Chapter 5: Assassination of The Intelligent Crazy Man

Dust filled the air; darkness covered the room, scarcely lit by small torches. Cold and rusty iron bars blocked the skinny and weak prisoners from escaping. They were starved, all they wished for was food. But because of what they had been given, they did not require what ordinary humans did. A long wooden table was situated in the centre of the room, the table itself had a selection of bottles with different coloured liquids inside. The old scientist walked down the long wooden staircase that circled around a large stone pillar and into the room. He took one of the liquids of the table and slowly poured it into a syringe.

Doctor Alfred Frinz then walked over to one of the terribly small cells and grabbed the inhabitant of the cell and slammed him against the bars. The prisoner kicked and screamed but could not escape the doctor's fierce grip. Frinz inserted the syringe into the prisoner's arm with surgical precision and injected the purple-coloured liquid slowly.

"This will allow you to give others your gift," Frinz said with a menacing smile as he let go of the helpless prisoner. "Now, time to do the others."

Rain began bucketing down on Pilbate once again, people rushed through the streets as they hurried home. Nozomi's white shirt and black skirt got drenched in the rain along with her ponytail. Kadri's leather spaulder got extremely wet along with the wooden bow on his back, his long, wet hair covered his eyes causing water to spray in them.

The axe wielder, archer and soldier hurried into a busy tavern; people were packed wall to wall. Nozomi inspected the room and was witnessing multiple fights breaking out in riots.

"What do you want?" asked the bartender as he zipped up his pants hastily and walked out of a door behind the bar. The door was left open for a second and Nozomi noticed a poor girl tied up against her will.

"I'll just have a water, thanks," Nozomi replied. The bartender grabbed a large bottle of water and poured some of it into a wooden mug while inspecting Nozomi carefully.

Behind her approached a dark figure with a dagger in hand. He slowly lurked through the crowds in the tavern, carefully making his way towards the army captain. The figure went to thrust the dagger deep into Nozomi's back, but the warrior reacted quick enough to stop the fatal attack. She had grabbed the figure's arm. The hooded man managed to escape Nozomi's grasp and quickly sprinted out of the tavern, pushing multiple people out of the way causing a split down the middle of the crowd.

"Kadri! Let's go!" Nozomi screamed to her junior. The archer sprinted out of the tavern chasing after the hooded figure. Bumei was taking a swig of a beer she had taken from the beer when she realised, she had been left alone in the busy tavern. She quickly ran out and chased after her comrades.

Nozomi chased after the assassin with her axe on her back. They sprinted through the pouring rain in the now suddenly empty streets of Pilbate. It Seemed everyone had taken shelter from the rain. Nozomi saw the assassin run to a large stone wall that towered over him. It was the castle walls. She saw a large castle with towers surrounding it, it seemed like it was sparkling in the rain, like it was made entirely of gold. The hooded assassin pressed on one of the bricks for the wall, opening a secret door, he rushed inside, and the door started closing behind him. Nozomi quickly sprinted to the door and just made it through.

The inside was dark and dank, the assassin sprinted down stone stairs, Nozomi pursued. She reached a small room with four tunnels spreading from it. The tunnels were perfectly square and built with strong, stone bricks. Nozomi was not able to see which tunnel the assassin went through. She stood there for a moment not knowing which way to go until she eventually decided to go through the tunnel furthest to the left.

"I hope this actually leads to where we need to go and not to just some stupid cellar," Kurono said as he, Fujika and Seili went down the stairs that lead from the hatch they had found in the tavern. Once they had made it down, they had walked into a dimly lit room. It was what Kurono had feared, a cellar.

"Of course," Kurono said. "What is it with mysterious cellars underground!"

The walls were filled to the brim with bottles of wine all covered in thick layers of dust. The room itself was quite small and Kurono was almost hitting his head on the ceiling. Kurono was five feet and ten inches tall, meaning the ceilings weren't very high up. Kurono looked around the room and kept on seeing bottles of wine covering the walls, except for one part of the wall which was left bare. Kurono noticed this and hurriedly walked over to the wall. He pressed his ear against the wall and knocked on it. He heard a hollow noise confirming his suspicions. He then rushed back up the stairs and…

The blood of the bartender was in a pool on the floor of the tavern. His scalp was left open, and part of his brain had slipped out onto the floor. The stink of the blood had started filling the room already. His blood was soaking into the wooden floorboards. Kurono grabbed the mace off the ground next to the corpse.

When Kurono made it back down to the dusty room he instantly walked over to the wall on the other side and bulldozed through it with the mace he had retrieved making the wall crumble apart. The wall fell to bits on the ground leaving a dark tunnel that now is exposed.

