Bab 49: A Fashionable Mercenary
Cough... Cough, Cough...
Miya in tow, Tori and Jesse carefully navigated through the stone corridors of what seemed to be an extensive castle, all created by Nyssa's altered mind. The cold was blistering, worsening Miya's already terrible state. She constantly threw up, coughed, and whispered nonsense among herself, frightening both Jesse and Tori.
It was hard to stomach for the both of them, although they'd only met her that day, but they chose to power through the discomfort for the sake of the mission that Miya seemed to become attached to. She felt a strange connection with Nyssa, and even after the torture that left her in such a state, it didn't sit right with her, and she had to continue for the sake of her and her family.
Seeing the two of them in the hospital beds struck with her. She wished, for some reason, she'd had such a relationship, but she remembered that although short lived, her bond with Ms. Boudreaux was similar, if not the same. These thoughts began to fester as they turned corner-after-corner, their guards at their highest.
Tori finally broke, her voice almost pleading.
"We should turn back, Miya. Your state... We can't continue like this!"
Miya didn't respond, and Tori immediately backed off, leaving the room to the constant horrible echoes surrounding them with each step. Only the light of the moon could be seen, the torches on the walls having been recently snuffed, lines of smoke still trailing the misshapen ceiling. Heavy footsteps could not only be heard from above but felt as the ceiling shook and bellowed, somehow not giving way. As Jesse scanned the area, her ears remain trained on her surroundings, giving her a reliable layout of rooms ahead of them.
Light clicking sounds released from her mouth, and she repeated this in every room, without fail.
'Each room is barren, no movement, and the sound indicates that there isn't anybody inside. It's strange how this can be just a product of someones perception of themselves or the people around them. Almost frightening, even.'
Tori peeked around Miya's breast, speaking softly toward Jesse.
"What're you doing?"
"It's a technique from the Hive-- I learned it from books. Since my hearing's pretty good, I can use the echo of these clicks to see the rooms around us with very little margin for error. You're a natural-class; you might be able to learn, sometime."
Tori chuckled a bit.
"My ability is in no way similar to yours. I'll leave that specialty to you."
Jesse and Tori continued to walk silently, but something stuck in Jesse's mind. She turned toward her, speaking as respectfully as she could. Tori's eyes widened for an instant before shrinking again as she listened, expecting the question.
"Why... do you have a thing against mercenaries?"
Tori paused, but the words slowly began coming out.
"I... I know you two are mercenaries... Dola has a tendency to worry too much for me, but its partially my fault. I can't control my nerves whenever I think about them... I'm a descendant of a tribe on the coast of Yorokobi Bay, the ocean..."
"Y-You've seen the ocean?!"
"Well, yeah... It's not that great, just a blue horizon-- Anyway, I have a sister, eighteen she'd be by now, and I love her to death... She's a sweetheart!"
Tears began streaming down Tori's face at the thought of her sister, but Jesse remained silent, no pity coming from her emotionless face. She waited for her to stop, listening to every word.
<"Go Honlue!"
A young Tori and another small girl chased a small, snow-white cat that nearly blended into the frost surrounding them. The trees constantly gave in to the weight of the heavy snowfall, adding to the white covering the ground around the three of them. Their smiles and laughs were dampened by the sound of snow around them, but they seeped through the downpour, their giggles being heard from a distance.
Strong yet relaxed eyes trained themselves on the two of them like a mama bear, watching any and every movement about the soaked greenery around them as they remain at play. They sought to preserve that childish joy forever and at all costs, their hands ready to snuff any life that might endanger that joy, but it was too late. A power beyond their control had other plans.
Tori yelled in joy as they continued to chase Honlue, the snow cat.
"Catch him, Anju!"
Anju jumped at Honlue, rolling through the snow with him in her arms. Honlue purred, rubbing his head against Anju's soft, freckle-ridden face. Her strawberry-blonde hair was stained white by the snow around them, and her fur coat absorbed all the cold that she couldn't. They'd grown used to this temperature, but it wasn't always so. The bay experienced green springs and white winters, giving the environment character due to its proximity with the barren Northern District.
Despite this, the people of their tribe remained capable of adjusting to this unstable climate, each of their bodies trained by birth to endure the cold. With the coming and going of the cold, new wildlife would roam into the area, and the dangerous Warbeasts of the Northern District constantly stood watch, waiting for a moment to strike. This stand-off between the tribe's warriors and Warbeasts were routine during the cold, and the Warbeasts could easily catch the advantage at any given time.
"Nen-Chan, look!"
An eerily cheery voice cut through the sounds of snow, yanking the attention of the two girls and Honlue. Honlue hissed as a large, red beast stomped through the greenery toward them, leaving large, dragon-like footprints under them. Their legs and arms remain covered in shiny, red scales, and the snow never rested on them, sliding clean off. Their face was cute yet crazed, drool seeping down the scales that run under her pointed chin and running over her naked torso, snow lying on her round breasts. Her silky, long hair matched her scales, and it moved as if controlled, rolling around her body endlessly.
The girls looked on in terror at the beast-woman, Honlue bravely protecting them. As the beast woman looked upward, glints could be vaguely seen, reflecting through the snow while almost blending with it. Within an instant, the beast's torso was pierced with a multitude of skewered arrows, designed to tear through flesh. These sorts of arrows were intended to wound beasts, bringing about as much pain as possible to deter threats away without killing them, but they could tell that this one was different, preparing another barrage.
"N-Nen-chan! They hurt me!"
Her red, reptilian eyes flared, consuming her iris completely in red. Tori and Anju remain sitting on the snow below, too scared to muster the strength to move. As the beast-woman's anger swelled, another figure seeped through the camouflage of the snow, their body covered by only a green suit and pants with a similar embroidery. A green, venetian pantalone mask covered his face, his short, black and messy hair curling over the top of the mask.
Tori and Anju both knew he wasn't like the beast-woman; he was completely human. The words slowly seeped from Tori's mouth as she pushed Anju backward, preparing to defend her with her body.
"W-Who are you?!"
The man only laughed before his expression completely neutralized, terrifying them.
"My name is Dotsugaya Nen, member of Lenla Krewe's mercenary division..."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
goodeygoody
goodeygoody Anju is pronounced (On-You) for those curious.
— Tamat — Tulis ulasan
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone