably, Seras got her first taste of Integra's emotions when the woman let out an annoyed grunt. "Tsk, so he left all of a sudden. Is that correct?" Sir Integra questioned, although her tone indicated that she was already aware of Seras' answer. She lifted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.
"Well if you put it that way..."
"Now it's not the time for any make up excuses, police girl. We have something far more important. Alucard will have a better excuse when he's absent." Sir Integra interrupted her, showing a more annoyed look than her usual stoic emotion. Wherever that vampire was, she'd have a nice long talk with him when he returned.
Hearing that tone provoked a slightly panicked yelp from the former human. "Yes sir!" Seras declared, saluting her before turning and walking to the side of the room.
Whelp, that hadn't gone as bad as she had thought it would thankfully, which meant that Sir Integra wasn't in too much of a bad or stressed mood. The newly sired Vampire had long since learned to notice whenever her superiors were cranky or not thanks to being in the police for a while during her human life, whenever they were in such a state the police officers would be more likely to work their subordinates harder so it was usually more of a precautionary measure to help her steel herself mentally.
Part of her missed that life still, however. Being in the police was much easier than being in Hellsing.
Even so, Seras did have a curious question about the purpose of this meeting. "Ummmmm Sir Integra, can I ask why we're all here?" She asked, referring to how both she and Walter had been assembled here. Normally this wouldn't have been a cause for confusion since Walter was beside their master almost 24/7 as one of her most trusted subordinates. Seras recalled vaguely that Sir Integra had once remarked that Walter was more trustworthy to her than many of Hellsing's workforce. But something about this time in particular was different, the air felt heavier and colder like they were standing outside on a winter's day… though given that British Weather wasn't usually very good on the best of days it wasn't much of a difference.
Sir Integra did not respond to her question for a while, she stood up straight and took out a cigar which Walter lit seconds after she put it in her mouth. She sucked on it a few times before taking it out and puffing out smoke. "We are going to be welcoming a new recruit."
A white limousine stopped in front of the Hellsing manor. The car door opened and from there a young man in his mid to late teens swiftly disembarked from it, carrying a suitcase in one hand. This man had pale blonde hair in a somewhat spiky hairstyle as well as dark blue eyes as sharp as blades, which would allow him to give a dagger-like glare when necessary. The young man looked to be wearing a Black thigh-length coat that had rolled up sleeves at the elbows, exposing the matching arm sleeves and gloves with the former having light blue undersides. This blue coloring also presented itself on the undersides of his baggy-looking pants which were also equipped with knee guards and rain boots which followed this color scheme. Additionally, beneath the coat the man wore a black vest with a blue Z in front, and across his outfit the man had dozens of pouches, straps and other pieces of equipment which could typically be found in the military hinting at his preferred occupation.
Hunter: It's Lee (Palefire) from Punishing Gray Raven.
Once he had his bearings together, the young man glanced up at the Hellsing manor's gate which opened signaling him to come in. He stared at it for a while, his expression neutral and unreadable, before picking up his suitcase and proceeding through the gates which closed behind him. Ignoring that he continued to walk towards the Hellsing manor.
He had heard much about this particular Manor. Behind those doors before him lay the terror of all beings in the world. The main CenterPoint of the UK faction, once one entered it they were said to never know how long they got to live, from simply seconds or breaths one took before blood spilled all over some disembodied corpses.
While he strolled the man briefly closed his eyes, as if in his thoughts he was doing something like forgiving his parents or wishing himself luck that he would survive this nightmare… but those weren't his thoughts. His thoughts were all hollow and tranquil at the moment, before he opened his eyes and the door.
He walked through the halls of the manor, somewhat admiring the furniture and paintings they had collected over the years. Before long however, the man shook his head before continuing on to strolling towards his destination, he did occasionally pass some servants who all kept going about their business like usual though. The man had taken note of this in his mind, realizing that this place seemed rather busy which was a likely sign that things were getting done.
It was then he finally found the double-sided door with both a Butler and Maid waiting at the side for him before opening the door for him.
He entered the room and from there in the office sat the leader of the Hellsing organization, the one who controls the living darkness himself and one of the descendants who defeated the No-life king.
Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing.
Beside her was whom he assumed to be her personal butler and on the corner of his eyes was a young woman who was smiling nervously. He glances back at the leader of Hellsing, the two of them having a little stare off with smoke coming out from her cigar.
It was then Sir Integra broke the stare off and silence. "So, you're the only one who the Shinto faction has sent correct?" she questioned, cold and hardly.
The man nodded his head in confirmation, shifting his grip on his suitcase so that he held it in his opposite left hand instead of his right. "Yes, I am Sir Integra. My name is Lee Palefire, I am one of those responsible for the Shinto's intelligence, hardware, and technical issues." The boy named Lee introduced himself with a matching tone.
Sir Integra put the cigar back to her mouth, taking a breath before puffing out smoke. "I see, and what makes the Shinto see it necessary to give out someone like you who can handle electronics and intelligence, especially when we already have those?" she coldly questions Lee, her gaze bearing into his own with the traditional Hellsing presence erupting forth from her that caused the room's temperature to metaphorically drop.
Once she felt the shift in tone, Seras tried to gulp as quietly as possible so she didn't draw any attention to herself. She knew that look and that tone shift, whenever she'd been invited to be Integra's bodyguard in place of Alucard whenever he hadn't been around on occasion, Seras has the fortunate (?) pleasure of witnessing how the woman did diplomacy. She hadn't ever seen someone who had such a commanding presence like hers before, not even some of her more fanatical of superiors back in the police force had the same 'aura' as Sir Integra did.
Part of her wondered if that was one of the things that drew Alucard to this woman and compelled him to follow her commands.