"Let's go," Kurono said as he dropped the mace and walked into the dark and creepy tunnel. Fujika and Seili looked at each other and hesitantly followed the soldier.

Kadri sat against the castle wall in the pouring rain where Nozomi had disappeared. He looked down one side of the wall and saw an elderly woman wearing rags for clothes, their head down and hands out beggingly. It was obvious to Kadri that they were poor and desperate for money. Kadri then got up and walked down the empty street into a bakery. A couple of minutes later he walked back out with two large loafs of bread. He walked over to the elderly woman and handed her one.

"Here you go," Kadri said with a smile as he handed her the bread. The lady quietly took the bread. Kadri then sat down on the wet stone brick road next to her.

"You don't have to sit next to me," The lady said in a broken, frail voice.

"But I want to, you looked like you could use some company," Kadri replied.

Kadri reached into a pouch on his hip and pulled out a small bag of money.

"This can buy you food for a week, I don't need it because I'll get food supplied for me, so you have it," Kadri kept his smile as he handed her the money bag.

"Oh, you don't have to do that sweetie," replied the old lady.

"But I want to," Kadri replied.

"Thank you," the lady said.

"I'll talk to my superiors and see if we can find you somewhere to stay," Kadri said as he took a bite of his bread. "But, for now let's find some shelter."

Kadri took the old lady's hand but soon realised she was missing her left leg.

"That's why I haven't moved," the lady stated.

"I'll carry you then," Kadri carefully picked her skinny and wrinkly body up and lugged her around.

"These tunnels are really cold," Kurono pointed out as he made his way through the damp and dark tunnels. Seili and Fujika were not far behind. "I can barely see in here. Seili, you wouldn't happen to know any magic that could light our way?"

"Umm, maybe," Seili replied. They all stopped for a second while Seili attempted to create a ball of light in her hand. Footsteps echoed in the distance, Kurono looked down the dark tunnels but couldn't see anything. He drew his sword, preparing for the upcoming battle. The footsteps slowly drew closer. Seili continued to try and summon a ball of light. The footsteps were just a metre away now. Seili finally managed to create a ball of light revealing who the footsteps belonged to. It was Nozomi, with her axe in the battle-ready position. When she saw Kurono she instantly dropped the axe and had a shocked look on her face.

"Hey," Kurono waved. Nozomi rushed in and tightly hugged Kurono. She had hugged him with such force it had caused the two of them to fall to the ground.

"Ha, I missed you too," Kurono said. Nozomi then let go of him. She looked at him for a second with a furious look on her face. She slapped him in the face with all the might that she could muster.

"Ow!" Kurono nursed his cheek in pain.

"You had me so worried!" Nozomi yelled. Her yell echoed through the tunnels.

"I'm sorry," Kurono replied. Nozomi got off Kurono and stood up, Kurono soon followed.

"Where were you?" Nozomi asked.

"Helping a new friend," Kurono explained as he revealed Seili to Nozomi. Seili waved shyly. "She seems to be shy around new people, but she'll warm up to you. We've become best friends."

"Hello, nice to meet you," Nozomi said with a sweet voice. "I'm Nozomi, and you are?"

"Seili," Seili replied.

"And this is my best friend since I was little, Fujika," Kurono pointed to Fujika.

"Pleased to meet you," Fujika bowed to Nozomi.

"Pleased to meet you too," Nozomi replied.

"Anyway, we have somewhere to be, so we'll be off," Kurono started marching down the tunnels once again.

"You do have somewhere to be, at camp," Nozomi replied.

"I got something to take care of first," Kurono replied.

"Then I'm coming with," Nozomi protested.

"No, you go back to camp and tell them I'll be back tomo-"

"You're not changing my mind," Nozomi said. "I know you won't come back unless you do this first, so I'll come with you then take you back with me."

"You know me too well."

Kadri placed the lady on a comfortable red couch then walked up to the wooden counter at the inn. He emptied his money pouch on the counter.

"I want one room for this lady please," Kadri said.

"Sure, how many nights?" The woman at the counter asked.

"Whatever this will get me," Kadri replied. The woman at the counter slowly counted the money.

"That should get you nine nights," The woman stated.

"Okay," Kadri said. "Oh, and also." Kadri rushed over to the old lady and grabbed the money he had given her. "I have a special request."

"Sure, what's that?" The woman asked.

"Would it be okay if you used this money to buy her enough food for seven days."

"I think I can handle that for you."

"Thank you." Kadri carried the old lady to her to her room.

Kadri opened the wooden door to the small inn room. There was a singular bed in the middle of the room and a toilet in a room on the side.

"Would you be able to use a walking stick to move around?" Kadri asked.

"If I had to, yes," The lady replied as Kadri placed her on the bed.

"I'm just thinking about when you want to go to the toilet and how you'll get there," Kadri said. An idea then popped into Kadri's head. He grabbed two arrows from his quiver and a long piece of strong bowstring that he kept spare for if his bowstring broke. He then broke off the head of the arrows and tied them together creating a makeshift walking stick.

"Here you go, should do for now," Kadri said as he handed her his homemade walking stick. "I'll come back and check on you in about a week, then we'll try and find somewhere you can stay. I'll get you a proper walking stick by then." Kadri was about to walk out but then stopped.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Teru," the old lady replied.

"Nice to meet you Teru," Kadri replied. "My name is Kadri Hiko, pleased to meet you."

"I thought I was your best friend," Nozomi pouted while Kurono and herself walked slightly ahead of Seili and Fujika through the tunnels.

"Best friend in the army, although, Takoda is a pretty good friend," Kurono replied. "What? Are you jealous?"

"No," Nozomi said.

"I mean… we could be more than just friends," Kurono suggested.

"Huh," Nozomi was shocked, she looked away, embarrassed. "Um… well… we could-"

"It was a jest," Kurono said. Nozomi slugged him in the shoulder.

Nozomi then looked at Kurono, she had noticed something. She inspected him closely. She noticed that Kurono's ear was slightly misshapen.

"Hey Kurono, what happened to your-"

"Look," Kurono pointed to a small wooden door at the top of tall stone staircase. He began rushing up the staircase.

"Kurono wait!" Nozomi yelled.

"What?" Kurono asked.

"Shouldn't we go in there with a bit more of a plan? What if there are enemies in there?" Nozomi said.

"There are going to be enemies in there, the ones who experimented on Seili, I'm certain of it, so let's go," Kurono explained.

"Experimented?" Nozomi was stunned for a moment. "Wait! We don't know how strong they will be."

"Doesn't matter, I'll be able to beat them." Kurono then barged in the door with sword in hand.

Kurono saw before him a large laboratory with cells and people inside them, people who were screaming in pain. He then saw two men in white lab coats, one was older than the other and had a slouched back. Alfred Frinz and Kyojin Yami.

"Who are you?" Frinz exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Kurono countered.

"Wait," Frinz inspected. "That sword, that hair and your outfit, you must be… Hitomu of the southern army!"

"I don't know who that is," Kurono said.

"Then you must be… Kurono Sakume!" Frinz said.

"How did you know?" Kurono asked as his allies walked into the room.

Frinz instantly spotted Seili.

"That doesn't matter, what does matter is you have brought back my property!" Frinz said.

"She isn't your property!" Kurono shouted.

"Oh, but she is, she was going to help me achieve my goal," Frinz explained. "My goal to watch the world burn because of my creations, then be killed by them, my greatest dream coming to fruition. HA HA HA!"

This guy is insane, Kurono thought.

Frinz inspected the group a little bit more.

"Is it my birthday?! You are such a nice boy!" Frinz said as he cackled.

"What are you talking about?" Kurono said. Frinz ignored Kurono's question and gave a sinister look.

"Welcome home, daughter."

Kurono looked around and the others were just as confused as him except Nozomi. Her eyes were wide open, shocked at the sight of her biological father.

"Nozomi, are you?"

"She is my daughter!" Frinz announced. "Tossed away like trash for she was useless to me! Unlike my other children." Frinz showed them his experiments. "I also have this." Frinz revealed Yami who was injecting himself with an unknown liquid from the syringe he had been given earlier. Once he had taken the formula, his veins began to pop out noticeably larger, his skin gained a slight purple tinge and his black hair turned white. The man began laughing manically.

"HAHAHAHAHA! This feels good," he exclaimed.

"An experiment I made which increases human performance, but it makes them lose their mind," Frinz explained.

