Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Spirit of the Wolf ❯ Chapter 7: Fight in the City ( Chapter 7 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: WolfGoddess_77 
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Fantasy / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.26.2012 | Updated On: 09.26.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 120 | Status: Work In Progress
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Fantasy / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.26.2012 | Updated On: 09.26.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 120 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people or places is purely coincidental.
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Both Reyith and Cael froze as they heard the scream. Inwardly, Reyith cursed. They were too late. She should have spoken up sooner. Raising one hand, she formed the scythe, then began to move forward. “Stay here,” she told Cael, not looking back at him.
Predictably, he shook his head, moving to follow her. “No. I’m not letting you go alone. What if you need help?” He stopped when she turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed.
“We have been through this before. You may have been able to form your weapon, but you still do not have the skills necessary to wield it. Until you do, you must not try and interfere. I can handle it myself.” She turned away from him, then continued walking, Metsu held tightly in her hand.
Despite her warning, Cael continued after her. “I’ll never be able to learn anything if you don’t let me into the battles. You said yourself that I have the knowledge; I only need the opportunity.”
Reyith shook her head, looking around her for the source of the scream. They didn’t have time to argue about this. They had to find the hoyu seishin before it was able to kill anyone; if it hadn’t already. “While that is true, it will not be an opportunity presented in combat that will most likely get you killed. When this is over, I will explain to you how you may learn to wield your weapon effectively with no threat to yourself. But until then, you must stay away.”
“Please, I can’t just let you go alone. What kind of protector would I be if I can’t even-” His protest was cut off as Reyith abruptly grabbed the front of his shirt with her free hand, pulling him closer and pressing her mouth against his in a soft kiss.
A moment later, she broke the kiss, but didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “I will be fine. If you are nearby, I cannot concentrate on what I need to do. Wait for me.” With that, her form flickered, then disappeared.
Cael was left standing stunned in the middle of the street, surprised at how quickly she had left. While he had still been taken off guard by the kiss, she had taken the opportunity to vanish. In other words, she had tricked him. But they both knew that it would only stop him for a little while. All he had to do was follow the sounds of a fight, and he would find her.
But he also knew that Reyith moved fast. By the time he found her, she could be finished with the battle. Not to mention the fact that she would be pissed that he hadn’t listened to her. Of course, that was nothing new. Letting her enter dangerous situations alone was something he would always argue about. She would have to get used to it.
Looking down at his hand, he clenched it into a fist, then concentrated. While he still couldn’t form his weapon as quickly as Reyith could, it was getting easier to find and manipulate his energy. The silver light appeared, and slowly took the shape of the elaborate sword. Now he just had to find her.
---
Reyith reappeared a fair distance away. The psychic energy of the hoyu seishin was coming from somewhere very close by. She gripped the shaft of the scythe harder, then began walking. She would have to hurry if she wanted to finish the fight before Cael found her. Because he didn’t know how to track someone by their energy, she had bought herself maybe ten minutes. But he could still follow her scent.
Within another minute, the energy had become almost overpowering. Up ahead on the right was a small side street. Her eyes narrowed. That was where it was. Quickly, she turned down the street, and stopped.
The creature looked similar to the other ones that she had seen, with a couple of small differences. This one had a row of large spikes running down its spine, and it was dressed in what had once been civilian clothes. That meant that this one had been human for quite a while after receiving the injection. They had noticed that the time until transformation often varied, depending on the subject. Sometimes it took hours, sometimes days. A few times, it had been months. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to determine what factor contributed to the length of time they remained human.
Reyith’s eyes trailed down to the ground. Beneath the hoyu seishin was the body of a girl. From this distance, she couldn’t tell much about her, except that she was young; maybe in her early teens. This made Reyith’s stomach clench. She was too late. It had already made a kill.
She brought her scythe up in front of her, angling the blade to the right in preparation for an attack. This was where things became difficult. At this point, the creature was still unpredictable. Unless it turned around, she wouldn’t be able to enter its mind, and find out what it was about to do, or what its capabilities were. But if it saw her, the element of surprise was gone. It all came down to what she decided to do; which risk she was willing to take.
Drawing in a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment. It would be best to strike quickly. She couldn’t take the chance of letting it get away. Usually, she wouldn’t hesitate before attacking, but her shoulder was still impeding her movement slightly, and she knew that she wasn’t at full strength yet. Still, the full moon had been the previous night, which made up for her injury.
Her eyes snapped open, then narrowed. It was now or never. If she hesitated any longer, her chance would be gone. Silently, she leapt forward, the tip of the scythe aimed for the creature’s throat. A quick decapitation, then it would be over.
The blade descended almost faster than could be tracked, but it never connected with its target. Instead, the creature turned around, extending its arm and knocking the scythe away. Reyith gasped, barely able to keep her hold on the shaft of the scythe as it was deflected. She immediately dropped to one knee as the beast sent a careless swipe towards her head.
She cursed inwardly; how had it known she was there? Her approach had been silent, and the wind was blowing the wrong way for it to have caught her scent. Another worrying factor was that it wasn’t turning around to look at her. In fact, it didn’t even seem worried by her presence. If anything, it was disinterested.
All right, then. If the subtle approach wouldn’t work… It already knew that she was here, there was no sense in trying for another surprise attack. Slowly, she stood up, keeping a wary eye out for any more attacks it might have in store. Keeping out of range, she carefully began to circle around it, a tendril of thought already reaching out. The moment she locked eyes with it, she would be able to get inside of its mind, and then the fight would be over. She would have her answers, know its next move, and be able to stop it before it even had time to try a second blow.
A soft growl sounded in her throat as she stopped moving. Though she was now standing directly in front of it, the creature still didn’t look up. Instead, it kept its gaze fixed intently on the ground. Reyith lowered the scythe slightly, tilting her head to the side. This was strange… Why wouldn’t it look at her?
This was all wrong; she had never encountered one like this before. Usually, the hoyu seishin were very aggressive; eager to spill as much blood as possible. But this one seemed to be ignoring her. She realized that the only reason it had attacked was in defense. It didn’t want to kill her.
Hesitantly, she sank down on one knee, trying to get at a low enough level that she would be able to get it to notice her, thus forcing it to look at her. Even as she moved, it didn’t look up. But being able to see it from this new angle gave her better perspective. She watched as it blinked slowly; its crimson eyes fixed on the dead girl between them. Taking a deep breath, she decided to do something that she had never tried before.
“She is no longer alive.” Her voice was soft, and carefully devoid of any emotion. Even as she spoke, her body tensed, preparing for an attack. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if it could even understand her anymore. But she was curious as to its behavior, and as it didn’t seem to want to pay attention to her otherwise, this seemed like an interesting experiment.
A strange noise emanated from the creature, an eerie wail, though it was quiet. It took a step forward, reaching out with one clawed hand towards the girl. Immediately, Reyith raised her scythe, not letting it get any closer. “Stay back,” she warned it. Her eyes narrowed, and she began to advance, forcing it backwards. She noticed that it still didn’t look up at her. Slowly, the blade of the scythe raised, until it came to rest beneath the creature’s neck, forcing its head up.
Before it could look away, she locked eyes with it, her mind wrapping around its thoughts. She frowned as the information flooded through her mind. “You have only just transformed,” she said quietly, almost to herself. Things were beginning to fall into place now. She had wondered why the body of the girl had been left undisturbed since she was killed. Now it made sense.
Because of the serum, the memories of the former criminals were erased, and with them, the bloodlust, or whatever evil intentions they had harbored. It seemed that shortly after transforming, they still retained some of their humanity. This one was displaying confusion, and perhaps even guilt. But she knew that it wouldn’t last long. Soon, the instincts of a monster would take over, and it would be almost impossible to stop. Better to take care of it now, before it came to that point.
She reached up, tracing one finger gently over the stone she wore at her throat. Kellan had never fully explained the stone’s capabilities, so she wasn’t sure exactly how much data was transferred over. He would need to know about her discovery. If worse came to worst, she could always contact him through the link that they had, but she wanted to use that as a last resort. If she did that, he would have full access to every one of her memories, and because of recent events, she wanted to keep them private.
Reyith knew that she shouldn’t be feeling sorry for a previous convict, but she couldn’t stop the lance of sympathy that went through her. “I am sorry for your suffering,” she whispered. “But do not worry. I will end it quickly.” If she didn’t hurry, Cael would find them, and this wasn’t something that she wanted him to see.
A soft, keening wail made its way out of the creature’s throat, and, before Reyith could lose her nerve, she struck, swinging the scythe diagonally in what would be a fatal blow. But again, the scythe hit nothing but air. She took a step forward to keep her balance, and immediately had to duck underneath the massive claws that were heading straight for her head.
So it wouldn’t be that easy after all. Not that she had expected it to be. Things like this were never easy. She knew that she had waited too long, and wasted too much time. But the information that she had gathered had been worth it. Knowing that the hoyu seishin sometimes retained their human personalities, even after transforming, gave them an advantage.
Was it possible that they were beginning to become immune to the serum; that it was actually doing what it was designed to?
She circled to the right, keeping her eyes on the creature in front of her. Just as she was preparing a second strike, she heard something that made her freeze. Footsteps, drawing closer to their location. Familiar footsteps. Cael had caught up with her.
She cursed quietly, but didn’t look away. To be distracted now would be a fatal mistake. There was still time, if she moved quickly. Her hold on the scythe tightened, and she suddenly lunged forward, bringing the blade down in a vicious arc.
The creature stepped back, but not quickly enough. The tip of the blade lodged in its shoulder, sending a small spray of dark blood into the air. Reyith jerked back on the shaft, ripping a channel in the beast’s shoulder. She watched as a line of blood trailed down the skin, soaking into the tattered clothes.
Again! She wasn’t quite sure if that had been her own voice, or Metsu’s. In battle, it was hard to tell their thoughts apart. Adjusting her hold on the shaft, she swung it swiftly from left to right in a horizontal slash. The creature roared in pain and staggered back, a fountain of blood gushing from its chest. This time, it hadn’t been fast enough to dodge.
Slowly, it crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. Reyith watched it silently, an unreadable expression on her face. Finally, she moved around it to stand at the mouth of the alley, waiting for Cael. She didn’t have to wait long. A few seconds later, he made his way over to her, glancing down at the bloody scythe as it faded away.
“I was not in time to save the girl,” she told him quietly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face with a sigh.
Cael leaned to the side, glancing around her at the creature. “You killed it already?” he asked in surprise. Though he knew that she moved fast, he hadn’t thought that she would be able to end the fight that quickly. It seemed that he had underestimated her.
She nodded. “Yes. But I was able to discover something. This one seems to have been human for a longer period than the others. Though it had transformed, it still held the human emotion of guilt, at least for a moment.”
This earned her an odd look. “Guilt? How do you know?”
She shrugged. “The way it acted, mainly. I also entered its mind. The thoughts were not the usual mass of chaos I have come to associate with the hoyu seishin. There was some sense of order, still. When I spoke, I believe it understood me, at least a little.”
Cael wasn’t sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, he was glad that she had been able to gain another clue as to what was happening, but on the other… If things were as she said, that meant that they were still partially human. Once the serum was administered, they became normal humans once again, with a clear conscience. Killing someone like that didn’t sit well with him. It was just too much to think about for the moment.
“What will you do with the girl?” he asked finally. “If she’s dead, then there’s nothing that we can do for her. We don’t know who or where her family is…”
“We shall leave her here,” Reyith said simply. “Knowledge of the hoyu seishin is not limited to just us. Most of the population know about them. Once the girl is discovered, they will know what happened. I do not like the thought of leaving her here, but we have no other choice. As you said, we know nothing about her.”
Cael sighed, lowering his head. For a moment, his gaze rested unseeing on the ground, but then something occurred to him. What about the creature? It shouldn’t be discovered. Though the humans knew about them, that wouldn’t stop scientists from taking the body and studying it. That was something they shouldn’t allow.
But something wasn’t right. Before, when Cael had first seen Reyith, as soon as she had killed the beast, it had disintegrated into nothing. But this one remained where it was. That was when Cael noticed the faint rise and fall of its chest. Suddenly, one long-taloned hand shot up, heading straight for Reyith’s back.
“Move!” Leaping forward, Cael pushed Reyith out of the way, just as the claw struck. There was a flash of silver light, and a screech of metal as the sharp claws came in contact with Kago’s bi-colored blade. A shower of sparks fell to the ground, and Cael clenched his teeth as he struggled to keep the sword raised.
“It…wasn’t dead,” Cael growled, glancing over at Reyith. She was sitting on the ground where she had fallen a short distance away, her eyes wide in surprise.
“Impossible,” she whispered. “That blow should have been fatal.” While it hadn’t hit any vital organs, it had been deep enough that the creature would have bled out in a matter of seconds. Why was it still alive? Then she got a good look at the cut. While it was hard to see under the thick layer of blood, she was able to tell that it had thinned, becoming little more than a deep scratch extending across its body.
Her eyes narrowed. Healing abilities? This was new. None of the others she had ever encountered had that power. This was worrying. Were they evolving somehow? Regenerative abilities were something that hadn’t been put into the serum, which meant it was something they had acquired on their own.
She looked up at Cael, then pulled herself to her feet. “Move back. I will finish it.” Raising her hand, she let the dark red light form around it.
“No,” Cael said quickly. “You’ve already weakened it. Let me finish it myself. It’s the perfect opportunity to let me try out my weapon.”
Reyith hesitated. It was true that the hoyu seishin wasn’t as big a danger as it had been before, and the massive amount of bloodloss had weakened it considerably, but he still might not be good enough to take it down. But slowly, her hand lowered, the light fading away. “Very well. But be careful. I will not hesitate to step in if I need to.”
“You won’t need to,” Cael said confidently, turning his attention back to the creature, which had now pulled itself upright, though it was too weak to stand. It seemed that it was just barely managing to put up resistance. Perhaps it would be manageable after all…
With its other hand, the creature took a swipe at Cael’s stomach, but he avoided it, stepping back and disentangling his sword from the sharp claws that were holding it in place. Quickly, he brought the sword up in an overhead strike, the blade rapidly descending toward the beast.
The creature tried to block, but unlike with Reyith’s scythe, there was no safe place to stop it from connecting. The blade sank deep into the flesh of the creature’s arm, cleanly severing it.
Cael didn’t relent; pressing his advantage and reversing the trajectory of the sword. He opened up a deep vertical gash in its chest. The creature shuddered, then pitched forward, falling face-first onto the ground. This time, it moved no more. Instead, its body began to crumble away, leaving nothing but particles that looked like dust, to be swept away with the next wind.
Backing away, Cael let the sword disappear, then turned around to look at Reyith, a smile coming to his face. “Are you all right?” he asked, moving over to her. He took a moment to look her over, making sure that she wasn’t injured.
Once he was satisfied, he turned, leading her through the empty streets. “That was a low blow,” he informed her, though his voice was light. “Tricking me like that in order to leave me behind… I had no idea you were so conniving.”
“I would not have done it if I thought you would listen to me and stay behind,” she told him truthfully. “It was the only way I had to ensure that you would not follow me until I was far enough away for the fight to be over by the time you found me.” She sighed, looking over at him. “Please forgive me.”
“Reyith, I know that you want to protect me, but you have to trust me just a little, all right? I’m not as weak as you think I am. And if you never give me a chance to fight, I’ll never get any stronger. By keeping me out of the fights, you’re ensuring that I stay safe, but also that I never get any better. I’m just asking for a chance.”
She paused, glancing over at him. “There is a way for you to learn without actually placing yourself in danger,” she said at last.
He blinked, looking over at her. “How? You never have time to train me; we travel during the day, and by nightfall, we’re too tired.”
Reyith shook her head. “I cannot tell you. If you want to know the answer, talk to Kago. He has the answers you are looking for.”
This made him arch one eyebrow. What kind of method was this, that she couldn’t tell him? He mentally shrugged, then nodded. “All right.” Glancing up at the sky, he frowned thoughtfully. Though part of him wanted to stay outside, under the moon, the temptation of a bed was just too much. “Let’s look for a hotel to stay in tonight.”
Reyith watched him for a moment, then nodded. “As you wish.” Personally, she wouldn’t have minded sleeping outside again, though she did want a warm bath. Besides, regardless of whether they were inside or not, the moon would still have the same effect. They would be able to enjoy it more outside, but…
Cael smiled, then reached out and took her hand. She blinked, looking down. For a moment, it seemed as if she would pull away, but then her hand tightened on his, and she squeezed gently, moving slightly closer to him.
Together, they walked down the street, hand in hand.
---
Within a few minutes, they were able to find a small hotel where they could stay for the night. Cael released Reyith’s hand, then opened the door, holding it while she moved inside. As he did, he reached into his pocket, fishing around for his wallet.
The hotel common room was warmly lit by lamps scattered here and there, and several tables were set up in the middle of the floor. Against one wall was a wooden desk, and a woman in a grey uniform stood behind it. Upon seeing them, she smiled.
“Good evening. Will you be staying the night with us?”
Cael moved over to the counter, placing the correct amount of money down on it. “Yes; one night, please.”
The woman took the money, then glanced at Reyith. “One room, or two?”
Again, Cael began to answer, but Reyith cut him off. “Just one.” To her credit, she didn’t blush, or seem unsure of herself as she spoke.
Nodding, the woman handed them a small silver key. “Have a nice stay. Breakfast will be provided at 9 am, if you wish to eat.”
Cael nodded. “Thank you.” Taking the key, he turned, heading off down the hall. He stopped at the correct door, then unlocked it, going inside. Reyith followed close behind him. Sighing quietly, Cael put down his pack on the table that sat in one corner of the room, then moved over to the bed. Instead of sitting down, he fell forward, burying his face in the pillow.
A moment later, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you tired?” Reyith asked softly. He felt the bed give as she sat down beside him.
Turning his head slightly, Cael looked over at her. “Yeah, a little. I’ll be all right, though.” He was silent for a moment. “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
She frowned. “Tomorrow… Vega may be returning then. We will keep traveling, and wait for her. I want to find a town that has a prison; we may be able to find something there.”
Cael turned over onto his side, then reached up, running his fingers gently down the side of her face. “Don’t be worried,” he told her. “Everything will be all right; you’ll see. Vega’s strong, but so are you. With Metsu’s help, you’ll defeat her.”
“It’s not that,” she said, shaking her head. “I am not afraid. However…I have a bad feeling about this. Something is going to happen, but I do not know what.”
Taking her wrist, Cael pulled her down against him, wrapping his arms firmly around her. For a moment, she struggled, but finally went still. “I’ll be there with you the entire time. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Reyith sighed quietly, then rested her head against his shoulder. “You…are right. Perhaps I am overreacting. I just was not expecting to find a hoyu seishin within a city. Usually, they avoid large towns.”
Cael frowned at this. “Wouldn’t they like cities like this? I mean, lots of food sources, right?”
She shook her head. “That is what we thought at first, too. But after studying them, we found that the opposite was true. They will seek out humans for food, but usually their targets are small groups, or a single person. We think being in places like this confuses them. It brings back memories of when they were human.”
Cael hummed thoughtfully, closing his eyes. It made sense, he supposed. “Get some rest,” he said at last, stroking her hair gently. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Reyith sighed, then nodded. It wouldn’t do her any good to stay up worrying all night. Her eyes closed, and soon, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Cael watched her for a long time. It was easy to tell that she wasn’t relaxed. Moving away slightly, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, running his fingers through her hair again. Finally, the tension began to leave her body, and she sank into a deeper level of unconsciousness.
Smiling, Cael settled down against her, and within a few moments, he joined her in sleep.
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Both Reyith and Cael froze as they heard the scream. Inwardly, Reyith cursed. They were too late. She should have spoken up sooner. Raising one hand, she formed the scythe, then began to move forward. “Stay here,” she told Cael, not looking back at him.
Predictably, he shook his head, moving to follow her. “No. I’m not letting you go alone. What if you need help?” He stopped when she turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed.
“We have been through this before. You may have been able to form your weapon, but you still do not have the skills necessary to wield it. Until you do, you must not try and interfere. I can handle it myself.” She turned away from him, then continued walking, Metsu held tightly in her hand.
Despite her warning, Cael continued after her. “I’ll never be able to learn anything if you don’t let me into the battles. You said yourself that I have the knowledge; I only need the opportunity.”
Reyith shook her head, looking around her for the source of the scream. They didn’t have time to argue about this. They had to find the hoyu seishin before it was able to kill anyone; if it hadn’t already. “While that is true, it will not be an opportunity presented in combat that will most likely get you killed. When this is over, I will explain to you how you may learn to wield your weapon effectively with no threat to yourself. But until then, you must stay away.”
“Please, I can’t just let you go alone. What kind of protector would I be if I can’t even-” His protest was cut off as Reyith abruptly grabbed the front of his shirt with her free hand, pulling him closer and pressing her mouth against his in a soft kiss.
A moment later, she broke the kiss, but didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “I will be fine. If you are nearby, I cannot concentrate on what I need to do. Wait for me.” With that, her form flickered, then disappeared.
Cael was left standing stunned in the middle of the street, surprised at how quickly she had left. While he had still been taken off guard by the kiss, she had taken the opportunity to vanish. In other words, she had tricked him. But they both knew that it would only stop him for a little while. All he had to do was follow the sounds of a fight, and he would find her.
But he also knew that Reyith moved fast. By the time he found her, she could be finished with the battle. Not to mention the fact that she would be pissed that he hadn’t listened to her. Of course, that was nothing new. Letting her enter dangerous situations alone was something he would always argue about. She would have to get used to it.
Looking down at his hand, he clenched it into a fist, then concentrated. While he still couldn’t form his weapon as quickly as Reyith could, it was getting easier to find and manipulate his energy. The silver light appeared, and slowly took the shape of the elaborate sword. Now he just had to find her.
---
Reyith reappeared a fair distance away. The psychic energy of the hoyu seishin was coming from somewhere very close by. She gripped the shaft of the scythe harder, then began walking. She would have to hurry if she wanted to finish the fight before Cael found her. Because he didn’t know how to track someone by their energy, she had bought herself maybe ten minutes. But he could still follow her scent.
Within another minute, the energy had become almost overpowering. Up ahead on the right was a small side street. Her eyes narrowed. That was where it was. Quickly, she turned down the street, and stopped.
The creature looked similar to the other ones that she had seen, with a couple of small differences. This one had a row of large spikes running down its spine, and it was dressed in what had once been civilian clothes. That meant that this one had been human for quite a while after receiving the injection. They had noticed that the time until transformation often varied, depending on the subject. Sometimes it took hours, sometimes days. A few times, it had been months. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to determine what factor contributed to the length of time they remained human.
Reyith’s eyes trailed down to the ground. Beneath the hoyu seishin was the body of a girl. From this distance, she couldn’t tell much about her, except that she was young; maybe in her early teens. This made Reyith’s stomach clench. She was too late. It had already made a kill.
She brought her scythe up in front of her, angling the blade to the right in preparation for an attack. This was where things became difficult. At this point, the creature was still unpredictable. Unless it turned around, she wouldn’t be able to enter its mind, and find out what it was about to do, or what its capabilities were. But if it saw her, the element of surprise was gone. It all came down to what she decided to do; which risk she was willing to take.
Drawing in a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment. It would be best to strike quickly. She couldn’t take the chance of letting it get away. Usually, she wouldn’t hesitate before attacking, but her shoulder was still impeding her movement slightly, and she knew that she wasn’t at full strength yet. Still, the full moon had been the previous night, which made up for her injury.
Her eyes snapped open, then narrowed. It was now or never. If she hesitated any longer, her chance would be gone. Silently, she leapt forward, the tip of the scythe aimed for the creature’s throat. A quick decapitation, then it would be over.
The blade descended almost faster than could be tracked, but it never connected with its target. Instead, the creature turned around, extending its arm and knocking the scythe away. Reyith gasped, barely able to keep her hold on the shaft of the scythe as it was deflected. She immediately dropped to one knee as the beast sent a careless swipe towards her head.
She cursed inwardly; how had it known she was there? Her approach had been silent, and the wind was blowing the wrong way for it to have caught her scent. Another worrying factor was that it wasn’t turning around to look at her. In fact, it didn’t even seem worried by her presence. If anything, it was disinterested.
All right, then. If the subtle approach wouldn’t work… It already knew that she was here, there was no sense in trying for another surprise attack. Slowly, she stood up, keeping a wary eye out for any more attacks it might have in store. Keeping out of range, she carefully began to circle around it, a tendril of thought already reaching out. The moment she locked eyes with it, she would be able to get inside of its mind, and then the fight would be over. She would have her answers, know its next move, and be able to stop it before it even had time to try a second blow.
A soft growl sounded in her throat as she stopped moving. Though she was now standing directly in front of it, the creature still didn’t look up. Instead, it kept its gaze fixed intently on the ground. Reyith lowered the scythe slightly, tilting her head to the side. This was strange… Why wouldn’t it look at her?
This was all wrong; she had never encountered one like this before. Usually, the hoyu seishin were very aggressive; eager to spill as much blood as possible. But this one seemed to be ignoring her. She realized that the only reason it had attacked was in defense. It didn’t want to kill her.
Hesitantly, she sank down on one knee, trying to get at a low enough level that she would be able to get it to notice her, thus forcing it to look at her. Even as she moved, it didn’t look up. But being able to see it from this new angle gave her better perspective. She watched as it blinked slowly; its crimson eyes fixed on the dead girl between them. Taking a deep breath, she decided to do something that she had never tried before.
“She is no longer alive.” Her voice was soft, and carefully devoid of any emotion. Even as she spoke, her body tensed, preparing for an attack. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if it could even understand her anymore. But she was curious as to its behavior, and as it didn’t seem to want to pay attention to her otherwise, this seemed like an interesting experiment.
A strange noise emanated from the creature, an eerie wail, though it was quiet. It took a step forward, reaching out with one clawed hand towards the girl. Immediately, Reyith raised her scythe, not letting it get any closer. “Stay back,” she warned it. Her eyes narrowed, and she began to advance, forcing it backwards. She noticed that it still didn’t look up at her. Slowly, the blade of the scythe raised, until it came to rest beneath the creature’s neck, forcing its head up.
Before it could look away, she locked eyes with it, her mind wrapping around its thoughts. She frowned as the information flooded through her mind. “You have only just transformed,” she said quietly, almost to herself. Things were beginning to fall into place now. She had wondered why the body of the girl had been left undisturbed since she was killed. Now it made sense.
Because of the serum, the memories of the former criminals were erased, and with them, the bloodlust, or whatever evil intentions they had harbored. It seemed that shortly after transforming, they still retained some of their humanity. This one was displaying confusion, and perhaps even guilt. But she knew that it wouldn’t last long. Soon, the instincts of a monster would take over, and it would be almost impossible to stop. Better to take care of it now, before it came to that point.
She reached up, tracing one finger gently over the stone she wore at her throat. Kellan had never fully explained the stone’s capabilities, so she wasn’t sure exactly how much data was transferred over. He would need to know about her discovery. If worse came to worst, she could always contact him through the link that they had, but she wanted to use that as a last resort. If she did that, he would have full access to every one of her memories, and because of recent events, she wanted to keep them private.
Reyith knew that she shouldn’t be feeling sorry for a previous convict, but she couldn’t stop the lance of sympathy that went through her. “I am sorry for your suffering,” she whispered. “But do not worry. I will end it quickly.” If she didn’t hurry, Cael would find them, and this wasn’t something that she wanted him to see.
A soft, keening wail made its way out of the creature’s throat, and, before Reyith could lose her nerve, she struck, swinging the scythe diagonally in what would be a fatal blow. But again, the scythe hit nothing but air. She took a step forward to keep her balance, and immediately had to duck underneath the massive claws that were heading straight for her head.
So it wouldn’t be that easy after all. Not that she had expected it to be. Things like this were never easy. She knew that she had waited too long, and wasted too much time. But the information that she had gathered had been worth it. Knowing that the hoyu seishin sometimes retained their human personalities, even after transforming, gave them an advantage.
Was it possible that they were beginning to become immune to the serum; that it was actually doing what it was designed to?
She circled to the right, keeping her eyes on the creature in front of her. Just as she was preparing a second strike, she heard something that made her freeze. Footsteps, drawing closer to their location. Familiar footsteps. Cael had caught up with her.
She cursed quietly, but didn’t look away. To be distracted now would be a fatal mistake. There was still time, if she moved quickly. Her hold on the scythe tightened, and she suddenly lunged forward, bringing the blade down in a vicious arc.
The creature stepped back, but not quickly enough. The tip of the blade lodged in its shoulder, sending a small spray of dark blood into the air. Reyith jerked back on the shaft, ripping a channel in the beast’s shoulder. She watched as a line of blood trailed down the skin, soaking into the tattered clothes.
Again! She wasn’t quite sure if that had been her own voice, or Metsu’s. In battle, it was hard to tell their thoughts apart. Adjusting her hold on the shaft, she swung it swiftly from left to right in a horizontal slash. The creature roared in pain and staggered back, a fountain of blood gushing from its chest. This time, it hadn’t been fast enough to dodge.
Slowly, it crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. Reyith watched it silently, an unreadable expression on her face. Finally, she moved around it to stand at the mouth of the alley, waiting for Cael. She didn’t have to wait long. A few seconds later, he made his way over to her, glancing down at the bloody scythe as it faded away.
“I was not in time to save the girl,” she told him quietly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face with a sigh.
Cael leaned to the side, glancing around her at the creature. “You killed it already?” he asked in surprise. Though he knew that she moved fast, he hadn’t thought that she would be able to end the fight that quickly. It seemed that he had underestimated her.
She nodded. “Yes. But I was able to discover something. This one seems to have been human for a longer period than the others. Though it had transformed, it still held the human emotion of guilt, at least for a moment.”
This earned her an odd look. “Guilt? How do you know?”
She shrugged. “The way it acted, mainly. I also entered its mind. The thoughts were not the usual mass of chaos I have come to associate with the hoyu seishin. There was some sense of order, still. When I spoke, I believe it understood me, at least a little.”
Cael wasn’t sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, he was glad that she had been able to gain another clue as to what was happening, but on the other… If things were as she said, that meant that they were still partially human. Once the serum was administered, they became normal humans once again, with a clear conscience. Killing someone like that didn’t sit well with him. It was just too much to think about for the moment.
“What will you do with the girl?” he asked finally. “If she’s dead, then there’s nothing that we can do for her. We don’t know who or where her family is…”
“We shall leave her here,” Reyith said simply. “Knowledge of the hoyu seishin is not limited to just us. Most of the population know about them. Once the girl is discovered, they will know what happened. I do not like the thought of leaving her here, but we have no other choice. As you said, we know nothing about her.”
Cael sighed, lowering his head. For a moment, his gaze rested unseeing on the ground, but then something occurred to him. What about the creature? It shouldn’t be discovered. Though the humans knew about them, that wouldn’t stop scientists from taking the body and studying it. That was something they shouldn’t allow.
But something wasn’t right. Before, when Cael had first seen Reyith, as soon as she had killed the beast, it had disintegrated into nothing. But this one remained where it was. That was when Cael noticed the faint rise and fall of its chest. Suddenly, one long-taloned hand shot up, heading straight for Reyith’s back.
“Move!” Leaping forward, Cael pushed Reyith out of the way, just as the claw struck. There was a flash of silver light, and a screech of metal as the sharp claws came in contact with Kago’s bi-colored blade. A shower of sparks fell to the ground, and Cael clenched his teeth as he struggled to keep the sword raised.
“It…wasn’t dead,” Cael growled, glancing over at Reyith. She was sitting on the ground where she had fallen a short distance away, her eyes wide in surprise.
“Impossible,” she whispered. “That blow should have been fatal.” While it hadn’t hit any vital organs, it had been deep enough that the creature would have bled out in a matter of seconds. Why was it still alive? Then she got a good look at the cut. While it was hard to see under the thick layer of blood, she was able to tell that it had thinned, becoming little more than a deep scratch extending across its body.
Her eyes narrowed. Healing abilities? This was new. None of the others she had ever encountered had that power. This was worrying. Were they evolving somehow? Regenerative abilities were something that hadn’t been put into the serum, which meant it was something they had acquired on their own.
She looked up at Cael, then pulled herself to her feet. “Move back. I will finish it.” Raising her hand, she let the dark red light form around it.
“No,” Cael said quickly. “You’ve already weakened it. Let me finish it myself. It’s the perfect opportunity to let me try out my weapon.”
Reyith hesitated. It was true that the hoyu seishin wasn’t as big a danger as it had been before, and the massive amount of bloodloss had weakened it considerably, but he still might not be good enough to take it down. But slowly, her hand lowered, the light fading away. “Very well. But be careful. I will not hesitate to step in if I need to.”
“You won’t need to,” Cael said confidently, turning his attention back to the creature, which had now pulled itself upright, though it was too weak to stand. It seemed that it was just barely managing to put up resistance. Perhaps it would be manageable after all…
With its other hand, the creature took a swipe at Cael’s stomach, but he avoided it, stepping back and disentangling his sword from the sharp claws that were holding it in place. Quickly, he brought the sword up in an overhead strike, the blade rapidly descending toward the beast.
The creature tried to block, but unlike with Reyith’s scythe, there was no safe place to stop it from connecting. The blade sank deep into the flesh of the creature’s arm, cleanly severing it.
Cael didn’t relent; pressing his advantage and reversing the trajectory of the sword. He opened up a deep vertical gash in its chest. The creature shuddered, then pitched forward, falling face-first onto the ground. This time, it moved no more. Instead, its body began to crumble away, leaving nothing but particles that looked like dust, to be swept away with the next wind.
Backing away, Cael let the sword disappear, then turned around to look at Reyith, a smile coming to his face. “Are you all right?” he asked, moving over to her. He took a moment to look her over, making sure that she wasn’t injured.
Once he was satisfied, he turned, leading her through the empty streets. “That was a low blow,” he informed her, though his voice was light. “Tricking me like that in order to leave me behind… I had no idea you were so conniving.”
“I would not have done it if I thought you would listen to me and stay behind,” she told him truthfully. “It was the only way I had to ensure that you would not follow me until I was far enough away for the fight to be over by the time you found me.” She sighed, looking over at him. “Please forgive me.”
“Reyith, I know that you want to protect me, but you have to trust me just a little, all right? I’m not as weak as you think I am. And if you never give me a chance to fight, I’ll never get any stronger. By keeping me out of the fights, you’re ensuring that I stay safe, but also that I never get any better. I’m just asking for a chance.”
She paused, glancing over at him. “There is a way for you to learn without actually placing yourself in danger,” she said at last.
He blinked, looking over at her. “How? You never have time to train me; we travel during the day, and by nightfall, we’re too tired.”
Reyith shook her head. “I cannot tell you. If you want to know the answer, talk to Kago. He has the answers you are looking for.”
This made him arch one eyebrow. What kind of method was this, that she couldn’t tell him? He mentally shrugged, then nodded. “All right.” Glancing up at the sky, he frowned thoughtfully. Though part of him wanted to stay outside, under the moon, the temptation of a bed was just too much. “Let’s look for a hotel to stay in tonight.”
Reyith watched him for a moment, then nodded. “As you wish.” Personally, she wouldn’t have minded sleeping outside again, though she did want a warm bath. Besides, regardless of whether they were inside or not, the moon would still have the same effect. They would be able to enjoy it more outside, but…
Cael smiled, then reached out and took her hand. She blinked, looking down. For a moment, it seemed as if she would pull away, but then her hand tightened on his, and she squeezed gently, moving slightly closer to him.
Together, they walked down the street, hand in hand.
---
Within a few minutes, they were able to find a small hotel where they could stay for the night. Cael released Reyith’s hand, then opened the door, holding it while she moved inside. As he did, he reached into his pocket, fishing around for his wallet.
The hotel common room was warmly lit by lamps scattered here and there, and several tables were set up in the middle of the floor. Against one wall was a wooden desk, and a woman in a grey uniform stood behind it. Upon seeing them, she smiled.
“Good evening. Will you be staying the night with us?”
Cael moved over to the counter, placing the correct amount of money down on it. “Yes; one night, please.”
The woman took the money, then glanced at Reyith. “One room, or two?”
Again, Cael began to answer, but Reyith cut him off. “Just one.” To her credit, she didn’t blush, or seem unsure of herself as she spoke.
Nodding, the woman handed them a small silver key. “Have a nice stay. Breakfast will be provided at 9 am, if you wish to eat.”
Cael nodded. “Thank you.” Taking the key, he turned, heading off down the hall. He stopped at the correct door, then unlocked it, going inside. Reyith followed close behind him. Sighing quietly, Cael put down his pack on the table that sat in one corner of the room, then moved over to the bed. Instead of sitting down, he fell forward, burying his face in the pillow.
A moment later, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you tired?” Reyith asked softly. He felt the bed give as she sat down beside him.
Turning his head slightly, Cael looked over at her. “Yeah, a little. I’ll be all right, though.” He was silent for a moment. “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
She frowned. “Tomorrow… Vega may be returning then. We will keep traveling, and wait for her. I want to find a town that has a prison; we may be able to find something there.”
Cael turned over onto his side, then reached up, running his fingers gently down the side of her face. “Don’t be worried,” he told her. “Everything will be all right; you’ll see. Vega’s strong, but so are you. With Metsu’s help, you’ll defeat her.”
“It’s not that,” she said, shaking her head. “I am not afraid. However…I have a bad feeling about this. Something is going to happen, but I do not know what.”
Taking her wrist, Cael pulled her down against him, wrapping his arms firmly around her. For a moment, she struggled, but finally went still. “I’ll be there with you the entire time. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Reyith sighed quietly, then rested her head against his shoulder. “You…are right. Perhaps I am overreacting. I just was not expecting to find a hoyu seishin within a city. Usually, they avoid large towns.”
Cael frowned at this. “Wouldn’t they like cities like this? I mean, lots of food sources, right?”
She shook her head. “That is what we thought at first, too. But after studying them, we found that the opposite was true. They will seek out humans for food, but usually their targets are small groups, or a single person. We think being in places like this confuses them. It brings back memories of when they were human.”
Cael hummed thoughtfully, closing his eyes. It made sense, he supposed. “Get some rest,” he said at last, stroking her hair gently. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Reyith sighed, then nodded. It wouldn’t do her any good to stay up worrying all night. Her eyes closed, and soon, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Cael watched her for a long time. It was easy to tell that she wasn’t relaxed. Moving away slightly, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, running his fingers through her hair again. Finally, the tension began to leave her body, and she sank into a deeper level of unconsciousness.
Smiling, Cael settled down against her, and within a few moments, he joined her in sleep.
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