CHAPTER 7: TRAINING AND SAVING

Sumairu and Rinka are sprinting around diligently, and trying their best to locate the origin of the now recurring horrifying screams for help.

Sumairu: Damn, we've gotta find whoever's screaming fast!

Sumairu speeds up, Rinka does the same.

Sumairu: By the way, if super bad stuff is happening when we find whoever's screaming, I'm gonna let you deal with it. Because, maybe a real "life at stake" brawl will get that skill out!

Sumairu gives a thumbs up.

Sumairu: And if things start looking bad for you, I'll come and help!

…

A young lady with beaver brown hair, ponytail and bangs in the mixture, is being pulled by her foot and dragged across the dirty, jaggy floor. Her jeans and arsenic gray shirt are getting mucky. She's the one screaming, and her rouge pink eyes flood.

Some frustrated dude who has neon green spiked hair lets her go and stomps on her hip repeatedly.

"Shut the fuck up."

Another young lady, engrossed, rocking lemon yellow hair, takes a seat next to the dude. Additionally, a third member, another guy, rocking short barn red hair, walks up, sternly.

The three stare at their wounded sufferer, idly, waiting for something to happen. She looks up at them dreadfully, and mutters weakly.

"W- why are you doing this?"

The three snicker.

"You're weak, Ashi! And a large nuisance!"

"Yeah, and we're killing you for that."

The three move and begin vigorously striking Ashi all over, talking shit and even spitting on her occasionally, and once the beating is done, she's left like a worn rag dipped in blood and is seemingly unconscious.

The three step back and the spiked hair dude lifts and extends his palm with a smug grin.

"Alright, you two get back, I'm gonna rip this bitch to shreds!"

The two listen, and the grating is about to begin. But out of nowhere, something flies by, and slices off half of the dude's palm. He cries out in agony and confusion, and turns to look for who did it.

He spots Rinka, kneeling a few feet away, and setting Ashi down.

"What's your fucking problem, man!?

Rinka rises, exhibiting an unsmiling expression.

"Get out of here! I need to kill that girl! She's a waste of space!"

Rinka doesn't say anything, the dude is super mad.

"Okay! Guess I'll just kill you too!"

Rinka points his katana at the dude and the other members now close behind him, signaling the beginning of a brawl.

And unexpectedly, Rinka's skill activates and the void spawns and flares on his blade. He's very surprised.

"Oh! The skill came out! Cool!"

In a trice, tons of large neon-green rocks rush out of the ground and for Rinka. He leaps over them and for the dude, and swings his sword at his arm.

The dude grins, the green rocks form on, and protects his arm, ready to intercept the blade.

"Your sword can't cut this, dipshit!"

Immediately after that statement, the void on Rinka's katana gets livelier and he's able to cleanly slice through the rocks and a bit of skin. But he quickly and apprehensively pulls his blade and jumps away before any more damage can be done.

"Oh shit. I almost cut his arm off."

The dude's slightly confused, he restores the split stones.

"... What the hell?.. Why didn't you do it? You could have gotten rid of my arm, so why didn't you?"

Rinka doesn't respond and appears to be lost in thought.

"ARE YOU TOYING WITH ME!?"

…

It's the irie night of yesterday, Rinka and Sumairu are seated at a lush auburn lounge, just chatting tranquilly. Rinka takes a deep breath.

Rinka: … Kill? No, I can't… I can't.

Sumairu: … Why not?

Rinka: … I … I have a lot of trauma… And overall, I'm just really afraid of death, and anything to do with it… Even slightly thinking about it makes my heart hurt.

Sumairu: … I see, I'm just asking cuz I told you earlier there's a lot of evil people out there and It would be best to off them… But I guess, if you seriously can't, just keep moving how you've been moving.

…

"That's it, you've pissed me off!"

The dude glances at his teammates.

"Help me guys! Do something!"

They dash, and the dude quickly summons a huge surge of rocks which Rinka avoids right away.

The yellow-haired lass pops up from around the tide and throws a dynamic punch at Rinka. He blocks it but is pushed back.

Just then, an abrupt, severe wail familiar to the enemies is heard.

The lass and dude peek and notice their red-haired pal is on the floor, senseless, a gash on his chest, and within reach of Ashi.

"What!? What happened to him!?" They muse as one.

Without warning, Sumairu crops up, darting around, and swings his own katana, it's all sage green. He leaves deep gashes on the chests of the lass and dude, and they stumble back, aching.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

Sumairu grins.

Sumairu: Three against one is not fair! I've come to intervene!

…

Strolling down a glossy dark red hall made of wood is a man with a natural expression, long white wavy hair, imperial red and bright yellow eyes, clothed in a salmon red button-up shirt and beige pants.

He enters a bare room that only has 4 things, a large TV, a pizza box, a gaming chair, and some guy on the chair.

"Hey, Yoshanai."

Yoshanai glances over, he's shirtless, and his wrists, waist and the top left corner of his head, over his black short hair, are swaddled in bandages. One eye is covered, the other blue and black. The article keeping him from being completely naked are loose gunmetal gray pants.

Yoshanai: Yeah?

"I need you to do something for me."

Yoshanai: What is it?

"I've located 2 new Black Blood bearers! They're at Maligan Mountain. Go over there, find the one with long hair, and beat him up.

Yoshanai smirks and stands.

Yoshanai: Okay!

He runs out of the room.

…

Back on the mountain, the green-haired guy and yellow-haired lass are now on the ground, unconscious and bleeding a bit.

Sumairu, still smiling, and Rinka, lock eyes.

Sumairu: … I said I wasn't gonna help you unless things were looking super bad, but I'm hungry! I wanna eat! And I felt like the battle was going to take really long, so I had to step in, you know?

Rinka nods his head.

Sumairu: … Your skill came out. I told you a brawl would work!

Rinka looks down at his katana, the void on it fades away and a moment later, returns.

Rinka: Yeah, and I can activate it whenever I want now.

Sumairu: Oh! That was really fast, and very good!.. Today was fulfilling then.

Sumairu proceeds to walk away, and Rinka watches him pull the unconscious, except Ashi, and arrange them in a pile.

He then holds his saber up and quickly slits his wrist, blood falls onto the floor and it spreads and soaks the bottom of the pile.

Rinka instinctively looks away, and the blood begins to gain lumps and harden. It morphs into a large gooey but tough hand that crushes the unconscious to nothing but camouflaged blood and pressed, shredded flesh.

The sound makes Rinka shudder, and the blood hand liquifies. It moves, climbs up to, and enters Sumairu's fresh wound and a scab instantly appears.

Next, Sumairu picks up Ashi and carries her like a potato bag.

Sumairu: Okay, let's skedaddle, Doa and Minaro are waiting for us.

…

At the entrance to the mountain, Doa and Minaro are standing idly, attentive to their phones.

Doa briskly looks at the Skill Center.

Doa: … Hey, let's go inside. I don't know why we're waiting out here.

She goes on and Minaro goes after. Both are oblivious to Yoshanai, who is lurking in a tree, grinning.

"I've found you."

TO BE CONTINUED…