"Human Talking"
'Human Thoughts'
"Demon Talking"
'Demon Thoughts'
[Spells or Techniques]
29th of October 2014
Japan
Minato Ward, Tokyo
Shibaura Terminal
7:30 P.M
The cold evening breeze rolls through the air. The once lively air of the city during the morning and afternoon has now disappeared. Normally, people would still be milling about the streets of Minato even during the evening, but the news of a savage killer in their city has dampened most people's enthusiasm for night time activities.
In the Shibaura Terminal, the cargo workers are still working, thoroughly checking every piece of shipping container for any damage. The warehouses are tightly locked and guards roam the area. Above the rooftop of a building, two children watch the sight below.
Jasper puts down his binoculars "Gremlin, this is the place, right?"
"Yup, I've scoured every video camera that I could get my hands on and this is where it led me. I think those demons use some of the warehouses here as their hideout. Pretty clever if you ask me." Gremlin replied from Jasper's cellphone.
"It is, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of those blasted demons." Jasper picked up the binoculars and started looking again.
A hand landed on his head. "Patience, Jasper. Being impatient will only lead us to making mistakes and any mistakes we make will only result in our undoing." Sahori held his hand to calm him down.
Jasper looked at her and let out a frustrated breath. "Right, I know, it's just, the sooner we find these demons, then the sooner we can finally end their savage killings."
"We'll get them, I know we will." She gently squeezed his hand and smiled softly at him.
The tension in his body faded and he nodded at her. He brought up the binoculars again and continued searching.
Half an hour has passed, and they saw something quite interesting. An armored police convoy has just arrived and is currently talking with the management of the terminal. The police are already forming a perimeter around the place and they are expelling any personnel that is not involved with their operation.
"Sahori, aren't those the same guys from the park?" Jasper asked as he continued looking at them.
"They are, what are they doing here?" Sahori replied, baffled at what she was seeing.
"Didn't that policeman mention that they have an operation that they're going to launch this evening, maybe this is it?" Jasper looked at the armored trucks that they came with.
"They did, but he said that they don't exactly know where or who the culprit is." Sahori said as she continued looking through her binoculars.
"It looks like they did find the culprit, think about it, why would they even deploy this many personnel in this location if they're not sure of the location of their target?" Jasper put down his binoculars and looked at Sahori.
"That is true, then that means that the government does know of the existence of demons." Sahori looked at him with a hopeful look.
"That seems to be the case. So, what are we going to do now?" Jasper asked with an unsure look on his face.
"What do you mean?" Sahori replied, puzzled at his question.
"It looks like the government has this situation well on hand. Do we still need to be here, Sahori?" Jasper said as he pointed at the speed and efficiency of the government forces that are setting up a blockade below them.
Sahori closes her eyes as she thinks it over. It is true that with the government being here means that the demon situation has a high chance of ending with the eradication of the demons. But, her instincts are screaming at her to wait and see what becomes of the situation unfolding before them.
"For now, let's wait and see what will happen. If the government resolves this issue, then all the better. But, if things are looking disastrous, then we need to intervene." Sahori opened her eyes and Jasper saw her determination shining through.
"Understood." Jasper nodded and went back to watching the proceedings below them.
On the ground, the employees of the terminal are being escorted from the premises by the heavily armed troops. Any complaints that they might have died on their tongues as they laid eyes on the high powered weapons that their escorts are carrying.
After clearing out all the unwanted personnel from the vicinity. Another armored vehicle entered the premises and stopped near the troops. Two young women exited the vehicle, the troops stood in formation and saluted them. They returned their salute and motioned for them to stand down.
Jasper shifted his binoculars to take a better look at the two of them. The one on the left has dirty blonde hair, light yellow eyes and a smile on her face. On her side is a woman with short dark blue-gray hair, matching color eyes and a cold look on her beautiful features.
"Sahori, those two that just exited the vehicle, they feel different from the rest of them." Jasper said with a wary look.
"You can feel it too, huh?" Sahori tightened her grip on the railing as she could feel her hairs standing on end as she watched them.
The troops escorted the two to a secluded warehouse. The two young women narrowed their eyes as they came to a stop in front of it. The blue haired woman started commanding the troops around her to get away from them, while the blonde haired woman started putting up talismans on the entrance of the warehouse.
The armed troops stopped a fair distance between the two. They waited with bated breath as they felt that something unnatural would happen. As the blonde woman finished putting up her talismans, she went near the unopened warehouse steel gate and put a single talisman on the ground.
Suddenly, shining white light emitted from the talismans on the warehouse gate. White lines formed on the walls and connected to the talisman on the ground. Cracks started appearing on the surface of the gate and until it encompassed the whole of it. Then, a loud shattering sound can be heard as the gate was destroyed and a menacing swirling portal replaced it.
The troops grip their guns tightly as they look on, transfixed at the sight.
The blue haired woman nodded at the blonde woman, who smiled as she nodded back at her. Then, she entered the portal, leaving the blonde woman with the troops.
"What was that?" Sahori asked with an amazed look.
"That is a demon's domain. Powerful demons make them by using their magic to create planes of dimensions for their personal use. I never thought that I would see a human break open its entrance though. Must be a monster of a human." Gremlin floated unsteadily by Jasper's side as it looked at the blonde woman fearfully.
"A domain? Sahori isn't that what the goat demon said when we talked to it?" Jasper rubbed his chest as he remembered the wound that he took from that demon.
"It did." Sahori nodded in agreement.
"You guys fought a demon in their own domain and won? What is up with the humans that I've been meeting these days!?" Gremlin shouted in disbelief.
In response, Jasper and Sahori patted Gremlin's head to comfort it.
"I do wonder about the woman who entered the domain. Is she going to be alright battling demons all by her lonesome?" Sahori furrowed her brow in worry.
"Perhaps she doesn't need the help, Sahori. Maybe she's powerful enough to vanquish those demons."
"I suppose. Still I have this weird feeling that something bad is going to happen." Sahori whispered as she nervously played with the ends of her hair.
"Then we shouldn't lower our guard then. Let's stay vigilant as the night continues. " Jasper nodded at her to reassure her.
"Right."
They waited and waited, looking all around their surroundings as they did so. Feeling tired, Sahori put down her binoculars and looked at the moon. Something that she frequently does to take her mind off things.
Its bright blue hue lessened her fatigue as she continued to stare at it. Suddenly the cold autumn winds howled as it whipped through the air. She closed her eyes to get rid of the dust that entered it. As she opened her eyes she saw multiple figures in the sky.
At first, she thought she was just imagining things, but she realized that they were gradually getting nearer and nearer towards their position.
"Jasper!" Sahori shouted
Jasper jumped in surprise as Sahori shouted. He was about to ask why she shouted in the first place, but she pointed at the sky with a look of alarm.
Looking at the sky he could see black creatures flapping their leathery wings in the night sky. In their hands is a trident, though the creatures are small in stature he can definitely say that they look deadly.
"That's a lot of demons." He could see at least twenty of them. More than half of the demons split off and began their descent towards the government forces below and the remaining six quickened their pace towards the trio's position.
"Get ready, the both of you!" Jasper shouted as he prepared himself for battle.
"Way ahead of you, boss!" Gremlin floated beside him with a grin on its face.
"They will regret crossing paths with us." Sahori replied with a steely look on her features.
Judging the children and the single demon as easy prey, the six demons laughed mockingly as they lunged towards the trio, their tridents poised to strike.
[Agi]
[Zio]
[Hama]
The eyes of the demons widened as magic ripped through the air as they desperately dodged. Unfortunately for them, the aim of the spells did not err and two of their numbers were cut down instantly. They distanced themselves from the trio and stared at them warily.
The two groups stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.
A strong gust of wind blew across the rooftop and that was the signal for the remaining demons to start their assault. They flew faster than before and in a few seconds they were already on top of their positions.
Sahori and Gremlin fought two of the demons, while Jasper took the brunt of the assault, valiantly fending off attacks from the remaining two.
The winged demons slashed and stabbed their tridents towards Jasper, but he managed to dodge their attacks. One of the demons became visibly irritated and pointed its palms towards him. Black energy gathered in its palms.
[Mudo]
The black energy morphed into a ball and it shot across towards Jasper. He casted [Sukukaja] on himself and dodged it, but then he noticed the second demon coming from behind him with its trident ready to pierce his body. He couldn't dodge the demon with it being so close to him, but he can dodge its trident.
Jasper twisted his body just enough to not be stabbed by the trident, but the demon had the foresight for this eventuality. Its left hand shone with a yellow energy and punched him into the air.
He felt pain welling up from his stomach, but he had other more pressing problems. The punch launched him out of the building's rooftop and he could feel himself falling. He righted himself and saw that the ground was fast approaching.
[Zan]
Thinking fast he launched his force spell towards the ground. The spell did the trick and slowed his descent. He braced himself as he dropped towards the ground. Looking above him he saw a trident hurtling towards him and hurriedly dodged it.
"Annoying" Jasper looked at the two pursuing demons and gathered holy light on his palms.
[Mahama]
Two beams of pure white streaked towards the two demons and struck them; their bodies were erased by the holy light.
Jasper breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as he heard gunshots. Glancing at the source of the sound he could see the troopers engaging the demons. Though they were shooting at them he could see that guns were not dealing any damage to the demons.
He swiftly ran towards them and threw a [Mazan] at the demons to make them back off. The demons were thrown back into the air, but quickly reoriented themselves.
As they glared at him and prepared to attack, they were struck with multiple streaks of lightning, quickly killing them. Jasper looked at his side and saw the blonde smiling at him. He nodded his thanks and dashed into the thick of combat.
Soldiers fought the demons tenaciously with shot and blade. Curiously, these soldiers could damage the demons with their guns and knives. He filed away that thought and vaporized another demon that tried to skewer him with its trident.
Soldiers all around him fought their own battles or fought in small groups. They were doing damage to the demons but he can see that they are steadily losing ground. Suddenly, a man rallied the troops into a cohesive formation and concentrated their fire on the demons and quickly eliminated them.
Silence descended upon them as they cleared the area of hostile demons. He was about to head out and check on Sahori and Gremlin but a voice stopped him.
"Are you ok?" Jasper looked behind him and saw the blonde teenager smiling softly.
"Yes, thank you, I'm fine." She nodded at him.
"That's a relief. I would be beside myself with worry if a child got hurt because of those demons. Thank you for the help, by the way." The blonde patted his shoulder with gratitude.
"Now then," He stiffened as her grip tightened on his shoulder "What is a young boy like you doing in a place like this? You'll tell Onee-chan, right?" Her smile is still soft, but it has a dangerous edge to it. The remaining troops around her tensed and gripped their weapons tight.
As he was about to answer, sounds of hurried footsteps could be heard. The blonde and the troops looked behind them and saw Sahori running towards them with Gremlin in tow.
"Wait, don't hurt him, please!" She pleaded as she skidded to a stop in front of them.
"And the other one shows herself along with her demon. This night is becoming more fun." Her light yellow eyes glinted in amusement as she assessed the three of them.
"Hmm, now that we're all here. Will you children care to explain yourselves?" Though she worded it as a question, Jasper and Sahori knew that it was anything but.
So they did, they talked about knowing that the recent murders were a demon's doing and how they investigated it during the past few days. How they also wanted to put a stop to said killings.
The blonde teenager crossed her arms as she listened to their story. Nodding along and quietly looking for any signs of lies in their statements.
When they finished, she looked at them with a sad smile.
"Normally I would reject the thought of children fighting against such dangerous foes, but Bethel's situation is far from optimal." She sighed and looked at the children with sadness.
One of the troopers stepped forward "Ma'am, is this a good idea? Levying children against our fight against demons, it just feels wrong."
"They've already wedged themselves deep into this mess, Captain. In truth, I want nothing more than to make them leave and safely tuck them away from danger, but we can't exactly drive away ones with such talent in combat. Especially during these trying times." Her voice was firm, but gentle. Eventually the captain nodded at her answer and didn't press the issue.
"Well then, I would gladly take your offer of assistance." Jasper and Sahori sighed in relief as the invisible pressure that they felt lifted away.
"Well, time for introductions, then. My name is Yanagiya Otome, an agent of Bethel." Otome smiled at them. Jasper can tell that smile is genuine and he has an inkling that Yanagiya is just an overall cheerful woman.
Sahori stepped forward and respectfully bowed. "My name is Itsukishima Sahori, it's a pleasure to meet you, Yanagiya-san."
"And my name is Nitta Jasper, also a pleasure." Jasper said as he too respectfully bowed.
"Oh, so cute! And such well mannered children too. Now I'm really sure that we'll get along." Otome pinched their cheeks and the two squirmed in her grip. The troops around them looked amused at their struggle.
After Otome had her fill, she started assessing the casualties that they took during the skirmish. Thankfully, no one died, but there were numerous wounded.
"Captain, have your men pull out and leave the area." Otome said as she looked at the wounded soldiers.
"Ma'am? Most of them only have injuries that are superficial, they're still combat worthy. I can assure you of that." Though the captain's voice was steady, Otome knew he was offended because he takes pride in his troops' tenacity and discipline.
"I know, captain."
"If you know that then why?" The captain raised his eyebrow in question.
She looked at the glowing portal and the captain quickly understood.
"I see."
"I know Makoto is capable, but even she needs help." She glanced at the portal with worry.
"I understand, Ma'am. I suppose that the children will be accompanying you?" He looked at the two children who were talking animatedly with his soldiers.
"Yes. Their combat prowess will certainly add to the chances of my survival. But…" Otome's face contorted into a grimace.
"But?" The captain looked at her questioningly.
"Using children in any way or capacity. It really leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth." She tightly squeezed her arm in irritation.
The captain stayed silent. He can sympathize with what Yanagiya-san is feeling. Having seen a single child with magic tip the scales so hard in their favour really leaves you with the feeling of ineptitude as a person and as a soldier.
He started barking orders to his soldiers, but silently he prayed to Amaterasu for protection. Not for him, but for the three children who are going to face literal demons.
Jasper and Sahori looked around in confusion as the soldiers started packing up their equipment. "Yanagiya-san, where are they going?" Sahori asked as Otome walked towards the portal.
"They'll be leaving this place." Otome walked towards the portal and wrote something on the talismans.
"Leaving? What about us?" Jasper looked at her questioningly.
Otome didn't answer him immediately, after finishing writing on her talismans she looked at them both and smiled.
"We will be charging into the breach."
