Chapter 9: Undertaking
Death Is Not The Opposite Of Life But A Part Of It
~Haruki Marukamis
Maggie was the first to alert the group that someone was coming. Her light paw steps came to a halt as her ears pricked up, She snapped her head to the back of the path in panic; the fog covering the stones grimly. Her lavender orbs took a shade darker. Moving quickly, she took a position in front of the group and growled, her growl came out beastly as she once over Sophie's expression of fright. How dare she be scared when Maggie was there. She took cover in a bush full of white Kitayama flowers.Her small head bent low enough to the forest floor to smell the fresh scent of the Kitayamas.
In the low grass field next to Maggie.Jack was next he immediately went into Witch mode, his hand hovering above his arm from a top-to-bottom motion. The skin above his wrist stretched and prickled before it opened up to miniature black slits. What would have been blood was now seeping black mist.A Mouth full of ink is how Saki would have described it.The mist crawled down his arm to his front leg in wrapped around it in a snake-like motion.She sworn she saw ghastly eye's watching her in the Murky mist.
Jack orbs closed in prayer, His ashen hands held together to make a triangle.The soft attune now replaced the usual gruff tone he used.
Glorious father, ruler in the heavens, I come to you in my time of need. Show me mercy so I might proclaim your praise. I seek this of you on both my knees, o bountiful spirit. Absolve me with your illustrious favor.
Saki could hear him chanting words from under his tongue. She rose a dark brow and cupped her hands on her ear to hear closer. The unmistakable words slipped past her ears in a ramble. She thought it strange how he chose now of all times to be a religious individual. Black magic users were rumored to have prayed prior to their slayings. It was a way of them to make amends to the god of the earth. Ethineal, that was a story for a different time.
Black mist leaked from the ground where Jack stood planted. Branches curled in on themselves in a taut hug. His lids fluttered open and gave Saki a symmetrical expression," What?" his black brows lifted as he mustered all his strength to take control of the power he wielded as he stomped his feet into the cloud of fog. "Never seen a wizard go to work." He said as he gave her a smug smile.
"No, I can't say I have" She brushed her shoulder off of the webs in the tree's in irritation. "Is it deadly?" She asked out of genuine curiosity.The way the aurora of it gave her tingles down her spine, she wasn't too sure of it.
"It's only deadly. He started in exaggeration. "if I tell it to be". Jack shook his head as he stretched his lower back as if the little display he did robbed him of energy. "My power is no joke." Jack said as he played with the little balls of mist in his hand. He waited for Saki to glance away from him before he spoke again." So, how is it being a transfer from the agency to our squad? We're all a team of losers if you ask me." He gave a low snort and pushed a stone off the pebbled path. Dragging it with his foot, he looked across the clearing to Sophie, his orbs clouded with lost as they centered on her petite frame.
Sophie's small mouth pulled into a frown from where she stood beside a pile of fallen leaves. She glanced at Saki and Jack and nervously jumped to her feet in a rush. Her locks flowed in a river of gold down her back. Her cheeks blushed as a wave of clarity came over the two. "We have Company." she said in a hushed voice.
An aggravating buzz went off in The group's head informing them that Maggie was about to talk.The mind link between feline and human has been a part of communication for decades. They thought of it by the first feline shifter. The mistaken daughter who would become to be known as Agna Parie. Her love for her lynx mate would form the powerful communication system known as "mind link". Agna was known as the Warrior of fate for what she did.Carving her own path instead of being a puppet of fate like the past Ancients. Agna blessed many of the felidae to talk to their loved ones. Their voice being heard while in cat form lessened shifting.
The mind link was a forbidden spell cast by Theia, the most powerful White Witch of Agape magic. Maggie could only communicate the mind link. She had to start that chat and only talk to one person at once. There was always to be a price to pay for Magic, and that was it depleted her shifting stage. The longer she talked, the more her Shifting gauge went down.Like a video game almost, But this was real as it can get.
"Saki, this is Maggie, I'm in the clear to search for Lawrence. Can you guys take care of these idiots?" just as Maggie Vibrant's voice spoke in the speaker that was her head. Saki had to dodge an oncoming attack.
Beside The Coven of trees she was shaded in, a masked soldier ran up towards her with a spun axe. It hit the tree as she backed away from it. Bark splitting in the middle of it.She whirled around with her Jian sword slashing into the soldier's throat as he struggled to remove his stuck axe. A splinter of crimson painting the tree the soldier faced towards. His knees hit the ground in a soft thud as he gasped for his life.She ended his pain by stabbing her Jian sword into his throat. The gushing sound of blade meeting meat bothered her ears.