Yami began prancing around the room and bouncing off the walls, he jumped off the wall and attacked Kurono. Kurono was able to block it with his sword, but the blow sent Kurono sliding back. Kurono then jumped and spun in the air, slamming Mazqatal down onto Yami, but Yami simply caught it with his bare hand. Yami smiled at Kurono. Fujika threw a dagger and pierced Yami in his skinny ribs. Yami turned and leaped towards the maid, grabbing her and slamming her to the ground. Nozomi yelled as she brought her axe down at the monster, but the monster slapped her away. The force sent her flying into a wall. Kurono roundhouse kicked Yami in the face knocking him off Fujika. Yami went to punch Kurono but he slid the blade of his sword to the other end to run parallel with his arm, he then blocked the incoming punch with ease. Yami's hand was sliced as a result squirting purply red blood. Nozomi was slowly recovering from the blow she had taken and was just getting on her feet. Fujika attacked Yami with another dagger and stabbed him in the back with it. Nozomi noticed her father trying to sneak away by going up the round staircase. She decided to pursue him. Kurono noticed this, he also tried to follow but got grabbed and aside by Yami.

The round staircase led to a room with a door on each end. Frinz sprinted to the door on the left and opened it hurriedly, Nozomi was in hot pursuit with her axe in hand. Frinz had made it outside where the rain still poured down. He spotted two guards and ordered them to attack Nozomi.

"Show no mercy!" Frinz demanded. "Kill her if you must!"

The guards attacked Nozomi, she held her axe prepared to block the incoming attack.

Yami grasped Kurono by the throat and held him against the wall strangling the hero. Yami's nails had grown to extreme lengths during the transformation which caused them to dig into Kurono's neck. Blood began slowly trickling down his neck. Fujika jumped off the table in the middle of the room and stabbed Yami in the neck, Yami let go of Kurono but turned around to throw Fujika off. Kurono was slumped on the ground, gravely injured but a green light filled the room. Seili was healing Kurono. He then got back up and continued attacking the monstrous Yami.

The first guard attacked with a broadsword but Nozomi blocked it easily with her axe, she then spun around and jammed the axe into the back of the guard's neck killing him. The second guard attacked and Nozomi was not able to pull the axe out, so she ran towards the guard unarmed. As the they got closer the guard swung his sword horizontally, Nozomi used the wet ground to slide past him avoiding the attack. She then turned as the guard turned to face her once again. Nozomi flicked up the dirty water in a puddle on the ground into the guard's eyes giving her an opening, she attacked him with a right hook to the jaw, then a left hook. The guard then swung his sword but Nozomi ducked then swept the guards feet in one elegant, seamless movement. She took the opportunity to free her axe. In one motion she grabbed the axe from the dead guard's neck and swung it into the others stomach, she then pursued her father.

Kurono spun Mazqatal quickly in his hand as he flew through the air like an eagle and cut Yami's arm. Yami countered this by grabbing a nearby flask and smashing Kurono over the head with it. Fujika sliced Yami's ankles with her dagger but Yami pulverised her head with his abnormally large fist. The two guards in rich clothes ran into the room to inspect the noise. Kurono and Fujika had recovered thanks to Seili who was sitting in a corner healing her comrades. Kurono instantly jumped to one of the more expensively dressed guards and managed to slice his throat while he was in the air. Yami grabbed the corpse of this recently deceased guard and threw it at Kurono. Fujika threw her dagger at the guard and hit him in the eye, it stuck out like a sore thumb.

"You know Fujika, I don't get it," Kurono said as he blocked another one of Yami's attacks.

"Don't get what?" Fujika asked as she ran in to attack Yami.

"How are you so good with a dagger but you are terrible as a maid." Kurono countered an attack and managed to cut Yami's cheek.

"Us maids were forced to be highly trained for battle, we spent hours training."

"Oh, fair enough."

Nozomi was catching up to the old scientist. She had chased him down the empty streets. It was now night-time in Pilbate, and the streetlamps lit the way. The rain continued to pour on Nozomi as she chased after Frinz. She eventually caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. She held him down as she slowly raised her axe.

"Wait, my sweet daughter, don't kill me, daddy loves you," Frinz begged for his life. "I want you to see my dream with me."

"You're dream to watch your creations destroy the world?" Nozomi asked.

"Of course, how could you not want to see that? I always loved you so please, show me some love."

"You don't love me," tears began rolling down Nozomi's cheek, but they got lost in the rain. "IF YOU LOVED ME YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THROWN ME ONTO THE STREETS!" Nozomi swung her axe down and split her father's head with the blade. Doctor Alfred Frinz… was dead.

"This is getting boring," Yami cackled. "I'm going to go kill some other people, you guys take up too much time. But I can't leave you unattended."

Yami went and unlocked every cell releasing all Frinz's experiments, he then left through the door Kurono entered through.

"Have fun," He said as he sprinted through the tunnels.

The experiments began approaching Kurono and Fujika. Seili ran to Kurono and hid behind him.

"Guys," Kurono looked at Seili and Fujika. "We have to run."