"So, Hokuto and Shizuka had a kid?" Artorian asked, him and Ryusei sitting in the backyard of the dojo as the sky was slowly darkening.
"Rather obvious, she has her mother's looks after all." The man said, pouring two cups of sake for them. "And she has her father's spirit, don't get why you need to ask."
"Bastard, you know damn well why I'm asking, and why I'm pissed." Artorian stated, glaring as the man picked up his cup. "What the hell were they thinking?"
"That they would have more fun with less clothes and let the alcohol do the talking."
"Bastard…"
"…" The man paused as he was about to take a sip of his sake, putting it down as he sighed. "Look brat, being a Vessel isn't all it's chalked up to be. We're expected to fight until we die, or get the strain removed and die slowly. Whatever the case, it's a shit life with an abrupt end. I would think you know that better than most."
"Which is why I have refrained from making Vessels out of the Slayers on Little Garden. They haven't gotten old enough to make those decisions."
"And we were?" Ryusei countered. "I'm not sure if you remember, but most Vessels were twenty when they were infected. Not much older than you or anyone on that boat. It isn't much of a difference."
"But they knew why they weren't supposed to have a kid."
"They spent nearly a decade of fighting Savage for the Lords; they deserved the chance to have their own family."
"Damn it Bastard! If they had the Abyss removed it would be different!" Artorian shouted, slamming his hands on the table and spilling the sake. "But they didn't! They were both Vessels and had a kid!"
"I still fail to see the problem."
"She's a fucking-!" Artorian was about to scream before stopping himself by biting his tongue. "She's an Abysswalker Bastard."
"Oh, that issue." Ryusei groaned, rubbing his forehead as he thought. "You know, I sometimes forget about that, with how she is and all."
"What do you mean?"
"You saw for yourself; she hardly acts the part of an Abysswalker." He said, smirking as he looked to the hybrid. "And I assume you didn't figure out she was one by the feeling of her soul."
"It felt off, but I couldn't quite figure out why."
"Yeah, it certainly isn't a normal human's presence. But it also doesn't feel like an Abysswalker." The man stated. "Not only that, her night terrors are barely there. She rarely has to take the medicine."
"And has she ever attempted to use the Abyss?" Artorian questioned.
"…No, she's not even aware of it yet."
"And that's part of the reason. Humans are strong against it but the moment she gives an inch for power it'll haunt her for good."
"And how do you know that? Are you the expert on human Abysswalkers now?"
"Bastard, you know damn well why I'm speaking out like this. There's already enough shit being piled up, adding a factor like this is… is… it's crazy! Even for us!"
"Even so, what's done is done. She's born, she's developed, and she's here now." Ryusei stated, putting the cups back upright and grabbing the bottle of sake. "The Abyss is as fused to her as it is you. If you want it gone, you'll have to kill her."
"I wasn't saying… that's not where I was going with this."
"I know, but now you understand why Shizuka never said anything about this. And why she had me swear to keep my mouth shut." He sighed, the tension between the two going away as he refilled their cups. "The Lords wouldn't have hesitated, and the Mikado certainly would have a few ideas on what to do to her."
"…Fucking damn it. They knew exactly what they were putting her in to when they conceived her." Artorian swore as he grabbed his cup, chugging the alcohol down along with his master. "So what then? Keep her in the dark and hope no one finds out?"
"Unfortunately, that luxury isn't going to last." The man informed. "The Mikado has been making frequent visits, always looking to talk to Touka. He's hoping to take her for a test to determine if she's "Slayer material"." He air quoted, sighing in irritation as he refilled their cups.
"Touka's the daughter of two Vessels, she has no chance of having compatibility with a Hundred. And aside from Carver, no other First Generation Slayer has shown the ability to even summon energy."
"He sees the family name, tests to see her ability in energy, and he finds out she's a violation of the Slayer Pact there's no hope for her." Ryusei admitted, chugging his sake down before continuing. "So that's why I was relieved you were coming here. I have a favor to ask."
"Ah damn it." Artorian groaned, rubbing his face as he immediately caught on. "Charlotte could easily get her a room to stay on Little Garden, and I doubt Claire will shy away from an extra set of hands. And throwing in a good word will probably get Judal to instate her as a Slayer of Warslran."
"You are a life saver!" Ryusei laughed heartedly, filling his cup once more and raising it in a toast. "Leave it to the Wolf Bastard's little whelp to come in for a save!"
"Just adds another body to look after, might as well with the amount I have." Artorian responded, rolling his eyes as he raised his cup in return.
"Thank you, I mean that." Ryusei said, giving the boy a sympathetic stare as he finished his cup. "…So are you going to visit him?"
"Probably." Artorian shrugged, placing his cup on the table. "I figured you probably still don't keep any food in this mess of a dojo, so I was going to head out and go to Fukososhi's to get things for breakfast. I figured it'd be best to visit him before that."
"I suppose that's fair." Ryusei shrugged, stretching his arms as he would stand up. "Well, it's late enough for the medicine to kick in. I'm going to join your lady friends and head off to bed."
"If that isn't a metaphorical join I'm drowning you in the pond."
"Relax ya little shit, I'm not stepping in on your action." The man chuckled as he slid the door open, the moonlight temporarily illuminating the dojo's main room.
After the long flight, the bulk of the group having came with Artorian were asleep, spread around the dojo in the futons Ryusei had. The only one not visible was Karen, who was given the spare room to sleep in. As he stepped in, Artorian stood up and cracked his neck, kicking his sword up and catching it to holster it on his back.
"So are you done talking with Shisho?"
"FUCK!" Artorian jumped, nearly rearing his fist back for a punch before realizing it was Touka. "Do not, NOT, do that again."
"Hehehe. Yeah she's a sneaky little devil ain't she?" Ryusei chuckled, looking to the two. "Why not take her with you for shopping? I'm sure you two could learn a bit about each other."
"Shouldn't she be sleeping?"
"Nope, I got plenty of energy!" Touka cheered, patting her bicep as she grinned. "I've never been in town this early, it should be a blast!"
"…Not exactly." Artorian muttered before looking to Ryusei, pointing to the wooden sword on the fiery redhead's hip. "Can that thing handle the force of her swings?"
"She hasn't learned Zaneizan yet, her swings will be regular like yours were." He answered, waving them off as he headed in. "Just be sure to keep an eye on her, she'll wander off if you don't."
"Right." The hybrid responded, looking back to Touka who was smiling expectedly at him. He then sighed, placing his mechanical hand on his forehead. "Guess I'm stuck with you until everyone wakes up. You ever been to Fukososhi's?"
"Only once, Shisho doesn't like me going there since some guys often go there." She answered, the two walking around the dojo as they headed into town.
"That goes one of two ways and both make sense. What about defending yourself?"
"It's Yamato."
"Yeah, I guess I walked into that one, fair enough."
"Hrrrng!" Emilia groaned to herself, looking at the dojo's ceiling in annoyance. It was still early, the moon still present while she laid in her futon. She had woken up not too long ago, having formed a plan in mind just before bed. However the plan was immediately ruined when she looked around and saw Artorian nowhere to be seen.
'Why did he just walk out in the middle of the night?' She thought to herself, scowling up with a thin-lipped pout on her face.
"Hrrrrrrnnnggg!"
"Crossfode, please stop." Emilia's groaning stopped when Claire spoke up, the girl immediately becoming self-conscious at the realization.
"O-Oh, sorry Claire." She whispered, looking to the side as the blonde's eyes opened. "How long have you been up?"
"About as long as you've been self-loathing."
"Seriously, how long can a guy complain for?"
"S-Sakura!?"
"You're up as well Sakura?" Claire asked, looking to the idol who sighed heavily at the question.
"How could I sleep with Emile's constant moaning and huffs?" She responded, flipping to lay on her stomach while looking to the others. "So what's got him so sour he has to ruin our sleep?"
"My guess is because Artorian is out right now."
"N-No… it's just I… can't fall asleep?" Shared harsh stares from the two others got her to break, scratching her head in irritation. "Oh okay, fine. I had a plan to hang out with Artorian early, and since he's not here there's no point."
"Trying to sneak behind our backs."
"You have no shame Crossfode."
"Oh like you two didn't have your own plans!"
"Well what's wrong with now?" All three girls nearly jumped as Miharu spoke up, the nurse opening an eye to look to them as she sat up. "It's not as if we can't go anywhere because he isn't here."
"I suppose so, it'd give us something to do without one of our guides." Claire responded, Sakura nodding as she pushed her blanket off. "Where were you planning on going with him Emile?"
"…The public baths…"
"You really have no shame."
"Shut up!"
"Oh my, I must admit that's a rather bold idea." Miharu commented, laughing lightly into her hand as she sat up. "Although I suppose it's expected, a young woman aiming to have some alone time with her crush."
.
.
.
"Huh?" All three Slayers blinked in confusion, the nurse's words catching all of them off guard.
"What do you mean by that Miharu?" Sakura asked, confused by the statement.
"Well it's just that Emile's… oh." She began to speak again, but by looking at Emilia and Claire's surprised stares alongside Sakura's growing confusion. "Oh my, was I not supposed to say anything about that?"
"S-Say anything about what?" Emilia attempted to deflect. "I guess it was a little selfish of me to try and get alone with Artorian so early, but I figured us guys could just have some time to ourselves before the festival and everything."
"That isn't going to work." Sakura argued, giving Emilia a stare before looking back to Miharu. "What did you mean Miharu? Is Emile hiding something from us?"
"…I'm sorry Crossfode, I didn't know it was meant to be a secret outside of Little Garden." Miharu admitted, disappointed in herself as she looked to Sakura. "I cannot say, it isn't my place. But you'll have to ask Emile for the straight answer."
"Crossfode…"
"W-What makes you something is actually going on? Maybe Miharu is just misspeaking or something."
"Miharu doesn't misspeak, and the fact she didn't say anything means it's important." Sakura accused, pointing to the white-haired crossdresser. "So talk."
"B-But that doesn't-maybe it's just… ah man!" Emilia whined, unable to come up with anything before flopping face down into her pillow.
'Cat's out of the bag, and it isn't even my own fault!'
"Stop stalling."
"Fine…" Emilia moaned, pushing herself up before preparing herself. "Okay, you want to know? Then I'll tell you. The truth is… well…"
"Well what?"
"I'm… nnngggh… I'm…n…gu…"
"Oh don't try that, just say it."
"I'm actually…no…a…uy…"
"Last try."
"Okay fine! I'm not actually a guy!"
"WHAT!" All four girls then froze, hearing Karen's voice shout out from behind them.
'Oh come ON!'
"I'm really sorry for my slip up." Miharu apologized, looking to Emilia from across the bath. Shortly after the reveal, the group found themselves at the public bathhouse, empty but open due to how early it was in the day. "I really didn't know that Sakura and Karen were unaware. I assumed it was just a secret outside your group."
"No… it's fine." Emilia sighed, lowering more in the water until just her face was over the surface. "I guess it was just a matter of time really. Although I guess I wished it was under better circumstances?" She'd chuckle awkwardly, feeling a pair of holes being burned into the side of her head.
"Stttttttaaaaaaarrrrrrrreeee." Sakura and Karen both gave narrowed looks at the now revealed girl, the evidence having been displayed before they got into the bath.
'They could at least lighten on the staring; it isn't hard to see where they're looking…'
"Again, I apologize for that."
"How did you find out Ms. Kashiwagi?" Claire asked as she got in next to the nurse.
"You can just call me Miharu, Ms. Kashiwagi makes me feel old. And I don't mean to be rude, but I am in the medical profession." Miharu pointed out. "It isn't hard to note the physical differences between a man and woman, even if a male is more petite due to genetics their shoulders are still broader than their hips. Along with her posture appearing unnatural, it was obvious she was trying to avoid coming off as a girl."
"That isn't fair…"
"Wait, you mean you knew the whole time?" Sakura asked.
"Well not initially, at first I did take her as just a boy with a smaller build. But spending time with her it became obvious, I assumed everyone knew."
"How many did know?"
"The only ones that do are Claire, Erica, Dr. Dimandias and Mei Mei." Emilia answered, sitting back upright as she explained.
"And Artorian? Did he know?" Karen questioned.
"He apparently knew right away." Emilia laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Leave it to him to notice a girl, huh?"
"Yep."
"I can see that."
"He certainly makes it obvious at times, doesn't he?"
Claire, Sakura and Miharu all agreed, the four all looking to each other before laughing.
'He doesn't for me…' Karen thought, looking to the four, wondering just what could give them a difference for the level of interest in them. The answer came as she looked to their chests, seeing the four being well endowed to varying extent, the revelation darkening her view.
"Ack!" A gloom cloud formed over her, lowering herself in the bath until it everything below her nose was in the water.
'No fair…'
"You okay Karen?" Sakura asked, the idol looking to her in concern. "Is something wrong?"
"Blub…" The girl started, remembering her mouth was in the water before rising back up. "No, just… thinking."
"Convincing." Claire said, getting a look of surprise from the girl.
"You too!?"
"Let's just say I have experience with that face." She smiled, noting the similarities she saw between Karen and Liza. "What's on your mind Karen?"
"Well it's just… I'm starting to notice something, and I guess… can I ask you something?" The girl would mutter out, regarding to everyone as she did.
"Of course, what is it?" Miharu asked.
"It's… um… I was wondering if all of you liked Artorian?"
"Well he's a great guy, and generous where it matters. So it'd be easy to view him in a positive light." The nurse responded, getting nods from the others.
"No I mean like-like, do you love him?" That question instead became much more loaded, as the bathhouse went silent. The silence got Karen nervous, but she took a calm breath to steel herself. "It's just that I know how Artorian is, and I know that all of you are close to him. I guess I just… I wanted to know how you all felt about him."
"…I suppose it's only fair, you grew up with him." Miharu spoke up, surprising the others as she looked down to the water. "Where to start, I could take the easy route and simply say yes or no. But that wouldn't entirely be accurate either way."
"Miharu?"
"I feel… attached to him." She would admit, looking up into the morning sky with a somber smile. "Despite the way he comes off, he's a surprisingly respectful man. And I can certainly say I find him attractive, but there's something keeping me from saying whether I love him or not. A part of him that I can't tell if he's in pain or negligent to himself. And before I can commit to him, I want to know what it is."
"Y-You're honestly saying that?" Claire said, caught off guard by the nurse's forwardness.
"I suppose it's an embarrassing question for all of you, you are still in high school." She laughed. "I'm more used to regarding something like this, I know what I'm looking for in a man. And it isn't as uncomfortable as you'd think."
"W-Well I love him too!" Emilia admitted. "He saved my life during the Second Attack, and ever since he's… I've respected what his family's done." The girl started with passion, but toned down as she looked back to it more. "I can say without certainty that I love him, genuinely from who he is to what he's done. And after being in Gudenberg, I feel that I can really be myself around him."
"That's it? Well it's the same on my end. He's done more for me in the short time I've known him than anyone else." The idol would respond, getting a challenging stare from the princess. "And he directly protected me from Savage and the Hunters, his concern for me is clear."
"Big deal, he's protected me against the Trenta on the Zwei Islands." Emilia countered. "And he relies on me during missions, he's dropped his guard completely because he knows I have his back."
"Oh dear, here we go." Miharu said, although laughing as she witnessed the two begin their back and forth again.
"Yeah, well I already proposed to him twice!" Sakura announced, catching everyone off guard.
"WHAT!?"
"Yep, I've asked for his hand in marriage, so you could say I'm ahead of the curb." She said, smirking as Emilia gave a narrowed stare.
'This is getting oddly intense…' Claire thought, uncomfortable as the two were getting more personal on their reasoning.
"So what if you proposed? I don't see a ring on you and I haven't seen one on Artorian either, which means he turned you down."
"Th-That's just because he wants to wait! He's giving me the chance to prove how much I care about him!"
"Oh is that it?" Emilia smirked. "Well in that case, I can guess you two haven't done anything exciting yet?"
"Where are you getting at?"
"Let's just say that during Qin I learned he's more than just a good kisser."
"So you two did do something that night!" Claire shouted, Emilia's face freezing as she forgot the blonde's presence in the heat of the moment.
'Crap!'
"H-Hold on a second there Claire! I didn't mean it like-!"
"We were going into a dangerous mission where people could've died and you wasted time for rest on such debauchery!"
"You know I'm starting to notice what Artorian means by your use of fancy words to sound smarter."
"D-Do not change the subject!"
"Oh come on, it isn't like we were doing anything bad! Serious, it was just kissing! And can you blame me? You know how good he is."
"That has nothing to do with being responsible before a mission!" Claire argued, although her face flushed red as she remembered her kiss with Artorian.
"Okay, okay, I think this is going far enough." Miharu would speak up, the three girls turning to the nurse as she looked to her side. "We should be careful on saying anything else. Poor Karen looks like she can barely handle it." The three were initially confused, but following her gaze had them land on Karen.
"S-Sakura had… Emilia then… e-e-even Claire… auuwwwwww…" The girl's face was bright red, her eyes looking down as steam was practically escaping her ears from the embarrassment.
"Oh…" Emilia finally let out; her, Claire and Sakura all looking to each other in silence for a second. The idol then let out a small chuckle, barely containing herself before they all started to laugh.
"Oh man, we definitely were getting too heated weren't we!" She laughed.
"Maybe some things weren't necessary to be said!"
"I concur on that much."
The three then laughed until the tension went away, the whole group going back to relaxing once Karen calmed herself down.
"All that over a single guy, someone I barely knew existed a few months ago." Sakura reminisced, smiling as she thought back to when she first met Artorian.
"He's just got that effect on people."
"Women maybe, Matthew's not very ecstatic on working with him." Claire informed.
"Hehehe, guess that's what happens when you fall for a Casanova like him." Sakura would then look over to Emilia, giving a small smile as she did. "No hard feelings?"
"Nah, I always took our exchanges as just banter." She responded. "But, I do still intend on winning."
"The same goes for me."
"Never thought I'd see you here again, last time I saw that mane you were heading off to Little Garden." An elderly man commented, standing across a counter from Artorian and Touka.
"Made a promise, had to come back to accomplish it." Artorian answered, handing Fukososhi his card to scan. "Shop looks like it's doing well. Getting more customers?"
"Not much, the most reliable is being Ryusei when he's getting his booze."
"Makes sense." The Slayer chuckled, patting Touka's head as she carried the groceries bought. "Speaking of Bastard, you've met his niece before right?"
"Hmm, I recall seeing that head of hair. But I can't say I remember when." Fukososhi commented, finishing the transaction and handing Artorian his card back.
"It was just after the Juniors Fate tournament." Touka explained. "Shinsho brought me here to buy some ingredients for dinner."
"Ah, that's it. Now I get why I didn't recognize you; your hair was much shorter back then." The man responded. "How is Ryusei doing?"
"He's been doing well. Will his medication be in soon?"
"Ah right… his medication…" Fukososhi mumbled, getting Artorian's attention. "Sorry there, but apparently the shipment's been canceled."
"What, but Shinsho needs that to sleep! If he doesn't get it his night terrors get worse!"
"I know, I'm sorry. It wasn't by my choice. The Mikado made the order and all of the shipments for Reliqua medication is halted."
"Did he now?" Artorian asked.
"Yes, I'm sorry for it to come out this way."
"It's fine, we'll be heading out now." The silver haired Slayer said, putting his card in his wallet and walking away, motioning Touka to follow as he did.
"Artorian!" Fukososhi called out, getting the Slayer's attention as he looked back. "It's getting around that time today. Make sure to head straight home."
"I will, thank you for the concern."
"What was that about?" Touka asked, the pair walking through the edge of town.
"When the sun comes up, some of the gangs like to scope the area and see if anyone's out." Artorian answered, motioning around them. "Notice how no one's around? They either left for work before the sun came up or are waiting for the hour to end."
"So we need to keep an eye out?"
"Most of the punks here are small time thugs whose best accomplishment is mugging an unlucky tourist." He detailed, his eyes drifting to the side seeing silhouettes moving in an alley across the street. "At best they get a lucky swing it. And they should be smart enough not to approach us with this kind of deterrent." He finished, tapping his sword as he did.
"Has that stopped them before?"
"No, but I like to think after the last thrashing I gave the leader they'd learn their lesson for a year." Artorian stated as his ears perked up, hearing the rapid movement of feet before holding his foot to the side, tripping someone over as they attempted to run past them.
"Owwww…" The person Artorian tripped appeared young, possibly no older than thirteen. He was nursing his face, having landed on the ground hard enough to cause his nose to bloody.
"First time pickpocketing?" Artorian questioned as he grabbed the kid by the back of his shirt, lifting him up to stare him face to face.
"L-Let me go!" The boy shouted, reaching for his pocket. As he pulled out a knife he winced in pain as Artorian swatted it with his free hand, the blade cutting the kid before it fell down.
"Word of advice, don't announce anything if you have a plan." Artorian said, reaching into the kid's torn jacket and pulling out his stolen wallet. "Also work on your footwork, I heard you coming the moment you started your approach."
"W-What are you going to do to me?" The kid stuttered, staring in fear as Artorian easily held him, the hybrid putting his wallet back in his back pocket as he looked to him.
"What am I going to do? Well aside from kicking you to the curb nothing." He said, releasing the boy to land on his feet. He then turned him around and kicked his back, knocking him onto the street. "Now get lost punk! I better not see you again!" He shouted, the kid not even looking back as he ran off.
"Was that the best thing to do? You hurt him." Touka stated.
"He needs a good scare and a little pain, helps him figure out if he's cut out for this."
"You saw his clothes, he had to of been living on the streets."
"He ain't special, there's thousands like him." He responded, looking down to Touka. "Yamato ain't strict on labor laws, he can easily get a job and work himself for a meal and a place to stay. It's what I did."
"Shinsho let you move in though."
"And I worked for my keep. I did the housework, I cooked, I cleaned my clothes and his, did the yardwork, and still had time for a job that actually paid me as well as training." Artorian countered. "That kid chose his path, the one he saw as easier and joined one of the gangs."
"But maybe there was something more. You can't just judge him from one encounter. It isn't fair!"
"Tell you what Touka, you get nearly brutalized as a kid half his age by other kids just a year or two older, and then you can tell me that I'm being unfair." He stated, surprising her at the notion. "Kids can be real pieces of shit; Yamato didn't turn into a delinquent's wet dream because a few adults shit the bed. It was a group effort."
"But… then shouldn't we be working to make it better?"
"Effective change comes through fire. I ain't getting burned for this shit hole of a country." Artorian stated, stopping for a second as he felt Touka's constant stare at him. "Look, even if I wanted to change this place, no one would want my opinion, yours neither. We don't have a chance to make any change, they won't listen to anyone related to the First Generation Slayers. Period."
"Is that why you don't want to fix it?"
"No, it's just a convenient excuse."
"Unbelievable, two hours and you didn't get anything!?" A man shouted to the attempted pickpocket, the boy coming empty handed after his failed attempt. They were hidden in an abandoned alleyway, several more men around them, each appearing to be in their early twenties excluding the young kid.
"I-I'm sorry! There was no one out and I couldn't find anything worth-!"
"I don't want to hear your damn excuses!" Before the boy could finish, the man struck him across his face, punching him to the ground. "You were given one of the easiest tasks, the people here shake the moment a knife is pulled out. And you lost that too!"
"I-It was that silver haired guy's fault! He somehow was able to hear me coming and knocked it out of my hand!"
"What did I say about your excuses!?" The man responded, kicking the kid in the face, blood dripping down from his nose and lip as he cried out in pain. "Damn it, how hard is it for you to just stab the bastard and run off with his money!?"
"B-But… you said I only had to-"
"Don't talk back!" The kid howled in pain as the man stomped on his side, a kick to his stomach nearly making him puke before the man stepped away. "When it comes down to it, you do what it takes to get the money. I don't care if you get it without trouble or if you have to bloody your damn hands and skewer him like a fucking pig! Welcome to the real world you brat!"
"Fucking ridiculous, can't believe I thought a little shit like you could get such a simple task done." The man seethed as he pinched his forehead. "I thought I'd give you a chance, but it seems like you're all the other street urchins."
"N-No… I can still… I can do this…"
"That's what you said last time, and look where that fucking got you." The man scowled, crossing his arms before smirking. "You failed me, and I already wasted money on you and your little sister. Perhaps I should go and get that money back."
"B-B-But we already spent it on food, we hadn't eaten anything in two days and we-"
"Stay quiet!" One of the other thugs shouted, kicking the kid's back.
"Oh, so you don't have the money I gave you on the hopes you'd return a profit? Then I certainly do have to see her. Give you an idea what failing me brings you."
"No don't! Leave her out of this!"
"The hell did you just say to me!" The man screamed, turning and slamming his shoe down on the kid, slamming his face into the concrete and getting a pained cry out. "Shit like you trying to give orders? Where the fuck do you think you have any standing on this?"
"P-Please… don't…"
"I was just going to rough her up, but because you seem to not understand where you stand in this, I'm going to have to be more serious." He said, grinding his heel into the boy's head. "I'll break both her legs, see her crawl before breaking her arms next. Maybe each finger next, give her something to really feel."
"Don't… I'm begging you… leave her… alone…"
"I said shut the fuck up!"
"Well, looks like someone picked up a few tricks from Kai." As the man raised his foot to slam it down on the kid again, Artorian's voice suddenly shocked him into stopping, turning to see the Slayer stand a few meters away.
"The fuck… you're back?" The man questioned, turning his attention to him.
"Only for a few days, vacation."
"And you choose to come back here?" He'd chuckle, staring at Artorian with a wide glare. "What a fucking joke, you Slayer bitch!"
"Still beating up kids, huh? Guess some things don't change." Artorian responded, crossing his arms. "At least you let them reach double digits before mentally scarring them."
"The hell you want?"
"Huh, interesting question. I thought you only knew how to follow orders; you were always licking Kai's boots back then." The Slayer commented, walking into the alley as several of the thugs maneuvered around, surrounding him now. "I guess you're not a good little bitch anymore. Trying to get to mutt? Personally I don't think ya got the guts."
"Big fucking talk from the guy walking into a dark alley with fifteen guys ready to beat the shit out of you."
"Eh, numbers never worked in your favor before." Artorian smirked, pointing to the man's face. "I seem to recall Hayato broke your nose, pretty rich that he did that despite your cheap shots, Rentaro."
"Maybe, but this time you don't have the same advantage." He stated, a sick grin widening on his face as he reached into his pocket. "Trust me on that."
"Say that when your face isn't eating concrete."
"The fu-!" Before Rentaro finished, he was slammed face first into the ground as Touka jumped down from above, slamming her wooden sword down on his head.
The moment he hit the ground, Artorian lunged forward and slammed his metallic fist into one of the surrounding thug's jaw. The man barely stood as he stumbled and fell back, the hybrid then bringing his left arm up to block an incoming punch. He flashed the man a smirk before twisting around, slamming the back of his head with the mechanical limb.
As the chaos began to start, Touka would bring her sword up and smack one of the approaching thug's arms to the side. Jumping back, she'd avoid another and land with her feet against the wall. Then pushing out, she would slam her elbow into his face and knocking him out cold on the ground. She then turned to block an incoming attack, her eyes narrowing as she felt the force behind the lead pipe one of the men carried.
He was then taken right off his feet as Artorian struck him from the side, a sickening crack heard as he coughed out blood and teeth. Touka then swung up with her sword, Artorian leaning back as the wooden weapon struck underneath the next man's chin, sending him crashing back against the wall.
"Well, this certainly went as expected." Artorian stated, ducking to avoid a thrown rock. Touka then sent the rock back with a solid swing, the man's head snapping back before he collapsed to the ground. "Help one kid, end up in a street brawl."
"Oh come on, it could be worse!" Touka argued, the two maneuvering around each other to strike the thugs approaching their backs. "It's only a few unrefined thugs, not like it's anything we can't handle!"
"Something you fail to note is that I'm still recovering from my past mission." Artorian winced, his head ringing as one of the remaining men landed a blow to his cheek. He returned it by slamming his metal hand right into his face, chipping several of his teeth and knocking him down hard. "The adrenaline is killing my head right now."
"Then we'll wrap this up quickly, nothing to worry about."
"Not quite bitch!" Touka's eyes widened as she saw Rentaro back on his feet, rearing his fist back as she was still in the air from dodging a punch. Before his attack landed though Artorian would bash her out of the way with his shoulder, crossing his arms defensively as Rentaro's fist struck him.
The hybrid felt his skin split open from the impact, his eyes landing on the armored covered fist of the thug before he was sent crashing back against the wall, several cracks forming upon impact. He'd wince as he spit out blood, a small trail of crimson going down the corner of his lip as Rentaro rushed towards him. Recovering quick enough, Artorian would raise his right arm and parry Rentaro's punch, his fist going through the wall with a heavy crash.
"Neat gear huh?" Rentaro grinned, Artorian groaning as his left hand was down holding onto the man's arm, his fist planted firmly against the hybrid's gut as the second blow landed. "I'm not one for using this thing often, but it certainly comes in hand against a freak like you."
"Bastard… how'd you get your hands on a Hundred?" Artorian grunted out, coughing drops of blood out from the impact.
"Friends in high places, you wouldn't know much about that."
"Maybe back then, but now?" Artorian responded, his pained expression turning to a crazed smirk as he regarded the man. "I know some powerful people, but I don't need them to win a fight!" Before Rentaro could react, Artorian's hand gripping his arm jerked him to the side violently, his arm bending the wrong was as he stumbled back in pain.
"Ah, FUCK!" He shouted, looking town to the limp limb as Artorian stepped away from the wall.
"Whew… that hurt a little. Guess even a shit like you can use energy enough to bring a bit of damage." He then spit out the blood in his mouth, grinning as he cracked his knuckles. "Too bad you don't know the important bits about having a Hundred. Without a variable suit it's only on par with your energy level. And you have even less than I do."
"Wipe that stupid grin off your damn face-GAH!" As Rentaro attempted to swing his remaining fist forward, he was horrified as Artorian outpaced him, the hybrid gripping his sword and slashing down. The attack cut right through the armor, skin and bone like butter, splitting his arm in half up to his elbow.
"Stick to your own league bastard." Artorian stated, grabbing Rentaro's face with his robotic hand before spinning around, slamming his head directly into the brick wall. The thug collapsed immediately after, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as the Hundred deactivated and the variable stone landed next to him.
"Ouch, maybe you took things a little far?" Touka questioned as she walked up to the hybrid, the man locking his sword back onto his back as he turned to her.
"You wanted to come save the kid, I never said anything about being gentle." He stated. "Besides, I've given him more than enough chances in the past. I just took away his chance to do this ever again."
"I guess…" Touka muttered before turning to the kid, seeing him look up in fear to them. "H-Hey! I almost forgot, are you okay?"
"D-Don't hurt me!" The kid cried out, protecting his face as Touka moved to kneel next to him, trembling in terror at the girl.
"Hey, there's no need to worry. We came to help."
"She came to help; I came to make sure she didn't get hurt." Artorian corrected.
"Are you okay? How badly did they hurt you?' Touka asked, gently gripping the boy's hands to pull them away from his face.
"Looks a little beat up, nothing a little dirt won't fix." Artorian said, the two looking over his obviously broken nose.
"It's a good thing we got here when we did, they could've done a lot worse." Touka noted, smiling to the boy as Artorian walked over to Rentaro's unconscious form, taking the variable stone and pocketing it.
"Th-thank you…" the boy muttered out; his head held low as he attempted to make himself smaller.
"Why would you work for someone like him? He clearly didn't care about you at all."
"B-Because he… was my only chance to have some-"
"Because you only cared about the easy way." Artorian interrupted, turning to the two as he did. "Why bother going through the normal means when you can rob a few people and keep a cut of it?"
"Artorian!"
"I stand by what I said, robbing with a gang's a hell of a lot easier than working a 9-5. Of course though, it turns out he doesn't even have the guts for this."
"T-That isn't true! I only agreed to work for Rentaro because my little sister is sick! We barely have any food and-"
"So what!? You rob others and make things worse for them to make it easier for yourself!?" Artorian shouted, the volume of his voice scaring the kid silent. "Don't make excuses for yourself you little shit, I don't give a damn if you have a sibling that's sick, joining thugs is all I need to know where your morals are."
"So put this through your damn head, you sister's condition is no excuse for what you were planning on doing. How would she feel if she found out about this?" He questioned, crossing his arms as he looked down to the kid. "You already almost got curb stomped, if Touka didn't drop our food and drag me to get me to come along you'd be paste for this alley. Then what? You sister's alone and you failed in every regard!"
"I…I… I just don't know what to do…" The boy eventually broke down, crying as he held his face in his hands. "Mom and dad died in a car accident and I… we had nowhere to go. Then she got sick and I… I got so scared I'd lose her."
"Don't cry, you did everything you could." Touka tried to counsel him.
"Except the right thing." He said, sighing as he stepped towards them. "Stop crying you little runt, how the hell can you convince anyone you're determined to help your little sister if you break down at the first challenge to your decisions."
As Touka continued to try calm the boy down, the both of them were surprised when a wad of money was tossed to his feet. They looked up in time to see Artorian turn and walk away, flipping his wallet closed and putting it back into his pocket.
"Come on Touka, we've been out too long. Bastard will start to worry."
"But he's-"
"Now. Touka." His voice was warning, the hybrid annoyed as his head throbbed in pain. His stomach was also numb, and traces of red were in his hair to show he was bleeding. The girl took it as a sign that he wasn't taking any arguments and silently got up to follow.
"Hey, runt." He'd say as he stopped, getting the boy's attention. "Not many people get a second chance, try not to fuck this up."
"I…I… where should I go?"
"I don't know, I'm not your fucking parents." He said as he started to walk again, Touka in tow. "Try Fukososhi, old man has a soft spot for cretins like you. But you show your respect to him and clean yourself up. Get some food while you're at it, if I even hear you drooled when you entered his store I'll rip your arm off."
"I… I will!" The boy shouted, grabbing the money Artorian threw before standing up. "I promise! I'll do better! I won't go the easy way again!"
'Make the promise to yourself, you damn idiot.' Artorian thought, turning out of the alley along with Touka.
"Hehe." Hearing Touka chuckle, the hybrid looked to her, seeing a wide smirk on her face.
"What?"
"You were worried."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You were in his shoes before, weren't you?"
"I've had enough of the shit eating pricks who prowl on everyone else. I just saved the trouble of someone having to kick his shit in later."
"Sure, tell yourself that."
"I don't want to hear this from the brat you threw our food to the side like it was cheap." He responded, pulling on her ear.
"Owowowow! No fair!"
"Let that be my first lesson to you, there ain't no such thing as fair!"
"Fucking damn it!" Rentaro shouted as he slammed his left arm against the wall behind him. After Artorian and Touka intervened, he was forced to retreat back to his gang's hideout, where the "surgeon" had to amputate his disfigured limb. His other arm was only dislocated, putting it back into place wasn't a challenge but the injuries wounded his pride.
"So what now? That Hundred was out ace and now that it's gone we're-" Before one of the thugs could finish a rock collided with the side of his head, knocking him to the ground motionless.
"Anyone else want to speak up?" Rentaro questioned, everyone remaining silent as he stood up. "Good. Now listen here, that Hundred was nothing, just a taste of what was to come. When my contact comes here we'll get new ones to replace it and-"
"Pardon me, did you say replace?" Rentaro's who body froze in terror as a new voice spoke from the door, a cold chill running down his spine as he looked to the source.
A man stood with his hands folded behind his back, a dark red military uniform decorating him. He appeared to be in his mid-sixties, grey hair decorating what appeared to be ashen brown hair. One of his eyes was hidden behind a eyepatch, a deep scar running down it while his right eye appearing a vibrant violet. At his hip was a single cutlass sword, a decorative black and golden handle shining with a red gem at the edge.
"Y-You're…"
"First your guards aren't aware of my purpose here and now you lost military property? My you're rather rude aren't you?" The man questioned as he walked away from the door, blood seen pooling as the entrance setting everyone's instincts ablaze.
"H-Hey Rentaro, why is he here?" One of the thugs asked.
"I was here to see how my investment was working out." The man said, his eye narrowing as he looked to the leader. "So please, elaborate on what you meant when you said I'd replace it?"
"Well I… I just was going to…"
"You wouldn't have happened to lose it? Or perhaps it was taken?" The man questioned, Rentaro swallowing spit down his throat in fear as he stepped back to a desk, reaching behind him. "Now, who would be able to take a Hundred away from you? Certainly you weren't foolish enough to challenge a Slayer, and I can only think of two people in the past who could manage to defeat you with one." His eye then darted to Rentaro's missing limb, giving him all the confirmation he needed.
"To think you've risked my master's operation to an opposing Abysswalker."
"Go to hell you old bastard!" Rentaro screamed, grabbing a pistol from the table and taking aim, firing at the elder man without a second thought.
But before he or any of the men in the room could blink, the man rushed forward before appearing right in front of him, his sword unsheathed while the bullet struck the wall behind him in two different places. And in the next second, the men in the room felt their throats scream in pain as blood escaped them, their throats having been slit by his cutlass.
"Y-You son of a-AH!" As he attempted to fire again, Rentaro's hand flew up into the air, the man having cleaved his limb off without any effort. He then fell to the ground in fear, looking up to the man as his eye seemed to glow red.
"To think you squandered the chance my master gave you in order to join his ranks. It appears you simply weren't worth the effort."
"W-Wait! I swear I can do better! Just give me another chance Your Excellency! I swear I'll teach the Slayer his mistake and prove Lord Ra-!" Before he could finish, Rentaro gasped in pained fear as the man's sword stabbed into his mouth, exiting through the back of his head as he looked to the man.
"There is no speaking his name, not from a vain tongue such as yours." The man scolded, watching as blood slowly went down his blade. "You were a waste of time; my only hope is that I can fix your mistake without endangering my master's plan." With a sickening slice, the man's sword cut through the left of Rentaro's face, finishing by cutting back through and cleaving his head clean off.
When the body collapsed, the elder man would sheath his cutlass back to his hip. As he turned to walk away, he closed his eye in disappointment, feeling regretful for what was done. "I suppose finding good help is hard these days. Be sure to clean this up before anyone can find it."
As he walked away, a shadowy figure appeared behind him, covered in darkness as the figure grinned gleefully. "Thank you very much Rego. I'll be sure to treasure this."
"You know better than to say my name, be grateful there are no prying ears." He said. "Just make sure to handle this mess. I'll handle throwing off the Abysswalker."
"Of course, my apologies Wrath." The figure said, removing a glove covering his hand as his grin shined. "I'll clean this mess right up."
"Good. Now I'll deal with Abyssal." Rego responded, closing the door as a grotesque crunch was heard, left to the darkness of the hideout as the officer walked away.
(A/N): God I finally got this out! Not going to lie, the ending turned out very different from my initial plans. But after finals I had to sort of reconstruct everything from what I could recall based on the beginning section I had done. I'll be trying to finish the vacation next chapter, honestly it lasted longer than intended, but I suppose that's needed to properly vent the story out.
A lot of my efforts when I wasn't writing was pre-planning the next couple arcs, more specifically the arc after the Hunters as well as more details on the Anti-Slayer movement. Not going into much, but along with the antagonist I said I was excited for, I have another one I'll be happy to do when I get to the proper arc. But for now it's all I said, I plan.
Outside of that, I'm hoping that once I get out of Yamato and back into the full plot I'll be able to better get the roll of everything. I enjoy the story but currently I've been focusing on either stuff farther down the line or another couple storiues I want to do. But Abysswalker will remain the top of priorities, and with some planned details, I'm sure the more drastic changes will start to show up soon. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!