Men crawled out the dark forest in camouflage garb.The many of them seemed identical with their fern button shirt and oatmeal pants. They gathered around Saki, seeing an imposter. Her mouth frowned in disappointment as she counted the group, " Only thirty men I like when they underestimate me." She thought to herself inwardly.
"Saki?" Maggie's voice broke into her thoughts again.Angela searched behind her in practice for Maggie but the unique panther was nowhere in sight.
"What!" Saki pounced on her. Maggie was interrupting her fight and hell, she just couldn't have that.
"Could you do me a favor? Could you watch Sophie for me? She is innocent as you can see and I don't want her getting hurt.I can't be there with her right now physically but you can." Maggie's voice cracked at the ending. She broke the connection before Angela could even reply.
The group of three huddled close together. Sofia shielded behind Saki and Jack. Her silver heels digging into the dusty earth. She clasped her hands in front of her chest.
Jack chuckled loudly, his cackling waking the crows inhabiting the trees to flight. He gave Angela a side stare as she focused on the men. "The more men. The better the fight I always say" he held out his wrist, his knuckles faced towards the ground. The inky mist transformed from a blur to long black snakes slithering into the sky.
Saki paid no heed to his jealousy.Jack would see just how funny she was damn soon.
One man with a ferret-face eyed her suspiciously as he pushed his way through the sharp twigs in the bush. His brows furrowed in question," Who goes there?" he said as he blocked the men from coming any closer to her. He was the Captain. She could hear the Dignity in his commanding voice. Little did he know he fit into her plan, she wanted to save him for last.
Saki backed away from the group, giving herself advantage. Just in case Anyone who was a coward tried to take a cheap shot at her." Miyasaki Ayase." she said calmly. They were in her environment. The Mist from Jack's palms enveloping them. Dead leaves rustled on the ground. Oh, yeah, she was ready to fight.
As her name raised whispers of alarm throughout the group of men in a domino effect. Their faces contorted in content. The Captain seemed more collected than the rest instead of showing submission to the brutal realization who he was up against. He held his head higher than before.His Granola Hat tipped back in the movement. His irises cocked to the body behind her.No doubt his dead teammate who laid on the ground with his hand loosely thrown over the gaping hole that was his throat.Saki looked down to see a pool of blood at her feet. Damn, she really had to be more neat with her skills.
"Saki, there are a lot of men, are you okay? Do you need Jack to help?" Sophie asked her. Saki could hear the concern heavy in her voice.
She gripped her sword tighter.Her boots braced for the push, positioning herself lower. "No, not at all." It was funny how Sophie excluded herself. She saw why Maggie was so keen on her protecting her little sister. It was obvious Sophie couldn't.
"Saki, you don't have to fight all these men. Let me take half and you get half," Jack said. She could hear the grin on his face.
Her teeth clenched twice. One, she was being underestimated and two, Jack was a fly in her face she wanted to kill but sadly she couldn't. ' "Watch me". Her plait hung low ghosting over the dirt floor, Her cotton boots gave her a firm stance.
The Captain heaved in a breath as he shifted his irises down the line of his team. His forehead eased from tension as He Gave them a gentle smile. "Miyasaki Ayase, What is your reason for being here.?" He never took his orbs off his team as he asked the question.
"To kill." Saki said as she pushed her feet off the ground in a burst of wind.Her Sword shone bright as she raced to them. She placed her fingers in the jagged indents.Her mind grew foggy as blood replaced all her thoughts. Her sword was starved for it. It thrummed in her hand as she sliced through the men.Tearing through clothes to penetrate skin.
The soldiers ran at her in full speed with guns raised.When they aimed at her to shoot; she blocked it in swiftly with her sword; It was as if she was dancing. She was doing the dance of Destruction.Saki Memorized her tactics from all the non-stop training enforced by her trainers at the iron Temples of Mubishi.
Her movements were crafted in precision; she hacked arms off slashed knee caps. Immobilizing them before they dropped to the ground. The killing part was amusing for her; She craved it. Needed it.
On the brink of her blood lust, she caught Jack on her killing ground. Jack was in the middle of running his hand into the body of a screaming soldier. Gripping the beating heart and twisting his head fell back as he laughed in humor.Seeing Saki He winked at her and threw the bleeding heart at her feet.
She brushed him off and crushed the heart with her boots. If he wanted competition, he got it. She wasn't the one to play with, and he would figure that out sooner than later. She counted the bodies that dropped to the ground until The Captain was the only one standing in the clearing. She pushed the thoughts for blood back as she moved towards him in slow primal steps. When she was close enough to touch him. She lifted her dripping sword of mortality to his thick chin. She held it up. She wanted him to smell the blood of the men who followed him, even in death.
The Captain gazed at her with fright, even so he didn't put up a fight as she stared at him. Her orbs void of any sign of sympathy. She cocked her head to the side.
"this is it?" he dryly laughed. His head lowered in renouncement.
Saki thrust out her chin as she gave him a click of her tongue. Her hazel orbs caught in hubris. "All your men are dead. You are soon to reunite with them." she said with a hint of pride.
The Captain wrinkled his nose in confusion. He gazed at her in mirth. "Is that supposed to rouse me to make my old bones tremble with terror?"
Saki tipped the sword higher than her hazel irises narrowed."Terror eats at your bones when you know there is no one here to save you, to see your men surround you in death. I would suspect you would scream for your life."
The Captain raised his creased irises to her. "Mrs.Ayase, my men who you've killed came here today knowing they would never return to their families.My men know war, they fought through it, risked lives and homes. They were weary of it. This death you speak of is another form of living for us." He said the last word with a sense of serenity.
Her mouth pinched." That's utter bullshit and you know it."
"Mrs. Ayase, If you never open your third eye.You will forever be lost in the maze, that is your mind. He exhaled a raspy breath. This world we live in is in ruins there is more death upon us than you know.My men died today to live, not die."
Her brows furrowed. What the hell was he talking about. Did he know about the murders? No, he wasn't with the agency.
Before she could stop him, he grabbed her sword from his chin and plunged it into his heart. His mouth parted in a helpless moan."Thank you for pardoning this tormented soul, Miyasaki Ayase." he said in his dying breath. His arms dropped to his sides. Blood spilling from the cut in his hand from her sword. His lifeless head rolled to the back as he dropped to the dirt.
Placing her boot on the chest of The Captain, she pulled her sword out of him. She turned around, her silky braid whipping behind her, to inspect her work. They lay soldiers out all over the forest floor. Some of them were whole, some weren't. It was a Grave of Celebration.
She spun around to what she thought was Jack ready to nag her head off about the number of kills she got, but stood a man in grey. from his hair down to his shoes. His muscular build made her steady her breath. His muscled chest rippled as he moved in a seductive stroll. His face luring her to stare at him in awe.It had to be crafted by the gods with precision. His Hair appeared to be graphite, strands of it falling into his curved face.He gazed at her with shallow slate orbs devoid of any light, as he allowed the fog to follow him. He waved a pale hand above his head mystically. "Come." his voice echoed in the breeze. Melting her ears.
She fought control of her body as she dug her heels into the earth but no matter how hard she slashed at the invisible force she could not win.Her legs gave out as she was rushed by a current of wind to the mysterious man. She clenched the blade of her Jian sword to wake her out of whatever the hell type of trance she was in, but it was a fail. He won. Against her, The champion of the Agency.
Saki and this man who had just appeared out of nowhere were so close. She could feel every warm breath he took. Her eyelids fluttered up to him. She opened her mouth, but there were no words coming out. She felt helpless.
She was now inches from his ethereal face.He gave her a slight smile, raising his hands to her face to smooth her edges. She flinched, not because she thought he was going to abuse her, but because she was afraid. She was vulnerable without her sword.
Seeing the war in her hazel orbs, he dropped his hands. Instead, he grabbed her head from the back and leaned in.His lips hovered over hers as if he was savoring the feel of them before she parted her lips in desperation. He took her deep in his mouth. His tongue rubbed hers in the most pleasurable way she could think of, twisting with a light pull. He grabbed the small of her back as he deepened the kiss.She went languid against him. Her body was heating, her nipples hardened under her dirty tank top. She was bare to him.
He ripped his mouth away, and she moaned in surprise of herself and objection. Her hazel orbs widened as he stared at her through his long lashes.
He easily held her up with one gloved hand, as his silver brows relaxed. He bent his head to her heated ear. "Miyasaki, he said her name like a familiar, you are summoned by the queen to the City Of Ruins." he murmured in her ear soothingly.
He waved a hand over her irises, and she fell into a deep sleep. He hoisted her into his arms as he disappeared with her serene form in his arms.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone