章 20: Chapter 20. The Demon and the Hunter
I swing my halberd down on a would-be assassin ending him then I punch out at the air after a few moments the air shimmered revealing a now headless body of another assassin, with the assassins dead I can't help but sigh because this is the seventh time I've been attacked this month alone. Well, I'm getting paid with their own money for them to come at me for the reputation of killing someone that the infamous "No-Second-Strike" couldn't plus most of them have cash on them so it's not all bad but it is getting annoying to have to deal with these fools. I couldn't help but sigh again at the fact I brought this down on myself, this what I get for being greedy but still there is one thing I have come to like about my situation and that's pilfering weapons off of the assassins to study or even keep if I like them. Currently, along with my halberd, I have an automatic shotgun that has claws on it that can hold on to its targets plus its no easy feat to pry off well except me that is because I can summon a lesser Geist to possess it to remove its claws and it also has a concealed drill attached that can slowly pierce through aura when its hook on someone overall it's a good weapon to kill someone. After removing everything of value of my most recent attackers I start walking again my destination now is the Menagerie to check out the most welcoming place on Remnant for fanus aside from Vacuo which I will not set foot in unless I absolutely have to because I have been to a desert before in my past life and I hated it with a passion because it's not only hot, miserable, and dry, but sand gets in everywhere.
As I walk down the road counting my ill-gotten lien from the assassin I think back on my fight with Shiroyami with a little magic I can recall every detail on the fight and there are 3 things I want to learn from that fight. First, her footwork, because she can keep up with me while I'm using flash steps with technique alone, second, using air pressure as a protractile with my fist or weapons, lastly, breath control because from my memories martial arts at a high level, requires one to control their breath to fully utilize their techniques to the fullest extent. As I think back on her every move I try breathing in different ways to find what works best for me and I can do this by monitoring how my body takes in oxygen with magic, I can only figure it out through trial and error for the time being. I look forward to Kuo Kuana to see if I can run into Blake plus to enjoy a little tropical vacation with no racist bigots to deal with, only time will if I find my favorite ninja teenage catgirl fanus ( I wonder if she's the only one) it's fine if I don't run into her but it's great if I do, my only problem is what will I do if I run into Adam instead. I feel tempted to end that spiteful bull fanus but if I do there may be several problems well that's if I actually run into him.
( Later on the road)
I'm beginning to regret telling Lil'Miss where I'm going because my assassin kill count is at the double digits even if I'm making easy money with this little scheme of mine of selling my location out to every idiot that wants the bounty on my head plus the fame of killing me. As I walk down this path I think back of how my second life has shaped up, first I was born a bandit then started raiding convoys at an early age plus became Raven's adopted son, then met Yang and Ruby as kids, I hope they remember me after all this time. My 2 semblances have their advantages first my glyphs are interesting with seeing how they react to different dust then my summons are just useful plus I'm proud of the collection I have amassed and will continue to expand. Now my semblance Echo Tremor allows me to generate vibrations which I develop a highly detailed sonar with it that has a range that grows as I practice with it, then I can create a damping field with it that can silence my shots or any sound really because sound is basically vibrations in the air. I can't yet cause high magnitude earthquakes yet but that will come with time along with a lot of practice and I can send out shockwaves that can cause a lot of damage along with making my weapons vibrate at high speeds that can cut through metal plates.
I'm also experimenting with aura to see what it can do and what I have found out aside from protecting me and strengthening me anything else is difficult to use without a great deal of practice and time. While similar to other energies in anime like chakra or reiryoku there are fundamental differences like aura is ridged to use offensively to the point that it's more efficient to use one's semblance or a weapon to fight with but still I will try to find out what else what I can do with it. Now I'll continue to study for Beacon this time its a book on dustology and metallurgy their effects on each other plus where they can be found. As I read my sonar starts to pick up on some people ahead of me well there goes studying because they may be assassins or bandits knowing my luck. Well on the plus side more lien for me because I can't have enough cash if I'm planning on having a relationship with many beautiful girls and then some if it all goes well.
As the 2 come into sight one is a pale old man with graying blonde hair with heterochromia blue and green eyes wearing a gray vest over a white shirt with black pants plus a silver necklace with a ruby in it. The other is a girl around my age with dark skin along with fiery red hair plus yellow-orange eyes in a black hoodie that covered most of her body with copper highlights she also had on copper color armor on her right leg plus she had a pair of horns sticking out of her hood. The old man was the first to speak in an oddly amused tone.
Old Man: So this is the brat that survived that monstrous rabbit I was expecting someone taller.
Well, this goes to show that I can't meet nice people on the road anymore these days, now let's see what they want.
Silva: So are you more assassins trying to claim the fame and bounty on my head?
The old man replied with a bow.
Old Man: Oh, where are my manners my name is Van Kasper and this shorty here is Lavi Empusa.
The girl Lavi spoke out annoyed.
Lavi: Geezer I told you I'm still growing so of course, I'm shorter than you.
Van replied with a wicked smile.
Van: And you will stay shorter than me if you don't eat your veggies, although I would like you to stay small and adorable as you are.
Lavi just glared at him then Van spoke to me amused.
Van: To answer your question we are assassins we have more of an interest at seeing if you really survive "No-Second-Strike" because your strong or if you're just lucky. Oh, a quick question did you really grope her because I applaud your courage at doing such a thing and still having both of your hands attached.
I simply nodded and when I did Lavi started to roar with laughter I then looked confused and Lavi explained while suppressing her laughter.
Lavi: That hag of a rabbit is older than even Van here, in fact, it's even said she tried to assassinate the warrior king of Vale during the great war.
I shouted out incredulously.
Silva: I FREAKING GROPED A GRANNY!?
My response made Lavi roll around on the ground laughing and even Van was chuckling at me. As I stood slack jaw I can't help but wonder if Shiroyami is like Salem somehow well not that I'm likely to find out any time soon but first these 2 in front of me need to be dealt with. I drew my halberd ready to start hacking and slashing at them with extreme prejudiced, the 2 of them noticing this got ready to fight me. Lavi's dark red aura flared up forming some kind of cloak around the upper part of her body that gave her long sharp claws of aura plus bull-like horns of the same and Van drew out an oddly shaped silver handgun from behind him. Lavi charged at me with her aura claws extended ready to slice me up and Van backed away and to aim at me with his gun now releasing small arcs of electricity around it.
Lavi started to swipe at me with her claws, I evaded her claws then sent her flying with a swing of my halberd. I charged at Van because of that gun of his worries me and I don't want to find out what it does, as I drew closer to the old man his gun fired an arc of orange light at a speed that was fast than anything I've seen. The shot echoed throughout the forest and I found a part of my shoulder missing, it bled profusely I quickly used my magic to numb the pain and prevent me from going into shock. I looked at the geezer shocked that his shot broke through my aura like it was nothing then he spoke in a condescending tone.
Van: What's the matter never seen a railgun before?
He has a freaking railgun, a railgun the size of a large handgun, even Atlas doesn't have a railgun that small how in the hell did he get such a weapon. Questions later ending these 2 comes first my injured shoulder makes my left arm useless I can't even move it properly. I swung my halberd with my good arm trying to decapitate Van but Lavi showed up and blocked it with her aura cloak. She shrugged it off then tried to claw at me, I dropped my halberd and drew my ill-gotten shotgun then threw it at her with all the strength that I can muster. It slammed her into a tree the claws on the shotgun shot out trapping her to the tree after that the drill started up slowly trying to pierce her aura. As she claws at the weapon to no avail I pick up my halberd and charged at the old man before he can fire his railgun again, he fired his second shot but this time I'm ready for it so I successfully avoided it. Van then drew a curved dagger to block my halberd from cleaving him in half, I kept on swinging my halberd wildly at him, soon his gray-green aura started to flicker then finally broke. He tried to fire his railgun again but I chopped off his arm then his head.
As his head rolled on the ground Lavi screeched with sorrow.
Lavi: VAN, VAN, VVVAAANNN, NNNNOOOOO, I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL KILL YOU IF'S IT'S THE LAST THING I DO.
As she shouted with tears in her eyes trying to break free of the shotgun's claws against the tree I walked to her then placed my finger on the trigger. She looked into my eyes with pure fury, I pulled the trigger firing at least 7 shots before her aura broke then 3 more shots before she died. I sighed then removed the shotgun off her still-warm corpse, I walked over to Van's head after healing my shoulder I picked up then using the last of my magic to get information out of his dying brain about him and the railgun he has. After a few minutes, I got a headache for my troubles along with the information I wanted, Van was a brilliant scientist from Atlas or rather Mantle that was bored of his never-ending researching lifestyle at his early thirties and wanted excitement plus to personally field test his weapons. He started on hunting Grimm then moved on to bandits in Mistral and finally got into the assassination business after finding there wasn't enough challenge in fighting sub-bar enemies as he put it like mindless Grimm or idiotic bandits. His railgun is his finest work yet using technology only he knows about compressing dust more accurately lighting dust to power it.
I sighed again at the fact I just killed someone who's as smart as Pietro and Arthur Watts or at least almost as smart as them. Lavi was someone he picked up at a whim to train an assistant to help him experiment on weapons and earn money in assassination to fuel his research. I can't help but wonder if I should have spared them but what's done is done, well on the plus side I have a lot of useful information on making weapons that are highly advance even by Atlas standards.
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