章 4: Hunted By Prey
"Yes, that's it."
Colors. Everywhere.
"A little bit closer. Flick swiftly."
Like a blur slowly regaining definition of clear sight, fading the spectrum away.
"Aim softly."
Takira felt a new kind of power growing from her soul. A special force, yet as old as her, awakening from its sleep.
"And..."
Her arm was held by someone else, making it point towards a target in the distance.
"...attack boldly!"
The enigmatic force swam through her blood and thrust itself out from her fingers, sending a projectile much depicting a stalactite made of ice.
"Very impressive, Taki-san," that voice commented. Male. Old. Wizened.
'Wow. I did it! I can't believe I finally did it!' She felt a wave of happiness never felt before. This accomplishment, of being able to manipulate the flow and control of magic -- it was her dream, one of the fanciest, that she deemed never to be possible before.
The person owning that particular voice clapped in applause.
"Th-thanks, Ha-Hamadaw Sensei," Takira felt her voice tremble, flavored by all that ecstasy of finally achieving the capability of magic. A wrinkled but kind hand patted her head as a bonus sign of appreciation. "I never thought true magic existed in this world."
"You did well, Taki-san."
Takira had full rights to be pleased, indeed. Why?
Chiroshi Hamadaw was the forsaken leader of the Akamine demon hunting faction. And local legend says that he can sense great potential at first sight.
Many warriors would train hard, day and night, months and years, yet failing to receive the compassion and affection from the master. He would know the strengths of new Akamine recruits from the very beginning. Thus, his word was law. Affirmed and accurate.
From the looks of it, Chiroshi had already detected and judged Takira's fighting spirit.
"Ah, you call that impressive?" another voice jeered in a friendly tone.
They spun round to face Miyumi, who was trying her best to impress Hamadaw in her own accord.
"Watch this!" Miyumi held a trainee staff and tried to pull off a few acrobatics using her teleportation abilities.
Ziiim....zaam.... ziiipp... *teleporting FX*
"Whooo-oo-oo-hoo-oo!" Miyumi's voice appeared sliced off by the violent effects of the air around her 'teleporting portals'.
Chiroshi cleared his throat, as a gesture that Miyumi should stop the ruckus.
"Oh?" she paused at once. "Anything wrong, sensei? How did I perform?"
"Excellent...."
'YES!' Miyumi closed her fist, raised it and brought it back in the typical "I did it" manner.
".....for a stunt show," Chiroshi completed his sentence.
"What?!" she didn't expect that response. (Miyumi was being overconfident)
"In order to demonstrate some real combat tactics, why not take on some of the other recruits? See if you can defeat them."
"Oh. Who? Those guys?" Miyumi pointed towards a trio of Akamine swordsmen -- equipped with harmless trainee blades, nonetheless.
Chiroshi nodded.
"Careful, Miyu-san," Hamadaw offered his advice. "You can never reach the top shelf until you've grown tall enough. You may have the strongest arm, but not the longest."
'Blah, blah, bleh.' She ignored his quote lesson and prepared to confront the three boys on the other side of the training courtyard. They seemed slightly older and likely stronger than her. 'Alright you big boys, let's see how hard you really...'
She dashed forward and teleported instantly. She charged like a bullet through sand, concentrating on bashing against the guy standing in the middle.
~~Pzzziiilft!
Unfortunately, she had miscalculated her movements and certainly underestimated her opponents.
'...are! Whoaaa!'
She almost tripped forward while stopping, flapping her arms around to maintain her balance at the last moment. Her feet were arched backwards and her body was standing straight, inclined at an angle. (Like this slash --> " \ ")
The sword boy had the blade aimed for her neck before she had even approached him.
"Wha-how-when-" Miyumi was speechless.
Chiroshi Hamadaw simply clapped again, with the purpose of mockery than motivation.
"Very impressive."
Miyumi hopped back into her normal stance. 'Wait... where's my staff?'
"Here, you left your staff behind," Chiroshi stepped forward holding it, a fresh grin implied on his face.
Miyumi made a pouty face, with her mouth like this --> " ^ ", as she grabbed hold of the staff.
"Hmm.... you may not be a good fighter yet, but you can entertain me with your foolish acts, Miyumi," Hamadaw patted her head. "Heh, do not worry, my dear child. You will get there soon. You see... you were fast, but not attentive. I had grabbed your staff silently right before you zapped forwards."
'Oh... why is this oldie after me?!' Miyumi felt eyes on her. 'Please... just stop... and let me practice to overcome my lacking.'
"Moreover, your speed is unmatched to these young men, whose eyes were trained to capture long distance movements within a blink. Anyways... I believe it is time for lunch. So let's get something to eat first before we take on the second training phase of the day."
*****
Same location (Nasagna),
Akamine HQ, Library, 2nd floor
"Now let's see... the seed of evil..." The druid drifted past some shelves, picked up books and placed them on a long table occupying a major part of the library on this floor. "It must have been documented in here, somewhere."
"I think it was Oldigrot's Botanical Nightmares," Nokau Ora suggested.
Partly lit by a hundred candles resting atop ornate chandeliers from the ceiling, the library of Nasagna boasted twenty rows of three tier shelves, ten on each of its two floors. At this afternoon hour, sunlight volunteered for the illumination, too.
Wan inspected a book that caught his attention.
"Sensei, how about this volume? The Conquering of Seeds by Herbal Methods. Weird title."
The druid hastily rushed to his side, rapidly scanning the cream paper pages with adept reading skills. He murmured to himself for a few seconds before breaking the silence with a great big "Aha! Found it!"
Nokau got up from his chair to have a closer look.
"The jackfruit tree," the druid read aloud, "is notorious for its pungent natural stench. A diluted scent, though, reveals a gentler tone of--"
The druid skipped over some pages in embarrassment. 'Ah, my eyes tricked me again.'
"It produces a sticky sap that can contaminate and freeze the roots of the seed of evil. So that we can slow down its growth before carefully implanting parasitical herbs into its bark."
Wan and Nokau nodded in synchrony.
"Dear disciples," the druid smashed closed the book and stood up from his seat. His eyes flashed.
"Ow, ah, ouch!"
The druid slapped Wan and Nokau's foreheads with the book.
"Nokau and Wan-kun.... I'm displeased with your conduct. This has proved that you both need further training in controlling your desires for curiosity," the druid instructed and criticized. "It isn't the fact that curiosity is a bad thing. Only in some cases, it should be avoided at all costs. Be very cautious as this kind of behavior in the future may result in exiling you from the Akaminé forever."
'You're the one to talk, sensei! If you hadn't picked up that seed when you were a bird...' Wan pointed out in his mind.
"Yes, Master Doel," Wan and Nokau had no choice but to obey and respond accordingly.
"However, as a member of the Akamine, it is also prudent that you both should have responsibility over this," the druid, Doel, paced about the room, walking forwards and backwards as he spoke. "So I'm assigning tasks to both of you."
'Aiii....oh no...' Wan and Nokau felt an imaginary thunder bolt strike behind their backs. 'No, not again! Please no... not a task from Doel Sensei.... nooooo!'
Being already experienced at being an Akamine warrior, they knew what was coming ahead. Of all the teachers and trainers at the Akamine Academy, Doel's quests were always the most hated. Not because they were difficult or dangerous, but due to--
"And don't you dare complain of boredom, you two!" the druid returned all books back to their respective positions with a click of his fingers. "Every mission is a mission, indeed. And each of them offers an opportunity for lessons. Learn to walk before trying to run, lads."
Nokau gulped as Doel turned his gaze towards him.
"Nokau-kun."
"Yee-yes, master?"
"You're in charge of finding a jackfruit seed and planting it near that seed of evil. And Wan..."
"Hmm?"
"You'll go with Bain wun Donn at nightfall. To guard an armory of the Sirutov."
"The Sirutov?!! But...but... we're not in good relations with them...." Wan saw Doel raise an eyebrow as he blurted out his opinion. "I mean... Bain is fine... but..."
"Resisting your offer?" Doel scrutinized Wan. "Good."
"Nightfall, huh?" Wan analyzed the information he had been given. "Well, there's plenty of time then."
Wan almost was about to smile blissfully. Almost.
"That time is already preserved for you, Wan," the druid stretched his smile. His eyes flashed again.
'Oh, damn. I hate it when he does that!' Nervousness climbed up Wan's shoulders.
The room grew grim and the candles dim. Doel the Druid thrust his cane at Wan immediately.
Wan attempted to parry it, but his reflexes activated a second too late.
The druid hit him with one end of the cane, pushing Wan magically forwards through time, accelerating him through the 4th dimension.
He sent him into a portal.
"Master... you cheated!"
The final words broke off before Wan could fully pronounce them from the other side of the portal. Silence took its turn to return to the library again, except for the mild hubbub of the new recruits wafting from the courtyard across the windows.
The druid simply smiled to himself and tapped the ground with his cane in the way people scrub their hands after finishing a job.
'Holy.... this old man's seriously crazy!!' Nokau pretended to be a statue.
"Nokau..."
"Hai...yes, master?" he stood bristly.
"Get to work."
"Yes, Doel sensei. Right away."
Nokau sped to the stairs. Doel was about to turn away before he chuckled again.
"Or should I provide a boost?" a mischievous smile glowed.
"N...n...no thanks."
*****
Meanwhile, at the dining halls of the headquarters...
Takira and Miyumi sat together, attending a banquet-level feast for lunch.
"Hiya! How's your training going so far?" they asked each other in chorus, surprised to an extent that made them hold each other's mouths with hands. They let go.
"Well... it has been going great for me," Takira merrily replied first. "How about you?"
Miyumi sighed before speaking. "I still can't keep up with their speed."
"It's okay, Miyu," Takira consoled. "You and I have been BFFs since childhood. As long as we're together, nothing's gonna stop us."
"Hmmm... yeah, Taki," Miyumi's heart melted from the faint bit of jealousy that was growing. "You're right, sis."
"Which reminds me..." Takira tried to recall what her inquiry was. "How come you had teleporting powers and you never told me??"
"Ehe~" Miyumi was shy to tell her about it. "Oh..that?....err.... hehehehe.... I'll tell you some other day."
*****
Rainfall and thunder were storming outdoors where Wan had landed. He had accelerated 5 hours ahead of his 'current' time. Only now... his future tense was now the present.
'Dark. Hmm....' He took some time for his eyes to adjust to the environment. A long shadowy corridor, with large bare windows letting the idle moonlight and rain splash into the building from outside. Unlit chandeliers danced lightly to the tune of gushing winds.
A hand appeared out of nowhere... or so it seemed... and touched Wan's shoulder.
!!!!
~JUMP~
According to reflex, he jumped across the spanning width of the corridor.
"Whoa whoa...man..." a male voice peeked out from a darker portion of the corridor. Matching someone whom Wan had known very well. "It's me! Bain."
"Oh damn," Wan let his defensive stance melt away. "Can't believe it."
Bain walked towards him, out into the dim lunar lighting.
"Something wrong, brother? Why are you on attack mode all of a sudden?"
"Don't ask. Been a hard day," Wan felt slightly guilty for being so strangely rude to such a good friend of his. He decided to loosen the knot in his stress. "Full of unpredictable disasters. For the last 48 hours whoever I meet is a curse to my luck it seems."
A lightning bolt landed on the roof of the armory they were in, giving Wan a jumpscare again.
"GhaAAH!!"
Wan couldn't control it. It was almost as if by instinct. He felt embarrassed for his unusually wimpy behavior.
"Whoa, man, hold it in!" Bain checked the surroundings for any signs of hostile activity. "False alarm. Hold yourself together, Wan."
"Doesn't it look like I'm trying to?" Wan replied, panting.
"I've never seen you like this, homie," Bain equipped his gun. "You always used to be the badass killing machine. What happened to you? Anything you're hiding?"
A brief pause. Outside, it started to rain heavier and flashes of light and darkness decorated the windows all along the corridor.
"Nah. Nope. Nothing's on my head tonight," Wan sighed. "Nothing's in it, either. I don't know if I can guard this place with you."
"Don't worry, man. C'mon!! You're seriously telling that to me?!! I am supposed to always rely upon you instead!! Without you, whom can I trust? Who else can dare to defeat every monster that ever appeared before you?"
'That was an honest flatter.' Wan stared blankly outside for a while, into the rainy forest, remembering how Daneyo Ocraig managed to survive unscathed by his glaive's blows. 'But how right you are.....'
"Alright. Enough of all this depression talk," Bain disturbed the white noise of silence. "Time to break demons' bones than to waste precious time...."
Bain began patrolling a sector of the armory.
Wan joined in after a while.
A room.
Pitch black darkness and shadows loomed everywhere, except for the doorway to the room, where a little moonlight was all that sufficed for illumination.
Something had stirred in that room.
"Wait!" Bain gestured at Wan to halt. "Did you hear that?"
"I can sense it," Wan closed his eyes as he spoke before reopening them again. His ambient vision skill allowed him to detect the life energy of nearby creatures with ease.
They peered off into the dark room nearby. Bain entered first, switching the lights on.
As soon as they came on, due to some magical force the light got sucked out of the bulbs. But not fast enough before Bain understood what was going on.
"There! A gagûn!" Bain pointed out.
Indeed, there were two red glowing eyes in the darkness, with some translucent teeth reflecting some moonlight off the surface. Belonging to the species of shadow wolves that the gagûn were. Perhaps the heavy scent of explosives had attracted it here. It was reclining between some sacks of gunpowder and volatile flame gel. The wolf was growling, about to pounce.
Wan charged forward.
"Wait! Wan! Stop!"
Wan raised his hand, extruded his index finger, ready to point.
His mouth opened, ready to shout.
"ONE!!!"
CR-R-R-ACKKKK!
Wan used his reality-transitioning spell, power piercing out from his finger faster than a snake made of light. An ability with such insanely high destructive functionalities that all demons who knew Wan's whereabouts would avoid encountering him at all costs.
Instantly, the gagûn got overtaken by the power. But....
Also half of the armory instantly got destroyed in the process....
Hundreds of expensive weapons, supplies, and equipment -- all gone. All ruined and vaporized. As if someone had drilled a 4-dimensional hole in the building.
Wan was shocked to see what he had just done by carelessness of picking the wrong strategy.
Bain boiled up with anger.
'Oh no.... what did I just do?' Wan dropped to his knees.
"WAAAAAANNNN!!!!!!! YOU..." Bain reluctantly aimed a punch for Wan's head but landed it into the wall beside him instead. He bit his lip to dampen his internal disappointment down.
Rain showered down into the remnants of the armory, dissolving away precious chemicals and magical gels.
'What is wrong with me? My thoughts and decisions are not logical any more.' Rain swiped through Wan's hair and clothing.
He looked up at the sky vaguely for answers.
*****
A few miles away....
Under the same sky....
'Hanadai.. Canadai...' he landed punch after punch at his opponent. 'Banadai... Manadai...'
Fierce movements. Rapid blows.
Sweat beads formed on the bald head.
~peeeeeeep!~
The referee's whistle ended the game.
"Game's won for Daihatsu!! The man of the ring!! The champion of the night!!" the referee called out. The crowd cheered.
'Wanadai...' Daihatsu stopped hitting his rival on stage, looking at the blood smears he had created and the lethal attacks he had inflicted on the other boxer.
He grabbed the referee's microphone. The audience grew silent.
"Wheeehaaaw!!! I'm the moon, I'm the night!" he blabbered out phrases like a madman. "I'm Ren Daihatsu, protector of the --" he stopped. His eyes displayed the crazy mechanisms of his mind within.
He performed another unexpected activity.
"Yo referrrrrrr...." he snored for a moment. "Take this." He handed over the mic. "Tonight is a night of flavour. Enjoy it. I'm also going to enjoy."
The audience turned to a chorus of laughter.
He stuck the microphone into the referee's mouth before running off like a hooligan away from the boxing ring.
'Man, I'm tired of this.' He thought to himself, secretly changing himself back to his real identity.. 'They call me the mentally unstable maniac. Well... Thanks to that excuse, I can atleast punch people as hard as I can. No one lifts a finger. No complaints. Its their money they pay for watching the sport anyway.'
Daihatsu walked softly and gently down the athlete's exit hall, in a far more decent manner. 'They think I'm a crazy half-wit. Heh heh. Let them all laugh. Atleast I have my freedom to spare.' He cracked his knuckles.
Outside, little did Daihatsu know that a street race was in progress.
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