Much to Seras and unbeknownst to anyone Walter's surprise, the man known as Lee didn't seem affected by this change in atmosphere, maintaining his calm demeanor while he responded in a similar tone to her. "You will find that the Shinto placed very high expectations for me when they told me that I would be sent to the bloodiest faction in the world. Yet it raises the question, why are you called the bloodiest faction in the world where there is no blood around you, in London or this manor? Where is the proof when there are only words but no action taken?" Lee questioned her about the reputation of being the bloodiest faction. Despite knowing the dangers and having done ample research into Hellsing, Lee showed that he was not afraid to boldly criticize her even when facing the doors of death itself.
Sir Integra narrowed her eyes at Lee, her gaze unchanging as she leaned forward on her desk. "Are you doubting our reputation, boy? Because it feels like you're trying to test my patience which is what I do not like. What good can a Youkai do when their animal instincts compel them to flee the first moment when they feel danger around them?"
"And you'll find that even cockroaches can survive through anything even when they are the last species around. Even under dire straits, they still have the will to survive through hell. For even if cowards are scared they at least have a reason to survive, that would explain why soldiers desert the army to run away from the bloodshed and be with their friends or family." Lee countered her argument in a philosophic way, not afraid to explain why people escape from the army or boldly tell her cockroaches to have a higher chance of survival than humans.
Sir Integra stared at Lee's eyes for some time, battling their will's against each other before the atmosphere dropped. Making Seras sigh in relief when Sir Integra snorted. "Hmph, a bold move you made there Palefire. But I do wonder if that sharp tongue would last forever." she leaned back to her chair, seemingly accepting Lee as one of Hellsing's soldiers. The boy had a sharp tongue and a strong mind, she'll give him that at least. Might as well work with it or see how long it would last until he breaks. "Since you claim yourself to be a mechanic I'll be assigning you under Walter's command. He'll make sure you prove your worth to him and our organization. Walter?" She called her butler's name.
"Understood Sir Integra." the butler nods his head in command before walking to the double-sided door. He turns to Lee and calls to him. "Come young man. I will be showing what you will be doing under my care. Let's see how skilled you are in the field." Walter's monocular glistens in light while having a challenging smile on his face.
Lee did not show any expression on his face but his eyes had a glint of accepting the challenge. He won't back down from an impossible challenge, no less from the Hellsing's head butler and former retired soldier. He strode forth to the head butler's side and left the room leaving Sir Integra and Seras alone.
After the door closed behind them, silence reigned. The lady duo stayed quiet for a while before Seras looked at Sir Integra with a questioning look. "Ummmmm, Sir Integra. W-what do you think of him?" She asked Sir Integra about her opinion with Lee Palefire. She could've sworn his attitude matched that of hers, almost as if he's her long lost son.
They almost share something in common, their attitudes, strict and almost intimidating.
"Personally. I think he's rather cocky in thinking he could survive from almost anything." She took a big huff from her cigar and then puffed out smoke. She pulls a smirk on her face. "But that is what we need. Someone arrogantly thinking they could survive the hell of the world, bruising the danger it would bring to them. Greedy for survival, isn't that right? Alucard."
At the moment she uttered that name, the one it belonged to appeared through the walls like a phantom, making Seras squeak in surprise at the sudden arrival of her master.
He also had a smirk on his face. "Of course my master. It is highly unlikely he would survive one second, but you are right about one thing: being greedy for survival. It's the most important thing everyone wants." After saying this, Alucard finally allowed himself to fully transfigure out from the wall to showcase his full appearance to the two women.
Sir Integra matched her servant's smirk but threw it away when she began to show a very stern expression on her face. "And where were you this whole time, Alucard? You know full well I do not tolerate disobedience." She questioned, but both Vampires knew that what was actually happening was that she had ordered the vampire to explain where he had gone to without permission. As a result, he had missed the meeting with the new recruit the Shinto had sent them.
Alucard on a rare occasion lost his smirk and put on a serious expression on his face, indicating there was a good reason why he was gone instead of night trolling through London or other countries. "You will not like what I have discovered in my time in Romania."
Sir Integra was taken a bit back on his expression before pulling in a stoic face with her eyes narrowing and leaning forward on her desk. "What have you discovered, Alucard?" She commanded him with a deep tone of seriousness.
Somewhere in Hellsing manor
Both Walter and Lee were walking through the halls of the Hellsing manor's basement. They walked for a while, not sharing much small talk between the new recruit and the head butler.
Soon they both arrived at an old century door, Walter took a step forward and opened it beckoning Lee to enter the room. Once he entered, the whole room was in complete darkness, can't see anything from the pitch black. Though this didn't last for long since Walter switched the lights on, revealing what looked to be a workshop according to Lee's opinion. Numerous tables were in every corner of the room, sketches of various guns were hanging on the tables. A wooden board was at the left side of the room with sketches of guns drawn. Various tools and mechanics could be seen scattered throughout the room in a collected manner and a shooting range was at the right side of the room.
While Lee observed the contents that this workshop had, Walter walked to the sketch table, placed his hand on it before he finally spoke. "Welcome to the Hellsing's armory. My personal workshop where I make, build, and invent guns. This is where you will be working." He explained, glancing backward towards Lee through the corner of his eye.
As for the Shinto native, Lee hummed at the site of Walter's workshop. He looks around the room before walking to the M16. picking up and inspecting the rifle. "Quite the sight to behold Walter. Never had I had the pleasure to be in the presence of the main armory of the angel of death. From the view I imagine that this is no ordinary workshop is it?" he questioned Walter, putting down the M16 and shifting his gaze to the aforementioned butler.
Said butler nodded his head, still having a smile on his face. "Indeed young man. You're quite the sharp eye as well aren't you? Yes you could say it's no ordinary workshop, you see…" he stops for a moment as if thinking of his choice of words. He looks at Lee's stoic face with a challenging smile. "Before I go into further details, why not show me one of your inventions young man? Maybe a gun so to say?"
Lee narrowed his eyes to Walter in suspicion. "What makes you think that I brought my own version of a gun? A better question is how would you know?" He questioned Walter.
Walter merely laughed at his question though, his rueful chuckles echoing throughout the room. "Hohohohohoho my dear boy. I may be old, but nothing can escape from my eyes. Numerous times I have made weapons for Hellsing, you can say I have developed a sense of weaponsmithing. It never fails me. So would you kindly please show this old man what you have made?" He answered his question. As a master weaponsmith, as well as a former soldier and Vampire Hunter, Walter had the experience to deduce whenever someone had a weapon on their person. That Suitcase Lee held currently was his prime suspect.
Lee didn't answer Walters' question, instead he put down his suitcase and lifted his arm as if grabbing something out of thin air. Lee clenches his hand before the light shines in the room.
WHOOSH!
CLICK!
"Oh my." Walter says in surprise, watching as a series of mechanical-looking parts seemed to form out of thin air around a bright light that manifested within Lee's palm. These parts began to condense around the sphere, each one locking into place and clicking in with one another to resemble something CONSTRUCTING itself into existence In front of Hellsing's butler.
Before long, there was an unusual type of gun being held by the Shinto native and even the way it was held piqued the man's interest. The whole gun (or perhaps it would be better to say Cannon) seemed rather cylindrical in shape with the length being longer than a human arm. There looked to be a rotating cylinder for a magazine, something which Walter suspected while he inspected the gun in front of his face. Six sides of some kind of weapon support that is attached to the gun's muzzle like a claw. A some kind of motor was in the middle of the gun, the handle seems to be in support to reduce the recoil that is on Lee's arm and the trigger part, he deduced its inside of the weapon explaining how it looked seemingly attached to Lee's arm.
Walter was unfazed by the weapon that was in front of him and instead inspected it. "Intriguing, simply intriguing Mr. Palefire."
Lee promptly began to explain while moving to a nearby table that seemed rather bare, perfect for placing the gun onto. "This is my gun, the Rock Canon." He said, announcing the nature of his weapon to the head butler who strolled up beside him.
Said Butler hummed thoughtfully, scratching his chin as he gazed across the weapon's form, his mind racing with various thoughts and ideas pertaining to the weapon's functions. "My my, Rock canon you say? Tell me what is the trajectory of the bullets? How many can it shoot and how many per second?"
"It is capable of firing 20 bullets per second."
"Combat?"
"In combat, it serves a similar purpose to a shotgun, to help neutralize a single enemy with its high stopping power. I have yet to test that theory."
"Bullets?"
"Mana Bullets. Can not only shoot bullets, but also blast slower but more powerful orbs. Depends on how much energy you put in the canon."
"Firing range?"
"Capable of going as fast as a sniper bullet can go."
"Weight?"
"Medium weight, but it's best for the user to have great physical strength. The Rock Cannon was designed for physically gifted races to wield."
"Materials?"
"Ceramite. A form of heat and shock-resistant ceramic material and ores that are found only in a few places, one of them being London."
"Marvelous." Walter praised Lee at his work, admiring the canon with a few diagonals and inspections of the design. "Young man this is a true work of art you've made. May I ask why you haven't manufactured this weapon for your Shinto pantheon? They would take this into account." Walter questions Lee about why he hadn't published this weapon to his previous pantheon.
"It's because Yasaka forbid the design from being used." Lee answered his questions, informing him it was the west youkai leader side of the faction's doing. "When she saw the Rock Canon's potential, she feared it would be used against her and the Shintos due to the firepower it can produce. In her personal belief and paranoia, she believes that some of the Shinto elders do not fully support her and are waiting to rebel against her and my Rock canon can be used in one step ahead."
"That would be reasonable." Walter agrees with Yasaka's paranoia. He can say she made the right decision of not having Lee manufacture the Rock canon as their armory because the Shintos do not have the same amount of restraint as the Hellsing does. Not only that, but he believed her to be right to be paranoid given what their reports on the political situation in the Shinto Pantheon was like. "I can see how much your Rock Canon can do if it's upgraded….I can imagine the bloodshed and destruction it can cause."
A hum left his lips to show that he understood what the older man was saying. Nevertheless, Lee continued speaking. "It is still a work in progress and not complete but…I can agree with yours and Yasaka's decision." He put his hand down a bit as he stared down at his creation, the only one in existence since this was the prototype he had presented to Yasaka and his superiors.
Even though his expression hid it well, one with experience could see how Lee felt inside as his eyes hid a layer of disappointment and shame for the canon he created. Not only did he feel ashamed that he had created something that could potentially help his superior's enemies overthrow her, but also he felt disappointed when he remembered learning that his design wouldn't ever see the light of day again. Any weaponsmith would feel the same way if their designs were rejected and forced to be shelved forever, and in this case Lee had been particularly fond of this blueprint in particular… for multiple reasons.
Like previously stated, Walter recognized that feeling Lee seemed to be hiding right now, being as experienced as he was. A sympathetic look crossed onto his face while he put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "Now-now, it's not your fault nor do you need to feel guilty over it. There's nothing to worry about Lee, a weapon is a weapon which people use. A gun cannot be triggered if it's untouched but it's the people who trigger the weapon. The person who invents powerful weapons is not to be blamed for any atrocities committed by it, only the people who use it." Walter explained, furrowing his brows.
This had been a lesson he himself had learned the hard way over his many years of working for the Hellsing Organization. He had known what it was he was getting into since the beginning, Sir Integra's father having informed him of everything beforehand to give him a heads up in case he started feeling guilty about the fact the majority of his weapons had been used to kill people no matter the reasoning behind it. As a former Vampire Hunter he had experience with what it was like on the ground so he could understand the necessity for these weapons to exist, but it had been a lesson well-learned, one which helped him get through the day with a smile on his face. He was more of a creator, not a destroyer at the end of the day. The most of the blame fell upon those who pulled the trigger, not those who made the trigger possible in the first place.
Looking up at the older man, Lee made to say something but paused when he saw the knowing, experienced look in Walter's eyes. This look showed him that his senior in weaponsmithing knew EXACTLY what he had been talking about, saw his situation and gave him some of the best advice he could. It did mollify his indignation though, so he could say the following and genuinely mean it in a positive light for the first time since his arrival. "Thank you Walter. I appreciate it." He said with gratitude, his lips briefly twitching into a smile before returning to a flat line.
An almost grandfatherly smile spread across the wrinkled man's face at this. "It is my pleasure Lee. Now." Turning away from the table and the Rock Cannon on it, Walter strolled over to the nearby bulletin board and looked at the gun blueprints etched onto it. "You see young man, I am currently developing a new type of gun for the Hellsing, it has taken me many years of work, design, sketches, bullet casing, models and materials. I'm in the final process of constructing the project, a new gun, my own work of art and my masterpiece."
Lee followed his actions and stared at the bulletin board, taking one of the blueprints off the board (it had been written on some parchment and pinned to the board via a pin) before he cast a look across the gun design. The Gun looked like some kind of handgun, but it seemed to be double-barreled and sporting a massive ammo capacity. He took a good look for a while before looking up, Walter's monocular shining in brightness.
"This will be your first lesson and order. Are you capable of constructing a foreign and unfamiliar gun that would prove to be challenging?" He questioned Lee to see if he's up for the challenge.
Lee gazed down at the blueprints for a few minutes, then his gaze shifted upwards towards the ones etched/pinned to the wall. A few minutes later, his gaze fell back onto the head butler. "Show me where I can get started."
Walter smiles before adjusting his monocular. "You will be given your own workshop, materials will be provided for you along with the equipment required. If it proved to be challenging and impossible for you that is fine but remember." He puts his hand on Lee's shoulder again with a serious look. "Failure does not mean you stop, instead find those mistakes and improve it, improve yourself and make up for the damage. Just remember, Failure makes progress."
Lee stared at the retired vampire hunter, debating his choices before nodding his head in acceptance. "I will and I promise to not fail you….Sir." He declared, firmly. Perhaps more firmly than he usually would at the premise of being able to start on something new.
Walter returns to his grandfatherly smile. "I know you will, Lee. Now let's head to your new room, it's late right now so instead tomorrow you'll get started."
Kuoh
"Hhhhaaaaaaaa." a familiar butler boy could be seen walking through the streets of Kuoh for an evening stroll. Something to get out of his mind from all the stress, pain, and misery he's been feeling for a while now. From the fact Meredith was a mess, a hit on Sir Integra's head, and Theseus returning back to the base alongside Meredith being a mess, Theseus being a mess, Kuroh himself being a mess, all of Hellsing was just one big mess right now.
This mission had proven to be something far worse than it ever should have been. Just what was it that's just making things more complicated? Whelp, alongside Meredith they had never been in this type of situation before or in other countries for that matter. It had been like some outside force had been doing its damndest to make them leave Kuoh, giving them various signs that they don't belong here. They're foreigners, not natives here, they're monsters, and only monsters are allowed to exist in Hellsing. Nowhere else in the world.
Only God knew how shitty a politician felt when they lost on a campaign or a lawyer lost a case against a defendant. An old veteran of politics who had more experience with the law and the community lost to a recent politician who had been more convincing than the old veteran or they only listen to the younger generation than the old generation.
Kuroh just sighed with a tired expression and sat on a nearby bench before leaning forward to the ground and interlocking his fingers. He didn't want to interfere with Theseus's business, because he had his own secrets to keep and it must be for good reason. He knew for a fact his companion was hiding something, one could call it a gut feeling but sometimes trusting one's instincts wasn't wrong. He and Vali had almost shared their past with each other at a few points, but not the blond-haired boy, he never spoke about his past. He'd been hiding his past much more vehemently than the rest of them, but regardless it had been a special unspoken rule between the boys that they never meddle in these matters.
Whatever it was…it must've been something horrific for him to even remember i-
"Hmmm?" Just before he could monolog further, Kuroh raised his head and looked at the other side towards a park next to him sensing something that was conjured. From what he could tell, it looked like some kind of barrier judging from the energy signature his senses had picked up. Additionally it felt powered by holy energy… yet an ugly-feeling holy energy which could come from simply one species. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, this was unusual, very unusual. He got up from the bench and summoned his bladed katana with the sheath still on the blade before walking further into the park.
Kuroh easily broke through the barrier and entered the area, witnessing how the whole sky had turned purple which had been a staple for Fallen Angel barriers. Ignoring the sky, Kuroh walked towards what looked like a fountain, with a boy. He looked to be a high school student of average height with short spiky brown hair, with two short locks of hair behind his head, and light brown eyes. Wearing what seemed to be the Kuoh Academy boys' school uniform, which consisted of a black blazer over a white, long-sleeved dress shirt with black highlights with a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes. His blazer was open alongside his dress shirt which exposed a red T-shirt underneath, his feet covered by blue and white sneakers in place of dress shoes.
Seeing him prompted Kuroh to think about Kuoh Academy which had been a formerly all-girls school before becoming coed. According to their superiors their original intent had been to enroll Meredith and the rest of them to that school, but the presence of Devils there hampered their effectiveness and Hellsing did NOT have a favorable opinion of Devils especially after the near-complete assassination attempts on their leader before their diplomats arrived.
Thus, seeing a student from that school roused Kuroh's intrigue a little.
The high school student of Kuoh seemed to be in complete surprise in front of him, Kuroh raised his eyebrows before looking at what he was looking at before his eyes hardened. There was a familiar fallen angel who was flying high in the sky while conjuring a red light spear.
She said the following. "If you want to blame someone, blame the God who placed the sacred gear in you." she was about to throw the spear at the boy, not before Kuroh stretched his hand, his silver aura surrounded his whole arm.
"hu-OOF!"
BAM!
The fallen angel grunted in complete surprise before the gravity affected her and slammed her to the ground hard enough to cause an indentation in the concrete. A low hiss of pain left her lips while the Fallen Angel attempted to get up, but the intense pressure remained too strong for her to even lift her head. She grits her teeth in rage. "W-who the hel-"
"It would be quite unusual for an angel to blame God for their misery, but I expected no less from such a filthy being like you." Kuroh spat out an insult to the slutty-looking fallen angel. Alongside his words, the man confidently strolled out into the open, making the high school boy step back a bit.
"Wh-who are you? What's happening right now?!" He asked who Kuroh was when he saw the fallen angel just suddenly drop to the ground. It was all of a sudden for him to process what had just happened.
Kuroh glanced at the Kuoh high school student, looking him over discreetly to check for any visible injuries. His analysis confirmed that the student hadn't suffered any injuries yet which meant that he had arrived on time, something which sent a wave of relief through the man. At least something had gone right for him for a change. "You may call me Kuroh Yatogami, but as for your other question, let's just say that you'll get your answer soon." he answered Issei before looking back at the fallen angel who suddenly looked pale when he said before.
"A-a an agent of Hellsing?! You're one of THOSE monsters?!" She shouted in shock to see someone who she and the rest of her crew alongside the entire 'organization' she was a member of had identified as one of the Hellsing operatives.
Kuroh walked close to the fallen angel, his face shadows while his eyes glowed. "I prefer the term 'Agent of Hellsing' instead of that foul name, fallen angel. Your boldness and bravery would've allowed you to get away scot-free had I not been next to the barrier." A cold grinding sound followed Kuroh unsheathing his blade which shone brightly in the darkness, killing intent radiating from it that stemmed from it's master.
The fallen angel grit her teeth in fury and rage for making a stupid mistake when she should've checked her surrounding. "D-dammit all! It wasn't supposed to be like this! I had this all planned out-UGH ''
Kuroh interrupted her by stomping her head, smashing her face to the concrete. "Shut up will you? Everything you blabber about with that tongue of yours just keeps pissing me off." he puts his foot back, making to lift his sword and cut the fallen angel's head off. It had been a while since he had last cut something so this time, maybe it can relieve him a bit.
However, before he could do so an unexpected interruption stopped things in their tracks. "WAIT!" that something turned out to be the high school boy as he made that following proclamation. Well, it definitely succeeded in interrupting the samurai male's execution.
Briefly caught off guard, Kuroh glanced back to see the same highschool student now sporting an angry face as he pointed a finger at him. "I want to know what the hell is going on here?! Why has Yuuma turned into a hot chick with wings and humongous boobs that look so squishy and soft? I want to touch them real bad, so Kami help me right now!"
Kuro was disgusted with his vulgar perverted comment and he showed a face of annoyance. This highschool student has no self-control over his level of lust; he could almost practically taste it. No wonder this Fallen Angel was able to dupe him so easily, she just had to flash her goods at him and he'd likely kick himself in the balls if it were her request. Perverts like this guy filled the ranks of the male population these days, and it sickened Kuroh.
However, just as he was about to answer the pervert's question, this distraction was all that the Fallen Angel needed. She could sense the pressure from his gravity magic dispelling somewhat thanks to him not paying attention to her, so she quickly got out of the grip and flew up to the sky while looking down at the boys with anger on her face. "This isn't over Hellsing!" she declared, reaching to the side where a Magic Circle had manifested. She reached in and pulled out something, something shaped like a sword.
Just as Kuroh was about to refocus his Gravity Magic on her to halt her escape attempt, she quickly disappeared from existence.
Since it's source was no longer around the barrier around the boys dispelled, returning the scenario back to normal.
Although things soon showed themselves to have not lost any tension. Kuroh's face became red with anger while he turned towards the high schooler who lost his anger and was replaced with a startled yelp when the sword was at his neck. "Are you happy now? Because of you, that Fallen Angel escaped from my grasp because of your distraction."
The highschooler gulped in fear when the sword inched itself dangerously close to his neck, looking like it could pierce through his skin at any moment. Sweat poured down from his forehead whilst he struggled to keep his breathing even, failing miserably as his heart pounded away like a machine gun firing its rounds. It didn't help that before him, the furious man looked more like a humanoid shadow due to the lack of light in the area, his eyes glowing with the fury he currently exuded to the point where the boy feared that he would finish off what Yuma had started before.
'Me and my big mouth!' he screamed inside his head as he cursed himself for falling to a habit he had towards anything to do with boobs. That habit being to say whatever was on his mind without thinking and ignoring the consequences of his actions.
Just when the blade's tip was seconds away from cutting through the boy's throat...
"Unfortunately." Kuroh closed his eyes as he pulled his sword away from the pervert's neck and sheathed his blade, this act making the high schooler sigh in relief. "As much as I want to, I can't because that would be highly immature of me and my actions would cause more problems." he admitted, thinking about what Hellsing was going through in this area. It didn't help his desire to crush the pervert's balls with his gravity powers, but the thought that he'd make things more difficult for the people who essentially gave him a home when he lacked any in the past left an even worse taste in his mouth. "So I suggest you come with me if you really want to live." Kuroh said to the high schooler, turning on his heel and proceeding to walk away from him.
Despite having just narrowly avoided certain death, the boy couldn't help but look at his savior in baffled confusion. Was that supposed to be a warning, threat, a trap or something else?! He though of this in his mind but remembered the boy in front of him saved his life from being skewered by that…Fallen Angel? That seemed to be something similar in the book of the bible his friend used to read with him back when they were kids. He only remembered something like that just now, though.
Watching him go for a moment, the highschooler soon jogged on to catch up to the swordsman while eyeing that said weapon strapped to his waist with a nervous gaze. He didn't know when that thing would reach his neck again and depending on his mouth that could be sooner rather than later. Even his recent near-death experience wasn't enough to compare to what he felt when at that thing's other end. Nevertheless, his curiosity needed to be sated so against his better judgment the highschooler proceeded to ask the following question while trying not to stutter at imagining being stabbed like gangsters in those western movies. "W-where are w-we going sir?"
Kuroh glanced back at the high schooler, eyeing him for a brief moment although to said highschooler that 'brief moment' lasted as far as an eternity. Briefly, the highschooler feared that he had asked something stupid that caused his savior to rethink sparing him from freeing his head from his shoulders. Eventually, the man relented to his curiosity and spoke in a serious tone. "We are going to give you the answers you seek, such as why that Fallen Angel wanted to kill you."
Somewhere
"Dammit, dammit dammit all! Those fucking monster-ARGH!" The fallen angel shouted in fury when she appeared at the abandoned church, but seconds into her rant she screamed in pain when the injuries caused by that Hellsing monster's gravity attack on her sent spikes of pain into her nerve system. These injuries were mostly consisting of broken wing bones due to them being unable to withstand the sudden pressure that had been forced onto them without prior warning, but others included torn tendons and things being in places that they shouldn't.
Needless to say, her wings were practically SCREAMING in agony right now.
Despite the flames of torment licking at her back, the bruised and battered Fallen Angel limped forwards nearly stumbling a few times if she hadn't retained her balance, but when she was about to fall to the ground she had managed to shift her center of gravity at the last moment to lean against one of the church's walls. The woman placed a hand on the wall, dragging it downward slowly while she hissed in pain as she tried to retract her wings inside, however a sharp spike of pain made her inhale a quick hiss of air, stopping such attempts. She likely wouldn't be able to do ANYTHING with her wings for some time. All because of that fucker from Hellsing.
She gritted her teeth in rage despite the pain currently flooding her system, before she looked up when she heard someone calling out her name. "Raynare!"
The Fallen Angel, now known as Raynare, looked ahead and saw the three fallen angels were coming to her.
The male fallen angel reached her first as Raynare stumbled forwards, just about to fall over had it not been for him putting his hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Raynare, what happened!? Were you attacked!? Did you kill the sacred gear wielder!?" He asked her those questions in a rapid manner, concern evident on his face under the fedora hat he wore while also making sure to tend her wounds.
Raynare turned her head to Dohnseek with fury that helped her ignore her wounds in a brief moment of respite. "I would've skewred that fucking boy into pieces had not I been interrupted!" she screamed at him.
"Ahhh, did the itty bitty Raynare get herself beaten up by a weak little human?" Mittelt mocked her with a baby-like tone. She had a smug smile on her face while mocking looking at Raynare.
This did NOT sit well for the female fallen angel, her eyes becoming bloodshot while she went and conjured a red light spear in her left arm. "WEAK?! I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S WEAK HERE FUCKING BRAT!" She bellowed, pushing past Dohnaseek to point it at her kin.
In return Mittelt conjured her pink light spear and flew back a few feet away before making a stance while still retaining her smug expression. "Hah! It would be another hundred years you would try to surpass me, so do yourself a favor and gravel to the ground before me and I might give you some mercy."
"ENOUGH!"
BAM!
Before things could go to further shit, a third female Fallen Angel slammed her blue light spear onto the ground a few meters away from them after swooping down from above like a falcon, gaining all of the fallen angel's attention. Once she gained their attention, the blue-haired woman walked to the center of their group, looking livid at the lot of them with her yellow eyes. "Both of you are acting immature kids right now instead of adults. If you even continue to act like animals we can't even know what's happening right now." she crossed her arms and sternly looked at Mittelt and Raynare. "So I suggest the two of you to calm down and act like responsible adults."
Mittelt and Raynare stared at the buxom blue-haired woman for a while now before the first one to come to a conclusion were the young gothic fallen angel. She dispelled her light spear and turned her head away, still in a haughty mood. "Hmph fine, as much as I want to continue rubbing Raynare's failure into that noggin of hers. I might as well know what happened that caused her to look like an old man." Even if she had disengaged her weapon the petite girl still continued to mock Raynare.
Multiple veins appearing on her forehead, the said black hair woman felt close to exterminating Mittelt once more for her bratty behavior, but once more she stopped herself when Kalawarner showed her a stern face. She gritted her teeth almost to the point of breaking them from the grinding sounds she made, before she too dispelled her light spear. Now slightly calmer, she huffed and puffed from the persisting anger she was currently feeling.
Seeing the situation now under control, Kalawarner uncrossed her arms and sighed. "(SIGH), now that all of us are calmed down. Let's continue on where we were. Were you attacked by the pervert who recently awakened his sacred gear?" She questioned Raynare in a simple manner but had seriousness in her tone.
Instead of going off into another rant like they had expected out of the leader of their little group, Raynare suddenly paled and started trembling in fear, making all of the fallen angels get taken back in her sight. "N-no, I w-wasn't." she shivered at the thought of it, wrapping her arms around herself in fear. "I-I was close s-so close b-b-but, but….but." she stuttered on what she was trying to say but couldn't speak that name like it was something that came from the deep abyss.
Seeing their leader like this, each of the Fallen Angels struggled to make heads or tails of what could have spooked her so much. There were very few things that their leader got spooked by, one of them being the fury of their superiors back home or worse her 'love' Azazel who she had dedicated everything to. Raynare had already proven herself to be willing to get her hands dirty to achieve her goals and climb the social/power ladder to achieve her ends, not too unwilling to step on others if it came down to it either. They initially had someone else as their leader for this recon mission, but that person had mysteriously 'vanished' before her transfer to their squad.
So for something to have THIS kind of effect on her, it made alarm bells ring in their minds to the point where any thoughts of jeering or mockery had been shuffled to the backburner for the time being, even in Mittelt.
Eventually, Raynare managed to gain enough courage to speak with a deep tone. "Hellsing." she whispered quietly. The fallen angels could not hear what she was trying to say. It was too silent and low so they did not hear her voice. Raynare lift her head, showing her expression to the fallen angels which is terror. "The bloodiest faction is here. Hellsing's here."
THIS got a reaction from the other fallen angels.
Kalawarner widened her eyes before she too turned pale and shook in fear.
Mittelt screamed in fright before falling down the ground before scouting herself away from Raynare.
Dohnseek took a few steps back in fear with horror writing itself onto his face before he slammed himself into the church wall. "No, no it can't be, it's not true... It's not true! Please tell me those monsters aren't here!" He pleaded with Raynare, trying to deny that those beings were here in Kuoh of all places.
But alas, the tearful and panicked Raynare shook her head to crush those hopes, making the male fallen angel's heart beat faster than before. Sweat rapidly fell from his forehead down to his chin as he struggled to keep his breathing in order.
It felt like for an eternity before the Fallen Angels to rid themselves from that fearful state, but can anybody blame them? Hellsing was a name EVERYONE knew for God's sake, a home for true monsters in every sense of the word. Their very existence and reputation even proceeded with the Hindus as well, who were wary of the UK faction but not as afraid of them as other factions were. They are more worried about their trump card. The king of vampires himself is more certain.
The first one to speak was Mittelt, and like one might have expected at this point she looked ready to go 'fuck everything' and book it right at this moment. "W-we need t-to get the fuck out of here! I'm not staying anywhere NEAR those maniacs!" she said before getting up and conjuring a magic circle. Never had she wanted to get the fuck out of dodge as fast as she did now, she could hear her lovely room filled with sweets, gothic dolls and her warm bed calling for her. "Fuck this mission, it's not worth it, I'm out of here!" Before anyone could stop her, the petite girl ran towards the magic circle and disappeared.
Her actions were soon followed by Kalawarna as well as she too conjured a magic circle. "Come on you three we need to get the hell out of here!" she said to the fallen angels, making Dohnseek the first to run quickly to Kalawarna's side.
Just as he was about to run, Raynare's hand grabbed his trench jacket, stopping him from going any further. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she bellowed.
Her fury did not scare him at this moment this time though, evident by how the male Fallen promptly answered back without hesitation. "What does it look like I'm doing?! I'm preserving my own life!" he declared. He may be someone who liked a good fight, which had been his whole reason for taking this mission in the first place, to see if this Sacred Gear would give him a good brawl if it went wild using its host as a medium. However, he was not stupid nor suicidal enough to think he had a GHOST of a chance against the members of an organization known to be filled with monsters.
"So you're just gonna leave the entire mission, all because of those Hellsings?! This is our chance to prove ourselves to Azazel!"
"You crazy bitch!" Not taking any of that BS any more, Dohnaseek roughly pushed her off of him, making her fall to the ground and land on her bottom which caused her to hiss to herself. "Are you not listening to what Mittelt said?! It's not worth it! Their mere presence is something we can't handle! We'll die the first second we even face those maniacs!"
At this point, Raynare's eyes widened as bloodlust rose within her, overwhelming the pain her wings were in as she got up and placed a hand over her chest, throwing the other to the side. "Who cares about them?! It must be made-up lies to hide their weakness! I'm not letting go of this chance to prove to the whole Grigori we're not worthless!"
"You fucking crazy maniac woman! I'm not listening to your crazy obsession anymore! I'm getting the hell out of here!" he said to her before running towards Kalawarner's magic circle.
The blue-haired fallen angel looked in pity at Raynare before she said the following. "It's better to be dead than suffering from a fate worse than death itself." she said before walking to the magic circle.
Raynare conjured multiple light spears which floated in the air before launching them to the magic circle. "TRAITORS! YOU'RE ALL TRAITORS!" she screamed as the magic circle disappeared when the light spears were close to it.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Smoke covered the area, blocking her view from the site. She stared for a while before the smoke dispersed itself to show only a part of a destroyed area where the Fallen Angels had left, no fried bodies to be seen anywhere. She huffed and puffed in anger, her form shaking wildly… but it was not long before she exploded.
"RRRAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
She reared her back backward and screamed out towards the heavens in anger. "USELESS! FUCKING USELESS THEY ALL ARE!" she roared in fury at being deserted by her own squadmates. She then hunched her back forward with her hands in a claw gesture. "How?! just how the living hell am I supposed to find others to help me exterminate those useless sacred gear users?!" she angrily questioned how she can find others to do her will when even the bloodiest factions are here in Kuoh.
It was then a voice echoed throughout the church. "Perhaps, we can be of assistance."
"!?"
Instantly, Raynare's features shifted from angry enough to gleefully commit mass genocide on her own race to surprise/shock at the sudden voice that echoed throughout the church. Before the date she went on with their target with the intent to kill him at sunset, her former comrades and her had erected defensive barriers and other security measures on the Abandoned Church so that they would be able to deal with intruders. They'd spared no expense in fortifying their base according to the protocols designed by their organization, and if anyone DID dare to intrude on their territory they'd be 'dealt with' in no time flat.
For someone to get through those defenses to catch her off guard, especially at this point in time…
Looking to the source, Raynare saw someone hiding in the shadows, enveloped in darkness. The darkness hugged the figure's form like a bride would to her lover as they left the altar for their newly married life, concealing him from view like a black cloak save for two exceptions: a pair of crimson colored glowing eyes that blazed forth like two crimson flames that bore down at her. Their shape made her wonder if those eyes were even human, for their shape reminded her of lenses in a helmet as they glowed in the shadows that shielded him from her superhuman sight. Not only that, but even though she could see this figure there she could hardly feel any kind of PRESENCE from him, almost like he was not even there and her eyes were playing cruel tricks on her.
However, she could tell that they were NOT doing such things thanks to the feelings invoked within her at the sight of this person:
Fear…. She felt afraid.
No, that wasn't right, she wasn't scared of this figure… she felt goddamn TERRIFIED of it.
She had thought that she feared the Hellsing's wrath quite a bit when she first encountered that agent during her attempted murder of that brat Sacred Gear wielder. She had thought she had known fear whenever she thought of one day facing the cold, disappointed eyes of her most precious master who would then leave her and never return. She thought she felt fear whenever she pondered on how easily so many people could take her down and not bat an eyelash afterwards while trampling her brutalized, bloody and mangled corpse like a piece of garbage on the sidewalk.
All those thoughts she had about understanding fear? Now she felt utterly pathetic about them. Not at the thought she had them, but the ignorance she had been under at the time, for she hadn't truly understood what FEAR was to them, she knew that now. As for why that had been the case for her…
It was because the fear and terror she felt gripping her heart like a serpent coiling around its prey right now TRUMPED any of those previous experiences.
Nevertheless, she knew that there were times when one could express their true emotions without fear of being judged and right now was not one of those times. Doing her best to calm her frantic nerves alongside the storm of emotion swirling within her gut, Raynare narrowed her eyes in suspicion and conjured a light spear before pointing it at the hidden figure. "Who the fuck are you? How the hell did you even get here?" she demanded, scowling at the figure while trying to make herself look as imposing as possible. She pushed down the urge to cringe or grimace at the sparks of pain that flooded her system from her damaged wings.
The figure chuckled at the fallen angel, a dark, rueful and AMUSED chuckle that sent arctic-level cold chills down her spine. "Hahahahaha, my name is of no importance. However I can give you an offer, an offer you can't refuse. Something that is far more worth than what you can imagine." The figure spoke and judging from the masculine tone she could hear from it, although it sounded slightly distorted to her ears, Raynare assumed she was talking to a man… though part of her doubted if this was the case due to not being able to tell fully.
Still, with the way she heard him speak and the way those eyes glowed within the darkness, Raynare felt like any pretense she put up was utterly useless before this being. All of her felt laid bare before this being, ripe for being judged and found wanting, a feeling which Raynare had never felt before… not with this level of magnitude. She felt this whenever she talked with her superiors like Kokabiel and Azazel. She felt this when she was glanced at by her peers, especially those undeniably stronger than her as if they were questioning the validity behind her own very existence.
Not only that, but the figure's cold tone betrayed NOTHING about this man, if she could even call him by such a human word. Raynare had seen men who were powerful enough to command the respect of the masses, but this… thing? She honestly found herself struggling to even identify him as such and that unnerved her all the more. Raynare considered herself a good judge of people's character, she had identified the SG user as some obsessively perverted wimp who wouldn't be able to change anything in favor of chasing skirts. Unlike her precious person who actually had the balls to back his bark up.
This figure however, she couldn't figure out at all… not good for negotiating deals, she'll say that.
Speaking of deals, Raynare nonetheless couldn't deny that part of her was suddenly intrigued by this mysterious being who was making an offer of which he claimed was something she apparently 'can't refuse', though given how she had been faring so far he might be right on that one which irked her somewhat. "Interesting, but why should I listen to you? As far as I'm concerned you'll just be a whiny little bastard who can't handle the Hellsings." She questioned with a scoff.
"The Hellsing won't be a problem to you." This made Raynare focus more of her attention on the figure as he continued. "You see they do not possess what we have." Suddenly Raynare had the urge to fly up the air, she listened to her urge and flew off the ground for a few feets before she saw an entire darkened legion the same as him who's red eyes glowed in the dark. Signalifying that he is not alone. "An entire legion of darkness."
After she flew down to the ground and looked at the figure who was speaking, the Fallen Angel noticed some other figures standing near him with their red eyes glowing. Figures she hadn't even seen move let alone detect. "So what say you? Do we have a deal?" He puts his giant hand forward in a handshake manner.
Now, all of this SCREAMED suspicious to the Fallen Angel. Not only did these people arrive out of nowhere, but they conveniently had offered her the one thing which she needed the most currently. It was too convenient, so she didn't trust them one bit. She could have applied the expression 'trust them as far as she could throw them', but the woman could throw Spears quite far so it wouldn't work so well. There were just too many things she didn't know about these people, and their whole vibe just rubbed her the wrong way. There was a reason why she had been selected by her superiors for this mission when the last one had an unfortunate 'accident' and thus had to have a replacement.
However she can't help but to shake the feeling that she's uncomfortable, physically uncomfortable with the figure in darkness in front of her. She can't figure out their true appearance which is shrouded in darkness but can imagine behind that darkness is something that would unsettle with their presence.
Nevertheless, she didn't have much of a choice in her current circumstances.
Her thoughts may have been written all over her face considering how the main figure's eyes gleamed like he knew he had her where he wanted her. All before he went and delivered the final nail to her coffin. "Your false comrades have abandoned you because they fear the mere presence of the UK Faction. They left you without any second thoughts. You have no friends, you have no comrades, you have nothing. We can offer you something you desired the most. Power. Power to be feared, no longer as a stepping stone for the strong to bully you, power to be in the seraph level. Power to be recognized, even by your most desirable person."
Raynare bangs covered her eyes the longer she heard this figure talk, hiding it from view. She did not speak or utter any words. As if it was like an eternity she raised her head slowly and hardened her eyes before she accepted the handshake. She has accepted the mysterious figures offer without hesitation. "I hope you will not disappoint me." She said, scowling.
"Hohohoho trust us fallen angel." He straightens himself up, showing the difference between the height which he easily towers over her. With the candle light moving around showing a bit of blue mechanic armor and a white helmet on the figure, showing partially his appearance. "You have yet to see what we can do."